Jordan Knight has some ‘Unfinished’ business

Jordan Knight (second from right) and the rest of NKOTBSB performing at Philips Arena July 22. Photos: Robb Cohen

It’s about two hours before New Kids on the Block will electrify a swelling throng of fans at Philips Arena with their new buddies in the Backstreet Boys and what is Jordan Knight doing?

Eating a piece of chocolate cake.

The slender, handsome Knight is wearing jeans and a blue and white checkered shirt over a white T – his normal attire before transforming into a black-clad heartthrob who, at 41, possesses impressive abs that he’ll occasionally flash to the receptive crowd.

In the bowels of Philips Arena, Danny Wood and Donnie Wahlberg walk down a hallway, Wahlberg’s sturdy boxer dog Lumpy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bedGtRS_uvg)  pulling him along.

BSB’s Brian Littrell, a Georgia resident with family at tonight’s show, also breezes by, sporting long shorts and a grin.

But Knight’s pre-show ritual in Atlanta involves nothing exciting, just dinner in a backstage …

Edited: June 28th, 2011

Cee Lo Green scraps Rihanna tour, including Chastain

Photo: Kai Regan

If you were hoping to see Cee Lo Green on his summer tour with Rihanna, well, forget about it.

The Atlanta-based singer and current quarter of the coaching team on “The Voice” has dropped off the tour, including a July 12 date at Chastain Park Amphitheatre.

A press release cites “scheduling conflicts,” which prompts skepticism considering that the date has been on the books for months. Perhaps the additional exposure on NBC’s hit talent show is prompting Cee Lo to consider his own tour? That seems more likely than the other rumbling, that a much-publicized Twitter rant earlier this month – one tinged with anti-gay sentiments — regarding a negative review has caused the singer to bolt from the Rihanna dates.

Green’s spokesperson told The New York Times in a statement, “He always puts 100 percent into his work and with the requirements and time commitment to ‘The Voice,’ on top of heading back into the recording studio and an upcoming book, he feels that he …

Edited: June 27th, 2011

Adele reschedules with fall Fox show

British soul-pop sensation Adele has rescheduled the dates that she was forced to cancel this month when laryngitis sidelined her.

She’ll play The Fox Theatre Oct. 16 – a size upgrade from her previously planned show last week at The Tabernacle.

Those holding tickets from the Tabernacle show will be automatically refunded for their order and given access to an exclusive pre-sale July 8-15 to purchase premium tickets at the original price for the Fox show. Those ticket holders will be contacted directly by Ticketmaster with further instructions.

Tickets for the general public will go on sale at 10 a.m. July 22 at www.livenation.com, the Fox box office or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

In addition to making good on the canceled dates, Adele has added six additional tour stops to her itinerary, including Oct. 7 in Atlantic City, N.J., Oct. 8 in Durham, N.C., Oct. 13 in Orlando and Oct. 14 in Miami.

The singer’s sophomore album, “21,” has spent 10 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the …

Edited: June 23rd, 2011

NKOTBSB bring spirited nostalgia to Philips Arena

You know what’s even louder than the squeals of 15,000-plus 13-year-old girls?

The shrieking of 15,000-plus 35-year-old women.

At Wednesday’s NKOTBSB show – a boy band behemoth if there ever was one – the predominantly female audience howled, cried, clicked dozens of cell phone camera photos and joyfully wallowed in the 2 ½-hour nostalgia fiesta unfolding before them.

These types of novelty packages are always a risky proposition. Will fans still care about their teenage crushes 20 years later? Are those teenage crushes in decent enough physical and vocal shape to endure a lengthy tour? Was the music just a forgettable snapshot of a few years in pop culture or is it authentic in spirit?

The answers: Absolutely. Completely. Surprisingly so.

A decade separates the insane peaks of success for ‘80s hunks New Kids on the Block (Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Danny Wood, Joey McIntyre and Donnie Wahlberg) and ‘90s heartthrobs Backstreet Boys (Georgia resident Brian Littrell, Nick …

Edited: June 23rd, 2011

Def Leppard and Heart don’t let rain spoil the party

It wasn’t a pretty start, but most fans attending the Heart/Def Leppard show at Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood would likely agree that the payoff was worth the wait.

 The venue lost power during Saturday’s vicious storm, which led to an hour of will-there-or-won’t-there-be-a-show guessing as fans waited for the gates to be opened.

 Eventually, with the storm passed, electricity restored and safety concerns cleared, the concert was a go, with Heart taking the stage at 9 p.m. for a condensed 40-minute set (they’ve played about an hour and 10 minutes on the first two stops of the tour, which launched Wednesday in South Florida).

