It looks like singer Aimee Mann will be playing at Boise's Egyptian Theatre Oct. 11. Details are few at the moment, so stay tuned.

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Country/roots rocker Steve Earle will play Boise's Egyptian Theatre Aug. 13 on his "Townes" tour. Earle's wife, singer-songwriter Allison Moorer, will open. This marks Earle and Moorer's first return to the Treasure Valley since they played Eagle's Woodriver Cellars last summer. Tickets are $26 in advance and go on sale Friday at the Egyptian Theatre, Record Exchange, Boise...read more

Don't forget about PLAY's contest to win a pair of tickets to the Blazed and Confused Tour, featuring Snoop Dogg and Slightly Stoopid, at Idaho Center Amphitheater July 19. You can enter here; we've got five pairs to give away. You must enter by noon July 16.

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Horror-core shock rock band Insane Clown Posse will make a stop at Boise's Knitting Factory Sept. 22. Tickets are $26 and are on sale now through TicketWeb.

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Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is returning to the Treasure Valley, this time visiting the Idaho Center Amphitheater Sept. 26. Tickets are $40-$44.50 and go on sale July 10 through IC Tickets.

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The Idaho Botanical Garden's Outlaw Field Summer Concert Series just got a little longer with the addition of a Sept. 22 show featuring Michael Franti and Spearhead. Tickets are $35-45 and go on sale at 10 a.m. July 10 through TicketWeb.

Other shows in the series include:

• Reckless Kelly, 4 p.m. Friday; tickets $25 in advance through TicketWeb.
• Indigo Girls and David Ryan Harris, 7 p.m. July 27; tickets $25-35 through TicketWeb.
• Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, 7 p.m. July 29; tickets $35 and $50 through TicketWeb.
• Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal, 7 p.m. Sept. 2; tickets $50 and $75 through TicketWeb.

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A limited number of $19.99 tickets to the Jonas Brothers concert, scheduled for June 26 at the Idaho Center, will go on sale from 10 a.m. Saturday through 10 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available at ictickets.com, TCBY stores, Jack's Drive-In in Caldwell, J n' J Corner Store in Ontario, or by calling 442-3232.

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The Taylor Swift show (May 17, Idaho Center) sold out almost immediately. But the Idaho Center has announced that additional tickets (these at the side stage) will be released today at 3 p.m. These tickets will be available through ICtickets outlets or online here.

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Sure looks like it. According to their Web site,folk rock duoIndigo Girls have a July 27 stop scheduled at the Idaho Botanical Gardens, with David Ryan Harris lined up to be their opener. Watch PLAY for updates...

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Legendary rock bands Journey andHeart are coming to the Taco Bell Arena 8 p.m. July 26. Tickets are $47, $57 and $67 and go on sale at 10 a.m. May 8 through Select-a-Seat and Livenation.com.

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Looks like seminal '80s rock band Sonic Youth will be playing the Knitting Factory July 23. Tickets are $22 and go on sale Saturday through TicketWeb.

Hasidic Jewish reggae/hip-hop star Matisyahu will return to the Knitting Factory June 25. Tickets are $27 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, also through TicketWeb.

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Earlier today, the Western Idaho Fair announced that classic rockers Foreigner will play Aug. 25.

Rodney Atkins (Aug. 26) and Blake Shelton (Aug. 28) have already been announced for the fair. Admission to the shows is free with a paid fair admission.

Over in Caldwell, the Canyon County Fair's Web site has Little Big Town scheduled for 8 p.m. July 23.

PLAY will keep you updated as more fair...read more

One of my favorite films of 2008 was "Man on Wire," a documentary about Philippe Petit, the French high-wire arist who walked between the World Trade Center towers in 1974, 1,350 feet above ground. If you haven't seen it, rent it this weekend — it's superb (if you don't believe me, the film has garnered a rare 100 percent "fresh" status on Rotten Tomatoes)...read more

According to a press release sent out today, Hijinx Comedy Club is slated to open April 22 at the corner of 8th and Idaho in Boise. It's the first comedy club featuring national touring comedians in Boise since Funny Bone closed in 2007. No information yet on the club's Web site, but the press release indicates that the club will have live comedy every night except for Mondays and Tuesdays...read more

When Opera Idaho announced its 2009-10 season this week, it was clear that there are some big changes coming to the organization.

