PNC Arena name change goes live today

Raleigh's RBC Center takes on its third name in its 13 year history today as it becomes the PNC Arena. New signage went up on the building early this week, and rbccenter.com now redirects to a newly designed site at thepncarena.com. It appears that domain squatters got to the simpler pncarena.com before venue officials had the chance.

The sale of RBC Bank to Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial is expected to become official this month, leading to the arena name change. The arena first went by the generic monicker of the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena.

Elton John extends March tour, coming to Raleigh

Elton John has enjoyed a widely acclaimed career over the past five decades, complete with dozens of gold and platinum albums, 29 consecutive top 40 hits and the number one selling single of all time. After a nine-year absense, he's returning to the Triangle this spring with a tour that will celebrate his most popular songs.

John will perform at Raleigh's RBC Center on Friday, March 16. Tickets start at $37 and will be available beginning Friday, January 27, at 10 a.m. via the venue box office and Ticketmaster.

Check out a promo video for John's current Las Vegas show The Million Dollar Piano below.

[UPDATED] Red Hot Chili Peppers announces winter tour, 3 NC dates

Funky rocker the Red Hot Chili Peppers returned with their first new album in five years earlier this year titled I'm with You. The band will hit the road in early 2012 for a southeastern arena tour which will feature three North Carolina shows.

[UPDATE: The tour has been postponed until the spring because frontman Anthony Kiedis has had to undergo surgery to fix some foot problems. Tickets will be honored for the new dates, which have been updated below.]

First, we'll mention the Triangle show at the RBC Center in Raleigh on Friday, January 27 Wednesday, April 4. Santigold will open the show and the entire tour. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 3 for $35.50 to $55.50.

Next, they'll play the Greensboro Coliseum on Tuesday, January 31 Monday, April 9. Tickets will go sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 3 for $35.50 to $55.50.

Roger Waters bringing The Wall tour to Raleigh in 2012

After launching his tour of The Wall Live last year, Roger Waters has announced plans to bring that tour, a performance of Pink Floyd's The Wall in its entirety, back to North America in 2012, including a date in the Triangle.

Roger Waters will perform at Raleigh's RBC Center on Monday, July 9, 2012, with another North Carolina date at Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena on July 10. Tickets for both dates go on sale on Monday, Nov. 14, through Ticketmaster. Prices are TBA.

Click through for a complete list of 2012 North American tour dates.

Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson tour coming to Raleigh

It's been more than two years since the untimely passing of Michael Jackson, but his memory and music still lives on. One of the latest form it has taken is found in the new show The Imortal by Cirque du Soleil.

The show hits the road this fall and will travel around North America through next summer. There will be two performances at RBC Center in Raleigh next spring, an 8 p.m. show on Saturday, March 10 and a 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 11. Tickets are on sale now via the box office and Ticketmaster for $50 to $175.

Check out a trailer for the show below.

Britney Spears expands Femme Fatale tour, coming to Raleigh

Britney Spears will be working her way across the country this summer with her Femme Fatale tour, which kicked off last night in Sacramento, and today she has announced two dates in North Carolina.

Britney will bring her stage show to Raleigh's RBC Center on August 24 and Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena on August 25. This will be her first stop in Raleigh since 2001's Dream Within A Dream tour, back with the RBC Center was just the Entertainment & Sports Arena.

Tickets will go on sale next Friday, June 25, at 10 a.m. The opening act for these shows is TBA, though Nicki Minaj will be opening all preceding dates.

R. Kelly announces 'Love Letter' tour, coming to Raleigh

Notorious R&B star R. Kelly is hitting the road this summer in support of his latest album Love Letter, released in December.

The tour will bring him to the RBC Center in Raleigh on Friday, June 24. Keyshia Cole and Marsha Ambrosius will open the show. Ticket info is not available yet, but we'll keep you posted. Tickets wil go on sale on Friday, May 6 at 10 a.m. for $39.50 to $79.50.

Check out Kelly's rake on old school R&B in the music video for "When a Woman Loves a Man" from Love Letter below.

