Airr – Houston Entertainment

George Strait Makes His Final Houston Rodeo Performance with Martina McBride March 17

The King of Country Music and America’s favorite cowboy George Strait is set to embark on one final jaunt dubbed as the ‘Cowboy Rides Away’ tour, slated to kick off and close in Texas; in Lubbock on January 18th and in San Antonio on June 1st. But the highlight of the tour is Strait’s appearance at the 2013 Rodeo Houston, where he is tapped to close the three-week annual affair on March 17th.

“It’s been a hard decision for me to make, but as far as the touring goes, I’ve decided that I’m not going to tour anymore after these next two years,” the 60-year old Strait said during a press conference in Nashville last year, where he made the announcement to retire from touring but not from recording as he still has plans to release albums in the future.

“Everywhere we’re going holds fond memories and I’m looking forward to paying my respects,” Strait said, which is why it is only fitting to have him close the legendary 2013 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo fundraising and awareness event.

Joining Strait for his March 17 performance at the Houston Rodeo are Martina McBride and the Randy Rogers Band. Bad news for fans however, as tickets are already sold out.

Eric Clapton Introduces Toyota Center to Slowhand March 16

Legendary troubadour Eric Clapton is set to hit the Toyota Center in Houston, TX on March 16, Saturday, as part of his spring tour which will kick off on March 14 in Phoenix, AZ.

The tour should definitely rev up Slowhand’s fans as the month-long trek will close with the highly anticipated Crossroads Guitar Festival, which for the first time, will be staged at Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 12 and 13. The tri-annual music fest which showcases more than 40 of the best and most seasoned guitarists in the industry such as Clapton, the Allman Brothers Band, Los Lobos, John Mayer, BB King and Jeff Beck also aims to raise funds for Clapton’s Antigua-based drug rehabilitative facility, the Crossroads Centre.

As for Slowhand’s spring tour, he has tapped fellow Grammy winners The Wallflowers, best known for their 1998 chart topping hit “One Headlight”, as support act for the entire tour. He is also expected to perform songs from his newest studio effort “Old Sock”, slated for a North American release on March 12.

Tickets to Eric Clapton’s one-night-only performance in Houston are now available online via the Toyota Center website and also at the venue box office, with prices going for $95, $75 and $55. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Muse Set to Light Up Houston’s Toyota Center March 13

British Grammy-winning rock outfit Muse is set to perform at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX on March 13 as part of its North American tour. The Houston stop is one of the five new shows recently added to the band’s already lengthy itinerary, which kicked off in San Diego, CA on January 21.

The tour supports Muse’s sixth studio effort, “The 2nd Law”, which hit the shelves in October 2012. Since its release, the record has earned raves with Rolling Stone magazine calling it as the band’s “biggest, craziest music yet.” Los Angeles-based punk rock band Dead Sara, who popularized the 2012 hit “Weatherman”, will be joining Matt Bellamy and the gang as their support act from February 22 to March 17.

Everyone has high hopes for Muse’s “The 2nd Law”, the band’s follow-up to their global hit “The Resistance”, which in turn, helped them become a household name in North America, earning them Grammy and American Music Award honors for Best Rock Album.

Tickets to Muse’s Houston show are now available online via the Toyota Center website. Floor and premium lower bowl levels will require paperless tickets via TicketExchange and Flash Seats, the exclusive distributors and sellers of such tickets. Ticket prices go for $65, $55 and $45. Show starts at 7 p.m. but attendees will be allowed to enter the venue by 6 p.m.

Willie Nelson Brings the Twang to Houston Arena Theatre March 10

One of country music’s living legends, Willie Nelson, comes to Houston once again for a one-night gig on March 10 at the Arena Theatre as part of his spring-summer tour, which will open on March 2 in Parker, AZ. The tour will support the forthcoming release of his newest release, “Let’s Face the Music and Dance”, slated to hit the shelves on April 16.

