Results tagged “msg”

Brah, Phish is returning to the Garden. Not Jones Beach, not some festival across the country... Manhattan. This December 2nd, 3rd and 4th, the band will descend upon this fair city, bringing with it a flood of hippie supernumeraries. This is great news for Phish fans, and possibly a warning for the rest of you to take a 3-day trip out of town. Tickets go on sale October 23rd, unless you wanna hold out for a miracle.

              

"I've got a song for those people hiding in the caves," Jay-Z laughed before launching into "99 Problems." A solemn 9/11 benefit this was not. But perhaps it's time to let ourselves celebrate, and at his Answer The Call benefit at Madison Square Garden last night, Jay-Z was all about celebration. He struck the perfect balance between giving respect for all those who gave their lives at Ground Zero, and honoring a city that couldn't be torn down.

This Friday Grizzly Bear fan Jay-Z is performing at the 9/11 charity concert at Madison Square Garden, but as expected, the scalpers are harshing the vibe. The Daily News reports that the rapper slammed the scalpers himself after the reasonably priced tickets (starting at $54.50) were being jacked up and sold online. He released a statement saying, "We are truly disheartened that certain individuals would choose to benefit from what is meant to be a 100% charitable event. We do not support any profits made from reselling any ticket that was meant to be purchased by honest fans." The proceeds go to widows and orphans of New York City cops and firefighters who died in the line of duty, which makes it's particularly disheartening to see tickets being sold for up to $45,000 (!) online. At this rate, scalpers will see more money than those who the event was meant to benefit. While not much can be done, Jay-Z has reportedly taken steps to "head off ticket brokers." Meanwhile, fans who missed out can watch the show broadcast live on Fuse... or as one fan suggested as an alternative form of entertainment, "go down there Friday and see who is getting these tickets."

       

This week's episode of Mad Men looked at the 4th (and current) incarnation of Madison Square Garden (opened February 14th, 1968) at 7th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets. The MSG men wanted the Don Draper treatment to spin their campaign and gain public approval for, you know, tearing down the street level portion of Pennsylvania Station; a beautiful Beaux-Arts structure that perfectly backdropped many long farewells during WWII.

Cablevision executives are exploring a potential spinoff of its Madison Square Garden business, according to the NY Times. There are a variety of possibilities that would impact the Knicks and Rangers franchises, as well as Madison Square Garden/Penn Station area development: The Times explains that companies sometimes sell their spinoffs or retain an ownership stake—or simply want to gauge value for the spinoff—so it's simply unclear what will happen. One analyst said, "Cablevision watchers (and we’d put ourselves in that category) have long pondered possible endgames, and the notion that the Dolans would retain ownership of M.S.G. and the New York sports teams long after the rest of the assets had been divested has always been viewed as among the most likely outcomes." Cablevision's chairman is Charles Dolan while his son James is chairman of MSG, running the Knicks and Rangers. A former MSG executive also told the Times, "Jimmy Dolan has said many times he wants to run these assets for the rest of his life." Good readin: This 2005 New York magazine feature about James Dolan.

       

It's been a long time since The Killers played Ultragrrl's Prom at Rothko, and since the beginning of the band's career she's been credited with helping catapult them into the spotlight. Last night she was front row center at their Madison Square Garden show, and reports for us on the scene from in front of the stage, and back:

It was cold as f*ck last night in New York City, as hordes of people made their way to Madison Square Garden for the Killers sold-out show. The band decided to play tricks with our little drunken minds by decorating their stage with palm trees and an illuminated light backdrop that echoed a gorgeous sunny day in Hawaii, and was perfect for songs like "Joy Ride" and "I Can't Stay." I love "Joy Ride" by the way. I can't help but think of Latarian Milton, the 7-year old kid who stole his grandmother's car to go joy riding with his friend and do hoodrat stuff. I wish Latarian was at the show last night.

Continue reading "Live from MSG: The Killers"

With the $500 million renovation of Madison Square Garden scheduled to be complete by the 2011-2012 season, the Knicks are hoping to finally participate in All-Star Game festivities. Not necessarily with a player, which they haven't had since Allan Houston in 2001, but by hosting the actual NBA All-Star Game in 2012. While Garden officials haven't made an official proposal yet, NBA Commish David Stern told The Times that hosting, "is a very live possibility." Given how Major League Baseball took over NYC earlier this month, it's just a matter of time until the NBA has its turn. Perhaps by 2012, the Knicks can get a player into the actual game.