 But anyone who has seen Ann and Nancy Wilson and the rest of Heart live before knows that the sisters pack a ton of power – no pun intended – into everything they do.

 Though Ann’s voice was lost in a poor mix of the opening “Cook With Fire,” the sound clarified for the sweetly sexy “Never,” re-dressed with an acoustic foundation and harmonica, and …

Edited: June 19th, 2011

Phish makes Alpharetta concerts available for online viewing

Phish heads who couldn’t score a ticket to either of the band’s sold-out shows at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park Tuesday and Wednesday can still watch the shows online.

The band will stream the concerts at www.livephish.com. Fans can purchase a two-night pass for $24.99 or individual nights for $14.99 each. Phish will also make CDs, MP3s and FLACs of each show available.

For more information, visit: http://www.livephish.com/packages/2,49/Phish-mp3-flac-download-Alpharetta-Summer-2011.html.

Edited: June 14th, 2011

Chastain announces series B lineup with The Go-Go’s, Dylan, Nicks

Just when you thought the summer concert docket was already bursting with choices comes the Georgia Natural Gas Concert Series B Lineup at Chastain Park Amphitheatre.

Six of the series’ eight shows were announced Monday. Tickets for the full series or any combination of two or more shows will be available at 10 a.m. Sunday at www.chastainseries.com or by calling 404-233-2227.

The lineup so far:

July 28: Bob Dylan and his Band with special guest Leon Russell

Aug. 9: The Go-Go’s with Tom Tom Club

Aug. 14: INXS with Nikka Costa

Aug. 15: Stevie Nicks (non-table setup/no coolers or carry-ins)

Sept. 24: Elvis Costello and The Imposters

Oct. 1: Bryan Ferry

Edited: June 13th, 2011

Chastain announces series B lineup with The Go-Go’s, Dylan, Nicks

Just when you thought the summer concert docket was already bursting with choices comes the Georgia Natural Gas Concert Series B Lineup at Chastain Park Amphitheatre.

Six of the series’ eight shows were announced Monday. Tickets for the full series or any combination of two or more shows will be available at 10 a.m. Sunday at www.chastainseries.com or by calling 404-233-2227.

The lineup so far:

July 28: Bob Dylan and his Band with special guest Leon Russell

Aug. 9: The Go-Go’s with Tom Tom Club

Aug. 14: INXS with Nikka Costa

Aug. 15: Stevie Nicks (non-table setup/no coolers or carry-ins)

Sept. 24: Elvis Costello and The Imposters

Oct. 1: Bryan Ferry

Edited: June 13th, 2011

Selena Gomez will keep scheduled appearance at Mall of Georgia

Selena Gomez endured a brief hospitalization over the weekend — reportedly for a combination of nausea, food poisoning and exhaustion — but the Disney star/pop singer/Justin Bieber girlfriend is strong enough to return to her movie promo tour tonight in California.

The promo jaunt to support “Monte Carlo,” opening July 1, stops at the Mall of Georgia’s Village Amphitheater in Buford on June 16. Gomez will be on-site for a 45-minute Q&A session, but during the rest of the free event – from 2-8 p.m. — fans can receive mini-makeovers and participate in a “Monte Carlo” photo session.

In the movie, which co-stars Leighton Meester and “Glee”’s Cory Monteith, Gomez’s character becomes an accidental heiress and through a series of misadventures, winds up in Monte Carlo.

For more info on Gomez’s appearance, visit http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=983

Edited: June 13th, 2011

Josh Groban charming and chatty in Gwinnett

The challenge of being Josh Groban is that because his music is serious and intense, people assume he’s humorless and stuffy and that his live shows must be two hours of furrowed brows and weeping.

 In fact, the 30-year-old pop-opera (popera?) singer is an affable fellow with a quick wit and self-deprecating charm who happens to possess a lacquered voice and nimble piano skills.

 For his “Straight to You” tour, which kicked off last month and played at the Gwinnett Center Arena Wednesday, Groban is experimenting in a way by trying to mesh the intimacy of a theater show with the expanse of an arena.

 It’s tricky territory, especially given Groban’s mellow songs. But for the most part, it worked, especially his cleanly lit stage and backdrop of white brick that resembled the crumbled archway of an old theater.

 “You guys paid out the wazoo to be here, so the least I can do is sing my [butt] off for you,” he said at the start of the two-hour show, which began at the back of the …

Edited: June 9th, 2011