Win a free Metric concert at your College or University!  Sign up here and whichever college or university gets the most votes, Metric will play a free show at your school later in the year!!  So tell all your friends to vote!!

989 The Drive played some awesome Alice In Chains music to finish off the summer vacation with our Alice In Chains Winning Weekend. Congratulations to Chris Braund, Paul Dumbleton and Jody Krainyk who won pairs of tickets for the AIC show September 18th at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto (plus hotel). Jody was extra-happy that she could get some time away from her cat!   Jody

The Drive presents Alexisonfire, December 12th at Stages. Jenn and I announced the show this morning at 7:10, then we mentioned that the Drive has Beat the Box Office tickets up for grabs. Here’s how that went: Jerry Sept 7

Many thanks to a happy Drive listener named Elizabeth, who just got back from seeing this great show after winning tickets on The Drive.

“City and Colour was amazing and Dallas Green is so humble and was just sweetly honored that the crowd would come to see him. In his own words “I wasn’t planning on saying anything tonight and just play but Holy Shit.” lol There were goosebumps moments and I have the links from the show to just a couple of songs that blew us away like Save Your Scissors and The Girl. And to end the show, with great awe to the crowd, Gord Downie came from back stage to join in “Sleeping Sickness.”

Thank you, thank you, thank you for an amazing night and if there is a chance to request anything by City and Colour to be played, it would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Andrew and Elizabeth Willey”

You’re very welcome!

The only thing I love more than music in LIVE music and you can’t beat summer festivals.  This weekend (Sat/Sun) I’m returning to my hometown of Montreal to see a relatively new festival: Osheaga!  Let’s start with the pronunciation…it’s OH-SHEE-AH-GA.  It’ll be my first time and I’m super-pumped.  How could you go wrong?  Some of the best classic and new alternative bands.  And, tickets are still available.  Let’s look at the facts:

• Montreal is one of the most beautiful cities in the world (and recently declared 2nd friendliest).  Check!
• It is only a three hour drive from Kingston.  Check!
• It falls on Ontario’s long civic weekend.  Check!
• At $120 for a two-day pass, it is unbelievably cheap.  Check!
• For fans of alternative music, the festival competes with some of the tops festivals around the world.  Check!

The music – Day One.

Cage the Elephant, Kingston’s Sarah Harmer, K’NAAN, Stars, Keane, Pavement, The National (I hear awesome things about this band), and one of the hottest bands Montreal’s Arcade Fire!

The music – Day Two.

Gaslight Anthem (love these guys), The Black Keys, Snoop Dogg, Metric (I know…AGAIN), legendary Sonic Youth, Devo (whip it real good), Deadmau5, and Weezer!

Where was this festival when I was growing up?  Montreal doesn’t even have an alternative radio station.  Now, if only we could get it to travel…Kingston anyone?  How about we start a facebook group?

Cheers, Reid!

For a limited time: Concert tickets will be Fee Free! Live Nation is dropping their service fees for June! They say that it covers nearly 8 million tickets, more than 700 shows and 110 artists. Sounds cool but before you get wicked excited, it doesn’t cover that many in Canada, but at least it does include the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre! So if you haven’t gotten your tickets yet for:

• Dave Matthews
• The Flaming Lips with Tokyo Police Club
• Metric
• Jack Johnson
• Sting
• Lilith (Possibly with Emily Fennell)
• Kings of Leon
• Green Day and AFI
• City and Colour and Tegan and Sara
• Yo Gabba Gabba (!?)
• Or Alice In Chains with Deftones

You’ll save about $12-$13 off the average ticket. If the shows aren’t already sold out.
For the full list, and to save money, check out Live Nation.com.

This week’s classic “Simon the Angry Sales Rep” rant was inspired by a few concerts at the K.R.C.  The rule of thought is…don’t wear the band your watching’s concert T-shirt at the show.  Simon feels the same way and this is what he has to say about it!

 Angry_Sales_Rep-ConcertTs

To hear more of Simon’s rants listen Wednesday Nights at 8:45 with the Brain.

Congratulations to all of our Winners Who Beat the Box Office for Daniel Wesley Tickets!!!

Friday: Congratulations Joe! Our LAST Winner to Beat the Box Office for Daniel Wesley!

Joe Stewart – Beat the Box

Thursday:  Bryan O’neil was our winner this morning for Beat the Box Office Tickets to see Daniel Wesley!

Brian O’Neil – Beat the Box

Wednesday: Congrats to Mindee who went “Over and Beyond” to sing for Daniel Wesley! (Heads up,  she’s a personal trainer).

Mindee – Beat the Box 

Tuesday: Congrats our Winner Zach who Beat the Box Office on Tuesday!

Zach – Beat the Box

Monday: Congrats to Rob Seaby who sang his way in to Beat the Box Office for Daniel Wesley Tickets on the Morning Rush!   

Beat the Box- Rob

Daniel Wesley at Time to Laugh on June 25th!

Tickets are on Sale… get yours at Brian’s Record Option, The Jungle, Sunrise Records and TicketBreak.com.

The scoop on Metallica’s big 2011 plans and the new Against Me! record after the jump, but first…

Jack White has revealed that he recently recorded a new song with Jay-Z.

The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather man confirmed that the pair had hooked up for the collaboration, but wouldn’t reveal when, or if, it would be released. (more…)

Here’s a concert review from Colleen, one of our many Ticket-Palooza winners!

Hi Guys,

Thank you so much.  What more can I say!  The concert was an awesome evening.  The place was packed.  Wonderful venue.  We immediately made it for the balcony (the only seated area) and got ready for the show.  Our view was amazing!  The backup band was great.  The bassist and drummer were high energy.  As Tall As A Lion, from New York they said.  Cage the Elephant was unbelievable.  Matt is the most high energy performer I have ever seen on stage.  Hi energy doesn’t even describe what he puts into a performance.  The crowd fed off it.  He was constantly throwing himself into the crowd, surfing the waves.  The music – the best.  Matt (lead singer of Cage the Elephant) was surfing the crowd, starting out walking on their hands then down to a swim position, across the crowd.  We stood and waved him on from the balcony.  He gave us the thumbs up.  He swam the crowd to the sound cables and crawled up those to us in the balcony.  We met him first then.  Everyone was leaving and I didn’t feel like fighting the crowds.  There was Matt.  We made our way over and talked with him.  He was exhausted but very approachable.  I explained how I won the tickets from 98.9 the Drive in Kingston, Ontario.  Also went on the say that Kingston would absolutely love for them to play at the new KRC.  We chit chatted for a bit, got him to autograph our ticket stubs.  He thought it was awesome that we came from Kingston.  Then it was off to locate the coats and head on out.  Who would have thought that tickets to see Cage the Elephant at the Phonenix would result in all of that.  I love small venues!!!  Way too much fun. We are definitely going to be talking about that concert for a long time. 

Again, thanks 98.9 for the opportunity and the chance of a lifetime.

Colleen Balint
Caller 9
That one lucky day!