Plus Valentine's Day dining deals at Absecon Lighthouse and Lucy the Elephant, the Album of the Week (Dr. Dog) and Drew Toonz.
Metallica
Metallica, Madonna and More!
It looks like Metallica will be kicking off the summer at the Jersey shore this year — specifically Atlantic City. Tuesday the band announced that its inaugural Orion Music + More music festival will hit A.C.’s Bader Field for two days — June 23-24. According to the festival’s Web site (orionmusicandmore.com), Metallica will headline both nights and play its Black Album in its entirety on one of the nights, and its Ride the Lightning album for the first time ever on U.S. soil the second night. The band will be accompanied by 22-plus other bands over the two days, including the Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Modest Mouse, The Gaslight Anthem, Cage The Elephant, Fucked Up, Best Coast, Hot Snakes, Titus Andronicus, Gary Clark Jr., Lucero, Roky Erickson, The Black Angels, The Sword, A Place to Bury Strangers, and Liturgy. The festival will also feature a lifestyle element showcasing each band’s individual interests, allowing fans to interact directly with band members. Tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 11 at 10am ($150 early bird, $175 advanced for two-day passes). VIP passes and travel packages are also available. ... First Metallica now Madonna — seems like the Jersey shore is the place to be this summer! Following rave reviews of Madonna’s recent Super Bowl half-time performance, the 53-year-old pop legend will be capitalizing on that success with a world tour starting May 29 in Israel. The tour will make its way to A.C.’s Boardwalk Hall on Sept. 15. Pre-sale tickets will be available Feb. 21. MDNA, Madge’s 12th studio album, will be released March 26 with a deluxe edition now available for pre-order exclusively via iTunes. See Metallica video announcement and more information here.— Lisa Alves
Valentine’s Day Romance at Lucy, and Absecon Lighthouse
Margate’s Lucy the Elephant revives its romantic evening for lovers on Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Valentine’s Day spirit. A four-course gourmet meal starts 5:30pm and includes an “aphrodisiac-inspired menu” with a choice of four appetizers, three salads, four entrees, five side dishes and four desserts. Harpist Stephanie Sussmeier will fill the room with romantic rhythms as couples dine. Each couple will receive a complimentary champagne toast and is welcome to bring their favorite bottle of wine. Photos of your champagne toast will be available by AC Photo of Linwood. Each lady will receive a complimentary long-stem red rose and each gentleman a complimentary bag of peanuts (Lucy is, after all, an elephant). Seatings are limited to 20 couples. The cost is $250 per couple, plus tax and gratuity, with a portion tax deductible. Call 823-6473 to make reservations (required) or go to lucytheelephant.org. All major credit cards are accepted. Want to really test the resiliency of your relationship? Have your sweetie ascend the Absecon Lighthouse’s 228 steps for romantic views of Atlantic City. Two-for-one climbs will be offered ($7 per couple) all Valentine’s Day weekend. Along with the breathtaking views you’ll see the original Fresnel Lens, first lit in 1857, atop New Jersey’s tallest lighthouse (America’s third tallest), located at 31 South Rhode Island Ave. in A.C. Call 449-1360 or visit abseconlighthouse.org for more. — Ray Schweibert
Dr. Dog
‘Be the Void’ (Anti-)
Since creating the 2002 lo-fi masterpiece Toothbrush, Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog has gone on to become one of coolest and most revered new bands in the world. An updated (harder rocking) yet not overly-produced sound pervades on the band’s new release, Be The Void, which features 12 songs of “gloriously ramshackle rock ‘n’ roll reveries,” as aptly described by the band’s record label since 2010, Anti-Records. A new drummer Erick Slick and electronics-percussionist-guitarist Dimitri Manos have been added to the mix, helping to turn up the notch a bit on the band’s emotive tunes. Be the Void may not be as memorable as some of the band’s earlier releases (before the guys suddenly became fan and media darlings), but the passion is still evident in the music, which, while based on classic-rock and folk-rock ideas, is some of the most inventive out there. In a nutshell, Dr. Dog’s new sound is less the Band and more the Rolling Stones. —Jeff Schwachter
More on bringing back the Steel Pier's Diving Horse, click here.
Much has changed and much has stayed the same in the 20 years since Megadeth released Countdown to Extinction. Megadeth vocalist-guitarist-songwriter Dave Mustaine took some time to AC Weekly talk about why the classic metal album, which will be showcased in its entirety Friday, Nov. 16, at the House of Blues at Showboat, is still resonant today.
“It’s incredible having him back in the fold. He makes a difference.”
Madonna’s new album and particularly her concert prove that she remains provocative and relevant. There’s no doubt that the Material Mom can still bring it.
“We like things that are big,” Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett tells Atlantic City Weekly. “But we also like things that are interesting. As we evolve, we want to do bigger, interesting things.”
If you were thinking about avoiding Bader Field in Atlantic City the weekend of June 23-24 because you’re just not a fan of heavy metal music, you may want to reconsider your decision.
Along with a new Orion Festival news ticker added to the band's site, Metallica has added a Damage Inc. stage that will feature "lots of cool, heavy, thrash and punk bands."
"[Atlantic City's] location was really central. You’ve got good facilities, it’s not, you know, like 39 miles on some two-lane country road — that kind of vibe, you know, so it’s just the fact that it’s practical, there’s a lot of facilities and since we’re not doing like a camping thing we thought it would be good to be close to infrastructure so the fans do have like the backbone of a place like Atlantic City at their disposal."
Atlantic City Weekly’s team of photographers captured some fascinating imagery spanning a wide gamut of subjects in 2011.
Summer is finally upon us and I know we’re excited to get some sun and have some fun. But these days, it’s not always easy due to financial woes and time constraints. Well, I’m here to tell you that we have some of the best sights, beaches, events, and happenings right in the Atlantic City area and guess what? Some are even free! First of all, what would summer be without going to the beach? In case you didn’t know, Atlantic City beaches are free. How cool is that? No hassling with going and getting badges or having the agenda of trying to hide from the beach patrol. Depending on where you park, you will probably have to pay, but it will definitely be worth your trip with the casinos, Boardwalk and other Atlantic City attractions nearby. Especially if you plan...
Pizza; it’s a subject bound to generate debate and controversy, particularly here in southern New Jersey, where an enormous number of individuals claim Italian descent. Since the holiday season is also the zenith of the pizza sale biz, we now officially weigh in with a few of our thoughts and recs.
They gathered twice daily for the best show in town. All manner of fish plucked from the deep spilled onto the deck, as the crowd leaned on the wooden railing and gawked. But the most striking specie...
When James V. Lafferty constructed Elephant Bazaar for a whopping $25,000 in 1881, the purpose was to serve as a marketing scheme to attract buyers to sandy South Atlantic City. Today, Elephant Bazaa...
Atlantic City Weekly will be bringing you live photos, blogs and more from the DMBC festival this weekend at Bader Field in Atlantic City.
We understand that a three-day hullabaloo like the Dave Matthews Band Caravan may bring folks to town who have never been here before, and may not have a clue as to what to do before and after the bands perform — or perhaps may want to take a break from the Bader Field confines to see or do something else.
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1. Phil said... on Feb 10, 2012 at 11:11AM
“holy f***!!!”