Rock Band Live

Chicago Date Dubber "Top Concert"

Rock Band Live — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:03:02 -0000

Chicagoland natives the Plain White T's -- Dave Tirio, De'Mar Hamilton, Mike Retondo, Tom Higgenson and the newly added Tim Lopez -- will perform on Wednesday at Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont, as part of the "Rock Band" Live tour.

On the heels of its fifth and latest album, "Big Bad World," Plain White T's is best known for flooding the radio airwaves with the Grammy Award-nominated single "Hey There, Delilah."

The tour also includes Nevada-based indie pop-punk rockers Panic at the Disco, which landed on the scene with the help of Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, a Wilmette native.

Panic at the Disco's debut album, "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out," hit No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart thanks to the singles "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" and "But It's Better if You Do."

Florida-based rocker band Dashboard Confessional is also on the tour. Since 2000, lead singer Chris Carrabba has been the face and voice behind the hits "Screaming Infidelities," "Hands Down," "Rapid Hope Loss," "Vindicated" and "Stolen."

Las Vegas rock group the Cab also will perform.

Peep The Review!

A Moment Alone With The Panic Bassist...

Rock Band Live — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:55:03 -0000

Q&A Panic at the Disco

Jon Walker, Bassist with Panic at the Disco

Panic at the Disco went in a new direction with its new CD "Pretty. Odd.," using live instruments and drawing upon influences like the Beatles. Bassist Jon Walker talked about the pretty odd band.

Q: Talk about the differences between the new album and your debut.

A: There was a four-year gap, and a lot of things have changed for us — personally and musically. The last album was just a bunch of short stories without one meaning behind the songs.

Q: Would a successful rock band like Panic at the Disco actually play "Rock Band"?

A: (Laughs) There's a few of us who play it, though I don't play it as much. Brandon is good at it, but I don't know if a real rock band would play "Rock Band" together.

Q: What will you do now that MTV's "TRL" is going away?

A: The last few times I saw "TRL" they weren't playing a lot of the music I'm into. I'm not going to miss it much.

The Interview...

Panic & Co. Rock SLC!!!

Rock Band Live — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:38:24 -0000

WEST VALLEY CITY — Four bands, four hours and some Rock Band video-game play had the E Center audience in a frenzy Thursday night.

Headlining the show was Panic at the Disco, and while that Las Vegas-based band's set was well choreographed and running on all pistons, it was the opening acts that set the tone and energy of the evening.

The Cab's "rawk band" set featured blistering guitar solos by wiz-kid Ian Crawford; heart to soul crowd interaction by lead singer Alex Deleon and some pop-rock jams which included bassist Cash Colligan, keyboardist Alex Marshall and drummer Alex Johnson.

Chicago's The Plain White T's, added their life to the mix as it offered old songs and new ones from the new CD "Big Bad World."

"1, 2, 3, 4," "Natural Disaster" and title track from "Big Bad World" were highlights of the set. But it was, of course, the performance of the Grammy Award-winning acoustic ballad "Hey There Delilah" that got the most cheers.

"The first time this song was played on the radio was in Salt Lake City," said lead singer Tom Higgenson about the tune. "So we dedicate it to you."

Dashboard Confessional, led by singer/songwriter Chris Carrabba, piled on more energy with its 45-minute set. Carrabba's soaring tenor was highlighted by the emo-laden compositions of "Rooftops and Invitations," which included an interlude featuring the chorus of U2's "Pride," and "These Bones."
Carrabba asked the Cab's Marshall and Crawford to join Dashboard on stage for a rousing rendition of Pink's "So What."

Panic at the Disco — vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Brendon Urie, guitarist Ryan Ross, bassist John Walker and drummer Spencer Smith — seemed a bit tentative when they started playing. But as the night went on, the band found its groove.

"We're So Starving," "She's a Handsome Woman," "Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have," "Middle of Summer" and "Time to Dance" were highlights of the crowd-pleasing set.

