R. Kelly Brings His LADIES MAKE SOME NOISE Tour to South Florida!

R&B recording artist R. Kelly's LADIES MAKE SOME NOISE Tour will be promoting his ninth solo album, "Untitled," released on October 13, 2009. The paradoxically titled record is a follow-up to May 2007's "Double Up," which dropped at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned the musician his fifth chart-topping album debut in the U.S.

"I've been in the biz 17 years, so everyone is used to me naming my records," the singer and producer told MTV News back in June 2009. "So I wanted to mix it up a little. I want whoever listens to the record to call it what they want, name it themselves based on what they feel listening to the music."

R. Kelly made his solo debut in 1993 with "12 Play," the first in a three-part album series that has since been followed by 2000's "TP-2.com" and 2005's "TP-3: Reloaded." Of his eight released efforts, all have held peak chart positions within the top two slots on the Billboard 200. R. Kelly's impressive streak continued with his two collaborations with Jay-Z, "Best of Both Worlds" and "Unfinished Business," which grabbed No. 2 and No. 1 peaks, respectively.

The performer's previous Double Up Tour in 2007-2008 hit arenas in more than 30 U.S. markets over a period of nine weeks. That trek, which featured support from the likes of Keyshia Cole and Ne-Yo, ran from November 2007 through early January 2008.

R. Kelly's LADIES MAKE SOME NOISE Tour will be at the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami, Florida on Saturday November 28, 2009.

U2 Adds South Florida Date to 2nd North American Leg of their 360 Tour!

When it wraps up this week, the U2's 360 Tour will have played to over 3 million fans in just 44 cities. With record shattering sales including the largest attendance at the Rose Bowl as well as setting the all time record at New York's Giant Stadium where the audience surpassed that of the Pope - the largest rock and roll touring production ever has just confirmed the return to North America beginning June 6th 2010 at Anaheim's Angel Stadium. The tour is once again produced by Live Nation Global Touring and sponsored by BlackBerry®.

Having performed in a limited number of North American cities in 2009, U2's 360 Tour is set to touch down in a new set of stadiums next summer including stops in Anaheim; Denver; Oakland; Seattle; Edmonton; East Lansing; Miami; Philadelphia and Montreal. Due to overwhelming demand, U2's 360 Tour will also return for one night only in Toronto and Chicago before finishing the 2nd North American leg in New York at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

With sell-outs already reported for the 2010 European Tour including Denmark (2 shows sold out); Brussels (2 shows sold out); Helsinki (2 shows sold out) and Coimbra (2 shows sold out); and Paris where over 90,000 tickets were sold for a third show at that venue, U2's 360 Tour 2010 will offer fans who missed out a new opportunity to experience the U2 stadium spectacle.

U2's 360 Tour is one of the biggest touring spectacles ever mounted. According to their press release, the stage set rises some 150 feet from the ground, features a cylindrical video system of interlocking LED screens and a massive stage with rotating bridges. The intended effect is to provide a show with visual appeal to every fan in the stadium - thus living up to the “360″ tag. The tour is more about a unique staging configuration with excellent sight-lines.

U2's 360 Tour will be at the LandShark Stadium in Miami, Florida on Friday July 9, 2010.

Jewel Brings her Acoustic Tour to South Florida!

Folk-country musician Jewel has announced her full plans for a late-year acoustic tour of the United States. The 15-city trek begins October 27 at Lyric Opera House in Baltimore, MD, and wraps November 15 at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, TX.

The acoustic tour includes performances across the eastern seaboard and Midwest, but falls short of a full coast-to-coast span. The itinerary features stops on October 28 at Knight Theater in Charlotte, NC; November 3 at The Fillmore at Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami Beach, FL; and November 12 at One World Theater in Austin, TX.

Jewel's latest round of tour dates comes just as the singer-songwriter has started work on a new album. The forthcoming project, still awaiting a name and release date, will be a follow-up to her first foray into country music, "Perfectly Clear," which was released in June 2008 and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200.

