Live Nation/Ticketmaster in the hot seat (at least for now), some outstanding low-dough gigs on offer locally, a bevy of new shows announced and this week’s picks!

(Above: AI Art by Kim Miers)

(Have a cool concert or interesting event you know about? Email all the info and links to jeffmiersmusic@gmail.com to be considered for inclusion in Where the Bands Are.)

Hey there, music-loving friends.

This week, the Department of Justice launched its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation.

Typing that sentence brought me immense joy. But that joy was immediately tempered by the fact that it’s the Department of Justice bringing the suit. And the DOJ’s record ain’t exactly exemplary of late.

The original complaint was filed by DOJ veterans whose terms ended at the conclusion of the Biden administration. Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco led the charge. Both had a record of being somewhat soft on corporate wrongdoing. This made the whole affair seem a bit suspicious at the time. But things have gotten considerably worse since. I trust the current federal government to err on the side of the consumer about as much as I’d trust a rabid dog not to bite me if I stuck my hand in its mouth.

Regardless, joy is tough to come by these days, and at the very least, those of us who love and live for the live music experience should be delighted that the entertainment industry behemoth is at least having its feet held to the fire.

The original complaint, which was filed in the Southern District of New York in 2024, accuses the company of engaging in “anticompetitive conduct” — the sort of conduct that has screwed music lovers repeatedly by charging us more and more in base ticket prices, with increasingly abusive fees tacked on to that total, while simultaneously limiting artists’ ability to perform, and creating a climate where venues have extremely limited choices for ticketing services.

This isn’t the only lawsuit Ticketmaster and Live Nation are facing. In September, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit alleging that the company consistently misleads consumers regarding ticket prices and cooperates with scalpers to mark up resale prices, at the expense of artists and music fans.

So Live Nation and Ticketmaster have created a monopoly, in other words. One that also includes the incredibly lucrative secondary ticket sales market.

Well, yeah. No kidding.

Live Nation directly manages more than 400 musical artists and owns or controls more than 265 concert venues in North America. And the DOJ lawsuit also notes that, through Ticketmaster, Live Nation controls around 80% of major concert venues’ ticketing, in addition to controlling an immense share of the resale market.

These clowns are raking in money hand over fist, and we’re left with little choice but to cough up the cash if we want to see major touring artists in venues they control.

“Live Nation and Ticketmaster have prioritized growth, while at the same time neglecting to improve and maintain their systems and the product that fans use,” said David Dahlquist, an attorney for the Department of Justice, in his opening statement on Monday. That might explain why logging on and attempting to purchase an already overpriced ticket on the on-sale date (or even worse, during one of the many pre-sales) has become less fun than a trip to the dentist. A lot less fun.

The attorney for Live Nation/Ticketmaster responded to Dahlquist with a word salad that tossed together descriptors like “fierce,” “lawful,” “competition,” and “market.” The LN/TM attorney then tried to hide behind the idea that “Live Nation and Ticketmaster bring enormous joy to people’s lives.”

Well, no. It’s actually the artists and musicians bringing the immense joy, not these bloodsuckers.

According to the DOJ, “the lawsuit, which includes a request for structural relief, seeks to restore competition in the live concert industry, provide better choices at lower prices for fans, and open venue doors for working musicians and other performance artists.” That seems proper and noble. And the fact that the DOJ is joined in this lawsuit by 30 state and district attorneys general is definitely encouraging.

That said, we’ve been watching criminals buy their way out of trouble on an almost daily basis for a long time, and with increasing and alarming frequency since the current administration took over. The message is loud and clear — the law works differently for the billionaire class than it does for the rest of us.

I don’t have high hopes that any of this will lead to real change, honestly. I hope I’m wrong. We’ll see how it plays out.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying watching Live Nation/Ticketmaster squirm. They deserve it.

The good news is, there are more great shows happening locally than any single person could possibly attend. And the majority of them are priced in a way that won’t require you to take out a second mortgage or decide between seeing a concert and, oh, I don’t know, buying groceries. Can I get an amen?

New and Noteworthy

Slightly Stoopid wsg/The Equaters and Bumpin Uglies

Friday, July 24, 7:30 p.m. at Outer Harbor Livce at Terminal B, Buffalo, NY. Presale tickets go on sale Thursday, March 5 at 10 a.m. (pw: SENECA26)

The Wailers: 50 Years of Positive Vibrations

Wednesday, May 6, 7 p.m. doors at Asbury Hall in Babeville, Buffalo, NY. $30/$35. Tickets on sale Fri. 3/6 10 a.m. EST.

Dylan, Petty & The Dead at Rich Stadium

Saturday, July 4, 2 p.m. doors at Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo, NY. $15/$20

Eric Carlin’s Half-Dead preforms in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and the Grateful Dead concert at Rich Stadium.

The Rock Orchestra: Arena of Fire

Wednesday, August 26, 8 p.m. at Artpark Mainstage Theater, Lewiston, NY. $46/$56

“Performing the music of iconic bands including: Metallica, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Rage Against The Machine, My Chemical Romance, Linkin’ Park, SOAD, Guns N Roses, Evanescence, Papa Roach, The Cranberries & more…The Rock Orchestra is a rotating collective of classical musicians that features some of the world’s greatest instrumentalists and vocalists.”

