ultra festival announces dates

Summer weather has only this week started to cool in Southern California, but the organizers of the annual Ultra Music Festival in Miami are already planning next spring's do: Today they announced the dates of March 26 and 27 for the 2010 event. Early bird specials on tickets start at noon Friday. The tix are $99.95 for both days. Info.


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did chromeo inspire a near-riot?

Video (above) of the ill-fated Hard Summer festival (see posts below) shows fans climbing off a balcony in attempts to get closer to the stage, apparently just before nerd-pop act Chromeo was set to go on (the act was scheduled for 9:55 p.m. Saturday at the Los Angeles-area concert).

A Buzznet blogger who was there echoes that this was happening right before Chromeo was to appear. On the video you can hear an announcer warn partygoers that the event would be shut down if they didn't stop climbing over railings and ignoring the instructions of staff. The music goes off, and it never went back on.

hard promoter issues statement

Hard Summer promoter Gary Richards tonight issued the following statement in the wake of Saturday's shut-down of his event in Inglewood, California:

We were required to shut down Hard Summer at The Forum last night by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. They declared the event a "hazard" after seeing concertgoers jumping from the balcony to the floor, along with numerous other potentially dangerous activities. The Inglewood Police Department backed the decision of the Fire Department and assisted in the clearance of the venue.

While we, the promoters, worked with the authorities to consider other options to continue the concert, ultimately they made the decision based on the safety of the concertgoers. We are happy to report that there were no major injuries.

We are offering refunds to all concertgoers.

Ticketmaster Sales:
Beginning Monday, August 10th at 10 am, if you purchased your tickets through ticketmaster.com or a Ticketmaster phone center, the credit card you used to purchase the tickets will automatically be credited. If you purchased your ticket through a Ticketmaster outlet, you will need to go to the point of purchase to obtain a refund.

Groovetickets Sales:
If you purchased your tickets online through Groovetickets.com, a refund for the total face value of your order will be automatically applied to the credit card you used. Please allow up to five business days for the credit to appear on your banking statement.

Retail Stores / Venue Box Office:
If you purchased your tickets through any of the retail stores or from the venue box office, you may obtain a refund by mailing your ticket(s) to:

The Forum 3900 West Manchester Blvd
Inglewood, CA 90305
Attn: Hard Refund Department

Please include the mailing address where you would like the refund check mailed to as well as an e-mail address. Include the payee's full name for check payment or full credit card information. Please allow up to 30 days for your refund to be processed.

[Above: An impromptu parking-lot rave at The Forum in Inglewood, California breaks out following the shut-down of Hard].

lollapalooza continues its dance tradition

Perry Farrell's Lollapalooza festival, Friday through Sunday at Grant Park in Chicago, continues the rocker's support of electronic dance music, including a scheduled "electro set" by the man and his band on Saturday at Perry's -- the fest's 10,000-capacity EDM area.

"I have been most inspired by the collision of electronics and live instrumentalists," states Farrell, who has recently contributed to upcoming work from Kaskade and Swedish House Mafia. "In '09 we have created a new scene. There will be an ‘in the round’ DJ tower with L.E.D screens, and protruding performance platforms have been built to accommodate the latest inspirations of the dance culture."

While much of the buzz for the event centers around Farrell's appearance with the original members of Jane's Addicton for the first time since 1991, the party, as he noted, will feature plenty of dance music, including: Deadmau5, Hercules & Love Affair, A-Trak, Simian Mobile Disco, Crookers, Diplo, MSTRKRFT, Boys Noize, LA Riots, and more. Info.

red bull recommits to dance music

Red Bull today announced a three-year strategic marketing partnership with concert promoter Live Nation, a deal that will have the energy drink maker get behind the annual Global Gathering, T in the Park, and Escape Into the Park events in the U.K., among others.

"Each of these festivals provide Red Bull with a unique, unrivaled distribution platform to reach a much sought-after demographic of music fans," states Simon Lewis, president of international marketing partnerships at Live Nation. "These festivals, all known for bringing together a line up of the most talked about bands, are a great value for fans and exemplary of the wide variety of brand awareness-building opportunities that our integrated platform makes available to corporations."

This year's Global Gathering, July 24 and 25, by the way, features the Prodigy, Orbital, Sasha, John Digweed, Richie Hawtin and more.

sonar brings free showcase to u.s.

The organizers of Bercelona's Sonar festival are bringing their brand stateside for a free concert in New York May 12 at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. "SonarSound NY" will feature Prefuse 73 (above), DJ Rupture, pop act Hidrogenesse, hip-hop trio Del Palo Soundsystem, Barcelona's dj d.a.r.y.l., visuals by No-Domain, and the usual array of art installations.

Reservations are required. More information can be found at Sonar's site or through Ticket Central.

depeche dancing in the streets

The famed intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood will be shut down Thursday for a free concert by Depeche Mode. The band is promoting its latest album Sounds of the Universe. The event can accommodate 10,000, but all the free tix have been snapped up. Part of the event will be taped for later airing on Jimmy Kimmel Live.