Maroon and Meghan Hit the Road

Modern Rock

By Kristi Kates | Feb. 15, 2020

Maroon 5 will be careening around the U.S. on tour this spring and summer, with some of the biggest shows in the band’s career to date. The mix of stadium and arena shows kicks off May 30 in Chula Vista, California, with opening acts Meghan Trainor and Leon Bridges in tow. Additional stops include Chicago (June 13), Toronto (June 28), and Milwaukee (Aug. 30), and Cincinnati (Sept. 1). The band’s one Michigan stop happens June 16 at Clarkston’s DTE Energy Music Theater …

Alanis Morissette also will tour this upcoming summer, and her tour is taking on a very ’90s feel, with opening acts Shirley Manson and Garbage and Liz Phair on all 31 dates. The trek is in promotion of Morissette’s upcoming album, Such Pretty Forks in the Road, which hits outlets May 1. Morissette’s tour includes stops in Los Angeles (June 9), Austin, Texas (June 12), Toronto (July 11), Chicago (July 17), and Clarkston’s DTE Energy Music Theater on July 21 …

Francis and the Lights have teamed up with a host of musical peers for their latest track, a bright, ambient synth-pop tune called “Take Me to the Light.” The band brought in Bon Iver and Kanye West, plus added contributions from musician Caroline Shaw and producers BJ Burton, Benny Blanco, Jeff Bhasker, and Noah Goldstein. The single will appear on Francis and the Light’s upcoming third album, which also will be called Take Me to the Light …

SiriusXM has jumped into a partnership with Irish rock band U2. The streaming radio provider and the rockers are launching U2X RADIO, a dedicated SiriusXM channel for U2 fans that will include U2 content exclusive to SiriusXM subscribers and Pandora listeners. The band has been active for decades, so there’s a lot of music to draw upon, but the channel will also feature never-before-heard live recordings, interviews, archive audio, and band-curated playlists …

LINK OF THE WEEK
James Corden recently welcomed pop singer Meghan Trainor to his Carpool Karaoke Late Late Show segment, and surprised Trainor — a huge Dr. Phil fan — with an actual appearance from Dr. Phil himself, who hopped into the back of their car. Watch Trainor’s hilarious reaction at https://youtu.be/Wx98Ht7fgI8 …
 
THE BUZZ
Grand Rapids roots-rock band Jack Droppers and the Best Intentions have released a music video for their latest single, “Found My Way” …

Just announced: Dierks Bentley will bring his One Knight Stand tour to the Detroit area with a show at the Royal Oak Theater on April 18 …

Meanwhile, Raphael Saadiq is at the Royal Oak Theater this week, with an appearance on Feb. 18 …

The Four Freshmen are performing some retro-style tunes at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe in Detroit on Feb. 21 … and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Comments, questions, rants, raves, suggestions on this column? Send ’em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com.