It’s only fitting in a year that landed GRAMMY nominee and CMA Award winner Eric Church at the top of the country singles chart with the two week No. 1 “Springsteen” that both Church and The Boss share something else in common – top placement on Pollstar’s Worldwide Ticket Sales Chart. Church joins the company of Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Coldplay, Roger Waters, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson THE IMMORTALWorld Tour, Cirque du Soleil, Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Metallica, and Dave Matthews Band. With over 765,000 tickets sold, Church’s The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour ranks at No. 11 on the chart published today at Pollstar.com.
“To be listed beside these acts—based solely on the number of tickets sold throughout the year on our tour—is just incredible. I distinctively remember playing for eight people just over two years ago in a club in Texas, so to hear that that number has grown to what it was in 2012 is a true testament to the fans, their passion, and my band and crew’s dedication to making our show the best it can be night after night,” shares Church. The number of tickets sold on The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour in 2012, which covered 101 tour dates, matches what he sold in the prior six years of his touring career. Continue Reading →
If you watched last night’s GRAMMY Awards, two things are clear: (in case you didn’t hear) Whitney Houston is no longer with us, and Adele cleaned house. And also, there were some (and by some, I mean 382) performances in there. Oh and this image to the left? Nothing but freaking hilarious.
If you happened to catch me on Twitter (@mattwilliams27) throughout the telecast, you’d know that much of the night was worthy of a good ribbing. Most notably was Chris Brown’s useless, God-awful performance, Taylor Swift ironically coming up flat on a note during the line in her performance of Mean: “…grumbling on about how I can’t sing,” a couple collaborations that sort of fell short, and a MIA Kanye West, despite his leading in the nominations.
On the other hand, certain elements will not soon be forgotten. I don’t typically comment on fashion, but if anyone saw Rihanna on the red carpet, they were probably picking their jaw up off the ground. And although I was sick of Whitney Houston references by the time LL Cool J took the stage, the simple, understated, and beautifully powerful tribute to her by Jennifer Hudson brought the house down.
As did the highly anticipated return of Adele, who gave her first performance after undergoing vocal chord surgery. She absolutely nailed it, and received a well-deserved standing ovation. Oh yeah, and she went six-for-six on awards, including the big three: Song and Record of the Year for Rolling in the Deep, and album of the year for “21.” Bon Iver took home Best New Artist, which surprised many people, mainly because… no one knew who they (or he?) were.
The big story in the country realm last night was The Civil Wars, who took home Best Country Duo/Group Performance for Barton Hollow and Best Folk Album. They also performed a segment of Barton Hollow while introducing Taylor Swift. Taylor, by the way, took home two honors, including Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for Mean. Lady Antebellum came up with a (in my opinion) highly-contested win for Best Country Album for “Own The Night” over Swift’s “Speak Now,” Aldean’s “My Kinda Party,” “Chief” by Eric Church (who I wanted to see take it), “Red River Blue” by Blake Shelton, and “Here For A Good Time” by George Strait.
So all-in-all… meh. Whitney will be missed, but the timing of her death overshadowed the entire show. Adele was well deserving of her awards and her standing ovations. And I think we proved that the most talented individuals don’t need dancers, pyrotechnics, auto tune, theatrics or lip-syncing (although Katy Perry’s performance was enjoyable, and an obvious “in your face” to Russell Brand). Real talent needs a microphone and a stage, and sometimes a guitar. And for that, Nashville, we thank you.
Hands down across all genres, my absolute favorite album of the year is this debut release from newly-formed pop/rock band, TOY. It has literally NOT left my car cd player since I got it Monday night until now when I have to look at it to make sure that I’ve got everything right from it for this review.
Rarely does an album come along that grabs you and takes hold of you like this one! How do I begin to describe it and do it the justice that it deserves? If you take the best parts of Evanescence, Lady Gaga, and Florence & The Machine, then created something new and original from those musical influences, you would then have TOY. At least, what I think best describes them! They are high energy, dance, rock, pop, electronic with a dark, edgy sound.
All songs on the album are original and written by TOY.
Full Track List:
1) “Uh Oh”: This one put me most in mind of Lady Gaga, but they aren’t trying to imitate. Uptempo, dancy, edgy.
2) “Ghost”: Dark, uptempo, and my favorite lyrically. One of my favorites overall. I can listen to this one over and over without tiring.
3) “Give It To Me”: Again, uptempo, high energy…another that I don’t tire of hearing. Best listened to in the car where you can crank if WAY up and not disturb the neighbors!
4) “Music Box”: Dark, melodic, and hard rock edginess at it’s best.
5) “Traffic Signs”: This one starts with a lot of electronic adds and build-up to the actual song. Very dark and edgy. Almost a tribal sound. Enthralling–lyrically and musically.
6) “Flying High”: My absolute favorite off this album! Uptempo, electronic, dance, rock…builds up to a frenzy. Even better live! Watch the video of this below and listen to the crowd being built into a frenzy midway through as they scream with excitement.
7) “Night Hunters”: This one makes me want to get up and dance. Seriously, there’s not a weak one on the album. Not one!
The only downside for me was I wanted MORE than 7 songs on this album. It’s just that good! It left me wanting much more and I want to see them live again soon. They are riveting, charismatic, high energy, and a breath of fresh air. If you like pure and powerful vocals mixed with excellent musicianship, deep & thought-provoking writing, then TOY is for you! THIS is a band that is better experienced live. The album is GREAT, the live show will blow you away! It is like a tidal wave of energy flowing over the room when they take the stage. Your attention will be captured and held until they leave the stage, which you don’t want to happen. This band is going places!
Anyway, my point is GET THE ALBUM! Request it from their site and if they come to a town near you, GO! You won’t be disappointed! Enough said.
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It’s only fitting in a year that landed GRAMMY nominee and CMA Award winner Eric Church at the top of the country singles chart with the two week No. 1 “Springsteen” that both Church and The Boss share something else in common – top placement on Pollstar’s Worldwide Ticket Sales Chart. Church joins the company of Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Coldplay, Roger Waters, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour, Cirque du Soleil, Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Metallica, and Dave Matthews Band. With over 765,000 tickets sold, Church’s The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour ranks at No. 11 on the chart published today at Pollstar.com.