Taylor Swift extends 2011 tour, coming to Raleigh

Country pop superstar Taylor Swift announced a massive 2011 world tour in November which included a show in Greensboro on June 30, but now she has extended the tour into October and November which includes a return to the Triangle.

She'll play the RBC Center in Raleigh on Thursday, November 17. There is no ticket info available yet, but we'll keep you posted.

Tickets for the show will go on sale on Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. via the box office and Ticketmaster for $25, $59.50 or $69.50.

Check out her latest music video for the song "Back To December" and the full tour schedule below.

Prince puts on a hell of a show in Raleigh

Wednesday night brought the purple one himself, Prince, to the RBC Center in Raleigh for a show only announced two weeks earlier.

He came out with a bit of an awkward start, singing along to pre-recorded bits of "When Doves Cry" and a series of other songs before his band launched into the first proper song of the evening, "If I Was Your Girlfriend."

From note one, he commanded the stage, showcasing some impressive dance moves, especially considering he was wearing large red heels. He strutted about and repeatedly commanded the crowd to clap, sway, dance and the like, and the crowd obliged.

Prince announces southern tour, coming to Raleigh

The one and only Prince has announced the first southern dates of his Welcome 2 America Tour. All six dates are in North and South Carolina and are in March! Yes, it starts in less than two weeks.

The purple one will play the RBC Center on Wednesday, March 23. Tickets go on sale on Monday, March 14 at 10 a.m. via the box office and Ticketmaster. Prices will be $20, $49.50, $79, $119 or $199.

[UPDATE 2: Chaka Khan has been added as a special guest for the show at the RBC Center as well as the show in Greensboro.]

Katy Perry announces 'California Dreams" tour, coming to Raleigh

Pop star Katy Perry has become a household name, for better or worse, over the last few years, appearing everywhere from Saturday Night Live to The Simpsons to Sesame Street. Now she's taking her infectious pop to arenas across North America this summer on the California Dreams Tour.

The fifth date of the tour is at the RBC Center in Raleigh on Tuesday, June 14. Robyn and Marina & the Diamonds will open the show (thanks Justin). Ticket details are not available yet, but we'll keep you posted.

Perry's latest album Teenage Dream has sold just shy of one million copies in the U.S. Check out the lastest music video from the album, "Fireworks," below.

Bon Jovi announces 2011 tour dates, coming to Raleigh

Do you "Live on a Prayer" or "Give Love a Bad Name?" Then get ready because Jersey's own 1980s icons turned music mainstays Bon Jovi are heading out on a new leg of their "The Circle Tour" in 2011.

The fifth date on the newly announced tour will bring the band to the Triangle. They'll play the RBC Center in Raleigh on Monday, February 21. Tickets will range from $27.05 to $149.50 (which includes fees). Pre-sale will go on sale on Monday, November 1 here. The general on sale date is not available yet.

Bon Jovi will be releasing a new two-disc greatest hits collection on November 9 titled Greatest Hits - The Ultimate Collection.

Muse expands tour, headed to Raleigh in October

Muse is hitting the road across the US again this fall after last year's stint opening for fellow UK rockers U2.

The band's tour will bring them to Raleigh's RBC Center on Tuesday, October 26. Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 1, at 10am to the general public here and through fan pre-sale April 28 at 10 a.m. Prices are $45 and $55 with a general admission floor.

Passion Pit and Metric are splitting opening band duties on the tour, with Metric playing the Raleigh date.

Click through for the band's full tour schedule.

Eagles add dates to spring tour, coming to Raleigh

Mellow classic rockers the Eagles have decided not to 'Take It Easy' this spring. They've embarked on a spring tour that kicked off on April 16 in Los Angeles. The band have just added some new dates that will bring the band to the Triangle.

The Eagles will perform at Raleigh's RBC Center on Thursday, June 17. Tickets for the show will go on sale on Monday, May 3 at 10 a.m. here. Price points have not been announced. Prices are $55, $85, $145 and $195.

