Fall Tour Update

If my poll was an indication, I was hoping to post this over the weekend. That didn't happen, but here it is. These are some of the most essential North American tours of fall 2008:

Nightwish w/ Sonata Arctica

Tour Dates:
08/29/08 The Trocadero, Philadelphia
08/30/08 The Palladium, Worcester
09/1/08 Metropolis, Montreal
09/2/08 Docks Nightclub, Toronto
09/4/08 Agora Ballroom, Cleveland
09/5/08 Harpo's, Detroit
09/6/08 House of Blues, Chicago
09/9/08 Showbox SoDo, Seattle
09/10/08 Roseland Grill, Portland
09/12/08 The Fillmore, San Francisco
09/13/08 The Wiltern, Los Angeles
09/14/08 Marquee Theatre, Tempe
09/16/08 Palladium Ballroom, Dallas
09/17/08 La Zona Rosa, Austin
09/19/08 Meridian, Houston
09/20/08 House of Blues, New Orleans
09/21/08 Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg
09/23/08 Valarium, Knoxville
09/24/08 Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte
09/26/08 Rams Head Live, Baltimore
09/27/08 Nokia Theatre, New York

Cost: approx. $25-$30

Nightwish and Sonata Arctica are not just two of the best bands in Finland, or even two of the best bands in metal. No, these are two of the best bands in music. I saw Nightwish live last October, and even without Tarja, they put on one of the best shows I've ever seen. Two phenomenal bands for $30 is a great deal in my opinion, and it was easy choice to get tickets to see Nightwish for a second time this fall. No matter what kind of music you like, this one tour you should be attending.

Opeth w/ High on Fire, Nachtmystium (9/16-10/4), Baroness (10/6-10/26), The Bakerton Group (10/14)

Tour Dates:
Sep. 16 - Buffalo, The Town Ballroom - NY
Sep. 17 - Philadelphia, Trocadero - PA
Sep. 18 - New York, Nokia Theatre - NY
Sep. 19 - Worcester, The Palladium - MA
Sep. 20 - Quebec City, Theatre Imperial - QC
Sep. 21 - London, Centennial Hall - ON
Sep. 23 - Cleveland, House of Blues - OH
Sep. 24 - Chicago, House of Blues - IL
Sep. 25 - Grand Rapids, The Orbit Room - MI
Sep. 26 - Milwaukee, The Rave - WI
Sep. 27 - St. Paul, Myth - MN
Sep. 29 - Winnipeg, The Garrick Centre - MB
Sep. 30 - Saskatoon, Odeon Events Centre – SK
Oct. 01 - Edmonton, Edmonton Events Centre - AB
Oct. 03 - Vancover, Commodore Ballroom - BC
Oct. 04 - Seattle, Showbox@The Market - WA
Oct. 06 - San Francisco, Regency Center @ The Grand Ballroom - CA
Oct. 07 - Los Angeles, Wiltern Theatre - CA
Oct. 08 - Las Vegas, House of Blues - NV
Oct. 09 - Tempe, Marquee Theatre - AZ
Oct. 10 - Albuquerque, Sunshine Theater - NM
Oct. 11 - Denver, Ogden Theatre, CO
Oct. 13 - St. Louis, The Pageant - MO
Oct. 14 - Kansas City, The Beaumont Club - MO
Oct. 15 - Dallas, House of Blues Dallas - TX
Oct. 16 - Austin, The Monarch - TX
Oct. 17 - Houston, Warehouse Live - TX
Oct. 18 - New Orleans, House of Blues - LA
Oct. 20 - Ft. Lauderdale, Revolution - FL
Oct. 21 - Lake Buena Vista, House of Blues - FL
Oct. 22 - Atlanta, Center Stage - GA
Oct. 23 - Cincinnati, Bogart´s - OH
Oct. 24 - Raleigh, Lincoln Theatre - NC
Oct. 25 - Norfolk, The Norva - VA

Cost: $20-$25

If you see one tour all year, make it this one. I don't care who you are, an Opeth headlining show is not to be missed. I would glady pay $100+ to see an Opeth headlining show, and it doesn't hurt that High on Fire, Nachtmystium, and Baroness are all great and varied metal bands that should each put on great shows as well. Go buy tickets for this one immediately. You won't regret it.