Although far from a sell-out, the show, which was hosted by an emcee named Ridiculous, will be in the hearts and minds of all those who attended Thursday night.

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What Keeps Plain White T's Up At 4AM...

Rock Band Live — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:45:36 -0000

"I rule," said Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba.

"It definitely kept me up until 4 in the morning some nights," said Plain White T's frontman Tom Higgenson.

Self-absorption? Groupies? Just what are these rock stars talking about?

They're talking about video games.

The inaugural "Rock Band Live Tour" makes a stop in West Valley City tonight with, appropriately enough, rock bands Panic at the Disco (left), Dashboard Confessional, Plain White T's and The Cab.

"Rock Band" is the video game that allows players to perform in a virtual band, playing up to four controllers modeled after musical instruments (a guitar, bass, drum and microphone). These "instruments" are used to simulate the playing of rock music by hitting scrolling notes on-screen. The game has sold nearly 4 million copies since its release in 2007.

While the "Rock Band Live Tour" could be dismissed as a marketing ploy for the video game, it has the advantage of giving local gamers the chance to appear onstage between the tour acts' sets. (Players hoping to appear onstage should arrive at the venue at 6 p.m. for on-site "Rock Band" competitions.) Not to mention, a talented bill of four rock bands will play.

Higgenson said he enjoys "Rock Band" with his bandmates, and not just because the band's acoustic hit "Hey There Delilah" can be played on the game. "The studio we were at had the game," he said in a phone interview.

When he wasn't playing the game, Higgenson and the band wrote songs for their new album, "Big Bad World," released Sept. 23. It's the follow-up to "Every Second Counts," the band's gold-selling breakthrough album.

The new album gave the once-harder-edged band room to grow, Higgenson said. "Instead of trying to turn [all the songs] into punk songs, we decided to let them breathe and we let them be."

As for Carrabba, he has to appear onstage whether or not he is a good video game player, but he contended in an interview that he is getting better at playing drums the "Rock Band" drums, that is. He already sings and plays guitar with his band, describing his day job this way: "I play guitar and sing for work."

Carrabba, who makes music usually classified as emo rock, says he enjoys playing the game's downloadable songs from the 1980s, familiar from his youth. "I like the classic rock stuff," Carrabba said. "Playing a lot of the metal brings me back to the teenage years."

When he's performing, Carrabba has formed a ritual of making eye contact with one person in the audience, and having what he terms "eye sex" with that person. Does the singer hope an audience member who gets onstage to demonstrate his or her "Rock Band" skills will have "eye sex" with him?

"One can only dream," he said.

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GO BEHIND THE SCENES WITH PANIC!

Rock Band Live — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:37:37 -0000

Rolling Stone caught up with Panic at the Disco behind the scenes at the Oct 10th LA show of Rock Band Live. Check out the article below and CLICK HERE for a backstage video.

The visitor’s locker room is like home to Panic at the Disco. It’s their dressing room at the Staples Center arena in Los Angeles, and there is the usual spread of chips, salsa and a big jug of Johnny Walker Red, all to help with the idle hours before showtime as Christmas lights blink in the corner. But the band is thinking about making music again. Panic bassist Jon Walker sits on a miniature amp with an electric guitar and begins strumming John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Guitarist Ryan Ross sits next to him in a pink tie and purple blazer, chewing on a bagel, but he soon moves to a small drum kit to tap out an anxious beat. “It’s funny how when you’re on tour you don’t really play music that much,” says Walker, “so we’re trying to make that happen again.” (Click above for exclusive backstage footage of Panic at the Disco).

The October 10 date in L.A. is only the fourth night of a tour with Dashboard Confessional, Plain White T’s and the Cab, the first live road trip sponsored by the Rock Band video game. And Panic is keeping miniature amps, a little jazzman’s drum kit and a couple of guitars in their dressing room to work on songs for the next album, a follow-up to this year’s classic rock and pop-influenced Pretty. Odd. Another crucial bit of equipment are the burning the candles they bring to every arena locker room, says Walker. “Candles are a big must in arenas when the night before there were 40 Detroit Red Wings in the dressing room sweating it out.”

