Atlanta Symphony Hall LIVE has an exciting 2021/22 season lined up and it continues to grow! More events have been added, including singer-songwriter Lindsey Buckingham, American Idol runner-up Willie Spence, former Senator Al Franken, journalist Katie Couric’s book tour for “Going There”, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin & Marc Cohn Together in Concert, and Erasure’s “The Neon Tour” with special guest Bag Raiders.
Willie Spence, runner-up in the last season of “American Idol,” takes the stage in Symphony Hall to a hometown crowd. Born in Florida and raised in Douglas, GA, Spence started singing publicly for his grandfather’s congregation in Florida at just five years old. A video of Spence singing Rihanna’s “Diamonds” went viral while he was in high school, and the 21-year-old singer used that same song to audition for American Idol. That audition video has more than 2.8 million views on YouTube.
“American Idol” judge Luke Bryan has said of Spence, “You are literally going to save people’s lives with your voice… You’re going to bring people out of stuff and, you know what, they’re going to walk up to you one day and they’re going to tell you (that) you saved their lives.”
Grammy-award winning singer Lionel Richie said of Spence, “You have such a presence, such an aura… But most importantly, you’re uplifting.”
Tickets are on sale Friday, June 25, at noon at Ticketmaster.com.
Famed singer-songwriter Lindsey Buckingham announced a new upcoming performance at Atlanta Symphony Hall on September 22, 2021. Buckingham will be returning to the stage with a 30-city 2021 U.S. tour, marking his first in-person shows following a life-saving open-heart surgery in 2019. He’ll kick off the extensive run of shows at Milwaukee’s Pabst Theatre on September 1st, with stops at The Town Hall in NYC, The Theatre at Ace Hotel in LA and more. Visit www.lindseybuckingham.com for more info.
Over the last four decades, Buckingham has developed a radical sense of experimentation and an unrivaled savvy as a producer. He first honed these skills as a singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer and the musical visionary of Fleetwood Mac, for which he wrote and produced several Top Ten hits, including “Go Your Own Way,” “Tusk” and “Big Love.” Under Buckingham’s direction, Fleetwood Mac became one of the best-selling and most beloved rock groups of all time. As a solo artist, Buckingham often plays nearly every instrument himself; his complex arrangements and inventive production choices make his solo work thrilling to experience. He remains a highly sought-after collaborator, a maverick and a visionary.
Tickets now on sale at ticketmaster.com
As far as anyone knows, Al Franken is the only U.S. Senator who was also one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. During his fifteen seasons with SNL, Franken won five Emmy’s for writing and producing. He’s also the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers, including Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them – A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, and Al Franken, Giant of the Senate.
Franken served Minnesota in the Senate from 2009-2018, clobbering his first opponent, incumbent Senator Norm Coleman, by 312 votes. He won his second election by well over 200,000 votes. Franken served on the Judiciary, Energy, Indian Affairs, and HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committees where he routinely embarrassed badly prepared witnesses and was a fierce opponent of media concentration, mandatory arbitration, and Betsy DeVos.
The Al Franken Podcast is one of the nation’s top-ten politics and public affairs podcasts with guests like Malcolm Nance, Sarah Silverman, Paul Krugman, Chris Rock, and Michelle Obama. Well, not Michelle Obama, but guests like her.
His political action committee, Midwest Values PAC, supports progressive Democrats, voting rights, and a host of other good, non-political things.
Al and his wife, Franni, have been married for 45 years, many of them happy. They have two kids and four grandchildren.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 25, at 10am at Ticketmaster.com. Co-produced with Outback Presents.
Produced by Live Nation, Katie Couric will head out on an 11 city U.S. tour this fall in celebration of her forthcoming memoir, “Going There,” out on October 26th. Two days following the release of her highly anticipated book, Couric will kick off her tour in Boston at the Orpheum Theatre on October 28th making stops in New York, Washington, DC, Atlanta, and more, before wrapping up in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium on November 15th.
Couric will bring attendees into her personal and professional life, sharing the emotional, riveting story of a thoroughly modern woman, whose journey took her from humble origins to superstardom. Joined by high profile, fascinating people at every stop, Couric and her special guests (to be revealed at a later date) will exchange stories of their life experiences that will make you laugh, cry, and think.
“Given the challenging period we’ve been through, I’m so excited to be out in the world, creating a sense of community and a place where we can all get together for meaningful conversations, and have some fun, too,” Couric said.
“It is truly an honor to work with the iconic Katie Couric and present her to live audiences across the country. She has always provided so much inspiration to people everywhere, particularly women. Live Nation Women exists to center and amplify women and their stories, and we can’t wait to hit the road with Katie this fall to share hers,” said Ali Harnell, President & CSO LNW.
Katie Couric’s book “Going There” is out Oct 26, 2021.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 25 at 10am at Ticketmaster.com. Co-produced with Live Nation.
With hits like “Passionate Kisses” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” Mary Chapin Carpenter has won five Grammy Awards (with 15 nominations), two CMA awards, two Academy of Country Music awards and is one of only fifteen female members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Over the course of her acclaimed career, Carpenter has sold over 15 million records. In 2020, Carpenter released two albums – The Dirt And The Stars in August 2020, and One Night Lonely, recorded live without an audience at the legendary Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Virginia during the COVID-19 shut down – in addition to sharing “Songs From Home,” a virtual concert series which has been viewed over 10 million times.
Shawn Colvin won her first GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album with her debut album, Steady On. She has been a mainstay of the singer-songwriter genre ever since, releasing thirteen superlative albums and establishing herself as one of America’s most revered live performers. Her songs are slow-release works of craft and catharsis that become treasured, lifetime companions for their listeners. Colvin triumphed at the 1998 GRAMMY Awards, winning both Record and Song of the Year for “Sunny Came Home.” Colvin was recognized for her career accomplishments when she was honored with the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Trailblazer Award by the Americana Music Association.
After winning a Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Rooted in the rich ground of American rhythm and blues, soul and gospel and possessed of a deft storyteller’s pen, he weaves vivid, detailed, often drawn-from-life tales that evoke some of our most universal human feelings: love, hope, faith, joy, heartbreak.
Tickets for Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, & Marc Cohn go on sale Friday, June 25 at 10am at Ticketmaster.com. Co-produced with Zero Mile Presents.
ERASURE (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) today announced a North American tour produced by Live Nation set to launch January 14, 2022 in Miami before wrapping up in late February at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Tickets available to the general public beginning Friday, June 25 at 12pm local time. Bag Raiders will open each date with a DJ set. Visit Erasure’s website for further details.
News of the North American tour follows the 2020 release of Erasure’s rapturously received eighteenth studio album, The Neon. Featuring jubilant songs such as “Nerves of Steel,” “Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling),” and “Fallen Angel,” The Neon was met with widespread critical acclaim with critics and fans alike praising Andy and Vince’s euphoric reemergence at a time when the world needed them most.
This summer, the duo will release The Neon Remixed, a collection of reimaginings of songs from The Neon by artists such as Kim Ann Foxman, Hifi Sean, Octo Octa, Paul Humphreys (OMD), Andy Bell & Gareth Jones, Brixxtone, Theo Kottis, and more. Also included is the brand new single “Secrets.”
The Neon Remixed is set for release July 30 on limited edition (first pressing only) double colored vinyl and gatefold CD, both packaged in a mirror board sleeve. Pre-order here.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 25, at noon on Ticketmaster.com. Co-produced with Live Nation.