French electronica act to headline MySpace tour
Social-networking site flexes its big-media muscle with a concert tour that will hit famed venues like D.C.'s 9:30 Club and Philadelphia's Electric Factory.
No, it's not Daft Punk, but the robot-suit-clad techno heroes' influence is evident in the choices of artists for MySpace.com's second concert tour.
The tour, produced by concert powerhouse Live Nation, is slated to take place in March in a number of U.S. and Canadian cities. Headlining the tour will be French electronic duo Justice. Joining that act on select nights will be a combination of the electronic and hip-hop acts Diplo, DJ Medhi, Chromeo, Busy P, and Fancy.
The first show will kick off on March 3 in Austin, Texas, and will hit a total of 18 cities, winding up in Los Angeles on March 31. Interested fans will be able to buy tickets from January 9 to 12 through the MySpace Music Tour site, as well as through the venues and local ticket outlets.
MySpace's first concert tour, which featured a number of 'emo' and pop-punk artists, took place in October and November. Additionally, the News Corp.-owned site throws a series of "Secret Shows" concerts in cities worldwide, as well as a number of other live music events.
Music is true to MySpace's roots--the social-networking site gained initial buzz as a hub for indie music, where fans could discover and listen to new bands. It now counts more than 6 million bands among its user profiles--but the concerts are also a strategic move.
As the social-networking field grows increasingly crowded, MySpace has the advantage of big-media muscle and a reputation for pop-culture influence as a tool to keep it above the fray. This has meant not only high-profile music projects, but also original video programming and youth activism campaigns.
The dates for the March concert tour are as follows:
March 3: Austin (Stubbs)
March 4: Dallas (Palladium Ballroom)
March 6: Orlando, Fla. (The Club at Firestone)
March 9: Baltimore (Sonar)
March 10: Philadelphia (The Electric Factory)
March 11: New York (Madison Square Garden)
March 12: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
March 15: Boston (Paradise)
March 16: Montreal, Quebec (Cepsum)
March 17: Toronto, Ontario (The Docks)
March 19: Detroit (Royal Oak Music Hall)
March 20: Chicago (Riviera Theater)
March 22: Denver (Ogden Theater)
March 24: Seattle (Showbox SoDo)
March 25: Vancouver, British Columbia (Commodore)
March 26: Portland, Ore. (Roseland Theater)
March 27: San Francisco (Concourse Design Center)
March 31: Los Angeles (Mayan Theatre)