Sex and the City 2 Movie Premiere Party

Rimrock Mall is again having a party for the premiere of Sex and the City 2 on May 27th, 2010 to benefit Relay for Life.

Here's a chance to get decked out, get out your Manolo's (or other sexy but more affordably priced heels) and get together with your girlfriends to be one of the first to see Sex and the City 2.  The party includes appetizers, desserts, drinks by The Carlin and music by Zen.  Then, at 8:30 the party moves indoors for the exclusive showing of the movie.  Tickets are $40 and are available at Rimrock Mall.  Tables of 8 are available for $500.  All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

2010 MontanaFair Entertainment

MontanaFair announced their entertainment line up today. 

MontanaFair will kick off with three concerts.  Country artist, Jason Aldean will perform on opening night of the fair, Friday, August 13th at 7:00 PM.  The McClymonts will open.  Tickets are $45, $35, and $25.

Then on Saturday, August 14th, the Scorpions "Get Your Sting and Black Out Tour" comes to the Rimrock Auto Arena.  Tickets are $45, $35, and $25.

The final concert will include rockers Hinder and Finger Eleven on Sunday, August 15th. Tickets are $35 for reserved and festival floor and $25 GA.


All of the dirt events are moving outside this year.  MontanaFair is going to feature a Demolition Derby on its opening Saturday at 2:00 PM in the Grandstands.  Arenacross will become Supercross and move outside to the Grandstands on Tuesday, August 17th.

MontanaFair Rodeo is going to PRCA Pro Rodeo for three nights in the Grandstands to finish out the fair August 19th-21st.

MontanaFair offers the ValuPass which includes a GA ticket for all of the concerts and dirt events plus gate admission every day of the fair for $75.

Tickets for all MontanaFair shows go on sale on Saturday, May 1st at 10am.

Win a trip to New York from Alberta Bair Theater

You could win a trip to New York City while supporting the Alberta Bair Theater. 

Prize includes:
Roundtrip Airfare for 2
3 Nights at the NY Marriott Marquise
Breakfast every morning
Dinner for 2 at "The View" on top of the Marriott Marquis
And Your Choice of a Broadway show, sporting event, or concert

Just stop by the ABT box office or call 256-8915. Drawing at Strawberry Fest, June 12th (need not be present to win).

Carrie Underwood returning to Billings this December

MetraPark announced today that Carrie Underwood will be returning to the Rimrock Auto Arena on Friday, December 10th, 2010.  Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 8th at 10am.  Ticket pricing info has not yet been released.

Appearing with Underwood are Billy Currington and Sons of Sylvia.


Carrie last played in Billings in November of 2008.

Comedian, Kyle Cease this Friday and Saturday Night

Kyle Cease is live at Asian Nites this Friday and Saturday Night.  Showtime is 8pm both nights.  Tickets are just $10.  Lukas Seely will open.

His Comedy Central 1 hour special “Kyle Cease: Weirder. Blacker. Dimpler. premiered in 2007 to extremely high ratings.  Hís half hour special, “Comedy Central Presents Kyle Cease” was the most played half hour special on Comedy Central in 2006.

Since his memorable appearances as the ’slow clapper’ in “Not Another Teen Movie” and as Bogey Lowenstein in “10 Things I Hate About You”, Cease has had numerous TV, film and radio appearances. He is a frequent guest of the hit syndicated radio show, “Bob and Tom”, He has appeared on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”, “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, “The Martin Short Show”, and has performed in several national commercials.

You can see his interview on the Big Jay Show on Hot 101.9 Here.

WIN NILE PBR Tickets and a Back Stage Tour

Here's your chance to see the top bull riders in the world AND get an insiders view of the NILE PBR Invitational with a back stage tour.  Enter to win 2 premium tickets PLUS a back stage tour for the NILE PBR Invitational on Friday, April 23rd.

 

To enter for your chance to win, simply post your best caption (in the comments section of this blog post) for the photo below.  We'll be accepting caption submissions through Friday, April 16th, 2010 at 5:00 PM.  Then, Billings365.com will pick the top 3 and the public will vote on a winner.  Voting will run through Tuesday, April 20th, 10:00 PM.  Winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 21st.  Participants must be 18 years of age or older.

Captions will be moderated so it may take some time for your submission to show up.

Elephants on Broadway today!

Elephants on Broadway is today in Downtown Billings at 5:30pm!  See elephants parading the street in anticipation of the Shrine Circus which is this week - April 7-11, 11 performances total, Shrine Auditorium.

The street closure is from 3pm -9pm and will close North Broadway from 1st -3rd Avenues and 2nd Avenue between 27th-29th Streets.