For one thing, there will be more shows. This past season, there was one performance each of two main operas, along with Opera Under the Stars. That's pretty typical. Next year, however, there will be multiple performances of five operas, as well as a recital to kick...read more

Who would have thought? The Jonas Brothers show at the Idaho Center hasn't sold out yet, despite the fact that tickets for the popular boy band's show went on sale Saturday morning. Idaho Center spokeswoman Katrina Lemmon declined to give out specific sales statistics but said: "The show has sold well, and we still have tickets available."

Tickets are $27.50, $47.50, $67.50 and...read more

This is big news. The Jonas Brothers just announced their world tour, and the Idaho Center looks to be a June 26 stop, according to the super-popular trio's Web site. Watch PLAY and this blog for more details.

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Country music lovers have surely had a good week: first Taylor Swift was announced for the Idaho Center May 17; now Kenny Chesney (with Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum) will play at the Taco Bell Arena July 14. That's all we know at this point; no on-sale date or price for tickets has been announced yet. Watch PLAY in upcoming weeks for details.

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Digital television is a great thing for those of us without cable or satellite TV. With more channels to choose from, we've got more choices and less reason to shell out for TV.

KTRV's got a new digital channel at 12.2 called This TV, featuring old shows like "Mister Ed" and "The Patty Duke Show" as well as movies from the 1940s through today. There seems to be a lot of...read more

Country music's hotter-than-hot teeny-bopper Taylor Swift is coming to the Idaho Center on May 17. Kellie Pickler (of "American Idol") and Gloriana will open. Tickets are $22, $41.50 and $51.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. March 14 through IC Tickets.

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I get bizarre e-mails every day (I've won the Dutch lottery so many times that I could have bought the IPT by now), but this has to be the most bizarre legitimate e-mail I've ever received.

From a New York City PR firm: drummer Josh Freese is releasing a new CD called "Since 1972," a follow-up to 2000's "The Notorious One Man Orgy," in 11 price configurations. That's...read more

Prog rockers Yes have canceled their entire tour, including a Feb. 19 stop at Boise's Knitting Factory. They cite "unforeseen medical reasons" as the cause of the cancellation.

Tickets purchased online at TicketWeb or by phone will be refunded automatically. If you purchased tickets at the Record Exchange or Knitting Factory, return them to the Knit for a refund.

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The Nampa Civic Center is adding a Saturday 1 p.m. matinee performance of "McManus in Love," one of the popular McManus comedies. Both the Friday and Saturday evening shows sold out — The "McManus Comedies" are so popular in the Treasure Valley that the shows generally do. Tickets are $17 here or by calling 468-5555.

Look for an interview with "McManus" actor...read more

Last year, country-tinged rocker Brandi Carlile opened for Sheryl Crow at the Idaho Center. She returns for an acoustic set on April 20 at the Knitting Factory; tickets are $25 through TicketWeb. Just FYI: I'll admit to really digging that GM commercial with Carlile's song "The Story" that played repeatedly during the Summer Olympics.

• Also, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers are on tap for an April 16 show at the Knitting Factory. Tickets are $15 through TicketWeb.

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If you were waiting until a more convenient moment to buy your David Archuleta tickets (he's playing at the Knitting Factory March 21), you're too late. Tickets, which went on sale Friday, are already sold out. Bummer.

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Hear that high-pitched scream? It's the Valley's teenyboppers — teen idol David Archuleta is coming to the Knitting Factory March 21. Archuleta was the "American Idol" runner-up to David Cook last season, and he struck a major chord with young women around the country. Tickets are $22 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through TicketWeb.

