Liza To Return to London Paladium

Britain's Pride Life reports:

Last summer, Liza Minnelli was forced to cancel her only scheduled UK appearance on the advice of doctors, leaving many of her British fans fearing that they may never get to see this living, breathing, all-singing, all-dancing icon in the flesh. Imagine the excitement, then, upon hearing that Minnelli, now 70, plans to return to these shores later this year, for a series of “intimate” performances, beginning at her London “home”, the London Palladium, on 20 September. Fittingly it was at this same theatre that a then 18-year-old Minnelli appeared alongside her mother, Judy Garland, in a now legendary concert, in 1964. An Intimate Evening With Liza Minnelli will adopt the format of “An Audience With…” Minnelli will discuss her life onstage, invite questions from the audience, and sing the songs that have made her an undisputed star. The evening will culminate with Minnelli’s induction into the Palladium’s Hall of Fame.

Click over to Pride Life for Liza's thoughts on her gay fans and her favorite song. Follow Pride Life on Facebook for breaking LGBT news out of the UK.

VIDEO: Below is that famed concert in full.

Dance Sensation Shamir Rocks Brooklyn

Last night I trekked out to Brooklyn with my buddies Mike and Anthony for the New York City debut of 20 year-old queer sensation Shamir, the unabashedly fey singer/rapper whose clear falsetto has drawn many comparisons to Sylvester. The sold-out audience at the Music Hall of Williamsburg ranged from front-row adoring fanboys to Manhattan nightlife figures such as Double-Headed Disco duo Noel Alicia and Jeff Jackson. (And a surprising number of bears.) While the comparisons to Sylvester's voice are well-founded, Shamir's style is more appealing awkwardness than sassy bravado, which he underscored when introducing the track Hot Mess as "autobiographical." Reviews for Shamir's debut album, Rachet, have been raving and his profile got a major boost this spring when his percolating rap single On The Regular soundtracked the release of the Google Smart Watch. Shamir's tour continues tonight at Philadelphia's Voyeur. Below is part of his set earlier this year at SXSW. 

Michigan Womyn's Music Festival To End

Via the Advocate:

The 40th Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, to be held this August, will be the last, its founder announced today. The storied women-only event, first held in 1976, has been the subject of controversy in recent years because of its exclusion of transgender women, with many artists and organizations deciding to boycott. Founder and organizer Lisa Vogel gave no reason for ending the fest, however, in a Facebook post announcing the decision. “We have known in our hearts for some years that the life cycle of the Festival was coming to a time of closure,” she wrote. “Too often in our culture, change is met only with fear, the true cycle of life is denied to avoid the grief of loss. But change is the ultimate truth of life. Sisters — I ask you to remember that our 40 year Festival has outlived nearly all of her kin. She has served us well. I want us all to have the opportunity to experience the incredible full life cycle of our beloved Festival, consciously, with time to celebrate and yes, time to grieve.”

Acts that have pulled out of the event over the exclusion of transwomen include the Indigo Girls and Lea DeLaria. Earlier this month the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Task Force were criticized for removing their names from a petition calling for full inclusion.

Jungle At Coachella 2015

Last night I was bouncing between Coachella's three live-stream channels and landed on the show by British nu-soul collective Jungle, who are justifiably described as Massive Attack meets Brand New Heavies. Jungle has a well-deserved reputation for being a great concert act, so you might enjoy this rendition of their 2014 single, Busy Earnin'. (Especially the percussionist.)

Bjork Plays Carnegie Hall

Stereogum reports:

Yesterday, Björk played her first show in support of Vulnicura at Carnegie Hall. The first half of the show was dedicated to performing most of her new album’s tracks in order, which meant starting things off with the aching opening track “Stonemilker.” This was the first time she performed any of the Vulnicura tracks live. Björk was supported by Arca and a string section made up of members of New York collective Alarm Will Sound.

