Roar on the Shore has tapped stuntman Robbie Knievel, the son of Evel Knievel, to lead its 2010 bike parade on July 15.

Following in his famous father’s foot-on-the-accelerator path, Robbie has completed more than 250 professional jumps. He’s flown over the Grand Canyon and the Caesars Palace Fountain in Las Vegas.

In May, Knievel will attempt to jump 16 double-deckert busses at Wembley Stadium in London.

Roar on the Shore also announced that 2010 proceeds will benefit SafeNet’s Big Backyard Children’s Garden. The garden is a $300,000 project that will provide a safe, peaceful outdoor enviroment for children.

The fourth annual Roar on the Shore unfolds July 15-17 in downtown Erie. No bands have been announced yet, however Hollywood Nights, a Bob Seger tribute, is definitely on the bill.

Hey, I love the Who — they are one of rock’s greatest bands. So I had no problem with their Super Bowl set, which featured shortened versions of their best-known songs (except for “My Generation,” which would have opened them up to too many jokes).

Roger Daltrey can’t hit the high notes, like he once did but he sure nailed the climactic scream in “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” Pete Townshend looked old as hell but was in fine windmill form.

Now that the Stones, Paul McCartney, the Who, Motown’s best, and Springsteen/E Street Band, among others have played, who’s left?

Well, Led Zeppelin, for one, but you know they won’t do it. Simon & Garfunkel are still around but probably too folksy for a Super Bowl crowd. Pink Floyd would be awesome but I can’t see that happening. The Police are back in mothballs.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Super Bowl goes more current, serving up, say, Beyonce, who was a powerhouse at the Grammy Awards and can probably be counted on to not have a clothing malfunction. I can also seeing it go country: Kenny Chesney, perhaps, or even Jimmy Buffett.

Movie fans should hustle over to Tinseltown to catch “An Education.” It leaves Thursday, playing just a week. But it’s a terrific film that deserves to be up for Best Picture.

Carey Mulligan lights up the screen like a young Audrey Hepburn, playing a girl who wants to go to Oxford but seduced by a charming, 30-ish man.  If there was any justice, she’d beat out Sandra Bullock, the odds-on-favorite to win for her well-done but nonetheless one-note performance in “The Blind Side.” Mulligan’s role was more demanding and complex.

Fortunately, “Crazy Heart” is holding over. Catch that, too. Jeff Bridges should be a lock to win as an alcoholic country singer who’s seen better days. He gave his all to this role; it’s not a pretty sight seeing him curled up around a toliet in his underwear after puking. He’s sensational, though the film is pretty standard stuff.

Pittsburgh’s Post-Gazette Pavilion has changed its name to First Niagara Pavilion for 2010. The first announced shows are all country, part of the Country Megaticket series. Right now you can only buy tickets for the entire series ($150 to $675). Individual shows go on sale later.

The series: Sugarland, Jake Owen, Danny Gokey (May 14); Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Jack Ingram, Eric Church, Eli Young Band (May 29); Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker (June 12); Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, Love & Theft (July 8); Brooks & Dunn, Gary Allan (July 30); Toby Keith (Aug. 22); and Rascal Flatts, Kellie Pickler (Sept. 17).

For more details, visit www.megaticket.com.

Blossom Music Center near Cleveland will present the same country tickets with the same artists — just on different dates.

Its lineup: Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, et. all (May 20); Sugarland, Luke Bryan (June 5); Toby Keith (June 20); Brooks & Dunn, Gary Allan (July 9); Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker (July 23); Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, Love & Theft (Aug. 5); Rascal Flatts, Kellie Pickler (Sept. 16).

Check www.megaticket.com for more.

Vic Ruggiero, the leader of long-running New York City ska band the Slackers, is headed to Erie for a Feb. 11 show at the Beer Mug.

Ruggiero will play a solo show. He’s a music-holic who records solo projects, as well as with Rancid, Rancid side band the Transplants, and more. He’s even recorded with Pink.

Look for an interview with him in the Feb. 11 Showcase. Tradesmen and Sound City Saints are also on the bill. Admission will be just $3.

