In mentioning Jay Z, numbers that account his net worth may come to mind. Conversations may spark of the "Illuminati" conspiracy, or the relationship idealization and fascination of many for him and the well-adored Beyoncé. Shawn Carter, a man of many names, is much more than the trending topical tweets. Although his most recent album release, Magna Carta Holy Grail, had mixed reviews, it remains a consensus that he continues as a talented, motivated and legendary icon in the game. Jay Z, above all things, is a true artist, an innovator.

Tonight, he will make a stop at the First Niagara Center for his Magna Carter World Tour. Along with him will be Timbaland, who had a significant part in the production of the album.

To capture the feel of MCHG, as a product of his album's release, he held a 6-hour performance piece at Pace Gallery in New York City. Surrounded by artists, actors, students, poets, art dealers, filmmakers, youngsters and designers, he performed "Picasso Baby" on a platform while interacting with the crowd. Some would sit individually on the bench as he would perform to them; in some cases, they would switch and Jay Z would watch them display their own form of artistry.

"Rap is pretty much thinking out loud. You're talking, and you're putting your fears and your vulnerabilities, and you're putting bravado, your insecurities, all on music. And it's there for the world to see. You're really giving a glimpse into who you are," he said.

The album is sprinkled with plenty of art references, which Complex Magazine cleverly broke down, to the lyric.

In the "Picasso Baby" video, Hov said, "Concerts are pretty much performance art, but the venues change. And just by nature, the venues, the performance change ... So you get to feel the energy of the people. In a concert, especially a large concert, all that energy comes to you ... what do you do with that energy? So today, it's kind of an exchange..." Tonight, that exchange will occur, right here in the Queen City.

The First Niagara Center is all of the sudden the hub in Buffalo from some of music's heavy hitters, between late 2013's Drake show and the upcoming Jay Z and Justin Timberlake shows early this year. Add Lady Gaga to that list now. The mega pop singer has announced the very-likely-to-be over the top tour, titled "ArtRave: The ARTPOP Ball," and the tour include a stop at the First Niagara Center on Monday, July 7th. She will be on tour to support her underwhelming ARTPOP album. While prices are not yet available, tickets go on sale this Monday, January 13th, at 10am through all Live Nation outlets.

The sound of modern R&B has changed over the past few years with artists like The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and How to Dress Well making pop-centric records with a relatable narrative and moody, sometimes ethereal production that sonically feels breath of fresh air for a genre that has often been characterized by recycling and over-using the same formulas. Los Angeles singer Miguel is a perfect example of this stylistic shift as his debut LP All I Want Is You was a solid, radio-ready R&B album but did little to distinguish itself in terms of creative flair. After seeking to reintroduce himself artistically, the singer's 2012 sophomore album, Kaleidoscope Dream, was praised by critics for its' incorporation of psychedelic rock as well as funk and soul elements and highly detailed, eclectic production aesthetic that managed to feel highly personal and true to the genre's soulful tradition.

The merger between the electronic and indie world and R&B continues to be one of the most interesting collaborative trends in recent years, sparking a creative conversation that seems to allow for the personality behind each to come across naturally. Miguel will be in Buffalo tonight at the First Niagara Center to open for Drake's "Would You Like A Tour?" along with Future. Show starts at 7pm, tickets are still available and can be purchased here.

Tonight, Drake takes the stage at Neitzsche's. Just kidding, but that would be awesome. Even typing "Drake" and "Neitzsche's" in the same sentence was a great time. He'll be at the First Niagara Center tonight, and if my friends have any sort of credibility, he will put on a great show. I've never been a huge fan of high-profile rap shows, owing largely to an experience I had at a horrendous Jurassic 5 show when I was in high school, but his studio shit is mostly top-notch and even though his latest album didn't do much for me, his catalog is solid and he's too committed to mail-in a concert. It'll be a great show if you give it a chance.

Doors open at 7, and Drake goes on at god knows when. Miguel and Future open. Tickets are still on sale for $65-$115, depending on how much money you are trying to spend.

Production/Rap pair Macklemore and Ryan Lewis will be playing at the First Niagara Center tonight alongside Talib Kweli and Big K.R.I.T. The duo achieved notoriety for their breakthrough hit "Thrift Shop" two summers ago, a music video which most of you have probably seen via YouTube, featuring Macklemore parading around a club, a parking lot, and a thrift shop in hilariously outrageous second-hand attire. Shortly afterwards their second album, The Heist, was released in October and met with very popular acclaim, reaching #1 on the iTunes hours upon debut. They have continued to create thunderously witty and energetic music videos ("Same Love," "And We Danced," "Can't Hold Us," etc) and live, their music proves to be all the more contagious. See for yourself, tonight - tickets range from $58 to $99 on StubHub. Catch you there.