Madonna Announces 2015 Tour Dates

Madge's last tour in 2012 was the top-grossing concert tour of that year, taking in an estimated $305 million. Her tours in this century alone have grossed over 1.2 billion. Ticket sales for the Rebel Heart tour begin tomorrow for Madonna fan club members and open to the general public on Monday when buyers will also get a "super deluxe" free download of the album plus six unreleased tracks. Ticket prices at Brooklyn's Barclays Center start at $55 and top out at $415. Until it sells out, of course, and then the resellers and scalpers will score their usual three and four times face value.

First Ladies Of Disco - Show Some Love

Every gay man of a certain vintage is very familiar with these ladies. Via Eurweb:

In case you haven’t heard, Disco queens Evelyn “Champagne” King, Martha Wash and Linda Clifford have come together as the “First Ladies of Disco.” Look for the ladies to soon be out and about promoting their new single “Show Some Love” which is is set for its worldwide release on March 25 via Purple Rose Records. The First Ladies of Disco Show is inspired by author/speaker/host James Arena’s tribute book “First Ladies of Disco: 32 Stars Discuss the Era and Their Singing Careers,” a best seller in the United States, Canada and Europe. These legendary vocalists come together to bring you one of the most talked about shows in dance music history. This collective of fiery songs, dynamic vocal delivery and non-stop energy makes the First Ladies of DiscoTM Show not only a historic phenomenon, but a uniquely personal and one-of-a-kind experience.

So far their website shows two tour dates: Palm Springs (May 3rd) and Lincoln Center (July 3rd). The first single, interestingly, is straight-ahead pop rock. There will surely be remixes.

(Tipped by JMG reader Wayne)

Bright Light - There Are No Miracles

Last night I saw this Welsh popster (real name Rod Thomas) at Manhattan's Mercury Lounge, where his well-received set drew heavily from last summer's Life Is Easy, which yielded one of my favorite tracks of 2014. Thomas collaborates with Scissor Sisters member Del Marquis on the latter's Slow Knights project, and the pair performed a duet near the end of the show, which was a nice surprise. Below is the new Bright Light Bright Light single, released yesterday. [Photo credit: Richard Weaver]

Governors Ball On Randall's Island

Quite the lineup. Tickets are $260 and go on sale Friday.

Bob Dylan Plays Concert For One

Stereogum has the story:

Last month, we found out that Bob Dylan had played a show in Philadelphia for just one person as part of the Swedish film series Experiment Ensam, which sets people up in situations alone that they would normally experience with a crowd. The lucky attendee was Swedish superfan Fredik Wikingsson, who had seen Dylan play live 20 times before. The concert took place at Philadelphia’s Academy Of Music and Dylan and his band played four songs. “I’ve been smiling the whole time,” Wikingsson said after the show.

BRITAIN: Alison Goldfrapp & John Grant Cover Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood

Synthpop artist Alison Goldfrapp and gay singer/songwriter John Grant (Pale Green Ghosts) teamed up at Royal Albert Hall last night to perform a cover of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's strange and dark 1968 classic, Some Velvet Morning, which in 2003 was ranked by the Telegraph as the best duet in British pop chart history. Hazlewood's line "some velvet morning when I'm straight, I'm gonna open up your gate," might take on a less drug-drenched meaning when sung by Grant.


(Tipped by JMG reader Peg)

Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence

From the coming concert film, Live In Berlin, due for release on November 17th. Enjoy The Silence is their highest-charting US pop hit to date, peaking at #8 in 1990.  Depeche Mode's chart span in the US stands at 32 years, starting with the 1981 pop hit Dreaming Of Me (#47) and most recently with last year's dance hits Heaven, (#1) and Sooth My Soul (#7).

NEW YORK CITY: Cyndi Lauper To Host Benefit Concert For Homeless LGBT Youth

Via press release:

Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund today announced annual “Cyndi Lauper & Friends: Home for the Holidays” benefit concert on Saturday, December 6th at New York City’s historic Beacon Theatre to help raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth homelessness and funds to support the True Colors Fund’s work to address the problem. Cyndi Lauper will be joined on stage this year by 50 Cent, Natalie Maines, Patty Griffin, Salt-N-Pepa, Sufjan Stevens, Emily West, STRFKR, Liv Warfield, Hoda Kotb, and co-hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Laverne Cox. Additional guests will be announced soon. 

