Author: MaxK

Adele Cancels Shows Due to Illness (Including Vancouver)

MaxK

UPDATE: Adele has cancelled the rest of her North American tour.

Adele is ill. Not just in the fresh/wicked/dope sense of the word: she’s come down with laryngitis and her famous pipes are barely able to croak out a voicemail to her mum, let alone hits like “Chasing Pavements” or “Someone Like You.”

The curvaceous chanteuse, whose albums include the imaginatively titled 19 and 21, gained massive fame in her native UK for her smoky, powerful voice and retro-modern sound. While she’s often written up as a less trainwreck-y Amy Winehouse or a “realer” Duffy, Adele’s rapidly growing fanbase has found something in her music that neither singer can match. That, along with the hype, has led to a string of sold-out concert dates on Adele’s North American 2011 tour and, when Adele cancelled all her shows until June 4th’s at the Warfield in San Francisco, a bunch of disappointed fans.

Official word so far is that shows will be rescheduled and tickets honored at the new ones. Cancelled shows so far are May 31st in Vancouver at the Orpheum (moved from the Commodore due to demand), June 1 in Seattle at the Paramount, and June 3 in Portland at the Crystal Ballroom.

For more info, visit Adele’s official site at Adele.tv or visit the Adele tickets page at ShowTimeTickets.com.

EA Sports Hockey Simulator Says Canucks Win Stanley Cup

MaxK

EA Sports, famous for their NHL Hockey series of games, knows a lot about hockey. They harvest every last micrometer of data they can and cram it into their games until you almost expect the virtual Sedin brothers to become sentient and try to break out of your Xbox. Last year, their pick for the Stanley Cup (Chicago) was spot-on. This year, they said the Canucks would win the series. Well, technically not this year–back in October, actually, before playoffs started and when hope of playoffs success was dimmest.
Not only did EA Sports predict the Canucks would win the Cup, they also predicted that Vancouver would beat the Sharks 4-2 in the Western Conference playoffs, and that Boston would beat Tampa Bay to become Eastern Conference champs (the sim isn’t perfect, though: the Bruins won 4-3, not 4-2 as was predicted).
Here’s footage of the sim predicting Vancouver’s earlier win against the Sharks. Check out how eerily close they got to the actual series.

 
 

EA Sports Releases Details on NHL 12 for 360, PS3

MaxK

According to EA Sports, it’s the world’s “Premier Hockey Video Game.” If you ask gamers, though, it’s more like the only one—main competitor 2K Sports only released the current version of their game, the Ryan Kesler-bedecked NHL 2K11 for iPhone and Wii. By steering clear of the PS3 and Xbox 360, they hope to gain enough time to make NHL 2K12 a clear improvement on EA’s NHL 12, but only time will tell.

Meanwhile, NHL 12‘s September release date creeps nearer, and EA has begun to release a trickle of information. Primary improvements to the game center around making it even more indistinguishable from watching a live game on TV: in addition to ever-more-complex player models and realistic crowds, the physics engine has been beefed up with what EA calls their “Full Contact Physics Engine.” No more awkward action figures gliding eerily across the ice as in the PS2 days; these players shift their weight, collide with each other, and move differently based on their size. The game’s Be a Pro mode has also been improved.
New to the game are highly improved dynamic goalies: players can “knock the net off and make contact with goalies, knocking them down or out of position, as they crash the crease,” and most importantly, EA promises that gamers will now be able to drop their goalie’s gloves and take a swing at players they don’t much care for.
Beyond EA’s press release and screenshots, little information is available about the game. It remains to be seen whether updated rosters, a better physics engine, and the improved Be a Pro mode are worth $70, though.
NHL 12 comes out in September for all major gaming consoles, and will most likely run hockey fans $59.99 in the US and $69.99 in Canada.

Six (Okay, Seven) Most Memorable U2 Covers

MaxK

With U2 on their 2011 tour now and scheduled to hit Winnipeg May 29 and Edmonton on June 1, there’s no better time to look back on their long career and dig up some of the many, many covers which have been done of their songs. Some are brilliant, some are cheesy, some are hilarious, and some are just plain weird. Here’s six of our faves. Did we miss yours? Let us know in the comments.

Also, if you still need U2 tickets for Winnipeg, Edmonton, or any of their tour dates, you can always get them from us at ShowTimeTickets.com, where we’re never sold out.

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Listen to Death Cab for Cutie’s Brand New Album (See ‘Em On Tour, Too!)

MaxK

Seattle indie pop superstars Death Cab for Cutie have a new record, Codes and Keys, coming out May 31. They’re on tour now, though, and excited fans can listen to the whole thing a week early.

NPR.org in the States (don’t worry, Canadian fans, you can still access it) is streaming the entire album as well as letting fans listen track-by-track. Make sure to check out “Monday Morning” and “Underneath the Sycamore.” Listen here.

Ben Gibbard and company are on tour now, and plays the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton tonight. Find out the rest of their schedule and buy Death Cab for Cutie tickets over at ShowTimeTickets.com.

Lauryn Hill on 2011 Tour; Comeback Looks Like a Go!

MaxK

Lauryn Hill is coming back, and this time it’s for real. After years of hiding away, making bizarre public appearances, and fighting with her former bandmates in the Fugees, the “Doo Wop” singer is back on a tour which sees her revisiting her roots with the help of an amazingly good backing band.

After years of sonic weirdness and stage shows which failed to live up to her early work with the Fugees and in support of her classic solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she began a return to form in late 2010, peaking with her Coachella 2011 performance which drew almost unanimous raves from attendees (writes influential music blog Hey Reverb: “Lauryn Hill’s set was easily the day’s best -– a big-band outing with horns, DJ, back-up singers and her catalog songs rearranged into furious, mesmerizing creations that barely resembled their original incarnations. It was the day’s bravest and most soulful set, and the R&B diva’s comeback looks well positioned”).

She’s back on tour now, and in rare form. Since she might decide to go back into seclusion at any time, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for fans of timeless classics like “Everything Is Everything” and “Ex-Factor” to hear her live at her very best.

Lauryn Hill plays Vancouver at the Commodore Ballroom May 24 and May 25, then heads to Calgary May 27 at the Flames Center, and wraps up the Canadian leg of her tour May 30 at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg. For more info and to buy tickets, head over to the Lauryn Hill ticket page on ShowTimeTickets.com.

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