The inaugural Crüefest made its first stop through Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Noblesville, IN delivering what was billed by organizers as “the loudest show on earth”.  The Crüefest headliners are of course, THE bad boys of rock and roll... Mötley Crüe, along with  Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx AM and Trapt. 

It’s true…  Mötley Crüe  is alive a kickin'!  Considering their legacy as the kings of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, it's a miracle that the Crüe is together again and has also returned to the studio to produce new material.  Touring in support of their new CD “Saints of Los Angeles” (the band's first release in 10 years) the set incorporated a giant Los Angeles sign (in reverse) i.e. appearing like the band was performing from behind the sign.  "Kickstart My Heart" launched the show which drove the crowd into a Crüe craze. All the typical Motley elements prevailed...tons of pyro and big screen imagery unites!  A show highlight:  a snipet of Jimi Hendrix’ Voodoo Child performed by Mick Mars.

Motley Crue Photos	Buckcherry Photos

The 2008 version of the Vans Warped Tour is now underway. We caught the perennial alternative music fest in St. Louis, MO. Year after year it represents one of the greatest values in live concert entertainment, and probably the hardest working group of musicians over the course of the grueling 57 day, 46 city tour schedule. No doubt the Missouri crowd was stoked as after covering 8 Warped Tours, we have never seen a line as long to get in the grounds as there was in St. Louis. Artists we covered included Paramore, Gym Class Heroes, Mayday Parade, Reel Big Fish, Jacks Mannequin, Story of the Year, Street Dogs, Tat and Midnight to Twelve .

Story of the Year	Jacks Mannequin

To celebrate the 4th of July weekend with a bang, John Mayer is touring in support of his new release Where The Light Is-Live in Los Angeles at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Noblesville, IN.

JM's summer tour is sponsored by Blackberry so John's web site reflects the partnership offering ENCORE VOTING of course using Blackberry.  Here's how it works:  a poll with 3 possible song choices will go live on the site 24 hours before every show day. Voting will be open for a 24 hour window and close at midnight on the date of the concert. The results will be sent to the tour, where the band will play the winning song choice in the encore that night. Fans can also access voting directly from their Blackberry or other mobile device by visiting encore.johnmayer.com.  Blackberry has also developed a sister site for the tour, located at johnmayer.blackberry.com. Users can upload or link video, photos, and comments from shows throughout the Summer Tour as well as access other functionality from Blackberry.  johnmayer.com will also be a source for live recordings of shows on the 2008 Summer Tour. Fans can submit their recordings and if selected, recordings will be posted along with post-concert information for each show at johnmayer.com.  JM sees how important new technologies are to the future of the music business and he’s playing every card accordingly.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers lit up the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Noblesville, IN with over 30 years of hits. At 57 years of age, Petty is one of those rare entertainers who provides the ‘perfect concert experience’ to his audience. Die-hard Petty fans won't allow high gas prices and a limping economy to keep them away as evidenced by a sold out and adoring crowd. Tom Petty & Co. has sold out every show on the tour!

Celebrating over 30 years of hit making, Tom Petty is a favorite for all ages as Petty’s songwriting and musical style satisfies every musical taste. Incredibly, it took Petty (16) major hits to win a Grammy (13) years into his band’s career for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance with ‘You Don’t Know How It Feels’ in 1995.  At age 42, Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.  No matter what part of the world you’re from, Tom Petty’s songs are simply a staple of FM Rock.

Travis McCoy and the Gym Class Heroes, like the Warped Tour itself are all about tolerance, accepting and promoting uniqueness and having a good time. Having covered six Warped Tour stops myself, I can vouch that the Warped Tour is just that... a celebration of alternative music and culture that year after year is a raucous onslaught of alternative music and lifestyle.

On Tuesday July 1st in Maryland Heights, Missouri the Gym Class Heroes took the headlining slot after Paramore's set on the Route 66 stage. At the end of the second song, lead singer Travis McCoy pointed out to the audience and quizzically asked " excuse me, but did you just call me an ingnorant n*****"? ." McCoy calmly invited the fan up to the foot of the stage. The audience member was wacked several times on the head with a microphone and puches were thrown as security quickly seperated the two and escorted the fan out of the area. McCoy immediately apologized by saying that "this is not what we're about... but when somebody calls you a n***** you have to stand up and do something about it". The crowd cheered wildly at these words...

The Alan Parsons Project debuted in 1976 with Tales of Mystery and Imagination, an LP inspired by the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe. 1977's I Robot put the band on the map charting at number 9 in the US, spawning hits such as I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You, Breakdown and Don't Let It Show. Sirius, a track from 1982's Eye In The Sky LP is a fan favorite at several NBA arenas as the background music for NBA player introductions.

Alan Parsons discography alone puts him in the class of classic rock royalty... yet his talents do not begin and end there. His career in the music industry began as an engineer. At the age of 18 he began his career with EMI. He then earned a post at Abbey Road Studios where he worked with The Beatles as an assistant engineer. He subsequently worked with Paul McCartney as the engineer on McCartney, Wings Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway. Parsons also was involved as an engineer on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. (Read More)

The recently reunited Stone Temple Pilots now have a few shows under their belts as they begin their ambitous 2008 summer tour plans. The tour opened on May 17th in Columbus, Ohio at the Rock on the Range Festival and also included a date as the main stage attraction at the 2008 Carb Day event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. STP fans will not be dissapointed as Scott Weiland, Dean and Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz seem comfortable and genuinely pleased to once again be on stage playing hits such as Plush, Creep, and Vasoline. Check the, out if you can score a ticket, it's a great show and a good time. (Live Photos)