You've gotta hand it to the Pearl Jam fans. They are REAL, and likely one of the most hardcore and dedicated fan bases in America. To many, Pearl Jam is merely the "other" Grunge band, but they're one of the most successful and influential bands of the last two decades. And despite their mopey reputation, Vedder and crew really seem quite content these days. They were really into it on stage at MSG earlier this week, feeding off the mutual satisfaction and intensity of the crowd. They're older, and they've traded in their flannel for more conservative dress, but the songs have held up remarkably well. They keep up with an energy that most bands at this stage in their career have lost, and put on (aside from maybe Bruce Springsteen) the best no-frills arena rock show in the business. They may not have released a classic record in nearly a decade, but they're still at it on the road, playing varied sets from their deep back catalogue, and are showing no signs of slowing down.

At around 11 a.m. the "World's Strongest Men" will be taking over 7th Avenue in front of the Garden. The men will be channeling The Hulk as they pull a double-decker bus down the block, a stunt that will make all of their other planned handiwork pale in comparison.

In January 1931, Modern Mechanics magazine featured daredevils, stuntmen, and others with risky odd jobs. Unsurprisingly, many of them flocked to the city, from Madison Square Garden to the Brooklyn Bridge. One of particular interest is Sig Smith, who once walked around the crown of the Statue of Liberty, blindfolded!

Everybody has heard of the Statue of Liberty, though not many people realize what a huge object it is. They say that a man can crawl out of the statue’s eye. If he should slip through that eye he would drop to certain death at the base, more than 150 feet below.

Continue reading "NYC's Daredevil Past"

Fans of Phish, the Clinton-era jam band road hogs, had high hopes for a reunion last night when the band appeared at the Theater at Madison Square Garden to accept a Lifetime Achievement award at the 7th annual Jammy Awards. But instead the four members gave polite acceptance speeches and walked off without so much as an a cappella “Freebird.”

Chris Martin will be (attempting to) steal the spotlight back from his wife Gwyneth Paltrow soon. She's been in the news for fainting from live-food fasts and being honored by Food Bank NYC, and you know he must be shivering there in her shadow. Well not for long; Martin and his band Coldplay have just announced a free show to help hype up their forthcoming album.

According to WNBC's Jonathan Dienst, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly wrote a letter to the MTA, MSG, Amtrak, and Vornado Realty expressing his dismay over the lack of Penn Station security. Three years after funding had been secured for the construction of a legitimately effective security barrier to protect Penn Station from a truck bomb attack, Kelly says little has been done to implement any plans.

    

A week after abandoning plans to build a new arena at the planned Moynihan Station, Madison Square Garden officials revealed $500 million plans to renovate the 40-year-old space. Cablevision--which owns MSG--vice chairman Hank Ratner told reporters that though the company supports Moynihan Station, "We are going to renovate the arena here, and we are not going to be moving...We can accomplish anything we want by renovating." Well, Cablevision probably does like those tax breaks.

Carlos Zelayo is suing Madison Square Garden for continuing to serve a visibly drunk off-duty cop at a college basketball game, before the man left the arena and killed Zelayo's son and put his wife in a coma, from which she hasn't emerged. Kevin Freibott is the Jersey City cop currently serving an 11-year sentence for vehicular homicide. He killed two-year-old Jose Carlo Zelayo (pictured) on the Pulaski Skyway.

Gay NY Rangers fans are unhappy about the "toxic atmosphere" at Madison Square Garden during Rangers games. One of their examples is the reaction to Larry Goodman's dancing (pay attention at about 19 seconds in):

The Friends of Moynihan Station shared a rendering of what Moynihan Station will look like, according to NY State. According to FMS, the Empire State Development Corporation has been "reluctant" to share them, but FMS thinks "looks great," though there's a lot that needs to be explained.

Today the Times’s chief food critic Frank Bruni revisits WD-50 (pictured) and elevates the Lower East Side avant-garde restaurant to three stars (a 2003 Times review by another critic had awarded it two). Chef Wylie Dufresne has made WD-50 a destination with his experimental, transgressive menu, and Bruni concedes that in the past “too many of his creations were gratuitously perverse… many visitors understandably feel that what they’ve experienced isn’t so much a meal as a prank.” But now most of the dishes are “knockouts” and Bruni extols “the tidiest Benedict the egg-loving world has ever known.”

The Knicks clinched a losing record for the season with their 100-88 defeat Monday, but what happened off the court was much more interesting. Stephon Marbury, the pariah point guard who was reportedly banned from MSG, was supposed to show up tonight. At the morning shootaround Isiah told reporters, “We expect him here tonight,” when discussing Marbury. And, true to form, Marbury made his coach look bad again by not showing up at all.

