Hey, Summer concert season is getting pretty close, huh. That would explain this barrage of big shows going on sale soon:

Warped Tour 2008 (Aug. 9, Gorge Amphitheatre): This years featuring Paramore, Gym Class Heroes, All-American Rejects, Angels & Airwaves, Say Anything and a gang of other bands. Tickets are $29.05 to $32.60 and go on sale at 4 p.m. Friday.

Steve Miller Band with Joe Cocker (Aug. 2, Gorge Amphitheatre): Tickets are $39.50 to $67.50 and go on sate at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Melissa Etheridge (Aug. 24, Paramount

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I’d only seen Los Angeles punk legends X live once, at the White River Amphitheatre a couple of years ago where they delivered a truncated set at the End’s summer gala, Endfest and have since become a big fan of their eclectic and highly underrated sound. And after seeing them Sunday night at Showbox at the Market (the first of two shows, the second being tonight) I am left with a few questions. First, how did these guys not become household names? Their musical output was consistently brilliant, an eclectic mix of punk, vintage Chuck Berry riffs, rockabilly and

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Ministry is still a cult phenomenon 27 years after Al Jourgensen founded the group in Chicago. But it’s an important cult, one that’s made a deep impression on hard rock as we know it even if Jourgensen and company never quite conquered the Billboard 200.



Consider that with "The Land of Rape and Honey," Ministry’s creative breakthrough in 1987, the band all but carved the template for industrial metal, thus paving the way for Nine Inch Nails to cross over with a more pop savvy take on

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I was anxious to check out Ministry and Meshuggah last night. (More on that in my next post.) So we sent film critic Soren Andersen to check out last night’s biggest ticket, Bruce Springsteen, last night at KeyArena. And apparently he liked what he saw and heard. Here is part of his take:

No opening act. No introduction. No nonsense.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band got right down to business after a late start Saturday night at Seattle’s KeyArena. Taking the stage at 8:35, an hour later than the concert’s scheduled start time, they tore

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Influential Los Angeles punk outfit X is the main attraction at Showbox at the Market Sunday and Monday nights. And recently I caught up with singer-bassist John Doe to talk about his band’s legacy. Here’s some of what he had to say.

Clip 1: Not ready for prime time

Clip 2: Meeting singer Exene Cervenka

Clip 3: Splitting and later reuniting with guitarist Billy Zoom

Clip 4: Recording a new X album?

Clip 5: Recalling “Los Angeles,” “Adult Book” and “Beyond and Back”

Clip 6: Ties

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Taalib Johnson, aka Musiq Soulchild, will play two big shows tonight and Saturday at the Emerald Queen Casino. And I caught up with him for an interview earlier this month. Click here to listen to some of what he had to say. Then you can check my story in today’s GO section for more.

George Michael still sells out arenas abroad. But 18 years removed from his heyday and by now equally known for tabloid fodder as for his hits, will he still be able to sell out KeyArena?

We’ll find out well before July 2 when the British pop star’s first U.S. tour in 17 years is scheduled to bring him to Seattle. Will fans flock to hear “Faith,” “Freedom” and “Father Figure”? Or should the guy have tested the waters at the Paramount first? You be the judge.

Live Nation announced ticket details today. Prices are set at

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Broadway Center has released more details regarding the hip-hop community forum it is organizing in the aftermath of the cancellation of an E-40 concert earlier this month.

The event is all set for 3 p.m. April 27 at Theatre on the Square and is free and open to the public. University of Puget Sound professor, Dexter Gordon will facilitate discussion "with intentions of maintaining an environment where all voices and opinions will be spoken and heard," according to a release issued by Broadway Center this afternoon.

Broadway Center director David Fischer is also quoted in

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Here are the answers to Tuesday’s Bruce Springsteen quiz. As always, avoid spoilers by clicking here.

1. Which New Jersey town does the Boss hail from?

A. Asbury Park

B. Newark

C. East Orange

D. Freehold

2. Which of Springsteen’s albums was the first to go gold, serving as his commercial breakthrough in 1975?

A. "Born in the U.S.A."

B. "Born to Run"

C. "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J."

D. "Nebraska"

3. Which song – actually a cynical anthem about a frustrated Vietnam veteran – was co-opted against

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Hey, you know how everyone and their grandma has been singing Journey’s "Don’t Stop Believin’" at karaoke for the past year? You know, a lot more than they did five years ago? And remember how the song served as bombastic background music during that last @#%@%#@ scene of "The Sopranos," thus prompting debates on how awesome and/or cheesy it is? (It is a officially both awesome and cheesy, for the record.) Well, looks like those Journey boys are looking to parlay after the boost in interest. They’re on the comeback trail with a

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