McCarthy to entertain on Friday night Harbor Queen cruises

BUFFALO -- Local musician Kevin McCarthy will entertain cruise passengers each Friday evening through September on Buffalo's new Canalside Cocktail Cruises on the Harbor Queen.

The inaugural run of the Friday night (6:30 p.m.) cruises is tonight. The $28 cruise features two hours aboard the new boat, a cash bar and live entertainment.

Reservations are encouraged as word is spreading fast, however there are tickets still available for this evening's cruise.

The 145-passenger boat sails out of Canalside and stays in the calmer water of the harbor, rain or shine. The cruises are for those 21 and up.

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Tickets remain for Saturday's Goo Goo Dolls show

DARIEN -- Tickets are still available for Saturday evening's Goo Goo Dolls concert at Darien Lake.

LiveNation.com shows that a number of seats are still available direct from the venue in the 300 and 400 sections and a few scattered seats even remain in the 100 section.

Ticket pricing ranges from $20 to $85 for the 7 p.m. show with  with special guests Collective Soul and Tribe Society.

Buffalo's Goo Goo Dolls, comprised of John Rzeznik, Robby Takac, Mike Malinin, and George Tutuska, are in the midst of a summer tour and just announced a fall tour to begin in October. While that tour has no New York dates, there are a pair of shows in Pennsylvania and one in Ohio.

Photo courtesy of Goo Goo Dolls / Instagram.

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PODCAST: The ThinkSoJoe Show for Aug. 17, 2016

Hosts ThinkSoJoE and Muller feature the music of Aggressive Betty, As Summer Dies, Second Trip and more on this episode of the ThinkSoJoe Show.

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Trans-Siberian Orchestra plans two December shows in Buffalo

BUFFALO — The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will perform a pair of shows on Dec. 4 at the soon-to-be-renamed First Niagara Center.

Tickets for the 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. shows are slated to go on sale to the general public on Sept. 16. Fan club members can purchase them a week earlier. Tickets purchased online will include a digital copy or the "Ghosts of Christmas Eve" album -- also the name of the 20th anniversary tour.

Image courtesy Trans-Siberian.com.

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Final Tragically Hip Show on tap in Buffalo, NT

While the Tragically Hip's farewell tour did not make it to our side of the border, there are two opportunities to watch the final show live on Saturday right here in Western New York in a concert-like setting.

Western New Yorkers have long had a love affair with the Hip and the band has rewarded that loyalty over the years with several local shows in venues ranging in size from Nietzsche's to Artpark. Saturday, the 8:30 p.m. Kingston, Ontario show will be broadcast live on CBC and two local venues will air it: Larkin Square in Buffalo and the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda.

The Larkin show, sponsored by Community Beer Works (CBW), Larkin Square, The Good Neighborhood, Store716, WEDG 103.3, The Public and Garbaz Visual Productions will feature food trucks, CBW brews, a pre-show cornhole tourney, plentiful seating, and the square's covered boardwalk in case of rain. Multiple screens will be set up and sound will broadcast throughout the Square, assuring "concert-goers" won't miss a moment.

"For those of us at Community Beer Works, The Tragically Hip have been the soundtrack for some of the most beautiful moments in our lives," said Chief Operating Officer Chris Smith. "I wanted to find a way for us to celebrate what this band has meant to us and to Buffalo. I feel like bringing a few thousand people together under the stars to celebrate this man and this band is a fitting tribute."

Admission to the Larkin show is $10 and restricted to those 21 years of age and older with photo identification. Part of the proceeds will be donated to Sunnybrook Foundation's Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research. Gates open at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, across the Niagara County border, the Riviera Theatre boasts the area's only official screening location for the CBC broadcast.

Fans are invited to enjoy this "memorable, all-ages musical event in an intimate concert setting with all the amenities of a live concert experience."

Admission is free and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Riv is located at 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. for the 8:30 p.m. show.

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Rapper Big Pooh to play Evening Star

NIAGARA FALLS -- Rapper Big Pooh (of Little Brother) will headline a show Sept. 7 at the Evening Star Concert Hall.

When Big Pooh began rapping with Little Brother in the early 2000s, he hadn't even considered a career in music. He readily admits that his groupmates and fellow North Carolina Central University students, 9th Wonder and Phonte, had significantly more experience, which made his role in the group much like on-the-job-training, a fact that was pointed out by critics. Big Pooh took that criticism and rolled with it, working on his own to perfect his craft, leading to his solo project. That extra work paid off.

Pooh has also worked with heavyweights Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West, and he's shined as a solo artist, releasing albums Words Paint Pictures with Apollo Brown and Home Sweet Home with Nottz.  Big Pooh and Nottz are currently working on a follow up album.

Other artists on the For the Music Productions 18+ bill include Wil-D & J. Roche, MyCool, Dylan Toole & Lite, LtL, Ant Boss Green, B the Emcee, and TSMB/Us-Ent. 

Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12 presale and $17 at the door. 

Image courtesy Big Pooh / Facebook.

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HEaRD in WNY: Top shows for the week of Aug. 15 - 21

This week's featured event is Nights of Fire.

Every year Spun Out Fire Productions takes over for a weekend retreat called Nights Of Fire in the early fall composed of art, music, and education. What education is involved? Well fire spinning, flow, dance, drumming, painting, and other art of course.

This isn't your typical camp out, this a celebration of being alive through song and dance with live music. Now in it's sixth year, The Woods at Bear Creek come alive With over 30 bands and DJs alongside [erformance artists, instructors, and other art exhibits all weekend. Turn off the cell phone, add a "do not disturb" sign to your text messaging, set aside your child's iPad, and explore the tranquility and beauty of Cattaraugus County. Then once the sun goes down, the fire is lit, and the festivities fall into full swing!

/// others ///

• Peach Poison : 7 p.m. Thursday at Stamps
• Someday is Today (Lymphoma Society Benefit) : 5 p.m. Friday at the Waiting Room
• Unlabeled Records Takeover : 6 p.m. Friday at Evening Star Concert Hall
• Pollock's Toga Party : 7 p.m. Friday at Rockin' Buffalo
• Guerilla Toss : 7 p.m. Friday at Sugar City
• Justice For Bud : 8 p.m. Friday at Leopard Lounge
• Mark Studios 6th Annual 50th Anniversary Party! : Noon Saturday at Mark Studios
• Rumble in the Rust Belt #3 : 4 p.m. Saturday at the Body Shop
• Sleepy Hahas Farewell Show : 8 p.m. Saturday at Mohawk Place

Greg Burt is a Concert Promoter/Sound Guy/Music Supporter/Keyboardist/etc. He can be reached at Greg@FTMPEvents.com. For the full FTMP show calendar, visit www.FTMPEvents.com.

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