Hip-hop concert news

LL Cool J will rock the bells with tour of hip-hop royalty coming to DFW

LL Cool J, The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and more will perform at Dickies Arena on August 24.

LL Cool J Facebook

Rapper LL Cool J will embark on his first headline arena tour in 30 years, called "Rock The Bells & Live Nation Urban Presents The F.O.R.C.E. (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy) Live," which includes one stop in North Texas - at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena on Thursday, August 24.

LL Cool J will be headliner of the tour, but the tour will be hip-hop heavy with a lineup personally selected by the iconic performer. The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Z-Trip will collaborate on performances at each stop, and the bill will also include a rotating cast of big-name acts.

The Fort Worth concert will include Rakim, Big Boi, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Juvenile, Goodie Mob, and MC Lyte. Other cities will see performances from Salt-N-Pepa, Queen Latifah, Common, Method Man & Redman, Ice T, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, De La Soul, Jadakiss, Rick Ross, and more.

The tour is building off of the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop celebration that took place at the Grammy Awards earlier this year. Unlike the traditional “opening act – headliner” format, the show will be a nonstop musical mash up with artist performances interwoven within one continuous musical set backed by The Roots.

Kicking off in Boston on June 25, the tour will travel to 24 cities over the course of two+ months, including a stop in Houston on August 25.

Verizon will offer customers an exclusive presale for the tour in the U.S. through Verizon Up. Customers will have access to presale tickets for select shows beginning Tuesday, April 25 at 12 pm through Thursday, April 27 at 10 pm.

Citi cardmembers will also have access to presale tickets for select shows beginning Tuesday, April 25 at 12 pm through Thursday, April 27 at 10 pm through the Citi Entertainment program.

On Thursday, April 27 between 10 am-10 pm, fans may purchase tickets through either the Live Nation presale, Ticketmaster presale, or local venue and radio presales. General on-sale kicks off on Friday, April 28 at 10 am.

TOUR DATES

6/25 Boston, MA TD Garden
6/27 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
6/28 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
6/29 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
7/1 Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
7/2 Washington, DC Capital One Arena
7/4 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
7/6 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
7/8 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
7/9 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
8/12 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
8/13 Chicago, IL United Center
8/18 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
8/19 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
8/20 Indianapolis, IN Gainbridge Fieldhouse
8/22 Memphis, TN FedExForum
8/23 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
8/24 Ft. Worth, TX Dickies Arena
8/25 Houston, TX Toyota Center
8/27 Albuquerque, NM Sandia Casino Amphitheater
8/29 Denver, CO Ball Arena
9/1 San Francisco, CA Chase Center
9/2 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
9/3 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum

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RIP Mark

Colorful Dallas musician and DJ Mark Ridlen passes away at 65

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Mark Ridlen RIP

A bright and colorful light in Dallas' music scene went out: Mark Ridlen, DJ and musician, passed away on November 17, following a bout with cancer; he was 65.

From his appearance in Ron Howard’s 1978 directorial debut, Cotton Candy, to his groups Quad Pi, Lithium X-mas, and a plethora of side projects with scores of DFW musicians, to his full-time job as a professional DJ under the moniker "DJ Mr. Rid," Ridlen had been a steady staple on the local creative scene.

He surfed pretty much every musical wave: from Dallas' epochal dance music scene in the early 80s, to punk rock to his role as one of Dallas' top DJs — the guy you called when you wanted your event to be cool and fun.

Ridlen had been quietly battling kidney and lung cancer for the past three years. Over the summer, he had his second kidney removed, which meant he was on dialysis treatment a couple times a week.

He remained upbeat, but according to friends of the family, two more tumors were recently found in his brain. His family and friends decided to forego further treatment and were by his side when he died.

He remained in demand until his passing. In May, he DJed a party at the Kessler Theater, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Starck Club, the legendary '80s dance music club designed by Philippe Starck, which had a huge influence on Dallas, and which Ridlen was part of.

He was invited to DJ at the Starck Club when it opened in 1984 and remained in that role until the club closed in 1989.

Reid mark ridlen Mark Ridlen (right) with close friend Reid RobiinsonFacebook

From there, he migrated to Expo Park, the underground neighborhood across from Fair Park where art and music ruled. His stints at XPO Lounge, Double Wide, and other neighborhood venues made him a staple in the community.

At the same time, he was a member of Lithium Xmas, a psychedelic art-rock band which he formed with acclaimed musicians Chris Merlick and Greg Synodis.

He was also a pop culture savant with a comprehensive knowledge of music, who balanced a low-key charm with a vibrant sense of style, whether it was a vivid pop-art tunic or a flashy sequinned jacket, he did it all with originality and panache.

In late August, a large circle of musicians and friends rallied to participate in a benefit for Ridlen, to help pay for his medical costs — a sweet indication of the high regard in which he was held.

“I do want people to know that I am not being slowed down by cancer,” Ridlen said at the time. “I'm ready to continue working. I have more-or-less a clean bill of health for the moment, and hopefully that doesn't change.”

Survivors include his mother Nancy and his brother David. A memorial service is in the works with details still to be announced.

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