This right here is the beauty of blogging, folks -- immediacy.
I received an email on Saturday, when I was off work, about a hastily set up show for Monday with four key players of Arcade Fire: Win Butler, Will Butler, Regine Chassagne, and Jeremy Gara They will play today at 7 p.m. at Beachland Ballroom in a show of support for Barack Obama's bid for the Democratic nomination.
The show is for those 18 and over. Doors open at 7 p.m. and it's first come, first serve.
So why is a Canadian band supporting Obama? The Butlers were born and raised in the U.S., while Regine -- Win's wife -- is a dual citizen. Gara is Canadian "but is sick of explaining to Americans what universal health care means," according to the release.

Far as I can recall, Arcade Fire has not played the area in some time -- certainly not since "Neon Bible" came out. They skipped this area, so here's a prime chance to see them -- even if it isn't the entire band.

For those planning ahead, Blossom Music Center near Cuyahoga Falls has added a couple big names.

Eric Clapton will play Blossom on May 31. Tickets, priced at $95.50 reserved and $41 lawn, go on sale Saturday at Ticketmaster. There are also some $131 reserved tickets.

Also, Jack Johnson will play Blossom on June 17, according to Pollstar. No on-sale information has been released yet.

Roadhouse Theatre will continue its Independent Stage Series with "Being Bukowski," based on short stories and poems by Charles Bukowski.

Shows are scheduled March 14-15 and March 20-21, with Kim Mc directing. Participating actors and artists include R. David Pratte, Chris Campbell, Jay D'Alba, Collis Allen, Jr., Aaron Pacy, and Scott McClelland.

The show is a readers-theatre presentation. Be forewarned: It is not for the faint of heart and includes strong language and adult subject matter. Short stories were taken from "Tales of Ordinary Madness," while the poems are from "The Pleasures of the Damned."

Pop-rock band OneRepublic will play Gannon University on April 29 at 7 p.m. as part of the Next Step Campus Tour. They've been riding high with "Apologize," which hit No. 2 on Billboard, thanks to a remix assist from Timbland.
Rapper Fabolous is also on the bill for the concert, which will take place outdoors at Gannon's Athletic Field.
Tickets will be $10 for the general public, and go on sale March 17 at www.gannontickets.com. They'll be $5 for Gannon students; those tickets go on sale Monday.

In case of rain, the show will move indoors to Hammermill Center. For more details, call the Gannon University Activities Programming Board at 871-7766.

Dave Matthews Band will open its summer tour at Post-Gazette Pavilion near Burgettstown on May 30-31. State Radio will open. DMB also plays Darien Lake Performing Arts in Darien Center, N.Y. on June 17 with Paolo Nutini, and at Blossom Music Center near Cleveland on July 30 with Ingrid Michaelson. Tickets for all shows go on sale March 29 at Ticketmaster.

B-52s will play Cleveland's House of Blues on April 29. According to Pollstar, tickets wil go on sale March 15 at Ticketmaster.

The lineup is out for the 12th annual All Good Music Festival, set for July 11-13 at Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontwon, West Va.
Headliners include Phil Lesh & Friends, Widespread Panic, Gov't Mule, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Keller Williams and the WMD's, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Railroad Earth, Tea Leaf Green, and the Bridge among others.
Early-bird tickets (Feb. 26) are on sale now at www.allgoodfestival.com.

Prepare to party, Parrotheads.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band will bring their "The Year of Still Here" tour to the Post-Gazette Pavilion in Burgettstown on July 22.
Tickets will go on sale March 17 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster. So, you'll need to postpone your St. Patrick's Day partying a bit, until you get tickets. You know this one will sell out in hours -- always does.

Billboard reports that Tom Morello and Serj Tankian will launch a "Justice" tour with other guests artists this spring. Morello will perform as Nightwatchman, his solo acoustic name. Billboard reports he will also play a few festival dates this summer with Rage Against the Machine.

The Big Wish Benefit keeps getting bigger. The sprawling April 23 event in Edinboro will involve at least 20 acts, with all proceeds going to Make A Wish.