Reminder: The Who rock halftime of the Super Bowl on Sunday. Pete Townshend told Billboard they’ll do a high-powered medley of their best known songs, including “Pinball Wizard” and “Who Are You,” among others. Hopefully that won’t be lame…I’m generally not a fan of medleys.

As for the big game, I’m thinkin’ Indy, only because they’ve been there before and the Saints may be a bit overwhelmed. Plus, Peyton Manning seems to be on a different plane this year. In what may be an entertaining, high-scoring game, I say look for Indy to prevail, 31-28.

I spoke with Marty Schwab, who is buying Nicky’s Pub and plans to reopen it as the Crooked I later this month. He said he hopes to make it the “CBGBs of Erie,” meaning an alternative venue that’ll feature punk, hip hop, ska — anything off the beaten path. He booked national acts at the clubs he owned in Florida and hopes to use those contacts to do the same in Erie. He said he has four acts already booked but was awaiting final contracts before disclosing any names.

RumbleDaddy and My 3 Scum will play the first show on Feb. 27. Look for more on Crooked I later this month in Showcase.

Hold Steady has added an April 13 show at Beachland Ballroom. Hey, that’s the kind of band Crooked I should bring in. Not to mention the Fleshtones…

Two years ago, Toronto’s Three Days Grace sold out Tullio Arena, playing before more than 6,000 fans.

A smaller crowd — nearly 4,000 — greeted them Thursday night at the same venue, though their current single has been No. 1 on Billboard’s rock chart for eight weeks.

Why?

Could be because of weaker support acts. Flyleaf and Chicago’s Chevelle opened, while Seether and Pennsylvania’s Breaking Benjamin were here two years ago.

Could be the economy, which is breaking everbody not just Benjamin.

Whatever you do, don’t blame the headliner. Three Days Grace delivered a strong set, punctuated with blasts of pyro and strong audience interaction. Those who did go, got totally into it — singing along boisterously to “Home” and show-closing “Animal (I Have Become).”

Lead singer Adam Gontier, who sounded a bit raspier than usual, seemed geuninely pleased by the crowd’s robust response. Then again, it’s hard not for fans to respond to 3DG’s hook-heavy rock. It’s built with shout-along choruses and fortified by straight-ahead arrangements.

3DG came out of the gate with two new songs from “Life Starts Now,” their September 2009 release: “Break,” a full-throttle danceable rocker and the punchy “Good Life.” The latter song is an exception to their usually downbeat, angst-riddled songs. 3DG tends to wallow on the dark side, as titles like  “Pain,” “Animal I Have Become,” and “I Hate Everything About You” make pretty clear.

Concert staple “Riot” was another  highlight. Gontier also unleashed a solo version of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” on electric guitar, which sort of just hung there. That heavy, explosive drum part you remember never arrived; the song just ended.  Guess they figured we didn’t need it because drummer Neil Sanderson turned in a long solo earlier in the night. He also played piano on “Last to Know,” a rare ballad that nearly stopped the set cold.

Gontier did his best to exhort the crowd into poging like mad during “Going Down” and singing along in the punk-tinged “Riot.”

He was in command, if not quite as high-energy as Flyleaf members were earlier in the night. They leaped, scissor-kicked, spun, and raced back and forth across the stage, winning over the crowd with their energy, if not their songs. Their material is more abrasive/less catchy than 3DG but front woman Lacey Mosley put her all into  “I’m So Sick” and “All Around Me.”

Chicago’s Chevelle delivered a tight set that featured their intense, full-throttle rock. They favor shifting tempos and abrupt juxtapositions, while front man Pete Loeffler has a tone not unlike Tool’s Maynard James Keenan.

Older rockers like  the propulsive “The Red” and explosive “Send the Pain Below” had the crowd firmly in Chevelle’s pocket, while newer fare such as “Jars” and current single “Letter from a Thief” were also received well.

Train pulls into No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Pop chart this week with “Hey, Soul Sister.”

It’s their third No. 1 on that chart, following “Drops of Jupiter” (which was No. 1 an astounding 14 weeks) and “Calling All Angels.”

“Hey, Soul Sister” inches up to No. 9 from No. 10 on the Hot 100. According to Billboard, the song has sold more than 1.2 million downloads.