“For the fourth year in a row, ‘Home for the Holidays’ will feature an amazing night of performances in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth experiencing homelessness," said Lauper, co-founder of the True Colors Fund. "I am astounded by the artists who continue to give of their time and talent each and every year and I am so excited by the line-up who are joining us in December. The concert plays such an important role in supporting the True Colors Fund’s work to ensure that no young person is homeless again because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

50 Cent! That's interesting. Tickets go on sale here tomorrow. The Beacon Theatre is on the Upper West Side and is one of the most gorgeous venues in New York City.

Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays

The reunited Boomtown Rats performed stateside for the first time in more than 20 years on Friday in a showcase at Manhattan's Terminal 5. Their 1979 classic below was written about a San Diego school shooting - which at the time was so unusual that (spurred by the shooter's reason) it was worth writing a song about. Frontman Bob Geldof, of course, has since become one of the world's leading activists against poverty and AIDS.

Dominican Republic Bans Miley Cyrus Concert For Promoting Lesbian Sex

Andres Duque reports at Blabbeando:

The National Commission for Public Performances in the Dominican Republic announced today that they were banning a September 13th Miley Cyrus concert for, among other things, promoting lesbian sex. "The National Commission for Public Performances in the exercise of the powers given by the Constitution of the Republic through Regulation 824 of Law Number 1951Article 4306 - the purpose of which is to prevent public performances that offend the morals, good customs and relationship between friendly countries - imposes this ban based on Miley Cyrus' common engagement in acts during her concerts that defy morals and customs in ways usually penalized by Dominican law," a statement reads. They add that Cyrus "uses inadequate attire, corrupts language, uses perverse imagery and phrasing, uses phrases with double meanings, glorifies crime, violence and denigrating acts against civility and promotes sex, lesbian sex and the use of inadequate objects in public."

Duque notes that homosexuality is not illegal in the island nation but there has been significant anti-gay sentiment from religious leaders following the appointment of a gay US ambassador.

TONIGHT: Free Salsoul Records Reunion Concert At NYC's East River Bandshell

Acts from the label that for many of us invented disco will stage a free reunion concert tonight at the East River Bandshell in downtown Manhattan.

Originating in 1974, The New York City based Salsoul Records was one of the most influential record companies in the disco era that has shaped the dance music industry for the last 40 years. Artists such as Instant Funk, Loleatta Holloway, Carol Williams, Jocelyn Brown, Double Exposure, First Choice, Joe Bataan, the Salsoul Orchestra (led by Vincent Montana Jr), Inner Life, Skyy, and Charo were at one time part of their roster. To celebrate the relaunch of this iconic staple to dance music history, Salsoul Records has teamed up with New York City’s premier 45’s vinyl night hosts Mobile Mondays! NYC to throw a special reunion concert, Mobile Mondays! LIVE: The Salsoul Records Edition in conjunction with NYC's SummerStage, the largest free performing arts festival that takes place in city parks throughout the five boroughs. The event will take place on Wednesday, August 6th in New York City’s Lower East Side at the East River Summerstage.

I've basically worshiped Salsoul for nearly 40 years and yet I've never seen one of these acts in concert. The event is being put on by Mobile Mondays, which is an all-45s DJ collective.

NEW YORK CITY: Anti-Drug PSA To Air During Electric Zoo EDM Festival

Last year Mayor Bloomberg's office canceled the final day of New York City's Electric Zoo EDM festival on Randall's Island after two drug-related deaths and numerous overdoses took place despite repeated cautions to the 100,000+ attendees made by the promoters over the event's sound system. This year the organizers are stepping up their warnings with an anti-drug video that will be played "regularly" during the three days of Electric Zoo.