Necrophagist w/ Dying Fetus, Beneath the Massacre, Veil of Maya

Tour Dates:
Aug. 26 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven (w/ Into Eternity)
Aug. 27 - Portland, OR - Rock N Roll Pizza
Aug. 28 - Boise, ID - The Venue
Aug. 29 - Ogden, UT - Club Boom Va
Aug. 30 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep
Aug. 31 - Wichita, KS - Club Oz
Sep. 02 - Louisville, KY - Headliners
Sep. 03 - Pittsburgh, PA – [to be announced]
Sep. 04 - Rochester, NY - The Penny Arcade
Sep. 05 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium (w/ CARCASS)
Sep. 06 - New York, NY - Nokia Theatre (w/ CARCASS; no BENEATH THE MASSACRE, VEIL OF MAYA)
Sep. 07 - Virginia Beach, VA - Steppin Out
Sep. 08 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre
Sep. 09 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom (w/ CARCASS; no BENEATH THE MASSACRE, VEIL OF MAYA)
Sep. 10 - Albany, NY - Northern Lights

Cost: $15-$20, $30-$35 for dates w/ Carcass

Aparently Into Eternity is only playing the Seattle show (which is great for me), but the rest of the tour still looks amazing. There isn't much that needs to be said about this one. If you're a death metal, you know why this tour rules. If you're not, then you probably won't want to go anyway. If you're lucky to have Carcass playing on your dates, I personally believe the extra $15-$20 is worth it for the lineup, but for less than $20, this is a dream tour for death metal fans.

Kamelot w/ Edguy

Tour Dates:

October 10 - Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
October 14 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East *
October 15 - New York, NY @ B.B. King Blues Club *
October 16 - West Springfield, VA @ Jaxx *
October 17 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s *
October 18 - Mokena, IL @ Pearl Room *
October 20 - St Paul, MN @ Station 4 *
October 23 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon *
October 24 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater *
October 25 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s *
October 26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Key Club *
October 27 - Mexicali, MX @ El Jardin Silencio *
October 29 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
October 31 - San Antonio, TX @ Scout Bar
November 1 - Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
November 2 - Ft. Worth, TX @ Ridglea Theater

* = with Edguy

Cost: $25-$30

Not all of the dates have Edguy, and I don't know if would recommend the tour without them, but power/symphonic metal fans who have a chance to see both bands should definitely consider this tour. If you can only see one of the tours, I'd recommend Nightwish/Sonata Arctica over this one, but this is definitely an outstanding package nonetheless. Kamelot and Edguy are two very different power metal bands, but both rank among the best in the genre. Once again, this is a tour that power metal fans should definitely consider attending.

TV on the Radio

Tour Dates:

September
5 Musicfest NW, Roseland Theater Portland, OR*
6 Showbox, Seattle WA*
7 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC*
9 Macewan Ballroom, Calgary AB*
10 Starlite Room, Edmonton AB*
12 Knitting Factory Boise ID*
13 In the Venue, Salt Lake City UT*
14 Monolith Festival, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison CO
19 Street Scene, San Diego, CA
20 Treasure Island Festival, San Francisco CA

October

10 Electric Factory, Philadelphia PA+

11 Lupos, Providence, RI+

13 Wilbur Theatre, Boston MA+

14 Masonic Temple, Brooklyn NY+

15 Masonic Temple, Brooklyn NY

18 Bogarts, Cincinnati OH+

19 Vogue Theatre, Indianapolis IN+

20 First Ave, Minneapolis MN+

21 First Ave, Minneapolis MN+

22 Riviera, Chicago IL+

24 Voodoo Festival, New Orleans LA+

25 Tabernacle, Atlanta GA+

26 Bijou Theatre, Knoxville TN+

28 Lakewood Theatre, Dallas TX+

30 Stubbs, Austin TX+

31 Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City OK+

November

06 Wiltern, Los Angeles CA+

08 4th and B, San Diego CA [KBZT Birthday Show]+

* Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson to open

+ The Dirtbombs to open

Cost: $20-$25

TV on the Radio may be the most unique band in indie rock at the moment, as well as one of my personal favorite bands period. Their upcoming album is one of my most anticipated of the year, but with all of the great tours coming up, I'm still up in the air on whether to attend this one. Still, TV on the Radio is nothing short of outstanding, and I have to recommend seeing them any and everytime they tour the U.S. If you don't know who these guys are, go pick up a copy of Return to Cookie Mountain and see why TV on the Radio is a truly special band.

