Where the Bands Are: This Week in Live Music and Concert News

Music

Miers On Music

May 28, 2024

Where the Bands Are: This Week in Live Music and Concert News — Promotional graphic for “Why Music Matters” podcast, now streaming on multiple platforms.

AI Design by Kim Miers

Well, then. Here’s some interesting live music news.

On May 23, New York Attorney General Letitia James, the U.S. Department of Justice, and a bipartisan coalition of 30 attorneys general sued Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (Live Nation) and its subsidiary Ticketmaster, for monopolizing the live events industry and harming consumers, artists, venues, and competitors.

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges that “Live Nation controls almost every aspect of live events, from promotions to venues and ticket sales, and abuses its market dominance to overcharge consumers, limit artists’ ability to perform at different venues, and restrict venues not owned by Live Nation from working with other ticketing vendors.”

The Attorney General’s long-term goal is to “end Live Nation’s abusive and anti-competitive conduct to protect fans, artists, and venues and to require the companies to pay for their wrongdoing.”

Can I get an amen? I’ll go first – Amen!!!

For too long, it’s been a case of, to paraphrase Bob Marley, “them belly full, but we hungry” when it comes to Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s blatantly monopolistic behavior. Enough is enough, and it’s been enough for far too long.

While we wait to see how all of this plays out, remember to allocate your live music budget in the same way that you use your vote – wisely, with an eye toward the long-term effects. These corporations value one thing, and only one thing – money. If we keep giving them ours, they’ll take take it as a blanket endorsement of their behavior.

The music should belong to the artists, the fans, and the independent promoters who bring the artists and fans together in a manner that isn’t tantamount to extortion. Full stop.

BTW, this JUST IN: There are specific seats for Heart with Cheap Trick at KeyBank Center on August 11 that the tickets are Buy One Get One FREE. Sign in here and click on the “Unlock” button and Use code: MEMORIAL to access the offer.

On to this week’s new show announcements…

Killer Queen – A Tribute To Queen, featuring Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury

Saturday, Sept. 28, at UB’s Center for the Arts

(Tickets On Sale Friday May 24, at ubcfa.org, Ticketmaster or in person at the UBCFA Ticket Office.)

Taking Back Sunday with Citizen & Head Automatica

July 27 at Buffalo Riverworks

Nothing More with Set It Off, From Ashes To New, and more

Sept 23 at Buffalo Riverworks

JOYWAVE – PERMANENT PLEASURE NORTH AMERICA 2024

Friday, October 18 at the Town Ballroom

TOKYO POLICE CLUB

Tuesday, October 8 at the Town Ballroom

TESLA

Wednesday, August 28 at Artpark Mainstage Theater

(Tickets go on sale Friday, May 24 at 10a.m. through ticketmaster.com or over the phone by calling the Artpark Box Office at 716-754-4375.)

And, in the shameless self-promotion category…

I’m excited to announce the return of Vinyl Mondays at the Sportsmen’s Tavern. For several years running up to the pandemic shutdown, I co-hosted the Gusto Vinyl Happy Hour Series with my friend Anita West every first Monday at the Sportsmen’s. I loved doing it, and it was consistently well-received. Since I severed my ties with the Buffalo News and Gusto just about a year ago, this is more of a reboot than a return, strictly speaking. The series will now be called Classic Vinyl Live with Jeff Miers, and will feature a rotating series of guests joining me for a live discussion of each album, followed by a performance celebrating that album by a curated ensemble of Buffalo musicians. I’ll also be encouraging some crowd participation, and giving away a vinyl copy of that month’s album at each show.

To kick off the series, we’ll be celebrating the Grateful Dead’s Dead Set album, with a band that includes Dave Ruch (guitar), Corey Kertzie (drums) and Joe Bellanti (keys) of Organ Fairchild, Aaron Ziolkowski of Buffalo Dead All Stars on guitar and vocals, and myself on bass. We’ll start the night off with a discussion of the album and the surrounding period in Grateful Dead history with myself. Dave Ruch, and Borderland Festival president Jennifer Brazill. Join us! Tickets are available here!

I’m also stoked to be working with the folks at Liberty Hound to present the Music Matters Summer Concert Series, taking place on Thursdays throughout the summer at the new Buffalo Harbor Walk venue, on the Erie Basin Marina. (The former site of The Hatch, at 329 Erie Street in Buffalo.) There will be a special series kickoff concert on Friday, May 31 at 7 p.m., featuring the return (after several years) of Pink Floyd tribute ensemble Relics. I’ll share the full season of shows for the series soon!