Greetings Rockers ’N’ Rollers! Last month began with the return of Singer-Songwriter of Cape May Conference featuring keynote speakers Laura Stevenson and Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie. The annual beachside event last happened in 2019 and was sidelined after Covid. The return of the conference this year marked its 13th Anniversary with dozens of artists and bands taking over the beach resort of Cape May, New Jersey. Congratulations to event organizer and concert promoter, John Harris Jr, on another wildly successful conference. Harris has been the talent buyer for XL Live in Harrisburg since its opening in 2018.
Finnish icon, Michael Monroe, returned to America for the first time in 9 years last month to play 10 dates. Monroe rose to fame in the 80s as the vocalist for glam punk band, Hanoi Rocks. He put on a phenomenal show April 3 at Jergel’s in Pittsburgh playing both Hanoi Rocks and solo hits including ‘Dead, Jail or Rock N Roll,’ ‘Trick of the Wrist’ and ‘Taxi Driver.’ Monroe vowed to the crowd that it won’t be another 9 years until his next return to America and he hopes to reform Hanoi Rocks.
Orange County’s The Stitches, also returned to the East Coast for 4 shows titled ‘East Coast Catastrophe.’ The amazing punk band played New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York City’s TV Eye on April 6. It had been 16 years since The Stitches visited the East Coast and the show was unforgettable!
Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers played The Village in Lancaster once again on April 12. The legendary Philadelphia-based band has played 22 concerts sporadically the past years since reuniting in 2008. Tommy Conwell continues to play solo shows and returns to Harrisburg’s Forum on May 31 to help benefit The Pride of the Susquehanna Riverboat.
Local artists the past month in Central PA included: Singer, Logan Betz, had a record release party for his solo project,The Last Post, at Recordsmith in Mechanicsburg on April 5. Betz currently is part of several projects including being the drummer for both The Super High-Tech Jet Fighters and Edgewood. Local legend, Shea Quinn, continues to consistently play Central PA and played Middletown’s River House on April 12. And The Martini Bros played to a packed house on April 18 and Linglestown’s Dog House. Lastly, a highlight of the month involved Brooklyn’s MangoDog with an intimate show at Ramona’s Basement in Uptown Harrisburg. The show also included Harrisburg’s newest finest unknown indie band, Surface Noise, which includes members from The Virus, Happy Sally and Tsunami Experiment. MangoDog was simply great – an independent artist who creates all his music from scratch, even down to the mixing. He self produces and masters all the sounds he hears and brings them to life. MangoDog has described his sound as post-goth, dark indie and dirty pop.
The most iconic punk band is making its way to the States for the first time in over two decades. The Sex Pistols, comprising Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock, are hitting the road with vocalist Frank Carter to perform their landmark 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols in its entirety. The tour marks a celebration of the band’s 50th anniversary and visits Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club on Sept 23 and Philadelphia’s Fillmore on Sept 26. Thirteen shows have been confirmed so far, but the band promises that additional tour dates will be announced soon.
AC/DC began their “Power Up Tour,” a 13-city stadium run marking the band’s first trek through the U.S. and Canada since 2016. It started on April 10 in Minneapolis and will span seven weeks before ending in May in Cleveland. The veteran Australian rockers launched the tour last year at 17 European stadiums and averaged 66,174 sold tickets per show with grosses averaging $9.9 million. AC/DC play both Pittsburgh (May 8) and Landover, MD (May 12) this month. Slayer is setting out on a limited run of shows this summer, with the band adding a sole east coast headline date at Hersheypark Stadium on Sept 20 with a lineup that includes Knocked Loose, Suicidal Tendencies, Power Trip, Cavalera and Exodus. “Last year, Slayer played only two shows, “ Slayer’s Kerry King said in a statement, “When we played last year in Chicago, the reaction was just completely overwhelming. It was amazing. So for the Hershey concert, we’ll play a Slayer show, we’ll have all of our big fire effects, and just burn everything like we used to.” WWE’s Damian Priest will host the show.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke died following a private battle with cancer, on April 6. He was 70. Frontwoman Debbie Harry and co-founder/guitarist Chris Stein, referred to Burke as “the heartbeat of Blondie” and “a self proclaimed ‘Rock & Roll survivalist.’” Burke joined Blondie in 1975, shortly after the band was formed in 1974, and was featured on all of its releases from 1976’s self-titled LP to its most recent, 2017’s Pollinator. The band’s next album is expected to be released later this year. Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 alongside Blondie. Clem’s influence extended far beyond Blondie. He played and collaborated with numerous iconic artists, including Eurythmics, Ramones, Bob Dylan, Bob Geldof, Iggy Pop, Joan Jett, Nancy Sinatra, Chequered Past, The Fleshtones, The Romantics, Dramarama, The Adult Net, The Split Squad, The International Swingers, L.A.M.F., Empty Hearts, Slinky Vagabond, and even the Go-Go’s.