Mogwai w/ Fuck Buttons

Tour Dates:
09-04 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
09-05 Victoria, British Columbia - Element
09-06 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore
09-08 San Francisco, CA - Grand Ballroom
09-09 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
09-10 Tucson, AZ - Rialto
09-12 Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Q
09-13 Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
09-15 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
09-16 Richmond, VA - The National
09-17 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
09-18 New York, NY - Terminal 5
09-19 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom
09-21 Monticello, NY - Kutshers Country Club (My Bloody Valentine ATP)
09-22 Boston, MA - Wilbur Theatre
09-23 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
09-25 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot
09-26 Chicago, IL - Congress Theatre
09-27 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

Cost: $20-$25

This is yet another great fall tour package. Mogwai is obviously a legendary post-rock act, but Fuck Buttons is a more recent experimental group with heavy Mogwai influences. I've never seen either of these bands live, but I imagine both would put on interesting live shows. Personally, I prefer my post-rock to be in the form of Explosions in the Sky, but Mogwai is legendary, and $20 to see them is certainly recommendable.

Amon Amarth w/ Ensiferum, Belphegor, The Absence

01.10 - House Of Blues, Anaheim, CA, USA
02.10 - The Avalon, Los Angeles, CA, USA
03.10 - Slim's, San Francisco, CA, USA
04.10 - Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR, USA
05.10 - El Corazon, Seattle, WA, USA
06.10 - Croatian Culture Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
08.10 - The Starlite Room, Edmonton, AB, Canada
09.10 - The Warehouse, Calgary, AB, Canada
10.10 - Ridell Centre, Regina, SK, Canada
11.10 - The Garrick Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
12.10 - Station 4, St. Paul, MN, USA
13.10 - House Of Blues, Chicago, IL, USA
15.10 - Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada
16.10 - Le Medley, Montreal, QC, Canada
17.10 - Theatre Imperial, Quebec City, QC, Canada
18.10 - The Palladium, Worcester, MA, USA
19.10 - Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA, USA
20.10 - The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, New York, NY, USA
21.10 - Jaxx, W. Springfield, VA, USA

Cost: $20-$25

This is another dream metal package that I unfortunatley don't think I'll be able to attend. However, recommending this tour is an easy decision. As every metal fan knows, Amon Amarth is incredible, and even without Jari Mäenpää, Ensiferum puts on a great live show. On top of that, Belphegor and The Absence are both outstanding bands, are may even be every bit as good as the headliners. I love the other three bands, but The Absence is the one that jumps out at me as the one I'd like to see. No matter which band jumps out at you, you're getting a chance to see four outstanding metal bands, and any fan of metal should consider this one.

Metal Masters Tour feat. Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Motorhead, Testament

Aug. 06 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
Aug. 07 - Nissan Pavilion - Bristow, VA
Aug. 09 - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
Aug. 10 - Nikon at Jones Beach - Wantagh, NY
Aug. 13 - Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
Aug. 15 - Mohegan Sun Arena - Uncasville, CT
Aug. 16 - Post Gazette Pavilion - Pittsburgh, PA
Aug. 18 - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Detroit, MI
Aug. 19 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre - Chicago, IL
Aug. 22 - Superpages.com Amphitheatre - Dallas, TX
Aug. 23 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Houston, TX
Aug. 24 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - San Antonio, TX
Aug. 27 - Journal Pavilion - Albuquerque, NM
Aug. 28 - Cricket Pavilion - Phoenix, AZ
Aug. 30 - Glen Helen Pavilion - San Bernardino, CA
Aug. 31 - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA
Sep. 01 - Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort - Las Vegas, NV

Cost: $25 (lawn)- $125 (pit)

Next to Opeth, this may be the best tour of 2008. Unfortunately, a Seattle date is not present, so I won't be able to attend, but this is one phenomenal lineup. All four the bands are legendary, and really, what needs to be said? If you didn't put your horns in the air after reading the lineup, this tour isn't for you. If you did, and there's a date near you, buy your tickets immediately.