1996, 2003, 2010, and most recently, 2013 (October 12, to be exact) are the years that Pearl Jam had performed in Buffalo. Of the four shows, last night was the only one to not close with "Yellow Ledbetter." Instead, "Indifference" was the final song of a three song encore, 2 hour and 45 minute performance. It was also the only time they played without an opener (the open time slot may have given the band more room for themselves, but from a concert go-ers standpoint, I would’ve taken a Carrie Brownstein band over extra time in the vendor lines.

Eddie riled up the crowd just a few songs in by using his best SNL introduction voice, “Live from Buffalo, it's Saturday Night”. His wino generosity was on full display as he handed out multiple bottles throughout the evening to celebrate with the audience. The band played nine new songs last night off the anticipated Lightning Bolt, scheduled for release this Tuesday. I for one can’t even think of a time where I saw a band play anywhere close to nine songs off an album prior to its release. It was bold, and during the two slower acoustic songs during the first encore, the audience either lost its energy surge or went idle for a moment to gather enough strength for a strong finish. Eddie after back-to-back, vocally straining songs, "Mind Your Manners" and "Do the Evolution," called an audible, and strayed off the setlist path in order to properly pace himself. Eddie’s vocals sounded astoundingly good towards the first half of the set, perhaps due to this only being the second show of the tour thus far.

The entire gang was there, and with a newly organized energy, often huddling around Matt Cameron who executed his duties to near perfection. This wasn’t the same Matt who raced through set lists in the past: his role has changed and he now seems to be the unnamed captain. Of the six (including Boom), Mike McCready was last night's all-star. He makes old, tired songs sound new with alternate renditions, blazing energy and a way to connect with the audience very few guitarists can match. In the past, McCready came off to some as a guitar prodigy-type show off, but he really seemed to be in the moment, more than any of the others, last night. McCready shared his time before and after the concert with fans, and nearly set his guitar into flames at one point with ferocious speed during "Even Flow," perhaps to challenge all the air guitarists in the audience in an effort to keep up. The band wisely chose to play choices from their earlier releases up until the album Riot Act, which is a reasonably affordable cut off point, most loyal followers would agree. The earlier back catalog songs didn’t necessarily make you feel as if you were reliving the 90’s: and at some points (especially during "Once" and "State of Love and Trust") seemed to, dare to say, be going through the motions.

Eddie no longer climbs ceiling beams nor has the same youthful disdain as he did in his younger days, and everyone can agree that this isn’t to be expected at this point of his career. I do believe however that the sentimental value attached to such powerhouses can be pushed just as well as the hits, which were performed flawlessly and, to what it seemed like, everyone’s satisfaction.

High Points including their performances of "Rats," "Present Tense," and "Elderly Woman," where the band kindly considered the rear audience and played facing them. Low points were the crowd chanting Maple Leaf cheers and U-S-A to rival.

The band is approaching 23 years since the release of their debut album, Ten. It's certainly been nothing short of enthralling to be on such a journey with easily one the most admirable bands today. There is nothing contrived about Pearl Jam, and Eddie has to be the most esteemed front man in rock music history. They don’t need image, attitude, gimmicks or marketing schemes to hold the throne. This is what makes Pearl Jam absolutely pivotal, even today.

Lightning Bolt, lyrically, could be Ed’s career highlight and artistically the most diverse the band has ventured. "Sirens," the album's second single, perfectly captures this. “Oh, it’s a fragile thing, this life we lead, if I think too much, I can’t get over. When by the graces, by which we live our lives with death over our shoulders. Want you to know, that should I go, I always loved you, held you high above too. I studied your face, the fear goes away.” Lifelong fans have went on a ride starting with teenage animosity, to overcoming loss and grief. The fear does go away and collectively Pearl Jam made it easier. This cannot be said about any other group from what could end up being as the last influential period of rock and roll.

Fun Facts:
Eddie shared a story about how the song “I Got Shit” came to be. He and Neil Young were in the studio and Neil mentioned that they had nine songs total for the album Mirror Ball. Neil said to Eddie, "How many do you got?" Eddie responded, “I got shit.” For such a seemingly thrown together song, it certainly came out fantastically well. I personally requested Pearl Jam play that song on the ten club forums, as I’ve heard from other die hards that the band views it from time to time to gather ideas to select from their extensive catalog. Who knows if that had anything to actually do with it, but its not hard to imagine.

Eddie commented on how cool looking the classic Sabres logo is. Undoubtedly this form of flattery still will not provide any positive momentum for this year's season.

Crowd-riding was back in action again at the First Niagara Center. Fans wore shirts ranging from fictitious bands such as Citizen Dick, to Metallica’s Metal up your Ass, to Clutch and the expected array of 90’s “grunge-era” essentials.