Singer Brendon Urie sips a beer and drummer Spencer Smith is fresh from the shower. The band spent the last few weeks back and forth between their home base of Las Vegas and California — rehearsing at home, then out to L.A. to shoot a video for “Northern Downpour,” a few days of rehearsal and a show in San Diego, L.A. again for Last Call with Carson Daly, back to Vegas, Phoenix, Vegas and now in downtown L.A. In a few hours would be the tour’s first show to include Panic’s big video wall. “We’re going to film the show so that we can watch it like the sports teams do,” says Ross, who is also the band’s main songwriter. “To go over the plays and stuff.”

On tour, Panic perform five songs from the new album during a 50-minute set, and even do a cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Shout.” The result has been a wider range of fans, they say, and noticeably less crowd-surfing. “We knew it was going to be a big change, and we weren’t sure who was going to like it and who wasn’t going to like it, but we’re having a lot more fun playing live and writing new stuff,” says Ross. “It’s hard when people are expecting things from you, and all you’re trying to do is write songs that you like for yourself.”

Panic at the Disco expect to make more music backstage on their practice instruments, and maybe work up songs for an album they hope to begin when the tour ends November 13, but there is still time to kill. Walker climbs onto an exercise bike. He looks happy there. “This runs the amps,” jokes Walker, pedaling with a grin. “It’s all part of our green campaign. If we drive this for two hours a day, we can power the whole show.”

THE CAB GET DOWN AND DIRTY FOR SALT LAKE!

Rock Band Live — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:13 -0000

Check out the interview The Cab did with the Salt Lake Community College Globe. Don’t forget that Rock Band Live hits SLC this Thursday, Oct 16.

The new arrivals on the rock scene are making their way to Utah. The Cab, who released their first CD "Whisper War" earlier this year, will be opening for "RockBand Live" on Thursday.

The Cab was formed in 2005 by lead singer Alex Deleon and bassist Cash Colligan in their hometown of Las Vegas, NV. They started by writing their own songs and uploading them to MySpace.

"[When you're on MySpace] you're just a few clicks away from anyone in the world [and they] are able to access your music," says Deleon. "We slowly built these fans from MySpace, and then those kids started coming to shows, and, you know, we got bigger." They now have over 85,000 friends on MySpace.

The members of the band came together from different backgrounds. Drummer Alex Johnson was in a hardcore band before The Cab "stole him." The pianist, Alex Marshall, was in another band that was breaking up, and guitarist Ian Crawford was introduced to them by "Panic at the Disco."

It took three years from the time the band was formed until they nationally released an album.

"We just took our time trying to find the right chemistry with the band mates and trying to find the right sound," says Deleon. "I just started singing, so I'm still kind of learning. We were just trying to figure out what we wanted to sound like, and what we really wanted to do as a band."

The band's name was picked for its simplicity.

"We didn't want a super weird name," says Deleon. "We didn't want something that made no sense, or something that's super 'emo' like 'October Meets Suicide.' We wanted our music to speak for itself."

Deleon says the band name is short and simple.

"It kind of gives us a chance to let the music make a name for us, not our band name."

MySpace was not the only helping hand The Cab" got. Spencer Smith, the drummer from "Panic at the Disco," introduced them to Crush Management. Crush has since picked them up, and launched "Whisper War" for them.

"RockBand Live" features headliners "Panic at the Disco," "Dashboard Confessional" and "Plain White T's."

Deleon is excited to be touring with the group that helped them get started.

"Opening for 'Panic' and being able to watch them, and being able to watch 'Dashboard' and everything is the most surreal thing ever," says Deleon, "because two years ago I would have been in line for this show."

The "RockBand Live" concert is on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the E-Center. Tickets are $25 from ticketmaster.com

http://media.www.slccglobelink.com/media/storage/paper442/news/2008/10/13/ArtsEntertainment/Hailing.the.Cab-3486191.shtml

CHECK OUT THIS REVIEW FROM THE VEGAS SHOW!

