Pearl Jam announces 2016 spring/summer tour, coming to Raleigh

Long-standing rockers Pearl Jam have just announced their 2016 tour plans that will take them to big venues across North America this spring and summer.

The tour will bring the band to PNC Arena in Raleigh on Wednesday, April 20. Tickets will go on sale at noon on Friday, January 29, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $68.

Pearl Jam's latest album is 2013's Lightning Bolt, but check out an official audio bootleg of the band performing the No Code track "Smile" at a show in Massachusetts in 2013 below.

Garth Brooks announces 2016 dates, coming to Raleigh

Country superstar Garth Brooks is showing no signs of slowing down the big comeback he launched earlier this year as he has just announced a new round of dates in 2016 that will bring him to the Triangle for the first time in over 18 years.

Brooks will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh with Trisha Yearwood on March 11 and 12. Tickets will go on sale via Ticketmaster at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 11, for $65.73 plus fees. There are no pre-sales and tickets will not be available at the box office on Dec.11, only online or by phone.

UPDATE: With both shows selling out within an hour, Brooks has added a third Raleigh show for Sunday, March 13. Tickets are on sale now.

Check out Brooks performing his hit "Friends in Low Places" on the Today Show earlier this year below.

Demi Lovato & Nick Jonas announce 2016 summer tour

Young pop stars Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas will team up for the Future Now tour next summer and on their extensive trek the pair will make a stop in the Triangle.

Lovato and Jonas will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Saturday, July 2. Tickets will go on sale on Saturday, November 7, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster. Folks with a Citi card will have access to a pre-sale starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3.

Lovato just released her fifth studio album a earlier this month titled Confident. Check out the music video for the title track from the album below.

Sam Smith postpones Raleigh concert, new date announced

British superstar Sam Smith was set to serenade Raleigh's PNC Arena with his smooth, soulful voice on Thursday night, July 23, but the venue announced earlier today that the show has been postponed.

Smith posted on Facebook that the postponement is due to needing more rest following vocal cord surgery earlier this year. Check out his full statement below. PNC Arena is encouraging folks to hold on to their tickets because a new date is expected to be announced soon.

So far no other dates on the current tour have been postponed or canceled, including the show scheduled for Friday, July 24. We'll have more info on the PNC Arena show as it becomes available.

UPDATE: This concert has been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 6. Tickets originally purchased for the July 23 date will be honored with no exchange necessary.

The Who bring the hits to Raleigh as they celebrate 50 years

British rock icons The Who made the fourth stop on their The Who Hits 50 North American tour last night at Raleigh's PNC Arena. They brought nothing but the classics, as Pete Townsend noted during the evening, "they're all fucking old."

They kicked things off with "I Can't Explain" and the hits kept coming with "The Seeker," "Who Are You," I Can See for Miles" and so many more. The band sounded fantastic backed by long-time rhythm section Zack Starkey on drums (yes, Ringo's son) and Pino Palladino on bass as well as a few other players.

Ariana Grande announces massive summer/fall tour with Prince Royce

Young pop star Ariana Grande is continuing to ride high on the success of her sophomore album My Everything, released last year, and she will hit the road this summer and fall on a massive North American tour with Prince Royce as support.

The tour will stop at the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Thursday, September 24. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 5, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $29.50 to $69.50. A fan club pre-sale started today, March 30, and various other pre-sales will begin throughout the week.

Check out Grande's new video for "One Last Time" from My Everything below.

Sam Smith announces summer 2015 US tour

Soulful young British singer-songwriter Sam Smith, fresh off of four Grammy wins just a few weeks ago for Best New Artist, Record and Song of the Year for "Stay With Me" and Best Pop Vocal Album for In the Lonely Hour, has just announced new US summer tour plans that will bring him to the Triangle.

Smith will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Thursday, July 23. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 27, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $35 to $125. The Live Nation presale begins at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 25.

Check out Smith's emotional and moving music video for the song "Lay Me Down" below.

Mötley Crüe announces last leg of 'The Final Tour,' coming to Raleigh

When rockers Mötley Crüe announced last year's "The Final Tour" and made a big deal about dissolving the band once the tour ended in November, it seemed like they might actually be done. But the band has now announced another "final" leg of The Final Tour for this summer and fall, bringing Alice Cooper back along for the ride.

The pair will stop at the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Friday, August 28. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $20 to $99.50. The fan club pre-sales have already started.

Check out the music video for a new Mötley Crüe song titled "All Bad Things" below.

Eric Church announces 'The Outsiders' spring tour

North Carolina born and raised country star Eric Church had one of the top selling albums of 2014 with his fourth studio album The Outsiders and he has now extended his world tour in support of the album into the spring.

Church will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Thursday, April 23. Ticket information is not available yet but we'll update this post once it is.

Check out the music video for the song "Talladega" from The Outsiders below.

Taylor Swift announces massive 2015 tour

Taylor Swift is on her way to break a few records with the first week sales of her new album 1989. and now she has announced her tour plans for the album that will run from the spring through next fall.

Early in the tour Swift will make a stop at the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Tuesday, June 9. Vance Joy will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 14, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $39.50 to $139.50. Pre-sales will start as early as 10 a.m. on Friday, November 7.

And then in the fall, on Wednesday, October 21, Swift will return to the region to play the Greensboro Coliseum. Vance Joy will open again (and the whole North American tour). Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 27, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster. Pre-sales will start as early as 10 a.m. on Friday, February 20.