The singer-songwriter supported her crossover to country with an early 2009 tour of the U.S. with a single show in Canada. That 14-date winter tour ran from January 23 in Windsor, ON, through February 8 in Bridgeport, CT.

In between her major recording projects, Jewel has stayed busy with smaller albums, as well. Earlier this year on May 5, the Alaskan-raised musician released her seventh studio album and first independent effort, "Lullaby."

"This isn't just a 'kids' album, it's really a mood album -- perfect to relax to at the end of a long day," Jewel said about the themed album. "It will soothe and lull children, but was also written and sung for adults to enjoy and unwind with."

Jewel's Acoustic Tour will be at The Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday November 3, 2009.

Bon Jovi brings its THE CIRCLE WORLD TOUR to South Florida!

Bon Jovi, the enduring rock band with a name that's synonymous with its home state of New Jersey, announced a two year 2010-11 world tour at a press conference and concert performance at the Meadowlands Entertainment Complex. THE CIRCLE WORLD TOUR will be a globe-circling trek and include the two inaugural events at the soon-too-be-completed stadium that will be home to the Giants and Jets football teams.

The band will kick off its North American tour on February 19, 2010 in Seattle, WA and plans 135 shows in 30 countries by the time it wraps up in 2011. The tour will include a a summer residency at London's O2 Arena venue starting next June 2010.

Bon Jovi's most recent album, "The Circle," is set for a November 10, 2009 release and promises a return to the more hard rock sounds which propelled the roup to stardom after a turn towards country music on "Lost Highway."

At the new tour announcement, the band played a short set for 5000 fans, contest winners and construction workers working on the new arena. AEG Live, which worked with Bon Jovi on its last two tours, will once again serve as worldwide tour promoters for THE CIRCLE WORLD TOUR.

Bon Jovi brings its THE CIRCLE WORLD TOUR to the Bank Atlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday April 18, 2010.

STAR WARS in Concert Hits South Florida!

STAR WARS: in Concert, a unique multi-media event featuring music from all six of John Williams' epic STAR WARS scores is now on its North American tour.

STAR WARS: in Concert features music from Academy Award winning composer John Williams’ scores for all six films in George Lucas’ sci-fi saga.

Narrated live by Anthony Daniels, who played the golden droid C-3PO in all six films, the STAR WARS: in Concert features a full symphony orchestra and choir, accompanied by specially edited footage from the films displayed on a three-story-tall, high-definition LED super-screen – one of the largest ever put on tour. According to a news release, the live music and film elements are synchronized to maximize the STAR WARS experience.

“We’ve taken the key themes from the music and cut together all the images that fit with each theme, so you can really get a sense of how the music played into the images,” said STAR WARS creator George Lucas in the release. “The whole soundtrack is a testament to John Williams’ creativity and his extraordinary ability to enhance the emotional aspects of the films.”

STAR WARS: in Concert had its world premiere April 10-11 at the 02 Arena in London. The tour kicked off October 1, 2009 in Anaheim, Calif.

“Creating the music for the STAR WARS films has been an exciting and wonderful experience for me, and I therefore have derived particular pleasure in assembling a compendium of themes from all of the films to be presented in STAR WARS: in Concert,” said Williams in the release. “The editors at Lucasfilm have created original film montages to accompany each of the musical selections, and in the process, I believe that a singular and unique Star Wars experience has been born".

Accompanying the concert will be an exclusive exhibit of STAR WARS costumes, props, production artwork and specially created behind-the-scenes videos from the Lucasfilm Archives. Many of these pieces are leaving Skywalker Ranch for the first time. The exhibit features many classic fan favorite artifacts, as well as several new and never-before-seen items.

Here is a sampling:

- Full costumes for Jedi Masters Kit Fisto and Plo Koon will be on display.

- For the first time ever, pages from John Williams’ original hand-written sheet music for STAR WARS: Episode I – The Phantom Menace will be exhibited for the public.

- Also on display will be various never-before-seen props from the films, including blasters and helmets from Coruscant, Tatooine and other iconic STAR WARS locations.