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Death Cab for Cutie, Cold War Kids and Ra Ra Riot are playing the Morrison Center April 25.

Tickets are $36 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 30 through Select-a-Seat.

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More concert announcements today:

•  Hank Williams III and Assjack with Those Poor Bastards are coming to the Knitting Factory March 8. Tickets are $16 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 16 through TicketWeb.
• Ten Out of Tenn (a night of Tennessee songwriters including Erin McCarley, Matthew Perryman Jones, Butterfly Boucher, Griffin House, Tyler James, KS Rhoads, Trent Dabbs, Katie Herzig, Jeremy Lister and Andy Davis) will be at Knitting Factory March 31. Tickets are $11 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 16 through TicketWeb.

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Quite awhile ago, I wrote in my column that a Rascal Flatts/Jessica Simpson show was rumored for the Idaho Center in February, but I could never get anyone to confirm the date. Today, it was announced that the tour will stop in Nampa on Feb. 25. Tickets go on sale for $51.75 and $67 at 10 a.m. Jan. 17 through IC Tickets.

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1970s prog rockers Yes are coming to Boise's Knitting Factory on Feb. 19. Yes, they're still together. Yes, they just celebrated 40 years as a band. Yes, yes, yes!

Tickets are $37.50 and go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. through TicketWeb.

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Folk legend Joan Baez is set to stop in at Boise's Egyptian Theatre March 21 on her 50th Anniversary Tour. Tickets go on sale Wednesday and will be $45 i advance and $48 reserved seating; purchase through the Record Exchange, Boise Co-op, or brownpapertickets.com. 

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Yet another restaurant closure: Eagle's trendy Sixonesix closed its doors Saturday. Owned by chef Jered Couch, the restaurant served upscale American food. More details were unavailable Friday afternoon.

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Other media outlets are reporting the closure of City Grill, a downtown Boise restaurant best know for its oyster bar. A call to the restaurant revealed only that the phone number had been disconnected.

Tacabi Sushi, which lay just down 8th Street from City Grill, also closed last week. 

I wonder how many more independently owned restaurants the Valley is going to lose during this economic...read more

Boise Contemporary Theater's one-woman show "No ... You Shutup" is extending its run an extra week due to the its popularity.

Now, Lauren Weedman's comedic look at family will close Dec. 20. Tickets are $12-30. Visit bctheater.org for more information or to purchase tickets. 

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Last week I wrote in PLAY about Eagle resident Kayleigh C. Jack, who is participating in Country Music Television's online Music City Madness talent search contest. With a bracket-style format (think March Madness), viewers vote on their favorite singers after watching their performance via video. 

Jack won her first round, in which a field of 64 contestants was narrowed to 32. Then this week...read more

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is coming back to Boise! 

Due to popular demand, Seinfeld, star of the eponymous hit TV show, is returning to his stand-up roots and hitting the road to perform new material in venues across the country. He'll stop at Boise's Morrison Center on Jan. 22.

Tickets are $47 to $77 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Nov. 24 through Select-a-Seat outlets and idahotickets.com or by calling...read more

The Nine Inch Nails Dec. 8 show at the Idaho Center is on — ticket prices are fairly reasonable at $29.50 or $39.50. They'll go on sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 24 through IC Tickets....read more

We've got presidential candidate all over the airwaves - and not just in debates and campaign ads. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will appear on SNL tomorrow. Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden sat down with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show last night. But the big news was John McCain's appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. McCain canceled an appearance on...read more

I'll be honest. When I first heard that Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire were touring together, I thought, " Huh? How does that work?" I mean, Reba McEntire is a country legend with a distinctive twang that shouldn't work in any other genre; Kelly Clarkson is a big-voiced pop singer with a young career that began on the first season of "American Idol."