The Who announces massive 50th anniversary tour, coming to Raleigh

Legendary British rockers The Who are heading out on The Who Hits 50! Tour that will celebrate the band's 50th anniversary. The massive North American tour starting in the spring is spilt into two legs but the Triangle will see the show early as we're the fourth stop on the first leg.

The Who will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Tuesday, April 21. Tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Friday, October 17, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $39.50 to $139.50. The fanclub pre-sale starts at on Saturday, October 11, with other pre-sales rolling starting on Monday, October 13.

[UPDATE: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will open the entire North American tour including the show in Raleigh.]

Tom Petty & The Heatbreakers announce new album 'Hypnotic Eye,' arena tour

Venerable singer-songwriter Tom Petty and his band The Heartbreakers will return this summer with their first new studio album since 2010's Mojo. The band will release Hypnotic Eye on July 29 and will kick off an arena tour a few days later that will run through the fall.

Petty and The Heartbreakers will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Thursday, September 18. Steve Winwood will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 31, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $32 to $127. Every ticket will include a download of the new album.

Check out a video of the album and tour announcement below that features clips from Hypnotic Eye as well as Petty acting a bit goofy.

The Black Keys announce 'Turn Blue' world tour

Ohio duo The Black Keys (who tour as a quartet) have become one of the biggest rock bands in the world in recent years with the release of their last few albums. The band will release their eighth full-length album on Tuesday, May 12, titled Turn Blue and they have just announced a big world tour in support it that will traverse North America this fall.

The Black Keys will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Friday, December 5. St. Vincent will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 16, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $35 to $75.

Check out the groovy tune "Fever" from Turn Blue below. The Black Keys will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on May 10 with host Charlize Theron.

Bruce Springsteen announces spring tour, coming to Raleigh

The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, just released his 18th studio album earlier this year titled High Hopes and he has been in South Africa and Australia promoting it. Now he'll come back to the U.S. in the spring to head out on another tour that will bring him to the Triangle

Springsteen and The E Street Band will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Thursday, April 24. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 22 via the venue box office and Ticketmaster.

Check out the music video for "Just Like Fire Would" from High Hopes featuring Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine below.

Billy Joel rocks Raleigh with hits, deep cuts

The Piano Man himself, Billy Joel, returned to the Triangle on Sunday night for a much hyped show that surpassed expectations and made good on Joel's promise to dig deep into his catalog on this tour.

The packed PNC Center erupted when Joel took the stage and launched into the classic "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)." The electricity continued into the synth rocker "Pressure" and then the first curve ball of the night appeared. The deep cut "Sometimes a Fantasy" from the album Glass Houses was the third song in the set and quickly became one of the best songs of the night. Joel had said in an interview last year that when he toured again he didn't want to simply play greatest hits sets and this was the first song of the night that showed he wasn't kidding.

Bruno Mars announces new Moonshine Jungle tour dates

2014 is shaping up to be a big year for pop stars hitting the road, and Bruno Mars has joined the ranks of those heading out on big summer tours. He has just announced a new leg of his Moonshine Jungle Tour, which will include a stop in the Triangle.

He will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Saturday, June 14. Aloe Blacc will open. Ticket information is not available yet but we'll let you know when it is. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 3 via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $39.50 to $99.50.

Mars is set to play the Super Bowl halftime show on February 2 where he will be joined by Red Hot Chili Peppers. He is also up for quite a few Grammys this year including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Check out a live performance of "Locked Out of Heaven" (nominated for Song of the Year) filmed in Paris below.

Katy Perry announces Prismatic North American Tour

Pop star Katy Perry has just announced a big North American leg of her Prismatic World Tour in support of her latest album Prism which will kick off this summer right here in the Triangle.

The tour will start at the PNC Arena in Raleigh on Sunday, June 22. Capital Cities will open. A pre-sale for folks with Citi cards will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 21. A general on sale date has not been announced yet. Tickets will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 27, for $29.50 to $125.50.

Check out the music video for "Unconditionally," the second single from the album Prism below.

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson The Immortal returning to Raleigh in April

Cirque du Soleil's big theatrical, musical and acrobatic tribute to Michael Jackson, The Immortal, is heading back on tour in early 2014 and the show will return to Raleigh for two shows.

It will be performed at the PNC Arena on April 1 and 2. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 7, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $50 to $165. Pre-sale tickets are available now HERE.

The tour will also stop in Charlotte on April 8 and 9 and Greensboro on April 11 and 12. Check out the full tour schedule below along with a trailer for the show.

The Avett Brothers to ring in 2015 in Raleigh

You read that headline right. 2013 isn't even over yet but The Avett Brothers have already revealed their plans to ring in 2015, and the Triangle will have the honor of hosting them next year.

The Avetts will play the PNC Arena in Raleigh on December 31, 2014. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on Friday, January 17 for 39.50 to $59.50.

There are also some VIP tickets which include access to a private lounge, a concert poster and more. Those tickets will be available starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 19.

Billy Joel announces 2014 dates, coming to Raleigh

After much fanfare and a day full of rumormongering on Twitter, Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane announced today that Billy Joel will play PNC Arena in Raleigh next year.

The Piano Man will take the stage at PNC Arena on Sunday, February 9. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, December 14, at 10 am via Ticketmaster and the arena box office. Prices range from $39-119.

Joel, who last played Raleigh in 2007, recently announced a indefinite residency at New York's Madison Square Garden, saying he would play the arena monthly "as long as there was demand." Those hoping (like myself) this was a sign that he'd play occasional one-off shows in other parts of the country were proved right with this morning's announcement, and those from other venues. A complete list of current dates is below.