Free Republic

Using our ­editorial expertise and Boxscore metrics, Billboard has selected 26 venues that artists clamor to play and fans gather at to enjoy. These selections are divided by region and venue type, as well as fan-favorite categories honoring the elements that add magic and energy to local music scenes. Top West Coast Stadium: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.) The Los Angeles NFL venue is the highest-grossing stadium for concerts in the world, according to Billboard’s 2023 year-end Boxscore chart, reporting 19 concerts that grossed $175 million in ticket sales to Billboard Boxscore. SoFi Stadium also nabbed the top-grossing Boxscore of the...

Sammy Hagar returned to the stage May 23 for a performance with his band the Circle in Key West, Fla. The Red Rocker remained active during the hiatus caused by COVID-19, regularly posting on social media and creating a series of streaming performances dubbed the Lockdown Sessions. Still, these activities couldn’t replace the special energy that comes with performing in front of an audience, and Hagar was clearly excited to celebrate the return of live music. The May 23 set began with “There's Only One Way to Rock,” Hagar's signature hit from 1982's Standing Hampton. From there the Circle made...

GREAT WHITE played an outdoor show this past Thursday night (July 9) in Dickinson, North Dakota as part of "First On First: Dickinson Summer Nights". Video footage of the concert is available below. More video, shot from a different location, can be found here. While numerous events have been imposing restrictions, such as wearing masks and social distancing, "First On First" has no such rules in place. "We do not have restrictions, believe it or not, we don't have any," April Getz, an event coordinator for Odd Fellows, which organizes, runs and comes up with the funding for the events,...

I’d rather go to a dimly lit club than enjoy live music from my car. But these days, drive-in concerts don't sound so bad. All things being equal, I’d rather go to a dimly lit club with smoke curling in the air and drum solos reverberating in the ears of everyone around me than enjoy live music from my car. But barring this—and it appears the good stuff will be barred for awhile—drive-in concerts don’t sound so bad. I’d have to car pool since I don’t have a vehicle, but heck, I’d even be glad to take an Uber. Like...

Wandering thru a hospital lobby some months ago I was drawn to the most marvelous music. Following the sounds, I discovered Joe Blanchard, one of the good people who walk this earth. He composes and plays with no knowledge of musical notation, hoping that he'll remember what he's just created. He's remembered enough to have 3 albums out. This piece, currently called "Intrigue", will probably end up on his next album. I love his music, and I love his good heart. And FINALLY, yesterday, it occurred to me to pull out my phone and capture some of the peaceful experience....

The Royal Albert Hall released new research today which proves the emotional health benefits that listening to live music has on our wellbeing. The study of 2,000 adults in the UK shows that two-thirds (69%) of Brits feel 'more stimulated' and 'happier' when listening to live music. According to the survey, the British public are also ‘more engaged’ (68%) and ‘more sociable’ (59%) when live music is playing. Almost three quarters (73%) agree that ‘live music can make an event feel more special’.

Late last month, Forbes published its list of the world’s top-earning D.J.s. Calvin Harris, 31, who less than a decade ago was stocking groceries in a Scottish supermarket, came in first place, earning $66 million over a 12-month period beginning in June last year through club fees, endorsement deals and music royalties

It seems every few years some influential critic or essayist decides that live music is dead. Usually it happens when some technology — like the internet–quickly eclipses a traditional means by which the music industry makes money. This argument is then usually ratified by disgruntled and worried musicians (meaning: most of them, all of the time), and finally spread and recycled around the music world. . . until finally washes up on the shores of the mainstream media, where it becomes the ‘everything is going to hell’ meme of the week.

...At most concerts these days, when the houselights go down, the tiny glowing screens go up. As more fans mark the moments with smartphones, cameras and pocket-sized video recorders, a new kind of digital divide is emerging. Music lovers who try to document and share the essence of concerts are squaring off against those who think that just defeats the purpose. The debate is drawing participants from both sides of the stage. "I'm right here. This is live. This is where the show is."--Natalie Merchant ...Chris Robinson, 44-year-old singer for the Black Crowes, isn't on board. "As a band we've...

As featured in World Magazine (read about it at www.theslowtrain.com)... Slowtrain is an original conservative band based in Austin Texas. Please come out and support your musicians as they play at Maggie Mae's on 6th and Trinity in the heart of liberal Austin from midnight to 1:45am on Saturday April 26th. Band information, CDs, MP3s and more can be found at www.theslowtrain.com.