Shawn Mendes releases extra tickets and confirms UK support

Shawn Mendes has released new tickets for his London shows on 1st June and 2nd June at The O2. Also released are more tickets for his shows at The SSE Hydro, Glasgow (27th April) and Manchester Arena (28th April). As part of his first-ever arena world tour, the second headline date at The O2 was added due to phenomenal demand. The previously announced Illuminate World Tour will kick off April 27th in Europe before going on to North and South America, with more dates to be announced soon. The North American leg of the tour begins July 6th in Portland, OR and finishes September 20th in Mexico City.

Charlie Puth will be direct support on all US and Canadian dates and James TW will be direct support on all UK and European dates.

Tickets will go on sale on Friday 24th February at 10am. Additional tickets will also be released for select European show dates on Friday. For more details, visit illuminateworldtour.com. 

Shawn is touring in support of his second album Illuminate (Virgin EMI Records), which
became an instant Top 3 smash in the UK Official Charts upon release. The multi-platinum artist’s second offering features the global hit ‘Treat You Better,’ which catapulted to the #1 in 40 countries, has amassed over a whopping 700 million views on YouTube and quickly became his second Top 10 hit in the UK Official Charts since releasing the #1 single ‘Stitches,’ and the latest single ‘Mercy.’ In just a year, Shawn has sold over 2 million singles in the UK alone, of which ‘Treat You Better’ and ‘Stitches’ finished in the Officials Charts’ ‘Top 40 Official Biggest Songs of 2016’ chart, and ‘Mercy’ recently became certified Gold.

Full tour details and tickets here.

A tribute to Al Jarreau

Alwin Lopez Jarreau

The one and only  -  treasured – beloved

Following the news of Al’s illness last week it is with very heavy hearts that we must tell you that, tragically, he lost his battle for life and passed away in Los Angeles early this morning.

It is our understanding that his wife and son and a few very close family friends were with him.
 
Al has suffered several occasions of ill health over the over the past few years, but with his indomitable spirit and lust for life and love of music – he always bounced back to bring more joy to millions of people across the globe.

The world is certainly a better place for Al’s presence, warmth and humanity.

We pray that he is at peace, with no more pain and we thank him for the abundant legacy of music he leaves us all.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

This is a very, very sad day.

The joyous relationship with Al and Marshall Arts began back in 1978 and what a fusion of styles Al brought to us; Soul, Jazz, Blues, Scat, Rock – it was all in there and was such a treat.

No one had heard anything like Take Five and over the following years Al just added more layers to his incredible interpretations of so many songs with amazing musicians, who, of course adore him. Al has the uncanny and legendary gift to mimic any instrument and has challenged many a great player.

Year after year Al has brought his magic. ‘Moonlighting’ was a wonderful time with the TV series credited as giving Bruce Willis his big break. Al seems to have been at the beginning of many things.

Whenever he walks into a room, he smiles and the sun comes out. He brings not only his talent, but a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. He has a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master’s degree in vocational rehabilitation.

Indeed he worked as a rehabilitation counsellor in San Francisco – which shows his unselfish nature and tremendous care for others.

But it’s his music that had reached so many millions across the world. A great favourite at so many Festivals, he has been asked to return time after time to receive wonderful accolades.

His concerts were an amazing experience. There are simply too many amazing performances to mention. Montreux, Nordsee, Ronnie Scott’s, but the stand out was the fabulous night at Wembley Arena in 1984. Completely sold out and with very special guest David Sanborn. Footage of that night can still be seen online and sounds as fresh today as it did then.

He has been honoured with so many Awards throughout his Career – so many Grammys in different categories. Perhaps it is fitting that his passing is on the day of the Grammys—a stage he graced so often.

Each one of us in the Marshall Arts Family will continue to hold him in our hearts – with so much love and unending respect.

Car parking now on sale for Elton John's Wonderful Crazy Night at The Stoop

Ticket holders for Elton John’s concert at The Stoop on Saturday 3rd June can now purchase parking for the Rosebine car park which is located a short walking distance away from the stadium.

Car parking, priced at £7 can be purchased below

If you wish to purchase a minibus or coach space, please ring the Harlequins ticket office now on 020 8410 6000 Monday to Friday 09:00 – 16:30 to book your space. Minibus and coach parking is priced at £25 and £40 respectively. 

Concert ticket holders should be aware that parking on residential roads will not be permitted and marshals will be in place to monitor the roads.

For those wishing to travel by bicycle to and from the site, cycle parking spaces will be available adjacent to the stadium.  

Travelling by public transport:

Train
The nearest rail station to The Stoop is Twickenham, which is located less than a kilometre away from the stadium. It offers frequent services to London Waterloo, as well as destinations including Wimbledon, Windsor and Eton Riverside, Reading and Chiswick.

Whitton station is located approximately 1.5km from The Stoop and offers the same services as Twickenham Station, as mentioned above. 

Hounslow station is located approximately 2.5km from The Stoop and offers frequent services to London Waterloo via Richmond, and Weybridge. 