So far, six sites will feature performers.
University Center will feature Glorious Goodnight, Old Believers, and Signal Home. Ecelectic Etceteras will host Tom Link, Andrew Berlin, Letters to the Dead, and Title Me Wrong.
Jack Rabbit Flats will feature Phantom Menace, Andy Miller, Seth Brewster, and Tom Morrison.
Copper Coin will feature Charlotte Struchinsky, Matty B and the Dirty Pickles, Spooner and Paper St.
Edinboro Hotel welcomes Redlight Romance, Old Believers, and Super No. 7. And the Empty Keg has a strong lineup with Pegasus Unicorn, Sound City Saints, and the Laundromat.
The event will also include carnival games, a Rock Band tournament, food, and gift drawings. Look for more on this as it gets closer and grows... bigger.

There's a Beatle coming to Fallsview Casino Resort and Ringo is his name-o.

Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band will open their brief North American tour on June 19-20 at Fallsview in Niagara Falls, Ont. Tickets will go on sale Friday at www.ticketmaster.ca. or by phone at 1-877-833-3110.

Starr's band will include Edgar Winter, Billy Squier, Gary Wright, Colin Hay, and Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), and Gregg Bisonnette.

Also confirmed for Fallsview in June: Frances Hip & Elisa Chan (June 1-2); Tony Orlando (June 6-7); Sinbad (June 13-14); Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo (June 26) and Grand Funk Railroad (June 27-28)

Tickets for all the above go on sale Friday.

Look for a new nightclub soon in the space formerly occupied by Trance Night Club,1607 Raspberry. The new club will be known as Craze. No further info is listed yet on the club's web site, www.crazeerie.com.

Edinboro University has booked New Found Glory and Punchline for a May 3 concert at McComb Fieldhouse.
Tickets are $20 for the general public and will go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. at edinborotickets.com and also at the Pogue Student Center SGA Convenience Store.
New Found Glory is scheduled to release "Hits" -- a greatest hits' set, natch -- on Tuesday. The band started in Florida in 1997 and has racked up such modern-rock hits as "Hit or Miss," "Understatement" "My Friends Over You," "All Downhill From Here," and "Head On Collision."

Ever read the "The Ruins," Scott Smith's horrifying novel of a Mexican vacation gone horribly wrong? It was the follow-up to his "A Simple Plan," which later became a terrific Sam Raimi film with Billy Bob Thornton.
Anyhow, the Hollywood version of "The Ruins" comes out April 4 but you can catch a special advance screening the day before at Tinseltown. It's brought to you by the Edinboro Film Series, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program, the Eerie Horror Film Festival, and Edinboro University Student Governmen Association.

Now the more exciting news: Carter Smith, the director of "The Ruins," will visit Edinboro on April 28 for another screening that also includes one of his earlier films, "Bugcrush." He'll answer questions from students and the general public.

Tickets are $5 for the Cinemark showing on April 3 at 8 p.m. They're $7 for the April 28 events at Edinboro's Louis C. Cole Memorial Auditorium. Both events are on sale now at edinborotickets.com and by phone at 732-1048.

John Lyons, director of the Edinboro Film Series, will debut his latest film "Schism" at Louis C. Cole Auditorium on April 17-18.

Matt Alterio and Paul Hoefler -- the original Dueling Pianos' duo, who entertained for years at Jr.'s Last Laugh -- will join comedic forces one more time.
They'll play Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Jr.'s Last Laugh, 1402 State St. Doors will open at 5 p.m. because the club expects a big crowd to welcome them back. Admission is free.

"Easy Rider" icon Peter Fonda will return to Erie for a second straight year -- and third time overall - to lead a mammoth motorcycle procession in Erie.
Fonda will be the grand marshal for the Roar on the Shore, set for July 17-20. Fonda's parade will start at Presque Isle Downs and Casino on July 17 at 5 p.m. and conclude at Perry Square. Cost is $5 to ride in the parade.
"Perry Fonda is synonymous with motorcycling and he is quickly becoming synonymous with Roar on the Shore," said Seth Tuttle, the chairman of the event's board of directors, in a press release.
Roar on the Shore will also feature a Blue Oyster Cult concert, and extreme motorcycle stunt team, at Liberty Park on July 19.