What's there to say that hasn't already been said about Pearl Jam? Rock royalty, survivors of grunge, a rabid fanbase which never seems to stop growing, twenty plus years of consistency and innovation, a Cameron Crowe-directed documentary, and the list goes on and on and on. Put simply, Pearl Jam is a band you know, and if you are a fan you've probably seem them live. Just in case you haven't they are playing tonight at First Niagara Center (7:30pm, $69). I'm one of the few to say I haven't and that's a shame. I hear they're pretty amazing live.

With his comeback year in full swing, one that included a brief and overhyped reunion of 'N Sync at this year's VMAs that seemed to cause every 20-30 something woman in my twitter feed to lose their minds, pop icon Justin Timberlake has announced a massive world tour that will include a stop at the First Niagara Center in downtown Buffalo on Sunday, February 22nd. Timberlake's second release of 2013, The 20/20 Experience Part 2, the darker twin to his spring released Part 1, is set to drop on September 30th. Tickets are set to go on sale this Monday at noon. While prices are not yet announced, expect them to be a shit load.

Update: Prices are confirmed $47.50, $97.50, and the always affordable $177.50.

Looks like I spoke too soon on our recent lull in show announcements. Early, next year, Jay-Z will make a stop in Buffalo on January 30th at the First Niagara Center. The hip hop icon will be on tour to support his latest, the much hyped and sort of just OK Magna Carta Holy Grail. The album seemed to get a bit lost in the HUGENESS that was Kayne West's Yeezus upon it's release, but this is your chance to make up for it as Kayne's tour doesn't include a Buffalo stop. Tickets can be purchased beginning Thursday, September 12th, ranging from $39.50 to the very reasonable $125.50....

Being born in 1984, I was a bit too young to really appreciate a couple things. One being the Bills' historic Super Bowl run of futility, and maybe that's a good thing. The second was grunge. Had I been a few years older, then maybe, but I was lucky enough to come of age during the reign of Dave Matthews Band (ugh) and the nostalgia of the genre never really pulled me in. No matter. I do understand the genre's importance though, which I don't need to get into in it's entirety here. It pretty much killed hair metal (thanks alot!) but it's demise kind of allowed the gansta rap to emerge (thanks alot...) Anyways, you know the major players:  Nirvana, Mudhoney, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam.

Speaking of Pearl Jam, they just announced a major U.S. tour beginning this fall, running into December, and Buffalo is batting second. This ends the mysterious countdown that the band had featured on their website since the beginning of the month. Eddie Vedder and crew will roll through town on October 12th with a return appearance at the First Niagara Center. Prices and on-sale date are not yet available, and if this was any other band, I would suggest starting to save now as that $50 Black Keys ticket you got for tonight could certainly look like a bargain. BUT, Pearl Jam has always hated Ticketmaster, and they tend to try to keep their ticket costs at a reasonable price. Anyways, good luck.

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."

Oh I absolutely hold with Yeasayer on that. This is the month for sticking it to those mother____ers, and we were definitely doing that Thursday night at the FNC as Roger Waters and his magical band mounted The Wall for the sensory overloaded enjoyment of an insanely appreciative Buffalo audience. Indeed, we got our minds blown for a wonderful cause, and for that, and for coming to Buffalo again, I profoundly thank Roger Waters. Thanks, man.

Tonight, Roger Waters brings The Wall back to Buffalo for an encore performance of his legendary multimedia rock opus at the First Niagara Center. Pink Floyd fans all over the world rejoiced when Roger announced that he'd be bringing The Wall back for another round of shows this year in arenas and baseball stadiums, and this frankly shocking Buffalo show will almost certainly be your last chance to see The Wall performed live by Roger or anybody else in Pink Floyd again (if the Floyd were to reunite for shows, it's highly doubtful that they'd be doing The Wall, from their most contentious period). Also exciting is word that Roger's tweaked the show for this 2012 go around, so even return customers will get to see something different. That said, anticipation and expectations are high for this art/rock spectacle. The show starts promptly at 8, and tickets (of the expensive variety) are still available. They're totally worth it.

Just announced, AVICII's: "The Worlds First-Ever Electronic Dance Music All Arena Tour," is making a stop in Buffalo at the First Niagara Center. Grammy-nominated DJ and producer AVICII is ready to bring his club anthems on the road with the AVICII - LE7ELS tour.  Huge ups to Factory Nightlife for bringing this monster of a tour to our fair city.  Expect massive sound and unforgettable remixes during what is to be one of the biggest dance parties of the summer. The gig is on June 20th and tickets go on sale March 26th at noon via Factory Nightlife's site.  Don't miss out on this one!