#1 ·
The absolute heavyweight of music from the last two centuries—the guy with that unmistakable, gravelly voice and a catalog of hits that just won't quit—Joe Cocker is hitting Washington, D.C. on June 1st, 2011, at Madison Square Garden. He’s been a legend for over 40 years now, basically living proof that you can have a massive career and still deliver those soul-drenched, bluesy anthems with enough emotion to wreck anyone.
His shows are intense, kind of magical if you ask me. Critics over in Germany, where he was touring recently, were pretty much losing their minds. The New York Times called it a “Fantastic show,” while others noted nothing but standing ovations and "excellent songs with a beautiful voice," and The Washington Post called his style a "unique interpretation."
He got the ball rolling back in 1961, performing under the name Vance Arnold Cocker with his band, Vance Arnold and The Avengers. Fast forward just two years, and he was already opening for The Rolling Stones. His big break
into global superstardom happened in 1969 when he decided to tackle The Beatles' ”with a Little Help from my friends”. He took that track and gave it an entirely different dimension. That legendary cover blew up at Woodstock and became a massive hit almost overnight. Even today, critics still argue his is the best "white" voice to ever come out of the industry.
Forty years after Woodstock, that one-of-a-kind raspy voice and those killer interpretations still hit just as hard. After a killer set in San Francisco back in 2005, we're in for a treat in Washington, D.C. The setlist should be a perfect highlight reel of his entire career, plus he’ll be playing tracks from his latest album, “Hard Knocks”, live for the first time.
Honestly, it's simple: some things just don't change, they just get better with age—kind of like Joe Cocker.
Ticket categories for the show are broken down like this:
FLOOR VIP: $117
FLOOR CENTER: $100
FLOOR: $83
STADIUM SEATING:$93
BOXES: $200
Since this is all seated, tickets are limited—only 8,100 are up for grabs. They go on sale tomorrow, January 18th, 2011, through all Ticketmaster outlets.
His shows are intense, kind of magical if you ask me. Critics over in Germany, where he was touring recently, were pretty much losing their minds. The New York Times called it a “Fantastic show,” while others noted nothing but standing ovations and "excellent songs with a beautiful voice," and The Washington Post called his style a "unique interpretation."
He got the ball rolling back in 1961, performing under the name Vance Arnold Cocker with his band, Vance Arnold and The Avengers. Fast forward just two years, and he was already opening for The Rolling Stones. His big break
into global superstardom happened in 1969 when he decided to tackle The Beatles' ”with a Little Help from my friends”. He took that track and gave it an entirely different dimension. That legendary cover blew up at Woodstock and became a massive hit almost overnight. Even today, critics still argue his is the best "white" voice to ever come out of the industry.
Forty years after Woodstock, that one-of-a-kind raspy voice and those killer interpretations still hit just as hard. After a killer set in San Francisco back in 2005, we're in for a treat in Washington, D.C. The setlist should be a perfect highlight reel of his entire career, plus he’ll be playing tracks from his latest album, “Hard Knocks”, live for the first time.
Honestly, it's simple: some things just don't change, they just get better with age—kind of like Joe Cocker.
Ticket categories for the show are broken down like this:
FLOOR VIP: $117
FLOOR CENTER: $100
FLOOR: $83
STADIUM SEATING:$93
BOXES: $200
Since this is all seated, tickets are limited—only 8,100 are up for grabs. They go on sale tomorrow, January 18th, 2011, through all Ticketmaster outlets.