Forget the lame Christmas carols, and the 8 feet of snow we will probably get this upcoming winter, yours truly has to find a way to have some fun in the semi-frozen tundra of Detroit. Your wallet (and credit cards) will doubtless start feeling the pinch in December, and sitting with the in-laws through holidays might be enough to make you snap; but you have to enjoy yourself, right?

Well, if you have a little room on your Visa, plenty of shows will be heading to Detroit this winter. The big outdoor shows of summer seem like a distant memory now, as smaller venues and more ravenous fans will take over the concert scene.

With the winter concert season running from the middle of November through February, the options will be plentiful as Detroit heats up on the inside only. Here are some of the more notable shows (and of course, my comments) of the winter of 2006-2007:

November:

• Rise Against/Thursday (Nov. 15th, State Theatre)- The two Warped veterans will send all of the kids in tight jeans and 4 dollar tshirts into a frenzy with their politically fueled alt-rock.
• Panic! At The Disco (Nov. 21, The Palace): Panic! At the Palace: This band is jumping a massive jump from the State Theatre, to the Palace in only 4 months. Is the band’s ego and plans becoming more than they can chew? At least Bloc Party will open, and give them a run for their money.
• +44 (Nov. 22nd, St. Andrew’s Hall): Remember when Travis Barker wouldn’t talk in interviews? In the past year, he’s had a reality show and was number 2,039 on Paris Hilton’s list of celebrities that she’s had sex with. God, I wish he’d go back to being a drummer… At least they sound a little better than Angels and Airwaves.
• Wolfmother (Nov. 24th, Majestic Theatre): It’s official, by selling 12 copies this week, Wolfmother will now sell more copies than Jet’s second album, making them the hottest Australian import for two months, until the next hyped Aussie band shows us their inner AC/DC.
• Dirty South Invasion (Nov. 24th, Cobo Arena): Young Buck, Yung Joc and a bunch of other Young somethings hit Cobo for a show that showcases all of the crap in hip-hop today. What? Lil Jon wasn’t available or anything?
• Guns n Roses (Nov. 25th, Palace): Any one want to take bets on what time Axl shows up on stage? If it’s anytime before 11:30, you are already out of the running. Everybody knows that Axl has to get his Botox injections at 9:30, and his daily cornrow styling at 10pm. Hell, it could take a while…
• Tenacious D (Nov. 25th, Masonic Temple): Hey Jack Black! Way to go on your first date in 5 years in Detroit. Now, mind moving it to another night, so it’s not on the same night as Guns n Roses? And I am still trying to figure out if their upcoming movie is going to be the next “Borat” or the next “Kiss Meets the Phantom in the Park”.

December:

• Aerosmith and Hinder (Dec. 1, Joe Louis Arena): Is Aerosmith making up for the fact that it was freakin’ snowing and there were 50 mile hour winds when they played DTE in October? That or Steven Tyler needs to start making money for his looming divorce settlement.

  Killers of Comedy (Dec. 1, Majestic Theatre): If you are a fan of the Howard Stern show, you are gonna love it. If you listen to “Drew and Mike” instead, you’ll have no clue who these guys even are. Take my word for it, this will be pretty damn funny.

• Killswitch Engage w/ Hatebreed (Two Shows: Dec. 9th at Headliners-Toledo, and Dec. 12 at the Machine Shop-Flint): The secondary markets will get two shots at one of the best metal bands out their today. Shadows Fall bailed off the tour, in order to finish their new album. I am starting to think this is gonna take as long as “Chinese Democracy” to come out. At least Hatebreed will show up instead…
• The Night 89x Stole Christmas featuring My Chemical Romance (Dec. 14th- Cobo Arena)- It is looking like My Chemical Romance could transcend the genre that they came out of. Angels and Airwaves only wishes they could do that; but no one was paying attention because everyone fell asleep during their CD.
• Disturbed w/ Stone Sour (Dec. 16th- Cobo Arena): The Music Is A Weapon tour hits Detroit once again, right before Christmas. This lineup (including Flyleaf and Nonpoint) seems like a rehash of OzzFest and Family Values combined. Even though Stone Sour was all right live, who would I have to (fill in the blank) off to get a new Slipknot record?
• Bob Seger (Dec. 20, 22, 28 and 30th, Palace): After his grating rendition of “America The Beautiful” during the World Series, Seger is hitting Detroit for four of the biggest shows of the year. I am sure there is going to be more shows added as well to the current list of dates, seeing how Seger played 6 Palace shows in 1996. Get your tickets now, because at the rate Seger is going, he will be 72 before his next tour.

February 2007

• Incubus (Feb. 2, State Theatre): Don’t know much about this show yet. But my question is, will Incubus try to make nice with the fans after the ultra-political “A Crow Left of the Murder”? By the talk of some fans, the crow should never been anywhere near the murder.
• Rock Star: Supernova (Feb. 5th, Fox Theatre): So, Jason Newsted is now hurt and will not participate in the tour based off the semi-popular TV show. Somehow, I think Newstead realized what he was doing and pulled a fake injury. Jason, I am glad you finally saw the light and won’t put your name on this mockery of music.

So, those are just a few of the shows coming to Detroit in the next few months. If you are looking for an excuse to make it to show, and your partner or spouse is nagging you about it, here are a list of random excuses:

“I gotta do something after Michigan/ Ohio State week”

“Desperate Housewives is really overrated this season”

“I just found out that Deal Or No Dead is hosted by Howie Mandel: Yep, that Howie Mandel”

“Homework can wait until after Christmas”.

“Honey, I spent this week’s entire paycheck on Aerosmith tickets, and not groceries; can you please forgive me?”.

There are plenty more excuses in my bag of tricks, but you'll have to pay me to get the rest of them. Happy Concertgoing.

Email me at arthatesyou@detroitbuzz.com with your questions, slams, rants, or raves.

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