Ryan Davis and The Roadhouse Band wsg/Elizabeth Moen

Monday, June 22, 7 p.m. doors at Asbury Hall in Babeville, Buffalo, NY. $20/$25. Tickets on sale Fri. 3/6 10 a.m. EST.

Borderland Festival 2026

Friday, September 18 – Sunday, September 20, Knox Farm State Park, East Aurora, NY.

Ziggy Marley wsg/ J. Boog

Saturday, July 11, 7 p.m. at Artpark Outdoor Amphitheater, Lewiston, NY. $39/$66

Blackberry Smoke wsg/Jason Newsted

Wednesday, July 15, 6:30 p.m. at Artpark Outdoor Ampitheater, Lewiston, NY. $28/$45/$50

Chantal Kreviazuk

Thursday, May 14, 8 p.m. at Asbury Hall in Babeville, Buffalo, NY. General Admission Seated $35/$40

Sue Foley

Saturday, April 11, 8 p.m. at The Sportsmens Tavern. $30 GA/$80 VIP w/ Meet & Greet.

VIP ticket includes pre-show meet & greet with Sue Foley, official merch bundle, early admission to venue.

James McMurtry & The Martial Law Review

Friday, June 26, 7 p.m. at Sportsmens Park, Buffalo, NY. $30.

This week…

Khamari w/Gabriel Jacoby

Wednesday, March 4, 7 p.m. doors at Electric City, Buffalo, NY. $50.38

“All You Need Is George”: An All-Star Celebration of George Harrison

Thursday, March 5, 7 p.m. doors at Asbury Hall in Babeville, Buffalo, NY. $38/$48 dos/$63 Balcony/$77 VIP

Mammoth: The End Tour, with guests 10 Years and James & the Cold Gun

Thursday, March 5, 7 p.m. at The Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY. $42.50.

Gates of Steel: Irish Punk Night

Lineup ft/veterans from Super-Tugger, Urban Achievers, Abandoned Trains, and The Pinheads

Friday, March 6, 8 p.m. at Molly Maguires, South Buffalo, NY. FREE

The Soul Street Band

Friday, March 6, 8 p.m. at Penny Lane, Claernce, NY. $10

Sponge w/ Fooled By Eve, March Lions, Blissen, & Mike Zogaria

Friday, March 6, 6 p.m. doors at Evening Star Concert Hall, Niagara Falls, NY. $25

October London, Eric Benet, and J. Brown

Friday, March 6, 8 p.m. at Sheas Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY. $75+

The Formalities

Brendan Gosson – Mandolin/Fiddle, Jamie Sunshine – Marimba/Vocals, Judd Sunshine – Bass/Vocals, Aaron Ziolkowski – Guitar/Vocals

Friday, March 6, 8 p.m. at The Cave, Buffalo, NY. $10

Michael DeLano: A Night of Sad Songs

Sad songs by Pinegrove, Bon Iver, Joni Mitchell, Sun Kil Moon, Sufjan Stevans, The Mountain Goats, Alex G and more.

Friday, March 6, 9 p.m. at Black Dots, Buffalo, NY. $10

New Hollow & The Band Light

Friday, March 6, 7 p.m. doors at Buffalo Iron Works, Buffalo, NY. $19.59

Tiger Chung Lee

Friday, March 6, 8 p.m. at Jack Rabbit, Buffalo, NY. $10

The Strictly Hip

Friday, March 6, 8 p.m. at The 9th Ward in Babeville, Buffalo, NY. $25

Keb’ Mo’

Saturday, March 7, 7 p.m. doors at Asbury Hall in Babeville, Buffalo, NY. SOLD OUT

Owl Lounge, The Rusty Hinges (acoustic Gates of Steel), Pretty Good State University

Saturday, March 7, 7 p.m. at The Lounge at Revolution Gallery, Buffalo, NY. $10

Tchaikovsky Meets Elfman

Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m. at Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY. $17.50+

Pocketship

Saturday, March 7, 8 p.m. at Molly Maguires, South Buffalo, NY. FREE

Tribute to Shane MacGowan & The Pogues: Crikwater wsg/Larry Kremer, Jim Wynne, Johnny Hart and Yellow Jack, Captain Tom & The Hooligans, The Travesties, & McCarthyizm

Saturday, March 7, 8 p.m. at Sportsmens Tavern, Buffalo, NY. $20

Buffalo Dead All Stars

Wednesday, March 11, 7 p.m. at Sportsmens Tavern, Buffalo, NY. $10

Buffalo Chamber Players presents “Music of the Americas”

Wednesday, March 11, 6:30 p.m. doors at Asbury Hall in Babeville, Buffalo, NY. $28/$32

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Live Nation/Ticketmaster in the hot seat (at least for now), some outstanding low-dough gigs on offer locally, a bevy of new shows announced and this week’s picks!

New and Noteworthy

This week…

Buffalo Dead All Stars

Coming up…

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