Odds & Ends: Juanes, Tel Aviv, 2Cellos, Toadlick Music Festival

Juanes’ fans have more opportunities to experience the Columbian musician on his current tour.  The multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner has added San Francisco, Orlando, Washington, D.C., and Sterling Heights, Mich., to his travel plans.

With Mexican singer/songwriter/actress Ximena Sariñana on the ticket as his special guest, Juanes’ next North American adventure begins July 28 in Bakersfield, Calif., and wraps in Miami Dec. 4.

Here is the schedule as it stands today with new dates bolded for easy reading:

July 28 – Bakersfield, Calif., Rabobank Theater
July 30 – Las Vegas, Nev., The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
July 31 – Los Angeles, Calif., Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE
Aug. 1 – Los Angeles, Calif., Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE
Aug. 2 – San Diego, Calif., San Diego Civic Theatre
Aug. 5 – Costa Mesa, Calif., Pacific Amphitheatre (OC Fair)
Aug. 6 – San Francisco, Calif., Warfield Theatre
Aug. 7 – Santa Barbara, Calif., Santa Barbara Bowl
Aug. 8 – Saratoga, Calif., The Mountain Winery
Aug. 12 – Tucson, Ariz., Anselmo Valencia Tori Amphitheatre
Aug. 15 – Rosemont, Ill., Rosemont Theatre
Aug. 16 – Sterling Heights, Mich., Freedom Hill Amphitheatre
Aug. 18 – Washington, D.C., DAR Constitution Hall
Aug. 19 – New York, N.Y., Madison Square Garden Arena
Aug. 20 – Reading, Pa., Santander Arena
Aug. 21 – Mashantucket, Conn., Grand Theater
Dec. 3 – Orlando, Fla., Hard Rock Cafe / Hard Rock Live
Dec. 4 – Miami, Fla., AmericanAirlines Arena 

Tickets for the newly added shows are on sale now.  Head over to Juanes.net for more details.

It’s not often that we receive an email from the Israel Government Tourist Office, North America. However, Tel Aviv will be hosting several top-tier acts in the coming months and you really can’t blame the government agency for boasting about it.

Robbie Williams will play his first concert in Israel May 2 at Hayarkon Park. Ms. Lauryn Hill, Backstreet Boys, Mark Knopfler and Art Garfunkel have also included the country in their 2015 touring plans.

Here’s the schedule:

May 2 – Robbie Williams, Hayarkon Park
May 7 – Ms. Lauryn Hill, Rishon leZion
May 19-21 – Backstreet Boys, Ra’anana Amphitheater
May 19 – Dionne Warwick, Nokia Arena
May 28 – One Republic, Hayarkon Park
June 9-10 – Suzanne Vega, Mann Auditorium (with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra)
June 10 – Art Garfunkel, Bloomfield Stadium
June 24 – Damian Marley, Rishon leZion
June 27 – Mark Knopfler, Tel Aviv Fairgrounds Hall

Click here for what you need to know.

An injury has forced Croatian group 2Cellos to cancel its U.S.  tour.  Known for a repertoire that ranges from Bach to AC/DC, the outing was supposed to run through May 10 with the last show taking place in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

But those plans are now filed under “what should have been.”  From the band’s management:

“2Cellos are very disappointed to announce that, due to an injury to Stjepan Hauser’s neck, the remainder of the U.S. tour has been canceled.  The group apologizes to their fans and looks forward to returning to the U.S. after Stjepan has healed.”

Visit the 2Cellos’ website for more information.

Safety is key at this year’s Toadlick Music Festival happening this weekend in Dothan, Ala.

That’s the message from newspaper Dothan Eagle and its report on the joint efforts by the city’s police and fire departments to ensure this year’s Toadlick is free of injury and mayhem.

“I think the overriding thing is the way our two departments work together,”  Dothan Fire Battalion Chief Chris Etheredge told the Eagle.  It’s never really a police side or fire side, we work hand-in-hand.  That’s how we do our planning for all our major events.  We operate on the same radio channels, so it’s like one seamless public safety group.”

Happening this weekend at the Peanut Festival Fairgrounds, the festival’s entertainment includes Alabama, Randy Houser, Ronnie Milsap, Hank Williams Jr., J.J. Grey & Mofro, and Blackberry Smoke.

But while safety is paramount, local officials are concerned about festivalgoers becoming lawbreakers.

“The biggest thing that we’re concerned about is underage drinking,” Dothan Police Lt. Scott Heath told the newspaper.  “You can go buy alcohol and hand it to your 18-or-19-year-old buddy right beside you.  So that’s the largest thing we’re looking for.  The biggest thing is allowing people to have fun in a safe environment.”

But in all the talk about safety and under-age drinking, there isn’t one mention of the indulgence that gave the event its name – toadlicking.  Guess you’ll have to go to the festival to find out about that. 

And if you’re thinking that a location named after peanuts might be hazardous to folks suffering from allergies to Arachis hypogaea – you probably need to get out more often.