Everything else unfolds at Perry Square, including music by the Nighthawks, Felix and the Hurricanes, Rick Magee and the Roadhouse Rockers, the Orange County Chopper Band, and Kellie Lynn, among others.

The classic Return to Forever jazz-fusion lineup will tour for the first time in 25 years this summer. Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola, and Lenny White will play 30 shows in North America but only one will hit the tri-state region. They're scheduled to play Cleveland's Plain Dealer Pavilion on June 24. There's no on-sale information available yet.

How about Sheryl Crow spilling the beans about "joining" Fleetwood Mac, probably next year? Stevie Nicks had said she wouldn't tour without Christine McVie, so Crow apparently will take on the McVie roll in the band. Whether all this is for recording only, a tour, or both remains to be seen. Crow didn't spill too much, other than to say she expects to work with Fleetwood Mac next year.
A tour with Crow opening, then playing with Mac would be pretty awesome, though.

According to Pollstar, the Vans Warped Tour will visit Cleveland's Time Warner Cable Amphitheater on July 17, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, N.Y. on July 24, and Pittsburgh's Post-Gazette Pavilion on July 29.
The lineup is loaded: Against Me!, Angels & Airwaves, Every Time I Die, Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, Madina Lake, Story of the Year, Relient K, Say Anything, and the HorrorPops, among others.
The lineup varies from city to city so it's best to check the Van Warped Tour web site to verify the exact bands for each venue.

Van Halen has rescheduled a bunch of shows that were canceled earlier this month, including its Pittsburgh concert at Mellon Arena.
That show will now take place April 30. All original tickets will be honored.

Iron Maiden has added a June 12 concert at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, to its world itinerary. No on-sale date has been released yet.

Rumors are flying the Raconteurs will rush-release their second CD into stores on March 25. Rolling Stone cites a couple sources as saying this may actually be true. Usually bands participate in buzz building before unleashing a CD but Jack White plays by his own rules, so you never know.

If you forgot to get tickets today for Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band at Post-Gazette Pavilion, you're out of luck. The show, set for July 22, sold out in hours.

Classic and progressive-rock stalwarts Yes and Queen will both return to the road this summer, Billboard magazine reports.

Yes will mark its 40th anniversary with a 26-date tour that'll kick off on July 12 in Quebec. The rest of the itinerary has not been disclosed but check yesworld.com for updates. They should be posted soon because all tickets go on sale March 29.

This Yes lineup will include Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Alan White, and -- get this -- Oliver Wakeman, the son of former Yes keyboardest Rick Wakeman. The band plans to release a live CD in conjunction with the tour, according to Billboard.

Also, Queen & Paul Rodgers will release their first studio CD together on Nov. 1; the U.S. release date is pending. The band's tour will hit Europe and South America first so don't expect U.S. shows until early 2009.

Queen hasn't released a studio CD since 1995.

Coldplay will release its next CD -- "Vida la Vida or Death and All HIs Friends" -- on June 17, according to a post on the band's website. It's their first release in three years, and includes Brian Eno as one of the producers. They'll likely tour but no dates have been announced except for a British Columbia festival on July 27 and another one in Japan from Aug. 9-10.

The reigning teenybopper band of the moment -- the Jonas Brothers -- will tour again this summer. Their itinerary includes dates at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, N.Y. on Aug. 15; Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on Aug. 22; and the Post-Gazette Pavlion near Pittsburgh on Aug. 26.

Billboard reports tickets for all the above shows will go on sale March 29 at Ticketmaster. The magazine also says the Jonas Brothers will star in a new reality series -- "Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream" -- this spring and summer. It'll follow them as they rehearse for the tour and perform.

Get out your VISA card.

All sorts of big shows for the tri-state region will go on sale this weekend. Included are such stars as Mary J. Blige and Jay Z, the Cure, the Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, and more.

Let's start with Erie, though. Gordon LIghtfoot plays the Warner Theatre on June 22. Tickets ($47, $37) will go on sale Friday at the Tullio Arena box office, Ticketmaster outlets, and by phone at 452-4857 or 456-7070.

Here is a quick rundown for elsewhere. Check Dr. Rock's concerts on Thursday in Showcase for more details, as well as any new additions.

