A cursory survey of car commercials, Adult Swim cartoons and T-shirt racks proves how disturbingly full-circle heavy metal has come.
Once considered a devil-worshiping fringe of rock, metal is now a fully commodified and carefully defined entity. Forget nu-metal joke acts Korn or Linkin Park, or the now-ironic hair metal of the ’80s.
The new metal bands (Mastodon, The Sword) hew closer to the genre’s exemplary artists like Black Sabbath, Slayer and early Metallica. So if metal is the new indie rock – a thorny sub-genre with instant scene credibility – these forefathers are the new Velvet Underground.
An “original” lineup of Black Sabbath, the daddy of all metal bands, is coming together for the first time in 15 years. No, it doesn’t include now-incoherent singer Ozzy Osbourne, but the truth is the members have shifted constantly since forming in the late ’60s.
Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice, who have arguably carried the band more than Osbourne, will reunite for an April 29 date at the Broomfield Event Center with openers Megadeth and Machine Head. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. today ($39-$49, broomfieldeventcenter.com)
The 34th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival announced a typically impressive lineup when tickets went on sale earlier this week. The June 21-24 event includes Emmylou Harris, Chick Corea, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, Los Lobos, Guster, Counting Crows, New Orleans Social Club, Sam Bush Band, Alison Krauss, Yonder Mountain String Band and dozens of others. Get your tickets fast. ($60-$175, bluegrass.com)
The Fray has a lot to be proud of, even if it didn’t snag a Grammy in February. The Denver pop-rock act’s debut, “How to Save a Life,” was recently certified double-platinum by the RIAA and named the No. 1 digital album of all time based on downloads. The band will finish their national jaunt this summer with an Aug. 4-5 stint at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, with some unnamed Colorado bands in tow. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($35.50, Ticketmaster)
Nas isn’t being serious when he says “hip-hop is dead.” He just wants you to sit up and pay attention. Fortunately, the gifted MC doesn’t need histrionics to sell his talents, which will be on display when he visits the Fillmore Auditorium on April 25. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($35, Ticketmaster)
Wolfmother and Placebo announced on-sale dates last week only to cancel a day later. Whatever the reason, tickets for the April 18 bill at the Fillmore are back on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($25, Ticketmaster)
Cirque du Soleil’s “Delirium” will stop by Colorado Springs’ World Arena May 27-28. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Monday. ($39.50-$110, Ticketmaster)
All-American Rejects were added to the Greeley Stampede’s 2007 Night Show Series this week, a move that adds stylistic diversity to the mostly country-pop lineup. Tickets are on sale. ($25-$41, TicketsWest)