The 80-year old Nelson will be bringing along his band Family, comprised of his pianist sister Bobbie (his only relative in the band), Paul English on drums and Mickey Raphael on harmonica. The jaunt will have Willie Nelson and Family crisscross all across the U.S., with a lone Canadian stop in Toronto towards the homestretch of the tour. The tour will cap off with a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on August 10.

“Let’s Face the Music and Dance” is a compilation of studio covers of country classics tracking all the way back to the 1930s. Among the renditions included in the album are Irving Berlin’s titular track, the 1930 Fred Ahlert-Roy Turk classic “Walking My Baby Back Home”, Frank Loesser’s “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So” (1947), Carl Perkins’ 1957 release “Matchbox” and many more.

Tickets to Willie Nelson and Family’s show in Houston are now available online via the Arena Theatre website and at the venue box office. Ticket prices go for $69.50 and $89.50. Only a maximum of six tickets is allowed per purchase. Show starts at 8 p.m.

Gorillaz Lands in Houston for Plastic Beach World Tour

The musical side gig of Blur’s Damon Albarn and British animator Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz, will be performing all throughout North America this fall to further promote the virtual band’s third studio effort, “Plastic Beach”.

The tour will cross the continent from east to west with a starting and end point in both Canadian cities – Montreal and Vancouver, respectively. The tour will run for exactly a month beginning on October 3, after which the virtual rock/hip-hop quartet will be performing all throughout Europe and Australia just in time for the Yuletide season.

As part of their month-long North American trail, they will be performing at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX on October 19, Tuesday at 7:30 PM. Tickets will be available starting on August 6, Friday at 10 AM through the Houston Toyota Center website.

Two presale events are lined up for the said event; the Gorillaz official fan club presale on August 2, Monday at 10 AM and the venue presale on August 5, Thursday at 10 AM. Tickets are priced at $90, $65 and $49.50. Doors open at 6:30 PM. For advanced, premium and sold out tickets, checkout Gorillaz online.

“Plastic Beach” surfaced in the market in March and claimed the second top spot of the Billboard 200 upon its release.

Nickelback Rock Woodlands Pavilion October 15

A year after Nickelback kicked off their “Dark Horse” world tour which included sold-out stops in Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and North America, the Canadian four-some will be returning to the US for another round of shows from east coast to west coast this fall.

Kroeger and the guys will be swinging by the east coast and the Midwest during the September leg of the tour and cross the west coast by October which will include several stops in California and a stop in Texas among others.

The band will be performing at the Cynthia W. Mitchell Pavilion in Woodlands, TX on October 15, Friday, at 6:15 PM. Three Days Grace and Buckcherry will be fronting the event.

Tickets go on sale to the public via Ticketmaster on July 17, Saturday at 10 AM CDT. Advanced tickets will be available to members of the band’s official fan club on July 8, Thursday at 10 AM CDT and another set of presale tickets will also be available exclusive to Citi cardholders on July 12, Monday at the same time. AOL will also be selling presale tickets through its website on July 9, Friday also at the same time.

Tickets are priced at $99.50 and $89.50 for covered reserved seats and $35 for general admission seats at the lawn.

For more information on the upcoming event and the rest of the tour, log on to Nickelback’s website.

The Eagles Land at Houston’s Toyota Center June 27

Rock legends and top-selling soft rock quartet The Eagles will be coming to Houston later this month following a two-month North American summer trek which also follows a two-year short hiatus from touring.

See the rest of The Eagles – Don Henley, Tim Schmit, Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh – as they perform their greatest hits like “Hotel California”, “Love Will Keep us Alive” and “Tequila Sunrise” as well as hits from their most current release “Long Road Out of Eden” when they hit Houston’s Toyota Center on June 27, Sunday at 7:30 PM.

Tickets will go on sale to the public via the Houston Toyota Center website on June 7, Monday at 10 AM CDT. AMEX cardholders can grab themselves advanced tickets to the event through the American Express presale happening on June 2, Wednesday at 10 AM CDT.

Doors open an hour before the show starts. Tickets are priced at $45, $85, $135 and $175.

