Last night Rat Dog ended their three-night run at the Beacon Theater. The band is led by the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, and is one of the few left that will bring the hippies out to the Upper West Side (pictured). As for the band, they blogged about their stay, saying, "We’ve gotten to New York City – ‘just like I pictured it’ – and things are getting seriously New Yorked." For those keeping......

When They Might Be Giants released their twelfth album, The Else, over the summer, The Village Voice called it “as tuneful and rockin' as all the rest, from the withering ‘I'm Impressed’ to the female-empowerment anthem ‘Take Out the Trash.’” Keeping it fresh is no small feat for a band with such an impressive body of work, accumulated over the course of the past 25-plus years. But a listen to The Else or, even better,......

Shine a Light, the film documenting The Rolling Stones show at Beacon Theater in 2006, is about to hit the big screen. And the really, really big screen. The Martin Scorsese-directed rockumentary will be in both regular and IMAX theaters this April, and it won't be the first time Mick Jagger's lips have reached epic proportions; the band recorded their first IMAX concert in the early '90s. Check out the trailer for the latest one,......

TREE LIGHTING: Earlier this year, New Yorkers Fountains of Wayne transformed Demetri Martin into a lonely suit living in Brooklyn in this video. Tonight the band will be rockin' around the Stuy Town Christmas tree. A reader writes in:I just happened to see this flyer hanging up for the annual christmas tree lighting. And what the hell is this...7:30-8:00pm, FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE. Seems like it's top secret, but there are flyers everywhere.Random! But if you're......

READING: Dave Eggers has delivered two (out of three) great novels, and tonight he reads from last one (which is just out on paperback), What is the What. He'll be at the Strand discussing the book and he'll also give a slideshow presentation from a recent trip he took to Sudan. More info here. Friday // 7pm // Strand Bookstore [828 Broadway] // Free EVENT: We love a good pillow fight, and tonight there's a......

Last night we sent photographer Raymond Haddad to the I'm Not There concert at Beacon Theater. Calexico, The Roots, My Morning Jacket, J Mascis, Yo La Tengo, Mason Jennings, Joe Henry, Mark Lanegan, Lee Ranaldo & the Million Dollar Bashers and many more were on hand to celebrate the soundtrack, the film and of course Bob Dylan himself (who, in fact, was not there). The soundtrack is a double-discer that's been getting praise from......

Given the large number of people that work for the City of New York, it's inevitable that some will be charged with crimes in any given year. The New York Post, however, is highlighting some of the more noteworthy crimes committed by city workers in today's paper. They range from the relatively benign (a schoolteacher getting busted for smoking weed before heading into a show at the Beacon Theater) to the more serious (a drunk......

MUSIC: Scottish indie sensations Camera Obscura bring their pop and their rock to the Seaport tonight. They're joined by The Last Town Chorus. After that, there's only one more show down there this season! Friday // 7pm // South Street Seaport, Pier 17 // Free MOVIE: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is playing tonight, and you've got a golden ticket! Stock up on sweets and enjoy the 1971 classic down by the river. Friday......

Last year the Rolling Stones played two nights at the Beacon Theater (partly to celebrate Bill Clinton's 60th birthday - we guess Hillary will get Celine). It's just been announced that this September 21st Martin Scorsese will release a documentary filmed at the shows. The larger than life event will become just that in celluloid as it gets the IMAX treatment, but is the world ready for a 50-foot Mick Jagger? Well, it's not......

Rappers Ja Rule and Lil Wayne both found themselves ending their weekend with arrests last night. The separate incidents both took place in the city. Lil Wayne, fresh off the Beacon Theater stage following his Sunday night show there, was found smoking pot by his tour bus on 61st and Columbus Avenue at 11:30pm. What not to do while smoking an illegal substance, on the street, in the city? Carry a firearm. Lil Wayne had......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: Falling debris at 107th St. and Lexington Ave. in Manhattan, a police officer is shot in Brooklyn's Nassau County's 3rd Precinct, and a car vs. building incident on Atlantic Avenue. Kittens in trees are over. Firefighters rescue drowning dog in Hudson River When your roommate is a mysterious stranger, write about him in The New York Times. NYC playing fields: no longer just for "having sex, getting high on......

MOVIE: Beware to those heading over to Pioneer Theater tonight, that Jackass Steve-O will be there promoting his new movie TV: The Movie. "A celebration of the ever increasing depravity of television in our society-- it's a channel surfing adventure through the most utterly ridiculous spoofed television programming and commercials." And we bet he'll totally staple something to his face. 11pm // Two Boots Pioneer Theater // Free THEATER: A revival of Kirk Wood Bromley's......

Ahmet Ertegun, the man who founded Atlantic Records, died yesterday at the age of 83. Ertegun, along with a partner, Herb Abramson, founded Atlantic Records in 1947. They started up in an office in a hotel on West 56th Street in Manhattan. The initial investment of $10,000 was borrowed from his family dentist. 48 years later, in 1995, at the Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, it was announced that the museum's......

THEATER: A.R. Gurney’s new meta-play, Post Mortem, takes place in a future tyrannical America where a college student discovers a lost “masterpiece” by the largely forgotten playwright A.R. Gurney. In Post Mortem's cowardly new world, many believe Dick Cheney to be responsible for Gurney’s death, and the discovery of an unpublished memoir reveals Gurney affairs with Cameron Diaz, Katherine Hepburn and Katrina Kerns. (Okay, that last one's from our own meta-memoir.) The student’s willingness to......

