Everybody likes to make fun of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with its insufferably ironic scenesters and their asymmetrical haircuts, but it's still one of the best neighborhoods in New York to find bold new ideas in music and art. Case in point: the 'burg will host the borough's first opera in years this November when OperaOggiNY stages a performance of Franco Leoni's one-act verisimo opera L'Oracolo. The company is renovating the 600-seat McCaddin Memorial Hall Theater on Berry Street between South 2nd and South 3rd Streets, and will welcome city opera buffs to its grand opening performances on November 6, 7, and 8. Admission is only $20, which seems like a bargain for a "real" opera, and there are dozens of great bars and restaurants nearby - Dressler comes to mind - where patrons can discuss the tenor's register over drinks and snacks. It will be interesting to see what kind of crowd is drawn to these classical performances in the midst of hipsterville.

[Photo: nag-brooklyn.org]

Related Stories:
· OperaOggiNY [Official Site]
· OperaOggiNy to re-open McCaddin Memorial Hall Theater on Berry Street [nag-brooklyn.org]
· Opera Comes to the Burg [Gothamist]
· Opera Travel Coverage [Jaunted]]]> Victor Ozols 2008-10-25T14:30:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/5/112958/380

A concert by Spanish tenor Placido Domingo went off without a hitch last night at Mexico's Chichen Itza archaeological site, silencing for the moment a controversy about whether the ancient Mayan ruins are an appropriate venue for such a modern spectacle. Prior to the event, a union of archaeologists pressed prosecutors to file criminal charges against the concert's organizers, saying that the event violated a law that states the ruins must be preserved for educational purposes. ]]> Victor Ozols 2008-10-05T11:29:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/26/112954/281

Talk about an entourage! Paul McCartney played his first ever show in Israel last night to a crowd of 50,000--not including the 5,000 security guards he hired to guard Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park for the show.

Sir Paul opened the show with "Hello Goodbye" after a full day of visits to a local music school (where his attempt to play the violin made children merry) and Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. Of course, with 5,000 guards, he probably had a very large presence in the country, from which The Beatles were disinvited in 1965.

That beefed-up security probably made him feel safer, but it had to attract a lot of attention when McCartney was in Israel. Who is better to travel with: 5,000 security personnel or a few well-placed ninjas?

Related Stories:
· Fab McCartney Wows Israel [The Jerusalem Post]
· Sir Paul McCartney Shacks up at Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv [HC]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Bruce's MidEast Soundbites]]]> egw 2008-09-26T12:00:34-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/26/223056/256

L.A. concertgoers, rejoice! The Hollywood Palladium, once host to both the Rat Pack and the Grammy Awards, will reopen this fall with a gala concert by the 2008 equivalent of Frank Sinatra, Jay-Z.

The Palladium has been closed for repairs since being purchased by Live Nation in April 2007. Martin Luther King Jr. once spoke at the Palladium despite a bomb threat and artists from The Rolling Stones to the Red Hot Chili Peppers have performed there. But for us, it'll always be known as the backdrop to this scene from "Almost Famous" starring Kate Hudson:

Tickets for the Jay-Z show go on sale September 5.

Related Stories:
· 2007: Live Nation Inks Palladium Deal [Billboard.com]
· Jay-Z To Open Renovated Hollywood Palladium [Billboard]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Jay-Z performing at Glastonbury 2008: dannynorth]]]> egw 2008-08-27T08:45:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/26/12119/5752

Long before Barack Obama was a senator, Sheryl Crow sang "A Change Will Do You Good." But the singer insists she's not just jumping on the Democratic hype train--the presidential candidate has reached directly into her soul.

"We are finally inspired by the words that he's saying," Crow told the crowd when she performed Sunday night at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre.

Dave Matthews and the alt-country act Sugarland also performed at the kickoff concert along with John Legend, who debuted a new campaign song called "If You're Out There."

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· NOLA Jazzfest Leads Us to Ask, Who Isn't a Jazz Artist? [Jaunted]
· Delta's "Legend"ary Grammys Flight [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ICYDK]]]> egw 2008-08-26T12:45:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/16/75620/0452

Winsome pop singer Feist recently taped an appearance on America's favorite street, singing a slightly modified version of her Grammy-nominated single "1234."

The Canadian singer, first name Leslie, is jetting off this summer to a lot of other places that aren't (sadly) imaginary.

Tomorrow night she performs in Park City, Utah, and is hitting Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Diego, California, over the weekend before an outdoor show in Vancouver.

Related Stories:
· Music Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· More Videos [Jaunted]]]> egw 2008-07-16T09:33:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/3/171754/5189

Don't panic rock fans! It's true that Van Halen has postponed reunion shows in Dallas, Cincinnati, Raleigh and Baltimore. But the tour isn't cancelled, it's just been delayed so Eddie can get some medical tests.

For now, hold on to those tickets; they'll be honored at rescheduled shows. And if your worried about something like this ruining your music travel getaway, check out these travel insurance tips from Peter Greenberg.

Related Stories:
· Van Halen Tour Dates Postponed [Official Site]
· Van Halen Tour Unhinged [TMZ]
· Van Halen Tour Not Cancelled [Billboard]
· Van Halen Reunion Tour Coming Soon [Jaunted]
· Music Travel coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-03-03T17:25:02-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/