Following the announcement that Stevie Nicks would be teaming up with Billy Joel for select stadium dates this summer, the legendary singer/songwriter unveiled solo touring plans throughout the summer and fall. The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of fame inductee is also a Grammy winner and multi-platinum artist who has sold more than 220 million albums. Nicks, broke news that she is currently working on a new album, “I call it the ghost record because it just kind of happened in the last couple of weeks. I have seven songs and they are autobiographical. They are real stories, memories of mine, of fantastic men. I’ve written a song about Prince because we were friends.” After more than a decade, hip-hop pioneer and N.W.A co-founder, Ice Cube returns to the national stage with the “Truth to Power: 4 Decades of Attitude” tour. It includes 22 dates across the U.S. and Canada including stops in Brooklyn’s Barclay Center Sept 4 and Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena Sept 5. “’Truth to Power’ is more than a tour — it’s a 40-year celebration,” Cube said in a statement. “The world needs truth. The people need power. And that’s what my music brings. It’s gonna’ be next level to go from city to city with a major production unlike anything I’ve ever done before.” West Coast hip-hop legends Cypress Hill announced a month-long “Dank Daze of Summer” U.S. tour, with hip-hop duo Atmosphere. Joining Cypress Hill and Atmosphere will be Grammy Award-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco, and influential, LA-based hip-hop act The Pharcyde. The tour includes visits to Baltimore’s Pier Six Pavilion on Aug 15 and Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony Summer Stage on Aug 17.
Heavy rock legends Alice Cooper and Judas Priest are teaming up for a 22-date North American co-headline tour this fall with metal band Corrosion of Conformity as support on most dates. British rockers Judas Priest, led by frontman Rob Halford, are coming off the second leg of its “Invincible Shield Tour” and the release of its celebrated 19th studio album. American shock rock legend Alice Cooper, is set to wrap his “Too Close For Comfort” tour this summer, promoting his most recent album, Road, and promises an all-new show for the upcoming tour. Dates include, PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on Sept 26 and Star Lake Pavilion in Burgettstown, PA on Oct 1. Gene Simmons has canceled more than half of his upcoming solo tour dates, with no reason provided for why the shows will no longer be taking place. The April and May dates of the tour will be rescheduled for early 2026, according to Christina Vitaglano, who runs Simmons’ VIP fan experience packages, but ticket holders are being refunded at the point of purchase. Simmons was offering fans the chance to be his roadie for the price of $12,495, providing them with the ultimate backstage opportunity of joining the crew. In addition to the cancellation of Simmons’ upcoming dates, KISS announced it will perform a one-off in Las Vegas from Nov. 14 to 16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The show will find KISS playing makeup-free as part of the event, and marks KISS’ first show since December 2023 when they wrapped up their “End Of The Road” farewell tour at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Blink-182 is returning to the road this fall with Alkaline Trio as special guests for the “Missionary Impossible Tour.” This follows blink-192’s global stadium run in 2024 and It celebrates the release of the band’s latest album, One More Time…, which marks the first album with the original three members in over a decade. Stops include Pittsburgh’s Four Chord Music Festival on Sept 13 and Asbury Park, NJ Sea. Hear. Now Festival on Sept 14. Following her headline performances at Coachella, Lady Gaga is expanding her “Mayhem Ball Tour” with 28-dates in North America including Aug 22, 23, 26 and 27 at NYC Madison Square Garden. The run marks Gaga’s first tour in seven years. Indie bands The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse will join up this summer for a tour of U.S. outdoor theaters. The 20-date tour begins in August visiting Philadelphia’s Mann on Aug 5. Friko and Dehd will support on select dates. The tour is the return of the road for The Flaming Lips after last year’s sold-out run with Weezer and Dinosaur Jr. , while Modest Mouse was in the theaters for their 2024 headline tour. Australian new wavers The Church will tour theaters and clubs across North America this summer, celebrating 45 years of singles from their astonishing 37 album collection. The 25-show, four-week “The Singles” tour plays the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA on Aug 2, Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony on Aug 3 and Washington DC 9:30 Club on Aug 6. The Church toured with The Afghan Whigs in the summer of 2024.
MAY CONCERTS: Devo – Philadelphia The Met May 1. The Bouncing Souls – Baltimore Soundstage May 2. The Bouncing Souls – Philadelphia Venice Island May 3. AC/DC – Pittsburgh Heinz Field May 8. Fontaines DC – Washington DC Anthem May 10. Bad Nerves / Spiritual Cramp – Baltimore Soundstage May 11. AC/DC – Landover, MD Northwest Stadium May 12. Wyldlife – Philadelphia Nikki Lopez Bar May 16. Wyldlife – NYC Bowery Electric May 17. Amyl and the Sniffers – Silver Spring, MD Fillmore May 19. Insane Clown Posse – Reading Reverb May 24. Future Islands – Harrisburg XL Live May 25. Post Malone – Hersheypark Stadium May 28. Foxy Shazam – Millersville Phantom Power May 31
