Bob Dylan Tickets-Bringing a Lifetime of Folk to Stage

At the height of folk music, when American youth began regarding the genre as the optimal way to express defiance against an older generation, Robert Zimmerman plugged in.

Dylan "going electric" is one of those historic cultural moments that everyone uses to define the '60s. It was the ultimate expression of an individual, someone who wasn't just willing to rebel against the mainstream, but willing to rebel against the counter-culture as well. Not everyone was happy about his parting with the softer, more peaceful sounds of folk, but Dylan had simply made the next logical choice in an artist career that was only interested in finding new, better tools for expression.

Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, MN in 1941. He was a talented performer as a boy and as a teenager, and would go on to study art in college. He would perform in coffeehouses under his infamous stage name, borrowing Dylan Thomas' first name for his surname. In the early '60s, Dylan was quickly making a name for himself in New York's bohemian circles. In 1962, he released his debut album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. When Peter, Paul and Mary covered his classic song "Blowin' in the Wind," it gave him recognition that spread like wildfire. His music's literate qualities and the winding, labyrinthine nature of his lyrics made him popular among both critics as well as fans. Today, many of his songs are considered untouchable classics from this period.

With albums like Another Side of Bob Dylan and Bringing It All Back Home, Dylan continued to evolve his sound. "Like a Rolling Stone" became a defining single for him, summing up the sense of frustration that was building among the hippie youth. People were questioning social mores and what was expected of them by their society. With all the experimenting going on, it made perfect sense that Dylan's song would reflect the prevalent soul-searching the younger generation of Americans was doing.

In 1966, Dylan released Blonde on Blonde, a double-disc album that is still considered one of his best. Later that year, however, tragedy would strike. While riding his motorcycle, Dylan would crash and suffering a concussion, as well as damaging his neck vertebrae. The accident would take a permanent toll, changing his voice as well as his personality. He became more reclusive, spending more time with his family and recording more at home.

That didn't deter him from producing great work. Always a fan of the blues and country, Dylan's music would continue to explore those genres and find new stories to tell through them. Today, Dylan is considered an elder statesman of rock 'n' roll, and has had an undeniable influence on the artists of today. They repay the inspiration he's given them through homage and respect for his work.

There are plenty of fans that still love him, as well. Bob Dylan tickets are hard to come by, and are often snapped up easily. Try http://www.stubhub.com/bob-dylan-tickets/ for your Bob Dylan experience.

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Barry Manilow Tickets-A Pop-Cultural Punching Bag With a Bigger House Than Yours

For years now, Barry Manilow's easy listening has provided fodder for comedians looking for a fast and easy punch line. His music is mellow, pleasing adult contemporary, a genre infamous for lacking personality. But it's also immensely popular across the country, and has earned Manilow the reputation of being one of America's most successful adult contemporary artists in history.

What's often overlooked - largely because no one bothers to listen to his music before judging him - is the fact that Manilow's career proved him to be a versatile artist who was willing to explore beyond standard easy-listening pop.

Manilow was born Barry Pincus in Brooklyn in 1943. He adopted his mother's surname after his father left the family when he was only two. From an early age, he displayed a talent for music, and eventually went to the Juilliard School of Music. He scraped together a living by working on ad jingles after graduating, finally catching a break by becoming Bette Midler's pianist in the early '70s. His work with Midler earned him exposure and eventually a record deal. His 1973 debut, Barry Manilow I, was all but ignored. His follow-up, 1974's Barry Manilow II, earned him notoriety for his first smash single, "Mandy." From that day forward, Manilow would begin to establish a reputation as a writer of moving, if sometimes overly sentimental, romantic ballads. Not missing a beat, Manilow released a third record, Trying to Get the Feeling, in 1975, scoring another hit with the single "I Write the Songs."

Numerous hits would follow, and the mid- to late-'70s would become a high point in Manilow's career. His 1977 double-disc live album, Live, went to the top of the charts. Even Now, another release, was one of several that turned triple-platinum. He also released "Copacabana," a song that he's still known for to this day.

By the turn of the decade, Manilow began to fall out of favor with the general public. They seemed to be growing tired of the slightly bombastic, syrupy ballads he was known for. He began to slip in the charts, but that didn't end his career. He had his touring act to fall back on. Besides that, his loss of an adult contemporary audience freed him to pursue new directions. He began experimenting with jazzier songs in 1984's 2:00 A.M. Paradise Café. The genres of swing and jazz-pop became staples in this work during the '80s. In the '90s, Manilow turned his attention toward a stage musical based on his song "Copacabana," which was in turn based on an infamous club of the same name. The musical was highly successful, touring across America and the U.K. and bringing Manilow's music to a new generation of fans.

Though today he's largely forgotten as a leftover from the '70s pop scene, the massive number of Barry Manilow tickets that are sold each year is a testament to the popularity this artists still enjoys. Try http://www.stubhub.com/barry-manilow-tickets/ for tickets to hear "Mandy" in concert.

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copy write: The LA Times December 11, 2008 used by permission