WHAT'S GOING ON THIS WEEKEND September 7-10

1) US Open (New York City)

Saturday Morning: Men's Doubles / Women's Semis
Sunday Morning: Mens Semis
Sunday Night: Women's Final
Monday Noon: Men's Final

2) Toronto Film Festival (Individual screenings):

• Anna Karenina (Kiera Knightley, Jude Law)
• Great Expectations (Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes)
• Seven Psychopaths(Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken)
• Cloud Atlas (Tom Hanks, Halle Berry)
• Argo (Ben Affleck)
• Hyde Park on Hudson (Bill Murray, Laura Linney)
• The Iceman (Michael Shannon, Chris Evans)
• The Master (Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman)
• AND MANY MORE!

2) Linkin Park, Incubus
Friday Night: Mountainview, CA
Saturday Night: Carson, CA
Monday Night: Chula Vista, CA

3) Cirque Du Soleil

• Kooza (Houston, Texas)
• Totem (Oxon Hill, Maryland)
• La Nouba (Orlando, Florida)
• Ka (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• The Beatles: Love (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• Dralion (Uniondale, New York)
• O (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• Quidam (Victoria, Canada)
• Zumanity (Las Vegas, Nevada)

4) Crosby, Stills, and Nash

Friday Night: Los Angeles, California

Saturday Night: San Jose, California

5) Dave Matthews Band

Friday Night: San Diego, California

Saturday Night: Irvine, California
Sunday Night: Mountainview, California

6) Book of Mormon (Pantages, Hollywood, California)

7) Red (Mark Taper, Los Angeles, California)

8) War Horse (Curran Theatre, San Francisco, California)

9) Dodgers vs. Giants (ATT Park, San Francisco, California)

10) UCLA vs Nebraska (Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California)

11) Hot Chip and Passion Pit (Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California)

12) Les Miserables (Fred Kavli Center, Thousand Oaks, California)

GO TO WWW.MUSICALCHAIRSTICKETS.COM TO GET YOUR TICKETS!

Weekend LA Sports Roundup

This weekend was Mother's Day and the LA Teams sure did make their moms proud: all four won their games, with Lakers and Clippers moving onto the next round of playoffs. With the return of Metta, and the reemergence of Pau after a disappointing performance at Pepsi Center, Lakers clinched a spot for second round last Saturday night, with their first game tonight against former Laker Fisher, runner-up MVP Durant,  and the rest of  Thunder. Clippers followed suit Sunday (yesterday), winning against Grizzlies with a 10-point margin; they face top-seeded Spurs on Tuesday, May 15th, whom  they've only triumphed over once during the season - back in March, in a game in which Spurs starter Tony Parker did not play. The next round for LA Basketball will surely be a difficult one.

The other LA franchises also did well for themselves. LA Kings, who was 8th seed coming into the playoffs, has definitely come so far. They won against Coyotes Sunday night, gaining an early upperhand for the West Finals. Their next opportunity to beat Coyotes is Thursday, May 17th. Meanwhile, in baseball news, Dodgers won all three games against Rockies this weekend, including an impressive 11-5 win on Sunday. They will face Diamondbacks for the next three days.

As always,  keep Musical Chairs Tickets in mind when purchasing tickets to witness our LA teams perform  because with us, you will surely look better in our amazing seats.

American Idol and Its Newfound Steam?

Lately it seems that reality TV talent competitions are dime-a-dozen, and viewers have more choices. Thus, it's no surprise that the monopoly that American Idol once held on this game has now, if not gone, softened. With more exciting and current competitions such as The Voice, X-Factor, and the upcoming Duets (in which former Idol winner Kelly Clarkson is a judge), American Idol is struggling more than ever. However, with the hoopla surrounding the talent that is Jessica Sanchez, American Idol may be revived, and sales for American Idol Live! tour are actually great. Perhaps, the fact that exciting talent has finally graced the AI stage once again could be attributed for this new strength in fan base, making American Idol once again relevant.

LA Franchises Succeeding in the Playoffs

We here at Musical Chairs Tickets are always following the next exciting event... especially sports! This weekend is no different -- with three LA-based sports franchises in the playoffs, we have been very busy. Starting off with Los Angeles' darling team, the Lakers took on the Nuggets Sunday night. What set the game apart is that it showed a different team dynamic, with "supporting" players Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake closing the game with three-pointers. They're bringing it back to Staples on Tuesday, May 8th. Another exciting news is the advancement of LA Kings onto the West Finals by sweeping St. Louis Blues. For a team that hasn't been to the West Finals since 1993, this is exciting for us not only as ticket brokers but also as LA natives! Last but not the least, the Clippers leads Memphis 2-1, with a one-point win last Saturday. They'll take them on again tonight at Staples.

Considering three teams are on the playoffs, tis the season to be in L.A.; Staples could not be any busier, and fans have the amazing opportunity to watch the action live. Consequently, when buying tickets, we urge you to choose Musical Chairs Tickets as we offer amazing lower and upper court seating without the additional service fee that other secondary-market websites charge. For more information, visit www.musicalchairstickets.com, or call 1-800-659-1702.

Hollywood Bowl Lineup Highlights

Hollywood Bowl recently released their 2012-2013 calendar, and it promises many exciting shows from award-winning artists. Roster highlights include Coldplay, LA Phil’s Gustavo Dudamel, Black Eyed Peas, Jazz artist Esperanza Spalding, and the perennial favorite Sound of Music Sing-Along Night.

