Ticketmaster Online Auctions for Top Summer Concerts Each Weekend in April Raise Funds for Music Rising Through First-Ever Alliance Between Nation's Largest Promoters, Performing Artists and Gibson Guitar
LOS ANGELES, April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- More than one hundred musical artists including Madonna, Celine Dion, Elton John, INXS. Gretchen Wilson, Toby Keith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bonnie Raitt, Staind, Ozomatli and more, have joined on to participate in online ticket auctions to raise funds to replace musical instruments and equipment destroyed during the Gulf Coast hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The performing artists have donated tickets to their concerts for Music Rising online auctions through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com/musicrisingauctions, Music fans may bid for tickets to top summer concert events all across the country with net proceeds going to Music Rising. More than 65 auctions are currently underway and additional auctions are launching each weekend during the month of April through this first-ever alliance between four of the nation's largest concert promoters, Live Nation, House of Blues, AEG Live, and Nederlander Concerts, along with participating artists, Ticketmaster and Gibson Guitar.
The majority of Music Rising Auctions include four (4) premium location tickets for venues with reserved seating (general admission tickets for general admission events) and one Epiphone guitar, which for most auctions will be autographed by one or more of the show's performers. Gibson Guitar, a founding partner of Music Rising, is providing the Epiphone guitars included in the auctions.
Music Rising Auctions launched April 1, 2006 and the first series closes this week. Among some of the current and upcoming Music Rising Auctions (with new auctions to be announced each week in April) include:
Event Date: Market: Act: Venue
June 23 Birmingham Sammy Hagar VW Amp Birmingham
June 3 Boston Staind Bank of America Pavilion
July 19 Chicago Def Leppard / First Midwest
Journey
June 14 Chicago Madonna United Center
Aug. 29 Denver Bonnie Raitt / Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Keb' Mo'
July 15 Grand Prairie Melissa Etheridge Nokia Theatre
June 21 Hartford Lynyrd Skynyrd / Dodge Music Center
Doobie Bros.
July 16 Houston Melissa Etheridge Cynthia Woods-Mitchell Pav.
July 8 Houston Lynyrd Skynyrd / Cynthia Woods-Mitchell Pav.
3 Doors Down
May 20 Kansas City Gretchen Wilson Verizon Wireless Amp
June 27 Kansas City Lynyrd Skynyrd / Verizon Wireless Amp
3 Doors Down
May 26 Las Vegas Celine Dion Colosseum at Caesars Palace
July 14 Las Vegas Elton John Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Aug. 11 Las Vegas Boz Scaggs House of Blues Las Vegas
Sept. 2 Los Angeles Down Home Gibson Amphitheatre
Blues Festival
Sept. 17 Los Angeles Engelbert Gibson Amphitheatre
Humperdinck
Sept. 29-30 Los Angeles Pepe Aguilar Gibson Amphitheatre
Oct. 21 Los Angeles Ana Gabriel Gibson Amphitheatre
July 21 Los Angeles Gipsy Kings Greek Theatre
June 16 Los Angeles INXS Greek Theatre
May 21 Los Angeles Madonna Forum
May 28 Los Angeles Ozomatli House of Blues Anaheim
May 12 Los Angeles Wayne Newton House of Blues Anaheim
June 24 Nashville Sammy Hagar Starwood
June 29 New York Madonna Madison Square Garden
June 4 Phoenix Sammy Hagar Cricket Pavilion
Aug. 26 Pittsburgh Toby Keith Post Gazette Pavilion
Aug. 25 Pittsburgh Toby Keith Post Gazette Pavilion
Aug. 29 Portland Def Leppard / Clark County
Journey
July 28 San Antonio Def Leppard / VW Amp San Antonio
Journey
June 10 San Diego Chicago / Embarcadero
Huey Lewis
Aug. 27 San Francisco Def Leppard / Sleep Train
Journey
June 24 San Francisco Funk Festival Concord Pavilion
Aug. 4 San Francisco Sammy Hagar Shoreline Amp
Aug. 30 Seattle Def Leppard / White River
Journey
May 6 St Louis Pointfest UMB Bank Pavilion
July 14 St Louis Tim McGraw / Savvis Center
Faith Hill
June 27 St Louis Lynyrd Skynyrd / UMB Bank Pavilion
3 Doors Down
May 12 Virginia Beach Gretchen Wilson VW Amp Virginia Beach
July 6 Washington, DC Def Leppard / Nissan Pavilion
Journey
Music Rising is a national campaign created by U2's The Edge, producer Bob Ezrin, and Gibson Musical Instruments Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. Music Rising's supporters, including Guitar Center Music Education Foundation, MusiCares, Musician's Friend, Ticketmaster, Live Nation, House of Blues Concerts, AEG Live, Nederlander Concerts, VH-1 Networks, MTV Networks, Rolling Stone Magazine, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Ken Erlich Productions, Edun Designs, Roots Canada, U2.com and De-Lux Merchandising, constitute the most dynamic and comprehensive organized group to launch a relief program since the Hurricanes hit the United States. The campaign's goal is to put musical instruments back into the hands of musicians who lost everything in the hurricane disasters, helping them to regain their livelihoods, and to replace the instruments lost by churches, schools and community groups, in order to rebuild the heart and culture of the Central Gulf Region. Music Rising is administered by MusiCares. For information on Music Rising, visit www.musicrising.org.
Ticketmaster auctions provide fan-friendly opportunities for artists, performers, sports teams, and more to connect with their fans in a secure purchasing environment, fully integrated with Ticketmaster's state-of-the-art ticketing system. Ticketmaster auctions enable consumers to determine the market value of tickets (a process referred to as "dynamic pricing"). By enabling consumers to select the price he or she is willing to pay for a ticket in a specified seat location for a specific event, Ticketmaster auctions help to keep premium tickets out of the hands of unauthorized resellers. Ticketmaster auctions also offer consumers the security of knowing they have purchased a valid ticket. For auction terms and conditions, please visit ticketmaster.com.