Cleveland

The Cure and 65daysofstatic play Wolsein Center on June 18. Tickets go on sale March 29 at Ticketmaster.
Foo Fighters and Supergrass team up July 25 at Quicken Loans Arena. Tickets go on sale March 29 at 11 a.m. at Ticketmaster.
Iron Maiden will play Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on June 12. Also headed to Blossom: Dave Matthews Band and Ingrid Michaelson on July 31; Jonas Brothers on Aug. 22; and Poison, Dokken, Sebastian Bach on Aug. 14. Tickets for all four Blossom shows go on sale March 29 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster except Jonas Brothers, which goes on sale Saturday at noon.

Death Cab for Cutie and Rogue Wave will play the Plain Dealer Pavilion on June 13. Tickets go on sale March 28 at Ticketmaster. Also headed to the Pavilion: First Light (10-year reunion show) on June 21; Chicago on July 8, and Earth, Wind & FIre on July 26. Those three go on sale March 29.
Time Warner Cable Amphitheater will welcome the Warped Tour on July 17, and Wish You Were Here on July 26. Tickets for both go on sale March 29. Cleveland's Warped stop will include Against Me!, Angels & Airwaves, the Academy is..., Color Fred, Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes and more. Tickets go on sale March 29.

Finally Cleveland's Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival will welcome Jonny Lang (May 23); Dennis DeYoung and the music of Styx (May 24); Seether, Flyleaf, and Red (May 25); and KC and the Sunshine Band (May 26) at Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City. Those tickets go on sale March 29.

In Buffalo, Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z team up May 1 at HSBC Arena. Those tickets go on sale Saturday at 9 a.m. at tickets.com.
Also, Dave Matthews Band plays Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on June 17. Tickets go on sale Saturday at Ticketmaster.

Pittsburgh's Post-Gazette Pavilion puts five shows on sale this weekend. Dave Matthews Band opens its summer tour May 30-31. Vans Warped Tour lands there on July 29, and the Poison/Dokken/Bach package will be Aug. 10. All shows go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m., except Jonas Brothers, who play Aug. 26 Those seats go on sale Saturday at noon at Ticketmsater.

Another big tour will go on sale next weekend. Maroon 5 and Counting Crows will tour together, with opener Sara Bareilles, with stops at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center (Aug. 18), Post-Gazette Pavilion (Aug. 21), and Blossom Music Center (Aug. 26). Billboard reports those tickets will go on sale April 4.

Presque Isle Downs & Casino plans to announce a three-concert summer series soon, perhaps as early as next week.
No acts have been named yet, however Pollstar listing indicate a Grass Roots' concert is booked at PI Downs in July. The concerts will be free to Players Club members of the casino, and take place on the lip of the thoroughbred track. Players Club memberships are free.

Heart, Cheap Trick, and Journey are teaming up for a late-summer tour.Just one area date is on the schedule: Sept. 7 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca, N.Y. opened its new events center with a Blues Brothers' concert, then promptly booked Joe Perry and Black Crowes. Perry has since canceled but the Black Crowes are still on for April 19. Sammy Hagar and the Wabos arrive May 23 and a posting on the venue's site says more shows are on the way -- Huey Lewis and the News, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Donna Summer, Michael McDonald, Peter Frampton, Boston/Styx, Goo Goo Dolls, and Chicago.

What's up with Forward Hall? Got me.
Deciding Tonight had posted a Tuesday show (March 25) with Asteria and Bedlight for Blue Eyes at Forward Hall. But that show didn't happen. In fact, no shows have been held there since New Year's Eve.
Dave Nieratko, owner of the building, declined to comment on the status of Forward Hall, which he leases to Jimi Popeski. A call to Popeski on Wednesday afternoon was not immediately returned, and several prior messages were not returned, as well.

Whoops. Blues harmonica man Dennis Gruenling will play his Tribute to Little Walter Show tonight at Kelly Hotel on Route 20 in Ripley, N.Y. I lhad that right place in Showcase but apparently suffered some kind of mental lapse when writing the column.

On the bright side, looks like comedian Lewis Black is headed back to Erie. His web site lists a July 17 show at the Warner Theatre. Tickets will go on sale May 17.

Nine Inch Nails unveiled its summer itinerary today. The only area show will be at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena on Aug. 22