From May 1st-3rd, seven-time Grammy winner Coldplay will take the stage, which will surely be a spectacular event as Roc Nation’s Rita Ora and Welsh singer Marina & the Diamonds will be opening these shows. Also, fresh off his Grammy Win, the Bowl boasts multiple shows of Gustavo Dudamel, including a collaboration night with world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma [08/07]. Another much-anticipated show is the Sound of Music Sing-Along Night [09/22] , which boasts one of the highest event reviews amongst annual shows on Ticketmaster. As expected, Hollywood Bowl will also cater to jazz fans and xenophiles. With 24 Grammy wins amongst them, Jazz darlings Norah Jones, Dianna Krall, Anita Baker and Esperanza Spalding [08/10, 08/24, 08/22 respectively] will all grace the famous HB band shell in August. Lastly, for world music fans, HB will be showing a couple of world music shows; the 23rd Annual Mariachi USA Festival will be held on June 23rd, and as part of KCRW’s World Festival series, Black Eyed Peas’ Apl.de.Ap, Will.i.am and Taboo will be front lining the Celebration of Global Filipino Music on July 8th.

As we here at Musical Chairs Tickets are big fans of Hollywood Bowl, consider buying your tickets from us as we do sell amazing seats for these shows, including sold-out Garden Box Seats for the upcoming Coldplay shows. For more information, visit www.musicalchairstickets.com, or call 1-800-659-1702.

Gibson Amphitheatre and Greek Theatre Release Much-Anticipated Summer Concert Series Lineup

Offering a great and varied spectrum of seasoned musicians, as well as recent hit makers, The Gibson Amphitheatre and Greek Theatre just announced their lineup for their concert series starting from summer, and going on until the end of December. Highlights include assorted Latin entertainment, country superstars, and comedians.

The Gibson Amphitheatre, catering to a more diverse audience, will be hosting not only an array of shows from Latin music stars, but also a couple of American pop events. For fans of regional Mexican music, one of the most popular Conjunto groups, Conjunto Primavera, will be back in Los Angeles on June 23rd with one of the oldest and most popular Norteño groups, Los Rieleros Del Norte. Also, Latin pop stars Franco de Vita, Marco Antonio Solis, and Cristian Castro [06/24, 09/22, TBA, respectively] will also be gracing the Gibson stage. For fans of mainstream pop, Grammy-nominated bands Foster the People [06/30 and 07/01] and Barenaked Ladies [07/27] will also be performing at the Gibson. Also, following the successes of comedy tours such as Anjelah Johnson and Kathy Griffin, the Gibson added a couple of comedians of television fame, Larry the Cable Guy [Blue Collar TV – Comedy Central; 10/11] and Gabriel Iglesias [Last Comic Standing – NBC; 12/28]. Lastly, the annual Teen Choice Awards will be on July 22nd.

The Greek Theatre’s shows focuses on a mix of country and contemporary music. Fresh from her Etta James tribute, nine-time Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt [09/22]will be at the Greek Theater as part of her tour behind her much anticipated album – she hasn’t released one in seven years! Another hot concert is the 40th Anniversary celebration of Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night [TBA, sometime in August], and tickets are for sure will be flying off fast. Other adult contemporary musicians that will be performing at the Greek are Kristin Chenoweth of Wicked and Glee fame [05/12], Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw [08/19], and Regina Spektor [08/14].

Both venues are part of the Premiere Marquee Club that offers a VIP experience to multiple events, which is great for avid musical fans that have schedules that allow them to. However, for those who are too busy to go to multiple events, or just want to watch one show, but still want to have a VIP experience, I suggest that you come to us, MUSICAL CHAIRS TICKETS. We would be more than happy to cater to your ticket needs to ensure that your total event experience is enjoyable - at the best prices, of course.

List of artists mentioned above:
Conjunto Primavera, Los Rieleros Del Norte, Franco de Vita, Marco Antonio Solis, Cristian Castro, Foster the People, Barenaked Ladies, Larry the Cable guy, Gabriel Iglesias, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, Kristin Chenoweth, Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw, Regina Spektor

My daughter goes to Coachella

Wow, driving my 15 and a half year old daughter to school the other day we started talking about Coachella. I told her about the high prices in the secondary market and she mentioned that she and her friends had bought the 3-day passes several weeks ago straight from Ticketmaster. Despite my offer of $700 per pass to buy her and her friend's $350 face value 3-day passes, she told me no way! There was a great line-up and she could stay over at the home of her friend Kathy who was also going and whose family has a home down there. Wow, my little daughter going to Coachella on her own with just her friends. It seems like just yesterday I took her to her first concert, Jimmy Buffett, when she was 3 months old.

While I guess I'm lucky she is old enough to go to it without old dad, It does make me nostalgic for the old days of Cal Jam, The US festival, Roger Waters at the Berlin Wall and even more recently Live 8. Still, the thought of listening to 100s of bands, mostly new and cutting edge for three days in the middle of the desert just does not do it for me anymore (I still enjoy KROQ Acoustic Christmas and attended one night this past year. I may not be quite that much of a fuddy duddy after all). Now if Jimmy Buffett were to headline one year, I just might have to check it out.

For those of you who do not have tickets yet we have 3 day passes as well as 3 day VIP passes. The major names are Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, Lauren Hill, the Strokes, Duran Duran, Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Mumford & Sons, Erykah Badu, Flogging Molly, Big Audio Dymamite, Brandon Flowers (lead singer from the Killers), Neon Trees and many more! Thus, be sure to set aside April 15-17, 2011 for the most fantastic weekend (if you are 45 or under:) you’ll ever spend in the California desert.

Happy Daze,
Brad Schy,
The Ticket Maestro, Musical Chairs