STAR WARS: in Concert is produced by Another Planet Touring in association with Lucasfilm Ltd. Performances will be conducted by Dirk Brossé, and the production is directed and designed by Steve Cohen.

“This event has been crafted to present STAR WARS from many points of view; for the first time, the full dramatic sweep of Williams’ iconic scores can be heard performed live in one evening,” said Another Planet Touring Producer Spencer Churchill in the release. “The show is a new way of experiencing the epic scope of the saga.”

STAR WARS: in Concert will be at the Bank Atlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Friday October 30, 2009.

Garth Brooks Announces 5-Year Run in Las Vegas!

In his second of two press conferences today, Garth Brooks announced he’s coming out of retirement for a five-year residency at the Encore Theatre at Wynn Las Vegas.

The Grammy award-winning singer will perform four shows a weekend – one show Friday night, two on Saturday and one on Sunday – playing fifteen weekends a year.

Brooks broke the big news along with Steve Wynn, chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, during a press conference held in the Encore Theatre.

Brooks officially retired in 2001 to spend time with his wife, country singer Trisha Yearwood, and his three daughters, ages 17,15 and 13. The singer explained that the residency still allows him to spend time with his family – especially because Wynn threw in a private jet to get Brooks back to his home in Oklahoma as soon as possible.

“When Steve Wynn approached me about playing … he didn’t throw money at me … he listened to my story,” Brooks said. “He’s taken care of my children, he’s taken care of my wife. … My life is not going to change in the next five years except I’m going to get to play live music, which I’m excited about.”

The first weekend of shows is set for December 11-13 2009, followed by gigs January 1-3, 2010, January 22-24, 2010, February 12-14 and February 26-28, 2010. Brooks noted that new dates would be announced four times a year.

Brooks said he was excited to play the Encore Theatre after playing larger venues like arenas and stadiums that were built for sports rather than sound.

The show will feature just Brooks and his guitar, which the country singer says “takes me back to the early days.” Brooks will also be joined by some special guests every now and then, including wife, Trisha Yearwood.

Although Brooks officially retired from touring in 2001, in 2005 he began occasionally playing one-off events. He last performed January 18, 2009 at the Lincoln Memorial at Washington, D.C. for “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration.” Before that he performed at Los Angeles’ Staples Center five times in one weekend last year.

During a Q&A at the press conference, Brooks said that he won’t be making any new music until his youngest daughter is on her way to college. He also noted that the Wynn residency will be his only shows on the books until that point.

He added that after all the girls graduate high school, the family will relocate from Oklahoma to New York so Yearwood can pursue a career on Broadway.

Brooks will be the first permanent headliner at the Encore Theatre since Danny Gans. The singer/entertainer died from a combination of prescription painkillers and a heart condition in May 2009.

Brooks has sold more albums in the US--upwards of 128 million--than any solo artist in history, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. In addition to his two Grammys, Brooks has also racked up 11 Country Music Association awards.

Lady GaGa Gives New Solo THE MONSTER BALL Tour a New Year's Eve Show in South Florida!

Kanye, or no Kanye the show must go on.

Lady Gaga has now announced dates to her own upcoming tour, called THE MONSTER BALL Tour. Kid Cudi will be her opening act. The announcement comes two weeks after her canceled FAME KILLS Tour with Kanye West.

The FAME KILLS Tour was scheduled to kick off November 10, 2009, and was called off because ticket sales were reportedly extremely low, and, according to a tweet from Gaga's choreographer Laurieann Gibson, "creative differences."

"The haus of Gaga had been designing 'THE MONSTER BALL for premiere in 2010 at the O2 Arena in London, but due to dilligent work and preparation, it will begin on November 27, 2009 in Montreal," the singer wrote on her blog. "THE MONSTER BALL is a multimedia artistic experience in the style of the first-ever 'pop electro opera'," she added.

The tour ends on January 21, 2010 in GaGa's home city of New York, New York.

Lady GaGa's THE MONSTER BALL Tour has its New Year's Eve show at the James L. Knight Center in downtown Miami, Florida on Thursday December 31, 2009.