The Eagles is also currently tackling a summer tour which kicked off in May and will conclude on June 26 in Dallas. The album tour, named after the band’s 2007 release, will be tagging along country crooners Keith Urban and the Dixie Chicks for the entire June leg of the tour, except for the shows in Raleigh, NC and the tour’s finale in Dallas.

Visit Eagles tour page for more information on their upcoming shows and more band updates.

John Mayer Brings the “Battle” to Houston September 5

With the recent release of his new album “Battle Studies”, John Mayer will be embarking on an extensive two month North American tour to sing tracks from his latest studio effort and past hits too, like “Waiting on the World to Change” and “Back to You”.

Catch him when he performs at the Woodlands Pavilion in Houston, Texas on Sunday, September 5 at 7 PM. Tickets will be available to the general public starting on June 5, Saturday at 10 AM CDT through Ticketmaster. Several presale events will be underway beginning with a presale event by John Mayer’s official website on June 1, Tuesday at 10 AM CDT, and the Live Nation, venue and radio presale events on June 4, Friday at 10 AM CDT.

Tickets are priced at $75 for reserved seating at the pit and covered areas, and $36 for the general admission lawn seating areas.

“Battle Studies”, produced by Mayer himself along with Steve Jordan, landed at the top spot of the Billboard 200 upon its release last fall. It has also moved close to 286,000 copies in its first week in the shelves. It features the track “Half of My Heart”, a duet with Taylor Swift, as its carrier single.

Check out JohnMayer.com for more news on his tour and his music.

Yo Gabba Gabba Entertains Houston December 10

TV’s funky kid-friendly gang – The Gabba Gang – will be dropping by Houston in early December as part of their extensive North American tour which aims to bring their magnificent and colorful shows from their hit TV show “Yo Gabba Gabba”, closer to their fans, and we’re just not talking about kids here.

Sing, dance and laugh with DJ Lance Rock and the rest of The Gabba Gang as they perform their skits and other antics live when they hit Houston’s Hobby Center on Friday, December 10 at 6 PM.

Tickets will be on sale to the public on June 4, Friday at 10 AM CDT. AMEX cardholders can snag themselves early tickets through the AMEX presale event happening on May 20, Thursday at 10 AM CDT. The Gabba Party Package which includes a meet-and-greet opportunity with the entire cast along with premiere seats will also be sold in advance to AMEX cardholders on the same date and time as for the presale event, and again on May 26, Wednesday at 10 AM CDT to the general public. Full tour details can be found at Yo Gabba Gabba’s website.

Ticket prices are from $26 to $41. Children who are a year old and older will require a ticket.

In the fall of last year, The Gabba Gang released the album “Yo Gabba Gabba!: Music is Awesome Volume 1” and did very well in the kids’ music charts. Volume 2 of the said album is due to hit stores and iTunes this September.

Black Crowes Bring “Goodbye” Tour to Houston September 24

“Say Goodbye to the Bad Guys” is what shapes to be The Black Crowes’ final road show. They are scheduled to perform in more than 50 US cities from August to December of this year, after which, the band will be spending more time off the music scene, most likely, for good.

So before they finally bid farewell, catch them perform live when they stop by Houston on September 24, Friday and rock the evening with the guys as they perform their greatest hits at the Verizon Wireless Center at 8 PM. Doors open at 7 PM. Tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster on May 14, Friday at 10 AM CDT. There are no presale tickets for this event but there are VIP packages though, through High Head Blues. Tickets are priced at $39.50 for the grand tier seating.

The band also has an album coming out this summer (August 3) – a two-disc compilation of their biggest hits for the last 20 years, all in acoustic version. There are 20 tracks in the album which the band handpicked and recorded in all acoustics in a studio in Los Angeles.

The two-disc anthology is produced by Paul Stacey and each copy will be sold for the price of one album as the band’s way of expressing their deepest gratitude to their loyal fans.

Log on to the Black Crowes website for more news on the band’s tour and music.