Look for a new Erie music venue called the Crooked I to open downtown on Feb. 27 with Rumble Daddy and My 3 Scum playing. It’ll be located at 1013 State St., where Nicky’s Pub is now and where State Street Tavern previously operated.

I’m still tracking down info on this place and will post more details when I get them. But according to info on Crooked I’s Facebook and MySpace pages, it’ll feature live music, including a lot of cutting-edge stuff by rockabilly and alternative bands, including national acts.

One sentence on its Web site says,”‘Here is a taste of some bands you may see and hear at Crooked I.” Clips of Th’ Legendary Shake Shackers, Agent Orange, Koffin Kats, and more are posted.

Sounds like a very cool development for downtown.

Tickets remain available for tonight’s Three Days Grace/Chevelle/Flyleaf concert at Tullio Arena at $35 each (floor or reserved seating.) It’s a long show. Flyleaf gets 40 minutes, Chevelle will play for 50 minutes, and headliner 3DG will go on at about 9:30 p.m. or so and play for 90 minutes.

If Three Days Grace plays the same set list as previous shows on the current tour, look for Adam Gontier to cover the Apocalyptica track “I Don’t Care” which he sang on. The band will also cover a Phil Collins’ track but you have to go to the show or read Friday’s blog to find out which one.

Train with Erie’s Pat Monhan has added a couple area shows in case you missed their November concert in Erie or simply want to catch them again.

They also have a new recording.

Train will play Buffalo’s intimate Town Ballroom on March 23 and Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland on March 25. Butch Walker & the Black Widows open both shows.

The Buffalo show goes on sale Friday, Feb. 5, at  noon at tickets.com and by phone at  (888) 223-6000. The Pittsburgh show goes up Feb. 13 at Ticketmaster.

Train has also released a cover of the Platters’ classic 50s ballad “Only You,” only this one is speeded up and has a similar feel as their “Hey, Soul Sister” single. It became available on iTunes on Tuesday, and is also prominently featured in a current CBS promotional spot.

Owl City will play Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Feb. 12.

Billboard reports that Simon Cowell put together a Haiti benefit song, a cover of R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts.” Susan Boyle, Jon Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Michael Buble and more participated.

The song will be available to download starting Feb. 7 through Sony Music, and other digital retailers on Feb. 8, according to Billboard.

The other big charity single for Haiti, as you’ve heard,  is a “We Are the World” remake, assembled by Quincy Jones. Paul Haggis (“Crash”) has directed the video; it debuts in 3D during opening coverage of the Vancouver Olympics on Feb. 12, according to Billboard. More than 75 performers will appear on the track, including Janet Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Lil Wayne, Celine Dione, Kanye West, and Jonas Brothers.

Erie area fans who venture to Bonnaroo can find out the headliners on Feb. 9. The web site will announce them during a Web presentation. Pitchfork says Flaming Lips will be there, doing their “Dark Side of the Moon” cover. I’ve also seen reports that Paul Simon is on the bill.

The reunited Specials will appear on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night talk show on April 13. Every member is participating except for Jerry Dammers.  Alas, their reunion “tour” consists of just four shows — Los Angeles, Toronto, and New York, plus California’s Coachella festival. The Toronto date is April 19 at Sound Academy, according to Billboard. Tickets go on sale Feb. 4.

Damn. If they played Cleveland’s House of Blues or Buffalo’s Town Ballroom, I’d be there.

On a night of divas, it made sense the awards were divvied up on Sunday at the Grammy Awards.

Major nominees Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, and Lady Gaga all won multiple awards, with Beyonce taking six and Swift the big one for Album of the Year.

Even Kings of Leon made out, winning Record of the Year honors.

But Grammy night increasingly is more about splashy production numbers — prime example, Pink — than award-dispensing. Virtually every song is presented in over-the-top fashion. Lady Antebellum was one of the few exceptions. They were probably wondering, ‘Why don’t we get any slilver robots or trapezes or an army of stormtroopers?”

Grammy also likes to pair up relative newcomers with veterans, perhaps to show influences and how music has evolved. So the opening put mutual admirers Lady Gaga and Elton John together, which made sense. In his day, he wore costumes every bit as crazy as hers. They seemed to enjoy the performance, too.

Later, Taylor Swift and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks teamed up. Swift, live, didn’t seem at her best at all. Makes you wonder how much studio trickery goes into making her sound great on CD.