Richmond station, which is situated approximately 2.3km from The Stoop, offers overground services to Stratford, as well as underground services on the District line.

Bus Service
When travelling by bus, there are two bus stops that are located close to The Stoop along Whitton Road. These bus stops provide two services, which run to and from destinations including Hounslow (481) and Kingston (281,481).

Additional bus services are available from a pair of bus stops located along London Road, approximately 1.1km to the east of The Stoop.  The 267-bus service provides a connection between Hammersmith and Fulwell, and the 110-bus service runs between Hounslow and West Middlesex Hospital.

Extra dates added across the UK for Céline Dion Live 2017

Due to phenomenal demand, Céline Dion has this morning added four extra shows to her Live 2017 UK and European Tour. The new dates are Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 July at The O2, London, Tuesday 1 August at Manchester Arena and Thursday 3 August at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena. Tickets for all shows are on sale now.

The legendary music icon announced her first UK and European Tour in over eight years on Wednesday, 25 January and the response from her fans across Europe has been incredible. 

Full tour dates are below.

Céline Dion Live 2017 - UK Tour

20 June       The O2 - London, UK
21 June        The O2 - London, UK
25 June        Manchester Arena, UK

27 July        Barclaycard Arena - Birmingham, UK
29 July        The O2 - London UK
30 July        The O2 - London UK

1 Aug        Manchester Arena, UK
3 Aug       Barclaycard Arena - Birmingham, UK

Full details and tickets here.

A tribute to Deke Leonard

It was with great sadness that we learned on Wednesday that Deke Leonard had passed away. Another great loss and shock for the world of music.
 
He played in so many bands in his formative years. Being a huge Elvis fan, he changed his name from Roger to Deke (after Elvis’s character Deke Rivers in ‘Loving You’).

As part of MAN and then ICEBERG and then MAN (again) he was an incredibly innovative guitar player. He had a unique voice with that totally recognisable ‘hard edge’. He also had a gigantic talent with words.

We were fortunate to be involved in so many amazing live shows over many years, and it was always inspiring.
 
Deke’s partnership with Micky Jones was something to behold, just about telepathic, super talents that blended and took notes and then made them soar and dive and thrill.

Sadly many of the members of MAN have passed, so perhaps there might be a heavenly reunion somewhere.

We know that George Jones (Micky Jones' son) brilliantly continues the legacy of the Man Band and it was wonderful to know that Deke was playing with the band in December, and in great form.
 
Deke was loved and admired around the world. In addition to his very special musical talents, his writing was full of humour and irony and touched anyone who’s ever been involved in the music industry.

His award winning radio shows for BBC Radio Wales will live on and on and stand the test of time, giving such insight to rock ‘n’ roll in the early days.
 
We know that his beloved Mary (as he always called her – and who made his life so special) must be heartbroken, along with his adored Katy and granddaughter Eydie, Ric and all the family as well as so many friends and colleagues who have always felt he was part of their family.   

Deke lived with us for several years, so we were fortunate enough to share a lot of his thoughts and witness some of his writing, which often came from the same blue chair that seemed his ‘comfortable’ place.

MAN and Deke’s music is still a very constant part of our lives, played loud and often.

He leaves us with many very special memories. Quite simply, he was our friend and we loved him.

This image seems the perfect way to close these few words for the Welsh Wizzard.

Our sincere thanks to Chalkie Davies for this great picture.

Rest in peace - Legend.

Barrie & Jenny

Global music sensation Céline Dion announces live 2017 UK & European tour

Legendary music icon Céline Dion, has today announced the LIVE 2017 tour - a 16 date tour that will see her return to the UK and Europe for the first time in over eight years along with a triumphant return to Paris after nine sold-out shows last summer. Set to kick-off on Thursday, Jun. 15 2017 at The Royal Arena, Copenhagen, the LIVE 2017 Tour will see Céline play shows in Sweden, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Germany.

Fans in the UK will be able to see her at The O2, London (Tuesday, Jun. 20 and Wednesday, Jun. 21), Manchester Arena (Sunday, Jun. 25) and Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham (Thursday, Jul. 27).

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, Feb. 3 at 9AM.

Members of Team Céline will have access to a pre-sale beginning Thursday, Jan. 26.

American Express® Cardmember presale will run from 9am Tuesday, Jan. 31 until 10pm Thursday, Feb. 2 on axs.com/amexpresale.

Exclusive VIP packages will also be available.

One of the most successful and widely respected female performers in music history, Céline’s return to Europe this summer will see her visiting cities that have not witnessed a performance from her since 2008’s “Taking Chances’’ World Tour, which became the second highest-grossing tour by a solo artist.

The CÉLINE DION LIVE 2017 Tour will feature an array of smash hits from her incredible 30 year career in music, which has produced over 250 million album sales, five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 20 Juno Awards (Canada) and an astonishing 40 Felix Awards (Quebec). In 2004, Céline received the Diamond award at the World Music Awards recognising her status as the best-selling female artist of all time. In 2007 she was honoured with the Legend Award at World Music Awards in recognition of her global success and outstanding contribution to the music industry, and 2016, she was presented with the prestigious ‘’Icon Award’’ at the Billboard Music Awards.