The Rolling Stones are back for yet another tour! Alternating openers for them on this one are Alice Cooper, the Dave Matthews Band, Kanye West and Van Morrisson. We get Kanye, and couldn't be happier. They'll play Giants Stadium on September 27th. But that's not all, the band is coming together to help celebrate Bill Clinton's 60th Birthday (which is on August 19th, though the concert celebration will take place October 29th) at the Beacon......

"Last year Elton John declared that Rufus Wainwright was the greatest songwriter on the planet. Quite a profound statement from the king of pop himself. This was presumably based on hearing 2004's Want One, followed earlier this year by the groundbreaking opus, Want Two." Elly Roberts goes on to say that Wainwright's recent show at The Lowry was "An epic night, and a high watermark of a musician on top of his game, who......

- Last night, police were investigating the death of a Midtown apartment building doorman who was found murdered near his subway station in Queens, apparently on the way home. Today, it was announced that two suspects were arrested in the murder of Arshad Mahmood. One theory is that one of the suspects thought Mahmood was having an affair with his wife. Mahmood usually drove to work until his license was suspended, so he took the......

Last week I didn't tell you about the show Beck played at Hiro Ballroom Friday night (one night before his appearance on Saturday Night Live). That's because the "secret" show wasn't even announced until Thursday. Beck is known for playing last-minute small-venue shows, and I was lucky enough to score a ticket to this one. Here are the pictures. In February, Beck played another secret show in Los Angeles. The opener was none other than,......

Do you truly appreciate this city? Where else in the world does a random Monday in April present the option of Sonic Youth, the Eagles, Devotchka, The Locust, Blues Explosion, M. Ward, and the Kills? Is there anywhere 'hip'per than NYC? This week, Widespread Panic will have the hippies dancin' in the streets before sittin' in their seats at Radio City Music Hall. Those unable to score a miracle should keep on truckin' to the......

We'll have a full list of April and May shows coming up soon, there are A LOT to cover. We find it somehow comforting that we're already buying tickets for shows in the springtime ... we're ready to thaw! Moving on, so as not to repeat ourselves here is last month's sell outs list which has tickets that are still on sale for upcoming shows. And as for the below list we have starred the......

There are some great shows coming up that will get you from Valentine's Day to St. Patricks Day, but you're going to want to buy tickets SOON, before they sell out. Gothamist is particularly looking forward to the Thermals [pictured, reading Nabokov - hott!] @ Knitting Factory, as well as our own Movable Hype 2 at the same venue. And if you don't know who the Kaiser Chiefs are, you will, so just buy tickets......

Do you remember rock n' roll? Not the synthy 80's stuff that's been inundating our ears lately, but actual guitar grinding rock. Well Dear Leader will make you remember, incase you don't. They are what rose from the ashes after the band Sheila Divine broke up in 2003. Their lyrics and sound are anthemic and loud. So come stomp your feet to them tonight at Pianos. More details after the interview. Recently Aaron Perrino......

Time to start the new year off right, by seeing live music and not being left out on the cold cold sidewalk listening to your favorite songs echoing down the snow-filled street. This month there are a lot of hyped up bands coming our way. We are mainly talking about the Arcade Fire, if you don't have tickets we don't know what to tell you. If you're good at haikus you could try this contest.......

This is where Gothamist tells you what tickets to buy...before they sell out and you are left bargaining on Craigslist. First and foremost there is the Arcade Fire @ Bowery November 11th, it's sold out now but we bet that they'll add more tickets, so keep checking. Okay, so why is this a special edition you may be asking. Well, for the past month or two Gothamist has been putting together its first event. There......

For a change, the best shows aren't in the smallest clubs. Let's start with the larger rooms: The Roseland Ballroom, I hate to say it, is hosting two of the best shows this week. On Saturday, rock legends Patti Smith and Television perform. Then on Sunday, a somewhat younger band who are legends in their own day, Franz Ferdinand, return to the Roseland with The Evaporators and Blanche. Too bad Roseland blows, huh? Wilco plays......

Just a reminder incase you didn't see this post last month: Gothamist has missed far too many sold out shows to know that buying tickets ahead of time is imperative. In that vein, every month or so we'll make it a point to update you with a list of shows we think may sell out. This way you can buy tickets ahead of time and avoid that last minute Craigslist surfing. Here is a list......

Yesterday, Radiohead were the performers for the MTV2 $2Bill Concert, which will air on MTV2 June 17. The venue was the Beacon Theater, and fans lined up outside for blocks. Or VIPs waited for their badges behind the theater. The NYPD was present, to make sure the hipsters behaved themselves. Gothamist saw the fans line up (or lay down) for tickets last week.......

Last night, the Radiohead fans were out in full force, as MTV2 had announced that on Saturday morning (right now), $2 tickets would go on sale for MTV2's $2Bill concert with Radiohead at the Beacon Theater. The show will be on June 5, MTV2 airdate of June 17. Scads of people were waiting around the Beacon Theater on Broadway between West 74th and 75th Streets, making themselves very comfortable for a long night. Probably......