Slash stepped up to solo during T. Pain and Jamie Foxx’s monster hit, “Blame It,” while Leon Russell — despite recent brain surgery — joined Zac Brown Band.

Alice Cooper and Katy Perry joined not to sing, thank God, but deliver the Rock album of the year award to Green Day (a surprise, over DMB.)

It was strange seeing Green Day joined by a cast of thousands, well, at least the cast of their upcoming Broadway musical “American Idiot.’ It’s strange to even say Green Day and Broadway in the same sentence, but that’s where we are today. Toda’s punk is tomorrow’s hit musical. Dave Matthews Band also did the bigger is better bit, ironically on “”You and Me.”

Pink’s watery acrobatics were pretty impressive; her song, less so. I didn’t bother getting 3D glasses so the whole Michael Jackson salute was fuzzy and blurry and provided a good time to re-fill my lemonade.

Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli delivered one of the night’s strongest musical highlights when they teamed up an emotional “Bridge over Troubled Water.” Black Eyed Peas gave a rousing, energetic taste of what their upcoming concert at Mellon Arena (March 4) might be like.

I was glad to see Grammy acknowledge the lifetime achievement winners. In previous years, they barely gave honorees a blip of a mention.  I don’t know why they moved best comedy album in the spotlight, other than to feature Stephen Colbert, who seemed a bit tense and not all that funny. He had a few good lines but didn’t deliver them all that well.

Of the night’s three divas, Beyonce acquitted herself best with confidence, power and total control. She’s got plenty more Grammys in her future. I don’t mind Lady Gaga at all, she’s a character, but her get-up was less than flattering. The dirty face-look she shared with Elton John was just unseemly. And why bother to get Eminem, Travis Barker,  et. all, together if you have to bleep out every other word they perform?

Overall, it was an entertaining telecast but this was also a pretty down year for music.

How cool it was to hear that  “Valleys of Neptune,” a previously unissued Jimi Hendrix track, would be the title cut of a forthcoming set on March 9.

Hendrix diehards know the song primarily from bits and pieces released over the years. Now we finally can hear the the completed track, recorded in 1969. It’s pretty killer, a galloping, feel-good rocker withan earthy feel, despite that title. It does fade out at end, suggesting Hendrix never did finish it entirely. But what’s here is pretty astonishing and will thrill Hendrix fans. How glorious to hear something so fresh and vital from him, all these years later.

What a way to start the year. Spinner.com posted an exclusive preview of the song. Click below.

http://www.spinner.com/2010/01/28/jimi-hendrix-valleys-of-neptune-song-premiere/

“Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm hosts SNL tomorrow with musical guest Michael Buble. Check out Feb. 6, though, when Them Crooked Vultures will perform.

It’s not until October but the Eerie Horror Film Festival has staked out its first three guests.

Actor and former NFL player Fred Williamson, Stephen Geoffreys, and Joe Pilato will appear at the festival, which is set for Oct. 7-10 at the Warner Theatre.

Williamson, aka The Hammer, played for Oakland and Kansas City before branching into movies. He’s appeared in dozens of films, including “From Dusk Til Dawn,” “Black Caesar,” and “Starsky & Hutch.”

Geoffreys played “Evil Ed” in the cult horror film “Fright Night” with Roddy McDowell, and also played Hoax in “976-Evil” which featured Robert Englund. Pilato, a regular at the Eerie Horror fest, has appeared in a couple George Romero films, as well as in Wes Craven’s “Wishmaster.” You might also remember him from “Pulp Fiction”; he played Frank  Sinatra.

Pilato may also host the 2010 event.

After soaring from No. 23 to No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot 100, Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” slips back to No. 10. Two high-charting debuts didn’t help: Taylor Swift crashes in at No. 2 with a song from the upcoming “Valentine’s Day” movie, while Justin Bieber entered at No. 5 with his new song that features Ludacris.

The Grammy Awards on Thursday announced another big list of performers, including a few superstar collaborations, as well as new presenters.

Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Drake will perform with Blink 182’s Travis Barker. Also, Jamie Foxx and T-Pain will team up with Slash and Doug E. Fresh. Jeff Beck and Imelda May will present a tribute to guitar icon Les Paul. Meanwhile, Green Day will perform with the cast of Broadway’s “American Idiot.”