Céline commented: “I am so looking forward to returning to the UK and Europe this summer, these wonderful cities hold such special memories for me and I’m really excited to be coming back and seeing all my fans again.”

Céline is currently breaking records with her outstanding Las Vegas residency, which saw her reach an epic 1,000 performances in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in October 2016. Her first Las Vegas residency, A New Day…, was a groundbreaking production that was seen by over three million fans, spanning all seven continents and 138 countries. After taking a three year break from Las Vegas, Céline made a triumphant return in 2011 with her second residency simply titled, Céline, which features an impressive 31-piece band and orchestra. Performances are ongoing with shows currently on sale through June 2017.

Full Ticket Details:
20 June The O2 - London, UK theo2.co.uk
21 June The O2 - London, UK theo2.co.uk
25 June Manchester Arena, UK manchester-arena.com
27 July Barclaycard Arena - Birmingham, UK barclaycardarena.co.uk

Tickets for all shows available from:
AXS 08448 24 48 24 | axs.com
Ticketmaster 0844 844 0444 | ticketmaster.co.uk

Tickets for the CÉLINE DION LIVE 2017 Tour go on sale to the general public Friday, Feb. 3.

A tribute to George Michael

There are no words to describe our deep sadness and sense of loss, after hearing the devastating news that George passed away yesterday. He was a giant as a songwriter with one of the most awesome voices the world has ever heard – or will ever hear.

Music is so important and great music can never be duplicated.

George brought so much magic across the world and we feel privileged and humbled to have had the opportunity to work with this wonderful person over so many years.

We are blessed that he leaves an amazing legacy of music and songs that will be enjoyed for so many years to come. So it is a comfort that he will always be part of our lives.

Our thoughts and love go out to his family and friends – and all his millions of fans around the world.

Be at peace George and thank you for so many precious memories.

Al Jarreau announces two 2017 German dates with NDR Bigband

Al Jarreau returns with the renowned NDR Bigband and their sensational new programme The Duke Ellington Songbook - Ellington like you've never heard him before – Jarreau like you've never heard him before!

Once again, 2015 Al Jarreau returned to the place where his career really took off: Hamburg - the city that made him famous all over Germany 37 years ago. The reason was an offer he simply could not refuse. When NDR Bigband Leader Jörg Achim Keller approached Al Jarreau with the thought of the NDR Bigband revisiting the Duke Ellington Songbook with Jarreau as the vocalist, he couldn´t help himself but to helplessly fall in love with this idea.

So picture the 18 musicians of the NDR Bigband playing jazz in the studio, surrounding a 76 year old man throning like an eminence in their middle – despite not a grey eminence. With a smile like a sunbeam, he sings, he scats, he comes up with ideas. His tremendous lively energy radiates through the whole room and puts a smile on every face. He´s back.

Onkel Pö’s Carnegie Hall was the name of the place in Hamburg, by no means a hall, more like a small, smoke filled corner bar, that acted as launching pad for Uncle Al. His version of Dave Brubeck's Take Five he sang there for the first time, immediately got heralded as a true sensation. As you have it, only two weeks later he was famous all over Germany. "Of course I remember these times – how could I ever forget them? The people who saw me back in the day are still coming to my concerts today – bringing their grandchildren with them – to see Uncle Al! To come to Europe was one of the best ideas of my life. That experience opened my eyes to the fact that America indeed is a land full of european immigrants, and african immigrants, too. My initial idea was to share my music with the world, to share a smile with people, to dance and clap in time. And the first door that opened for me to this wonderful universe was here in Hamburg."

Now it´s to him to open doors once again. As Jörg Achim Keller's new take on Ellington's body of work by combining the qualities of Al Jarreau and the NDR Big Band through new arrangements, managed to create something really excitingly brand new – Ellington 2.0, if you will. Also, his collaboration with Keller managed to provide Jarreau, who grew up with the music of the greats like Ellington, Fitzgerald and so on with a totally new perspective of Ellington´s music than the few songs he already had in his live repertoire.

So, if push comes to shove, what is it that makes the difference to all the other Ellington programmes? First of all, it´s Jarreau's talent to not just cover a song (though he himself refers to his takes as Cover-Versions), but to completely making it his own and turning it into something exceptional – and also, it´s the unique quality of the human voice.

As Jarreau puts it "The voice is the first native instrument of humanity, it provides a warmth that no other instrument could ever fully imitate or substitute. Plus, the vocabulary, the messages that you can put into a song via the words, the sequence of words you are chosing to sing – all these ingredients create a very special form of human expression. I love language, I love to write lyrics that actually mean something, that are really saying something and that have a clear point. You can encourage people with words – a chance you just have to take!"

With the Duke Ellington Songbook Jarreau jumps at this chance in a way you'd never seen him do before or expected him to do so. If Germany would ever get the opportunity to adopt Al Jarreau as a citizen, it should not hesitate for a second.

Full details and tickets can be found here.