American Music Fest sets up in Athens during July 4 weekend

Photo: Jason Thrasher

If you’re still looking for a way to spend the Fourth of July weekend out of town but not too far from home, don’t forget about the third annual Classic City American Music Festival in Athens.

The fest, from 1 p.m.-midnight Sunday at The Melting Point, will feature music on the indoor and outdoor stages from Packway Handle Band, Mountain Heart, Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood, Art Rosenbaum and The New Familiars.

Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 at the door ($12 for those with UGA student ID). Children 12 and under are free.

The Foundry Park Inn, which houses The Melting Point, has special packages available that include accommodations and two tickets to the fest starting at $109.

For more information, visit www.foundryparkinn.com or call 706-549-7020.

Edited: June 30th, 2011

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

New Kids On The Block & Backstreet Boys Sell Out Philips Arena Wednesday

New Kids On The Block and the Backstreet Boys (NKOTBSB) performed Wednesday night night at sold out Philips Arena. The Backstreet Boys were formed by producer Lou Pearlman in Orlando in 1993 and have sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling boy band of all time. According to Billboard, they are the first group since Sade to have their first seven albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200. New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB)  were assembled in Boston in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr; they enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s and have sold 80 million records worldwide.

AJC photographer Robb Cohen covered the event with his camera. Check out the photo gallery. What did you think of  the concert? Who stole the show? What were your favorite songs from both bands?

(Photo Credit: Robb D. Cohen/ www.robbsphotos.com)  For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit  Atlanta ConcertPhotography Galleries.)

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