EDM fans going to Electric Zoo in New York City will have to watch a film about the dangers of drugs in order to gain entry. It’s all part of the “Come To Life” micro-campaign. Electric Zoo organizer Made Event announced the program this morning. Promoting the healthier aspects of dancing ‘til dawn, the program warns fans about illicit drugs, particularly MDMA, aka Molly or ecstasy. The two- minute film “The Molly” was created, written and produced by “Dexter” creator/writer James Manos, Jr., and his 19-year-old daughter Ellie Manos. “Ellie represents the target audience and she’s been to EDM concerts and seen the behavior of her peers on Molly,” Manos said. “She was the perfect partner to help me write the spot. “This is a really interesting and volatile time of life for teens and young adults, and I was up for the challenge of crafting the right tone, manner and overall approach to creating a PSA that would have a net positive influence in their behavior and lives, in an entertaining and authentic way.”

Electric Zoo takes place over Labor Day weekend. A three-day pass is $369 and single-day tickets are $139. Headliners include David Guetta, Kaskade, Armin Van Buren, Sasha, Danny Tenaglia, Victor Calderone, Pete Tong, and Paul Van Dyk. Watch The Molly below.

RELATED: Last week federal investigators arrested a 23 year-old man they allege sold drugs to one of the Electric Zoo attendees who died at the event.

TOMORROW: World Premiere Of Pet Shop Boys' Alan Turing Opera In London

Tomorrow night at London's Royal Albert Hall, Pet Shop Boys will perform with the BBC Concert Orchestra in the world premiere of their Alan Turing opera, A Man From The Future. Via the Guardian:

"For one night only, I'm one of the BBC singers!" marvels Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Tennant – he is adding his voice to the 18-strong chamber choir. "I can't imagine he'll blend in," deadpans his colleague Chris Lowe, who is usually found hiding behind a bank of synthesisers at their shows. He is worried about the lack of dry ice and lasers at the Royal Albert Hall. "The lights are always on [at classical concerts], aren't they? I personally am going to feel very exposed." It is not the first time a pop group has featured at the Proms. From Soft Machine's 1970 set (later turned into a live album)to last year's 6 Music and 1Xtra specials, pop and rock acts have often played a part in the two-month series. But Tennant and Lowe are doing something different this year: performing the world premiere of an ambitious new work, A Man From The Future. Based on the life of the extraordinary mathematician and Enigma code-cracker Alan Turing, it's an orchestral pop "biography" in eight parts for electronics, orchestra, choir and narrator.

Late last year Turing was granted a posthumous royal pardon for the 1952 homosexuality conviction that ultimately led to his suicide. The pardon prompted Tennant to change the closing of the opera.

"We had to [rewrite the ending to] point out that the convictions of tens of thousands of other men remain, and that hasn't really been discussed," says Tennant. However, the finale has a celebratory feel, and recognises the changes in attitudes towards homosexuality, globally. Tennant lists these happily: a 2013 US poll in which 52% of Americans were shown to approve of same-sex marriage, the moment in 1994 when John Major lowered the age of consent to 18 ("everyone forgets it was him that started things off").

Tomorrow's event will begin with Chrissie Hynde providing vocals on orchestral versions of several Pet Shop Boys classics, including Rent and Love Is A Catastrophe. The Turing opera will follow. The concert begins at 5:15PM New York City time and I'll post a live stream if one is available.

BRITAIN: Pet Shop Boys To Call For Mass Pardons For Thousands Of Men Convicted Of Homosexual Acts

Via the Sunday Times:

Pet Shop Boys are to use a new orchestral work about the computer pioneer Alan Turing to call for the “tens of thousands of men” imprisoned or fined for committing homosexual acts to be pardoned. A Man From the Future, created by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, will premiere at the Proms on July 23 . The Pardon, the last song, references the posthumous pardon granted to Turing, who was prosecuted for gross indecency in 1952. Tennant and Lowe will urge the government to pardon others convicted before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1967. “So very many lives were ruined over such a long period,” said Tennant. “Frankly it rather disappoints me that Stonewall [the gay rights group] has not done more. So we’re making the statement ourselves.”

Turing was posthumously pardoned in December 2013.

Folsom East Announces 2014 Lineup

Details and bios. I know most of these guys!