Elephants on Broadway is free. Tickets for the Shrine Circus are $12 for adults and $6 for kids.

Foreigner, Styx, and Kansas coming to MetraPark for United in Rock Tour

LMetraPark announced today that the United in Rock Tour is coming to the Rimrock Auto Arena on May 28th at 7:00 PM.  The tour features co-headliners Foreigner and Styx with special guest Kansas.  Tickets are $150 for VIP and then $75, $55, and $35 for other reserved seating levels.

Styx

Foreigner

Styx played the Rimrock Auto Arena in May of last year to a nearly sold out crowd along with REO Speedwagon and 38 Special.  I didn't make it to that show but heard great things from those who went. We'll see if they can pull the same crowd size with Foreigner and Kansas this year!

MetraPark is having a great season of events lately (as is Billings in general). This week, Walking with Dinosaurs has been filling the arena.  The NILE PBR Invitational is coming up in April. Gary Allan and Rob Zombie / Alice Cooper are at the beginning of May.

It's nice to have a city of our size bringing in some great quality entertainment.  Seems to be something for everyone lately.

Win Tickets to Gary Allan or Rob Zombie/Alice Cooper

We're giving away 2 Tickets to either Gary Allan (May 2nd) or Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper (May 4th)- Winner Chooses!

To find out how to enter, you've got to sign up to receive the email (contest has ended) with the contest details!

2 Great Concerts coming up this May at the Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark!

This contest has ended. Thanks to all who participated.

See Baby T at Rimrock Mall this Saturday

Baby T from Walking with Dinosaurs is making an appearance this Saturday at Rimrock Mall.

Families will have a chance to interact with Baby T, find out more about the show and chow down on some dinosaur cookies!  The Baby T Appearance is free.

Details:
Date: Saturday, March 27th
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Inside Rimrock Mall near the Women's Dillards Entrance

Bozeman residents and visitors can see Baby T at the Museum of the Rockies on Friday, March 26th at 3:00 PM.

"Walking with Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular" comes to the Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark for seven performances March 31st - April 3rd.

More Concert Announcements for Billings

Billings' concert scene is really heating up lately!  We've got Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper, Gary Allan, The Used, Thrice and Manchester Orchestra, NOFX, and more in the next few months.
Here's a list of the latest concert announcements from 1111Presents and Jade Presents:
 

Minus the Bear
April 20th
Railyard Ale House
Tickets are $16

Seattle’s Minus the Bear have orbited the music world like a distant meteor, fine-tuning their unique brand of indie rock and discovering how technology can help enhance the band’s unique pop vision.

Tech 9

Tuesday, May 18th

Shrine Auditorium

Tickets are $23 in advance, $25 day of show

Tech N9ne's musical career has spanned 20 years, during which he has performed sold out shows from Los Angeles to New York City. He is also the best selling MC out of his hometown of Kansas City. Tech N9ne is known for his wide range of collaborations with other well-known artists.

Smile Empty Soul w/Soil
May 19th
Railyard Ale House
Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 day of show

Smile Empty Soul was formed while the band members were still in high school. The guys slowly evolved and perfected their modern melodic heavy-Rock sound over the next four years, regularly playing the two small clubs in their hometown, making the trek to the Sunset Strip and eventually scored a deal with Lava Records. In May 2003, the group released their self-titled debut album which included the snash single "Bottom Of A Bottle"

Flyleaf w/10 Years

June 1st

Shrine Auditorium

Tickets are $25

A focused fire burns bright at the heart of Flyleaf's second full-length album. The platinum-selling Texas quintet's latest offering is a collection of poignant, passionate and pensive hard rock songs.

Comedy Central's Ty Barnett this weekend

This Friday and Saturday (March 19th and 20th) you can catch Comedy Central's Ty Barnett live at Asian Nites Lounge.  Billings native, Lukas Seely will open.  Showtime is 8pm both nights and tickets are $10.

Ty Barnett was runner up on season 4 of NBC's "Last Comic Standing" and appeared in his own 30 minute "Comedy Central Presents". His approach to performing: “FUNNY IS FUNNY”, and making the audience feel like “we’re just hanging out”.

Lukas Seely will open.  Lukas grew up in Billings where he started his comedy career. Later he moved to Seattle where he quickly became a local favorite. He now resides in Hollywood, CA.  Although he no longer lives in Montana, Lukas has continued to promote comedy in his home town with his own stand up performances. Recently he launched Stand Up or Sit Down open mic comedy at Asian Nites where local comedians have a chance to test their skills in front of a live audience.