Elton John, Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, and Roberta Flack will also perfrom.

New presenters include Alice Cooper, Sheryl Crow, Wyclef Jean, Keith Urban, Placido Domingo, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Miranda Lambert, Juanes, Katy Perry, Seal, and Lionel Richie plus movie and/or TV stars Simon Baker, Stephen Colbert, Kaley Cuoco, Robert Downey, Jr., Chris O’Donnell, Lea Michelle, Ryan Seacrest, and Quentin Tarantino.

This just in: Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Big Happy Family”  will play Buffalo’s HSBC Arena on April 27 at 7:30 p.m.

This is the first time Perry has toured in one of his plays since 2005.

It’s the only area date for the production, which features Perry as Madea. The press release says “he tells the story of Miss Shirley, an aging mother who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. With the help of Madea, she assembles her grown children and their significant others for a final gathering during which loyalties are tested and unpleasant truths are spoiled.”

Tickets are $62.50 and $52.50 and go on sale Saturday, Jan. 30 at www.tickets.com and at Tops Markets.

TSO fans can get first crack at tickets for their April 5 show at the Warner Theatre by joining the group’s fan club. You must signed up by Feb. 1 at www.trans-siberianexpress.com.

The regular on-sale date has not been announced yet. This being a Warner show, it’ll probably sell out quickly.

Drive By Truckers have added an April 11 show at Cleveland’s Beachland Ballroom.

The soundtrack to “Iron Man 2″ will feature nothing but AC/DC tunes, including classics like “Back in Black” and “HIghway to Hell.” It’s as close as to a  greatest hits’ set as the band has ever come. The release date is April 19.

Sherlock’s Battle of the Bands returns for a ninth edition in February.

Bands who want to enter must submit  press kits by Feb. 8 to Rocket 101 or Sherlock’s. Fifteen bands will be chosen to compete.  The battle starts Feb. 17 and continues through March 10. The semifinals are set for  March 24 and the finals will be held March 31.

 For more  details visit www.rocket101.com.

With “Big Whiskey and the GrooveGrux King” up for a Best Album Grammy this Sunday, Dave Matthews Band has released the dates for their 2010 summer tour.

Per usual, he’ll stop in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland and feature a different opening act at each venue.

DMB plays Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, N.Y. on June 2, the tour’s fourth stop. Felice Brothers will open.

DMB then hits Blossom Music Center near Cleveland on June 25. Martin Sexton will open.

Instead of playing two nights at Post-Gazette Pavilion, DMB will play one date at PNC Park on July 10. Zac Brown Band will open up.

An online ticket request period starts Thursday and continues through Feb. 8 at www.warehouse.davematthewsband.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Feb. 26.

Billboard reports Angels & Airwaves will offer its next CD as a free download. You can get “Love” starting Feb. 14. It’s their third CD. The band includes Tom DeLonge of Blink 182.

Live Nation has confirmed that Trans-Siberian Orchestra will play Erie’s Warner Theatre on April 5.

 According to a press release,TSO will present 2000’s  “Beethoven’s Last Night”" first, then follow with songs from 2009’s “Night Castle.” Washington Post had high praise for “Night Castle,” calling it “a classic rock soundtrack that mixes real life heroism and history into a rock opera that is truly magical.”

No on-sale dates are available, yet.

Pollstar also lists an April 13 show with Walter Trout and the Radicals at Docksider. That’s good news. Trout is one amazing guitarist, and practically a guitar god in Europe.  Glad to see him play downtown at the  ’Slider. He’s a must-see for blues and blues-rock fans.

Ozzy Osbourne tells Rolling Stone that Ozzfest will return in 2010; no bands have been announced yet. He says he’ll go on an extensive solo tour afterward behind his next, still-to-be-titled CD, due out in July.

Megadeth will play “Rust in Peace” in its entirety in honor of the CD’s 20th anniverary during their upcoming tour. Opening act Testatment will play its first album, “The Legacy.” Exodus is also on the bill.

Area dates include March 12 at Pittsburgh’s Palace Theatre and March 13 at Buffalo’s Town Ballroom.