Rock Band Live — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:38:14 -0000

Under a row of signed drums and cymbals from artists like Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd, local boys Panic at the Disco signed their way into Hard Rock history. As part The Ambassadors of Rock international tour, which has featured everyone from Fergie playing in Florida to The Wailers in Singapore, both Panic and their Rock Band Live co-headliners, Dashboard Confessional, donated signed memorabilia to the Hard Rock's epic collection of rock and roll artifacts yesterday afternoon. Years in the making, the collection includes such priceless items as Prince's guitar, the school girl outfit that made Britney Spears famous and the crimson and gold upholstered outfits and instruments from OK Go's "Do What You Want" video.

Panic at the Disco's offerings were a tad less dramatic. They took Sharpies to and donated a snare drum and guitar that the band had used on stage, while Dashboard Confessional offered up a signed cymbal as well as promising to donate the shirt that lead singer Chris Carrabba would wear onstage at that evening's show. Hard Rock International also donated $10,000 to the charity Autism Speaks as part of the event, and the bands posed behind the massive check with dutiful media smiles ready. It was a photo op made in Hard Rock Café heaven.

Panic at the Disco's Ryan Ross plays as part of the Rock Band Live tour stop in Vegas at the Hard Rock on October 9, 2008.

A few hours later Panic at the Disco was back in front of the flashbulbs as they took to the Paradise Stage, otherwise known as the employee parking lot, to close out Rock Band Live's Vegas stop with special guests Plain White T's and locals The Cab.

Dressed in their usual retro-chic wardrobe complete with patterned shirts and skinny ties, Panic played through a lively set that mixed hits from their debut album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out and this year's Pretty. Odd., including "That Green Gentleman," "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage," "I Write Sins Not Tragedies," "Mad as Rabbits," "Northern Downpour," "Do You Know What I'm Seeing?" and "Nine in the Afternoon." The stage's only adornment was a pair of wide, colored pillars that supported the drum set and keyboard, and all attention was on the young band mates as they played for an eager hometown crowd.

Vocalist Brendon Urie, guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker swapped light banter on stage and played musical chairs with their instruments throughout the show. Urie and Walker traded guitar for bass on a few songs, and during one number Renaissance man Urie bounded from a white piano to a second drum set, all the while energetically maintaining the lead vocal track.

"In the next 10 to 15 minutes your life is about to get much better," Walker announced towards the end of the show, just before Urie launched into his most enthusiastic performance of the night on "I Write Sins Not Tragedies." Panic then rounded out the show with a surprise, a cover the Isley Brothers classic soul/rock number "Shout!" that has stayed famous thanks in part to the incredible dance scene in Animal House. Halfway through the song, as the band played through the "little bit softer now" interlude, Urie addressed the crowd. "I've never heard the band so quiet before. It's fucking awesome!" he said. "But all good things must come to an end." And so, with the crowd jumping, shouting along and arms pumping in the air at the Panic's feet, another good show came to a close.

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/off-the-record/2008/oct/10/panic-disco-joins-historic-ranks-hard-rock/

WIN TICKETS FROM BUZZNET!

Rock Band Live — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:42:36 -0000

Another chance at free tickets...suhweet! You can win tickets to Rock Band Live this fall from your friends at Buzznet! Click the banner below for your chance to score.

WIN TIX & BACKSTAGE PASSES FROM ALT PRESS!

Rock Band Live — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:36:43 -0000

Rock Band Live and Alternative Press are hooking you up with a chance to score tickets to the show in your city, a Rock Band game, a camera, and the opportunity to be an AP'arazzi reporter with backstage access to the bands, tour buses, catering, etc. The winners' photos from the tour may be featured on both Altpress.com and within the AP magazine!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Updates to playlist: Rock Band Live

Rock Band Live — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:43:17 -0000