Latest Event Announcements

There's been a lot of big event announcements recently.  Many are coming from 1111 Presents and Jade Presents.  Here are a few of the most recent--


Paul Wall & Chamillionaire
Wednesday, April 17th, 8pm
Babcock Theatre
Tickets $28
More Info

Indigo Girls

Friday, April 16th, 8pm

Babcock Theatre

Tickets $37.50

More Info

The Used
w/Chiodos & New Medicine
Tuesday, April 27th, 7pm
Shrine Auditorium
Tickets $25

More Info

Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper

Gruesome Twosome Tour

Tuesday, May 4th, 7pm

Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark

Tickets $39.50-$45

More Info

 Henry Rollins
 Spoken Word Tour

 Wednesday, May 19th, 8pm
 Babcock Theatre
 Tickets $25

 More Info


According to 1111 Presents Facebook page they will be announcing 3 more shows this Monday.  Stay tuned for details!

Country artist, Gary Allan coming to MetraPark

 

The Details:

Gary Allan live with special guest Jack Ingram

Sunday, May 2nd at 7:30 PM

Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark

Tickets are $29.75 and are on sale Saturday, March 6th at 10 am.  Available at the MetraPark Box Office, Rimrock Mall, local Cellular Plus stores, by phone at 406-256-2422 or online at www.metrapark.com.

Country music fans will enjoy!

Thrice / Manchester Orchestra announce co-headline tour

In an imposing paring, two distinctly different powerhouses of indie rock have come together for a co-headline tour: California post-hardcore band Thrice and Atlanta, Georgia indie rock five-piece Manchester Orchestra.

Billings slips into the last leg of the tour and hosts one of 18 concerts the bands will co-headline. The show will take place April 29 at the Railyard Alehouse. Read Full Story...

Upcoming Rock in Billings

Tonight (Feb. 17th) you can catch Five Finger Death Punch live at the Shrine Auditorium along with Shadows Fall, Death Punch, and more.

Next Thursday, the Shrine Auditorium will be hosting Theory of a Deadman with Halestorm, Adelita's Way, and Taking Dawn.

Christian Rock fans can catch the Rock and Worship Roadshow on March 23rd at MetraPark for just $10 at the door.  Bands include Mercy Me, David Crowder Band and more.

Then, in April, those who are a bit more into punk can see NOFX with Teenage Bottlerocket and Tony Sly (Of No Use for a Name) April 23rd at the Shrine.

May 13th, Mastodon with Between the Buried and Me, Baroness, and Valiant Thor play the Shrine for metal fans.

Today, MetraPark was polling on their Facebook and MySpace pages for input on rock acts for MontanaFair.  Acts included Taking Back Sunday, Shinedown, Chevelle, Papa Roach, Saving Abel, Hinder, Blue October, Alice in Chains, and Sublime.  I'd say if any of those materialize, it should be a great MontanaFair show.  What do you think?

Lots of rock coming our way!

$5 Tickets available to the NRA Rodeo Finals

A limited number of tickets to the Northern Rodeo Association Finals on Feb. 18-20 at MetraPark are available for a short time for $5. At the NRA Rodeo Finals you'll see the northern region’s top 10 rodeo athletes in every event, along with colorful pageantry, talented rodeo clowns, a concert by Grammy-Award winning Kentucky Headhunters, and more.

The $5 tickets are available at the MetraPark box office or by calling (406) 256-2422 or toll free (800) 366-8538.  This is a limited time offer with only 150 tickets available per night at the $5 price. So if you want them, you better get them quick.

 

Walking with Dinosaurs coming to MetraPark

Today MetraPark announced a BIG show (literally and figuratively)--WALKING WITH DINOSAURS.  Seven shows will take place in the Rimrock Auto Arena from March 31st through April 3rd.

This show looks amazing--it's a theatrical experience but with the educational component.  It is based on the BBC Television Series. Ten species are represented from the entire 200 million year reign of the dinosaurs.  The show includes the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the terror of the ancient terrain, as well as the Plateosaurus and Liliensternus from the Triassic period, the Stegosaurus and Allosaurus from the Jurassic period and Torosaurus and Utahraptor from the awesome Cretaceous.  The largest of them, the Brachiosaurus is 36 feet tall, and 56 feet from nose to tail.

The show depicts the dinosaurs’ evolution, complete with the climatic and tectonic changes that took place, which led to the demise of many species.  The history of the world is played out with the splitting of the earth’s continents, and the transition from the arid desert of the Triassic period is given over to the lush green prairies and forces of the later Jurassic.  Oceans form, volcanoes erupt, a forest catches fire -- all leading to the impact of the massive comet, which struck the earth, and forced the extinction of the dinosaurs.

