Eric Clapton Steve Winwood punch Xcel Energy Center Ticket

Elton John and Billy Joel won't be the only pair of "big" names on the Xcel Energy Center marquee. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood have announced they will be playing at the Xcel Energy Center St Paul as part of an exclusive 14 city summer tour. The Clapton Winwood duo rolls into St Paul on June 18th. Eric Clapton has a huge loyal fan base and I am sure many fans are thinking this may be one of the last opportunities to see Clapton live in St Paul and I would have to agree - this will definitely be the ONLY time to see him paired up with another guitarist as big as Steve Winwood.

Clapton Winwood fans will remember that this duo formed "Blind Faith" back in 1969.The group only lasted a year, but Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood remained friends and decided 40 years later to re-unite for a US tour. The concert set will feature solo hits by each artist plus a few collaborative songs. That's music to the ears of Eric Clapton loyalists that will do anything to hear "Layla" and "Wonderful Tonight" live.

Elton John and Billy Joel may have dueling pianos at the "X", but Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood will show off their dueling guitars! Buy Eric Clapton tickets today and see what I am talking about.

Elton John Billy Joel Tour Stop

The hottest news at the Xcel Energy Center these days is the Elton John Billy Joel tour stop on Tuesday, May 5th. They are calling it their Face 2 Face tour and word on the street is that Elton John and Billy Joel will open the show with a string of duets, playing matching pianos that are facing each other. The stage will be mostly open so there is seating all around, but they aren’t officially calling it a center stage set-up. Elton and Billy will then each do their own sets and finally finish the night “Face 2 Face” dueling it out on their pianos.

It’s a hot concert ticket in St Paul and local ticket brokers like Ticket King are charging $1,000 per ticket for 3rd row on the main floor and $400 per ticket for 10th row on the main floor. The better deal is the lower level tickets that start at less than $200 per ticket. I bet the Xcel Energy Center was glad to have snagged this hot act for 2009!

Motley Crue Xcel Energy Center

Need a Valentine’s Day present idea for the rocker in your life? Motley Crue Tickets! The original line-up of Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Tommy Lee and Vince Neil are back on the road and making a stop at the Xcel Energy Center St Paul on Wednesday February 18th.

It seems the Xcel is a magnet for classic hard rock shows with AC/DC booking two shows and now Motley Crue. I also heard a rumor that Kiss and Metallica would be coming some time in the New Year as well. If you relish hard rock and head banging tunes, this is the year for you! Save up your money and make plans to head to St Paul to rock out with your favorite bands! I am not into heavy metal music so I won’t be making it out to the show, but if you write a show review in the comments section of my Xcel Energy Center blog, I will be sure and post it on the front page with full credit to you. I aim to give equal attention to all types of music at the “X.” Rock on!

AC/DC Dirty Deeds Aren’t Dirt Cheap

AC/DC is coming back to the Xcel Energy Center on Monday, January 19th 2009, but tickets aren’t cheap. Looking at local broker sites, the cheapest AC/DC tickets I found were $213 /each on St Paul Concert Tickets.com - wow, that’s a hefty price to pay, but fan support is definitely there. I read that 18 of AC/DC’s “Black Ice World Tour” shows sold out in record time prompting them to add additional shows (like the January 19th Saint Paul date) in 15 cities nationwide.

I heard the last concert at the Xcel Energy Center totally rocked and I know AC/DC tickets would make a great gift for my brother, but I am not sure how much money I am willing to spend. If you went to the last AC/DC St Paul show leave me a comment and let me know if it was worth your money!

St Paul Concert Tickets at Xcel Energy Center

One of my favorite Xcel Energy Center ticket sites got a new name and a new look. It’s called St Paul Concert Tickets and it is great place to stop for information on upcoming shows in Saint Paul, mainly shows at the Xcel Energy Center.

The site also lists past events so the next time me and my buddies are reminiscing and thinking “When was Springsteen here?” We can check the past events list on St Paul Concert Tickets (the boss was at the “X” on March 16th this year and last year on November 2nd, by the way).

I am betting Bruce Springsteen will be back at the Xcel Energy Center the fall/winter of 2009 as well. He is putting together a new “Working on a Dream” album that will be released in January and he is playing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 1st. I wouldn’t be surprised if that wasn’t his official 2009 Springsteen Tour kick-off event. Keep checking my Xcel Energy Center blog for more updates. If Bruce Springsteen is going to be playing at the “X” I will be the first to know!

Jingle Ball Tickets

There are still Jingle Ball tickets available for the Xcel Energy Show on Monday December 15th. KDWB has been promoting the annual concert with grand flair on it’s popular radio station and even made a huge deal about Chris Brown being added to the line-up which now looks like this:

Jingle Ball Artists:
Rihanna tops the bill for this special holiday treat
Chris Brown will make a special guest appearance
T.I. will MC and Rap for the fans
David Archuleta will woo the ladies with his sweet sound
Boys Like Girls will rock out with a short set
Lady GaGa will impress with their dance moves and grand piano
Shontelle will get the crowd warmed up with new music

You can bet that Twin Cities teens will be flocking to the St Paul Xcel Energy Center and will be staying out extra late on a school night to enjoy all that these pop artists have to offer. This is a popular “holiday show” for teens and young adults and you can bet that the best seats will sell out fast. There are still Front Row Jingle Ball tickets available from online ticket brokers like Ticket King. Check it out.

Xcel Energy Center has been Busy

The Xcel Energy Center St Paul has been a busy place the last two weeks. Hosting Coldplay, AC/DC and a slew of Minnesota Wild games. The arena has even got the attention of the DIY network and a show called Project Xtreme. Apparently, the DIY TV Show crew was there during the Xcel conversion from rock concert to NHL ice arena. According to the shows web site: “No project is too massive, too dangerous or too jaw-dropping to prevent contractor Jason Cameron from attempting it… These ain't your everyday DIY projects. These are projects truly taken to the extreme — with Jason's life often hanging in the balance.”

I am not sure if an arena conversion is life threatening, but it will be interesting to see our hometown Xcel Energy Center get recognized on a national show. The show airs Wednesday nights at 8:30pm.

The rest of this week is hockey for the Xcel, no dangerous transformations there, just keeping the ice temperature at a cool 32 degrees or less.

Have a great Thanksgiving! I am thankful to live in a city that has such a fine entertainment facility like the Xcel Energy Center.