Lady Gaga ticket presale is live, official onsale date this Friday

Tickets for Lady Gaga's September 19th show at Raleigh's RBC Center are on sale now during a three different presale events. Tickets range from $49.50-$175.

The presale will run through Thursday and is available to Citi card holders, Virgin Mobile customers, and to those who know the secret venue presale password. (Psst...the password is "romance")

Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, April 9, at 10 a.m. thorough all your favorite Ticketmaster outlets. It does not appear that general admission tickets are available during presale, so if you want to engage in a giant dance pit you'll have to wait until then to get your tickets.

Lady Gaga brings Monster Ball Tour to Raleigh, Charlotte

Hot on the heels of her "Telephone" video release, Lady Gaga has announced the North American leg of her 2010 Monster Ball tour, including stops in both Raleigh and Charlotte.

Lady Gaga will play Raleigh's RBC Center on Sunday, September 19, and Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday, September 18. Tickets will go on sale in select markets on March 19, but no official word on Raleigh or Charlotte ticket sales just yet. Virgin Mobile and Citi customers will have access to ticket presales tomorrow, March 16, at 10 a.m.

[UPDATE: Tickets for the RBC Center show go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 9, for $49.50, $85 or $175. Charlotte tickets will go on sale at the same time for $51.50, $87 or $177.]

Depending on your opinion on Lady Gaga, whose fame has skyrocketed this past year, this news will either be met with a shrug of indifference or an all out joygasm. Gaga loyalists, whom the artist refers to has her little monsters, treat concerts the same was a Star Wars geek would a convention. That is to say, the costumes and garish makeup won't be limited to the stage.

Lady Gaga's latest video, a nine minute Tarantino-inspired collaboration with Beyonce, is after the jump, as well as a complete list of tour dates.

Roger Daltrey joining Eric Clapton on 2010 tour

That's right folks. The Who frontman Roger Daltrey who just played the Durham Performing Arts Center in October, is hitting the road with Eric Clapton in February and March next year. We just told you on Friday that Clapton will play the RBC Center in Raleigh on Monday, March 8 and Daltrey will be with him. Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday, December 11 at 10 a.m. here.

If you haven't heard, The Who is also set to perform at Super Bowl half-time show in on February 7, 2010 in Florida. That should be pretty cool.

Check out the complete tour schedule that was just announced below along with a few choice videos of Daltrey's performance at DPAC.

Eric Clapton coming to Raleigh on 2010 tour

Slowhand himself, Eric Clapton, is hitting the road in early 2010 and will be making a stop in the Triangle. He'll play the RBC Center in Raleigh on Monday, March 8. Tickets for the show will set you back $45, $65 or $85 each. They will go on sale Friday, December 11 at 10 a.m. here.

Clapton has a few dates scheduled in February with Jeff Beck, but there's no mention of him appearing at the Raleigh show. Dates are still being announced, but check out what's surfaced so far below.

His latest album is a double-live album with Steve Winwood titled Live From Madison Square Garden released in May.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss coming to Raleigh [UPDATED]

On the success of their duet album, Raising Sand, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have extended their tour through July. Among these new dates is a stop at Raleigh's RBC Center on July 11.

The duo already have a North Carolina date on the books in Asheville on June 14. They will also hit a few big festivals including Bonnaroo and the New Orleans Jazz Festival.

We'll add ticket information for the RBC Center show as soon as we have it. Tickets for the RBC Center show will go on sale on Friday, April 18 at 10 a.m. Prices will range from $45 to $65.

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In other concert news, Kenny Rogers, yes The Gambler himself, will play the Durham Performing Arts Center on December 11.

Van Halen show at RBC Center postponed

Friday night's Van Halen reunion show at the RBC Center has been postponed. The official statement released says that Eddie Van Halen is undergoing medical tests. That could be true, or the breakdown that many expected to happen a long time ago could be finally coming to pass.

Billboard reports that the Raleigh show has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 13. Raleigh is one of four shows that are postponed as of today. Apparently the tour is not canceled and will continue in Charlottesville next Tuesday.