An influential group of rabbis have put the kibosh on a concert planned for next Sunday at MSG’s WaMu theater. Billed as The Big Event, the show was to be headlined by popular Hasidic pop singer Lipa Schmeltzer and raise money for an Israeli charity that finances weddings for orphans. But after an edict was issued against the event, Schmeltzer dropped out, saying, “I have to get out of the fire.”

Less than two weeks after Gov. Spitzer publicly reaffirmed his commitment to going forward with plans to construct Moynihan Station despite a $1 billion funding shortfall, it looks like the matter may be out of his hands. The New York Times is reporting that the whole $14 billion project, which would involve building Moynihan Station at The Farley Post Office building and constructing a new Madison Square Garden on the site, is on the brink of total failure.

Two of the world's largest crossover Country stars joined forces this winter for a massive arena tour that came through NYC this week. Former American Idol and legitimate breakout star Carrie Underwood opened the show for Keith Urban at a sold out MSG, both dazzling the crowd with song and spectacle. While Carrie's set was slightly less ambitious – a mere 4 costume changes and a fairly pedestrian light show to complement the surprisingly competent songs – Urban was the complete package. Even somebody who couldn't hum a single one of his songs would have been transfixed by the ultra-sharp, 50 foot HD backdrop and his dazzling charisma and energy. The highlight of the set might have been when he took it into the crowd mid-song, standing in the lower ring of seats with a mob of fans and camera phones all pointed at him. In a moment of pure generosity and awesomeness, he took the guitar he was playing off his shoulder, autographed it on the spot and handed it to a stunned, random fan. An amazing move to cap off an unexpectedly spectacular show.

The 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show arrives at Madison Square Garden Monday. The two-day event has thousands of dogs undergo a winnowing process that culminates with the awarding of Best in Show. The American Kennel Club recognizes 157 disinct breeds that are eligible for competition, and four of those breeds are brand new entries to the field. They include the Tibetan mastiff (a working dog), the Beaucerand and Swedish vallhund (herding dogs), and the Plott (a hound).

The fate of the Moynihan Station in the James Farley post office building remains up in the air and it's unclear whether Madison Square Garden will also relocate to the Farley building. If MSG moves, plans say the old MSG would be razed and a new train tracks would be put on top. The Municipal Arts Society's New Penn Station campaign shares a plan from students (at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture's Historic Preservation Program) offering a different idea.

The City Council voted 40-3 to end the tax breaks Madison Square Garden has enjoyed since 1982. It's estimated that the city has lost almost $300 million in potential revenue in subsidies to the "World's Most Famous Arena."

Yesterday this clip of Robert Plant catching a game at the Garden came out. It shows a younger reporter asking the Led Zeppelin singer about the band's possible reunion at the very arena they stand in. Will Led Zeppelin return to the Garden? The answer remains the same...

Sure, with the All Points West Fest announced, Coachella may not have the same appeal for east coasters this year, but the lineup announcement is still an exciting annual event. Over the last few years, it has established itself as the granddaddy and standard bearer of the American festival circuit. Unfortunately, most people are finding this year's lineup is a bit of a dud. Coachella's been operating at such a high level since 2003 that it was really only a matter or time before the lineups would stop exciting everyone, and while last year had it's plusses and minuses, this year seems to have really fallen off. Many of the smaller acts played the fest recently, something they used to try and avoid, and the headliners seem to be all over the place. Sure, a Portishead reunion is a treat, but how many Roger Waters fans are into Jack Johnson? Is a Love and Rockets reunion and Death Cab for Cutie really above the fold top draws? Doesn't seem like it. While we can't speak for their bottom line, which surely is doing okay, it might serve them well to try and scale back a bit in the future if this year has a bit of a drop off. Two days in the desert is more than enough for most, and to pack those days full with bands everyone can get excited about is a much more appealing scenario.

Beloved former Ranger Brian Leetch only made one mistake, mentioning Jim Dolan in his speech and the Rangers only made one mistake, letting Marian Hossa get free to score a goal. Hossa’s goal early in the second period put Atlanta in front and threatened to ruin Brian Leetch Night, but the Rangers recovered.

Now it all makes sense, they can’t win on the court, so MSG officials are going to try and control the story off the court. And by control we really mean control. We already knew they wanted complete control over the fans and over the media, but even the coaches are not immune to the Garden’s nefarious ways.