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS is the most successful family touring show right now and is the 4th Biggest overall touring show only behind Bon Jovi, UT, and AC/DC. I think this will be a show like nothing we've seen in Billings before.  We're lucky that it is headed our way. 

Check out more info about the show at: MetraPark.com and DinosaurLive.com.

Reggae comes to Billings

The Carlin is hosting a night of live reggae music with Rising Lion on February 13th at 10pm. $5 Cover at the door.

Rising Lion is a roots reggae, urban and dub artist based in New York and Florida.



Find out more about the band:
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Get $10 Off Jesus Christ Superstar Tickets

MetraPark is offering you the chance to get JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR tickets at a discounted $10 off.

You can enter to win the discount voucher on their website.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is at MetraPark's Rimrock Auto Arena this Friday Night at 8pm.  The show stars Ted Neeley who also starred in the motion picture.  The show tells the story of the final seven days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. SUPERSTAR dramatizes Jesus' entry in Jerusalem, the unrest caused by his preaching and popularity, his betrayal by Judas, the trial before Pontius Pilate, and his ultimate crucifixion.

Regular ticket prices are $35.50, $42.50, and $47.50.

Rock and Worship Roadshow returns to MetraPark

The Rock and Worship Roadshow is returning to the Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark on March 23rd, 2010 at 7pm.  Admission is $10 at the door.

This year's line up of christian rock artists includes Mercy Me, David Crowder Band, Family Force 5, Francesca Battistelli, Fee, Remedy Drive and Sidewalk Prophets.

Last year The Rock and Worship Roadshow packed the Arena with a crowd of over 6,000.

The Video Spot:

The Roadshow 2010! from The Roadshow on Vimeo.

Wine and Food Festival kick off events

MSU-Billings Foundation's popular event and fundraiser, the Wine and Food Festival is May 10th to the 15th but you can get in the spirit early with two special preview events--Wine 101 on February 23rd and 24th and Wine 201 on March 9th and 10th, 7pm-9pm.  The courses will cover wine basics and wine tasting and will be taught by Stella Fong.

Stella shares her personal love of food and wine through her classes on Asian style cooking, wine seminars and her writings. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from the University of California, Davis and a General Cooking Certificate from the Culinary Institute of America, and in 2009 earned a Wine Professional Certification. She has taught cooking classes on the west coast for Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, Macy’s Cellars and Gelson’s, as well as after-school enrichment programs for elementary and middle school children. In Billings she has instructed at the Billings Depot, Wellness Center, Copper Colander and the YWCA.

Born in the San Francisco Bay area and raised in a traditional Chinese family, Fong devises culinary creations that include a mixture of old and new. Her understanding of food for the consumer came from working at her father’s grocery, Martin’s Market, in Berkeley, California. In California, she developed recipes for San Diego State University food services and the Kids Cooking Club. Now she features locally grown food when cooking for the Good Earth Market Sunday Suppers and last summer she contributed to the first Field-to-Table dinner at Danly Farms.

Fong’s articles have appeared in Cooking Light magazine, the San Diego Union Tribune, and Fine Cooking magazine. More recently she has written for Yellowstone Valley Woman, Big Sky Journal, Distinctly Montana, Magic City Magazine and Montana Quarterly. She has volunteered for the MSUB Wine and Food Festival for many years and was co-chair of the festival in 2008 and 2009.

You can find more info at www.winefoodfestival.com and on the festival's Facebook Page.

2 Concerts Announced today

1111 Presents and Jade Presents announced two upcoming shows today.

Rock is coming to Billings with Theory of a Deadman and Halestorm plus Adelita Way and Taking Dawn at the Shrine Auditorium on February 25th.

 Then, get ready for a punk rock show on April 23rd with NOFX with Teenage BottleRocket, & Tony Sly (of No Use for a Name). 

Tickets for both shows go on sale this Friday and will be available at The Shrine Box Office, Ernie November, Rimrock Mall, 800-514-ETIX, and jadepresents.com. Theory tickets are $23 in advance and $25 day of show. Tickets to NOFX are $21 in advance and $23 day of show.

The two promoters are also responsible for bringing us Five Finger Death Punch with Shadows Fall on February 17th.

I'd say, Billings is pretty lucky. The spring is shaping up quite nicely with some great rock shows. 

2009: A look back

Exactly one year ago I posted my first blog as a freelance writer, saying, “After a stint in the corporate newspaper world, I found myself with an ignited desire to create my own place.”

As 2010 dawns, I’m pleased to say 2009 was a healthy year for music in Montana. I won’t dish out a “Top Ten” or “Best Of” on this blog, but I do want to reflect on the year in music and remind my fellow Montanans that we’re fortunate to live in a state that provides us front row access to some top notch performers. Read Full Story...