Sure, a double bill makes...read more

In today's issue of PLAY, Joe Hansen, the Press-Tribune's IT director, debuted his column, Geeks' Corner. A weekly feature, the column will showcase Joe's favorite gadgets and games. He will also keep you up to date with a blog where you can leave feedback or ask questions about all things tech-related. So stop by Geeks' Corner online and say hi to Joe! 

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Backstreet's back!

Fifteen years ago, the Backstreet Boys made boy bands popular again, and now, touring on their new album "Unbreakable," they'll bring their show to the Idaho Center at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19. 

Tickets are $35-$50 and are available at ICtickets.com, the Idaho Center box office, TCBY, JnJ Corner Store in Ontario and Jack's Drive-in in Caldwell. 

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Tonight's Anberlin show at The Venue in Boise has been canceled due to "sickness and transportation issues." There's a deadly combination. Tickets purchased through TicketWeb online will be automatically refunded....read more

This from The Associated Press today: 

Bob Dylan's new album shall be released one week early as a free online stream on National Public Radio's Web site.

NPR Music will stream the entire two-CD, "Tell Tale Signs," beginning at 12:01 a.m. EDT Tuesday. It will be available for listening at least until Oct. 7, when the album is officially released by Columbia Records.

"Tell Tale...read more

Gabriel Iglesias, a comedian who became a finalist on the fourth season of "Last Comic Standing," has postponed his Nov. 8 show at the Knitting Factory. We'll forgive him for it, though, because the date conflicted with a USO tour. The show has not yet been rescheduled....read more

Boise's Knitting Factory has put tickets for a handful of shows on sale for only $10 a pop. They include

 

• Less Than Jake (Wedesday, Sept. 17)
• Derek Trucks Band (Thursday, Sept. 18)
• Geoff Tate Band (Friday, Sept. 19)
• Filter (Thursday, Sept. 25)
• Ill Bill (Tuesday, Oct. 7)
• Rose Hill Drive (Wednesday, Oct. 15)

 

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I mentioned last week that the corn MAiZE is opening soon. Already open is Haunted World, a haunted cornfield at the corner of Highway 20-26 and Northside Boulevard in Caldwell, which opened this weekend and will be open this Friday and Saturday and Sept. 26 and 27. After Sept. 27, it will be open each Monday through Saturday night until Oct. 31. Hours are dusk to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday night...read more

Fall is almost here, which is good (except for the fact that winter is right on its heels). 

That means Meridian's Corn MAiZE is about to open, too. A labyrinth carved into an eleven-acre cornfield.

And this being an election year, from the air the maze resembles the faces of Barack Obama and John McCain. Not that you'll be able to tell when you're wandering lost inside it. The correct route...read more

I've been a fan of Neko Case since downloading her "Blacklisted" album (legally, yes!) three years ago. But I had never seen her in concert, a shortcoming I almost flew to Austin, Texas, to rectify this year. The New Pornographers, the supergroup of which she is part, have stopped in Boise, but they don't do anything for me. So I'm happy to report that seeing a solo Neko at Wood River Cellars...read more

Psych-pop group Darker My Love, which was to play Neurolux Wednesday, has canceled that and several other shows, citing a family emergency....read more

Because of "unforeseen personal issues," rapper Paul Wall has canceled his tour. He was planning a stop at Boise's Knitting Factory on Sept. 6. Tickets bought online or by phone will be automatically refunded. Those who purchased tickets at a TicketWeb outlet should send the tickets to TicketWeb, P.O. Box 77250, San Francisco, CA, 94107....read more

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Nine Inch Nails have Nampa's Idaho Center listed as a Dec. 8 stop on their Lights in the Sky Over North America Tour. Check back for more details....read more

The Knitting Factory announced a bunch of new shows over the weekend:

— The Expendables, Oct. 28. Tickets are $12 and go on sale Friday.

— The Clumsy Lovers, Nov. 1. Tickets are $13.

— Filter, Sept. 25. Tickets are $18.

— Andre Nickatina, Oct. 25. Tickets are $20.

— GWAR, Nov. 16. Tickets are $17.50 and go on sale Friday.

— Norma Jean, Oct. 24. Tickets are...read more

The Sept. 9 Zebrahead show at the Knitting Factory has been postponed, due to "unforeseen scheduling issues," according to the venue. A new show will be rescheduled as soon as possible. ...read more

In a column several weeks ago, I spoke lovingly of Satchel's Grill, an eatery in downtown Boise whose healthful menu and patio movie screenings have kept me returning summer after summer.

When I visited Saturday night to watch "The Shawshank Redemption" with a handful of friends, my constant companions on these many Satchel's outings, owner Dominic DeLaquil confirmed the rumors I had heard...read more

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Poppy singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, whose hit "Remedy (I Won't Worry)" was stuck in all of our heads for much of 2002, will visit the Knitting Factory November 5. 

Tickets are $30 and go on sale Friday morning. 

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All this week, SPIN mag is offering a free download of "Crawl," a track off Kings of Leon's forthcoming album, "Only by the Night." You can't beat free music......read more

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Guys, I am so excited about this: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is to be the supporting act for TV on the Radio's Sept. 12 show at the Knitting Factory. As if an appearance by the avant-garde TVOTR wasn't great enough.

So who is Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, you ask? MBAR (as we will now refer to him, as his name is so long) is a Portland-raised, Brooklyn-based artist who's been getting a...read more

Singer-songwriter-guitarist-former Roxy model Tristan Prettyman (who, as it happens, is indeed pretty) will play the Knitting Factory Sept. 10.

Tickets go on sale through TicketWeb Friday and are $9.49. Because the show is being sponsored by 94.9 The River. Get it?

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Here's a list of the highlights, courtesy of The Associated Press:

 

Nominees in major categories for the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards announced Thursday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Drama Series: “Boston Legal,” ABC; “Damages,” FX; “Dexter,” Showtime; “House,” Fox; “Lost,” ABC; “Mad Men,” AMC...read more

Pop-punksters New Found Glory are scheduled to play the Knitting Factory on Sept. 16. Since the band, which is a Warped Tour favorite, isn't on the Warped Tour this year, this will be the only place in the Treasure Valley to catch NFG this year.

Tickets are $16 and go on sale at 10 a.m. July 25 through TicketWeb.

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Radiohead has made a video for their single "House of Cards" without using cameras or lights. Yeah, I don't get it either. You can learn more about the technology and view the video (which, like Radiohead's music, is very cool but slightly creepy) here:

http://code.google.com/creative/radiohead/

If anyone can figure out how it works, feel free to leave me a comment. 

 

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The Knitting Factory announced today that The Toadies will play on Sept. 21.

The band was responsible for hits like "Possum Kingdom," "Away," "I Come From the Water" and "Tyler" during the '90s but broke up in 2001. In 2006, The Toadies reunited for several very successful shows in Texas. The fan response must have been encouraging because they're touring...read more

Buzz is building for Beck's newest release, "Modern Guilt," set to be released July 8. You can catch snippets of the album at different sites around the Web (legally, that is. The album has already — of course! — leaked onto the Internets, MTV reported yesterday). Amazon.com is touting its "exclusive video," the point of which I'm still trying to grasp. But it does include samples of a few of the album's tracks, and the low-budget black-and-white video looks like a video installation at a contemporary art museum. (View it here: http://www.amazon.com/Beck/e/B000APVS5G) Or check out the album's Web site at modernguilt.com to preorder or listen to samples of each song. ...read more

I caught the Marié Digby and Eric Hutchinson set Wednesday at the Knitting Factory. First a word about the KF: I hadn't been to the venue since it left the New Orleans theme behind, and it looks good. The guitars are gone, and the French Quarter backdrop behind the stage has been replaced with a sedate black curtain bearing the Knitting Factory's trademark ball of yarn. As general manager Dean...read more