NO DOUBT TOUR-5/28/2009 Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion

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Concert Review: No Doubt - Fiddler's Green, Denver,

Article Author: Michael Bialas

With a high-profile marriage, two kids, rock megastar status and a successful fashion line, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe Gwen Stefani when she sings “I’m just a girl.”

But the sold-out crowd for the May 27 No Doubt show at Fiddler’s Green bought it, so what’s the problem? On a pleasant night at the 16,000-plus-seat venue just south of Denver, where the estrogen flowed as freely as the energy, Stefani was the embodiment of female empowerment.

Judging by the many female tweens, teens, and more mature Gwen wannabes in attendance, this no longer is “a man’s world.” And now that Madonna has turned 50, it’s time for The Material Girl to



pass on her royal crown as ruler of the magic kingdom. Gwen (below), who’ll turn 40 on Oct. 3, is the new Rock ‘N’ Roll Queen, but just one of three attractive and powerful women who took center stage this night.

Paramore’s Hayley Williams and The Sounds’ Maja Ivarsson were also in the house, fronting their respective bands during short but appealing sets. They paved the way for Stefani’s first appearance with No Doubt in Denver since a performance in the cozier Denver Coliseum on November 6, 2002, during their formidable Rock Steady tour.

The SoCal group, also including guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young, officially began this reunion tour May 16 in Las Vegas and will continue as one of the hottest acts of the summer until at least Aug. 11-12, when they are scheduled to perform in Honolulu



No telling what will happen after that. Stefani’s story (and she’s sticking to it) is the group decided to come together in order to find time to write and record a new album. That might be a remarkable accomplishment even for this Wonder Woman, who is trying to do it all while raising her 3- and not-quite-1-year-old boys while hubby Gavin Rossdale plays elsewhere during a scaled-down and far less-ambitious tour.

After a five-year absence, during which Stefani started a family and kicked a solo career into high gear, the band returned looking and sounding better than ever. While Young’s appearance (bare chest, heavy makeup and a gelled Mohawk) remains full-on flaky, Stefani, Dumont (right) and Kanal were resplendent in white-hot attire matching a well-designed and wide-open-spaces stage that allowed


for a lot of running, high-kicking, and group calisthenics. Near the end of the 90-minute show, before performing “Just A Girl,” Stefani even dropped down and gave the audience eight solid pushups, proving she’s still in amazing shape. No Doubt about that.

There was no fresh material – unless you consider a cover of Adam and the Ants’ “Stand and Deliver” new. But the familiar hits (“Spiderwebs,” “Simple Kind of Life,” “Hey Baby,” “Don’t Speak”) and occasional misses (“End It On This,” “Different People”) were bolstered by a powerful sound system, some creative and colorful videos (that sometimes served as a huge backdrop of nostalgia) and the group’s seemingly endless amount of energy. Not bad for a bunch of almost- or (in Dumont’s case) already-fortysomethings.

Stefani constantly stalked the stage, taking only two brief breaks for costume changes. The first came during the instrumental “Guns of Navarone,” which provided a showcase for percussionists/horn players/unofficial members Stephen Bradley and Gabe McNair, who strutted their stuff and lent some swanky ska and stylin’ funk to the event.



Yet, it was the still-smoking Stefani nearly everyone came to see. Her pretty blond hair bundled up in a series of complex braids, the fashion icon added some color to her all-white ensemble, taking off her classy jacket to reveal a neon green bra with straps that often were visible underneath her tank top tee. She first returned with a sequined black-and-white checkerboard outfit with black tights, then, for the three-song encore, a cute and glittery polo shirt with two-toned pants and sporty white boots.



Gwen (with Kanal, above left) and the guys, already hugely popular as Grammy-winning and multi-platinum selling artists before the hiatus, have apparently cleaned up their act.

Well, except for Young, who was good-naturedly called out by Stefani. “Adrian,” she asked early on, “Is this where you got arrested in the snow?” The tattletale went on to say the incident happened during a previous band visit to Colorado because the often scantily clothed drummer “was a little bit warm in the van, so he decided to go outside in the snow without any clothes.”


Young (right) provided comedy relief this night, too, parading around during the “Stand and Deliver” encore with a snare drum, tutu and world-champion Lakers T-shirt, the latter certainly worn to incite the hometown fans who didn’t care enough about their Nuggets to stay home and watch the crucial Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. Bradley countered by wearing a No. 7 Chauncey Billups Nuggets jersey.

For better or worse, Stefani no longer is the foul-mouthed beach blanket bingo babe with an attitude. Gentle Gwen speaks fondly of spending off days with her kids at the aquarium, introduces her parents in the audience, continually thanks the adoring audience and displays an enriched voice with passionate feeling. Maybe a renewed sense of being brings a different meaning to the lyrics of a song such as “Simple Kind of Life,” which she dedicated to her sons Kingston and Zuma.

The wild child of the Eighties might be long gone but this “Hey Baby” Mama hopefully is here to stay. Welcome back, Gwen, or as they liked to say back in the day, “You go girl.”



Gabe McNair


Adrian Young and Gwen Stefani have a laugh while Tom Dumont, Gabe McNair and Tony Kanal take their final bows at Fiddler's Green south of Denver, May 27, 2009.


Adrian Young, Gwen Stefani, Tom Dumont, Gabe McNair take a bow at the end of No Doubt's show at Fiddler's Green, May 27, 2009.


Stephen Bradley, playing with No Doubt at Fiddler's Green, May 27, 2009, wears a No. 7 Chauncey Billups jersey in honor of the Nuggets, who played the Lakers in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals that night.



Extras
• For news, concert dates and more, go to No Doubt’s website or MySpace page.
• See a video of No Doubt performing “Spiderwebs during a recent appearance on NBC’s Today show.
• See more concert photos of No Doubt, Paramore and The Sounds from Fiddler’s Green here

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KINGSTON ROSSDALE

utahtib
Gwen had everyone sing 'Happy Birthday' to Kingston at the 5-25-09 SLC show because it getting close to midnight. She took his headphones off so he could hear then he covered his ears. Super cute. ...

evilpixy

No Doubt’s new pop ex-ska-vaganza is its best show ever

posted by Ben Wener

Thursday night, 24 hours before No Doubt would play only its third proper show since launching its first tour in five years, I finally found out after weeks of asking that I would indeed have a ticket to review the band’s first Southern California stop, at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in Chula Vista.

Thanks to the good people at Atlantic Records, that is, who are eager to see their ND-influenced band Paramore get plenty of attention on this ginormous outing, certainly one of the hottest tickets of summer.

The next day, however, 30 minutes before I was about to hop on I-5 and lurch along in stop-and-go traffic for four hours, I learned in a polite e-mail that said ticket had been taken away.

Don’t ask me why, I couldn’t tell you –- though it probably still has something to do with this not-exactly-pleasant column from two years ago, or this behind-the-scenes follow-up. To say the Register has had a love/hate relationship with the most popular band to ever emerge from Orange County is putting it mildly.

I ruffled feathers by loathing their Tragic Kingdom homecoming in ’97 at the Pond -– but I remain a big fan of Return of Saturn and absolutely loved Rock Steady and the tour that ensued in ’01-’02. I got a sticky-sweet rush out of Gwen Stefani’s first solo pop confection -– but I despised her reunion-delaying second disc and its wide-eyed autobiographical centerpiece “Orange County Girl.” I thought she was convincingly Madonna-esque in her Hollywood Bowl debut in ‘05 — and I thought she was utterly delightful at Verizon in summer ’07 when she wrapped her solo touring (for now) and briefly reteamed with Tom, Tony and Adrian during encores.

I like to think I approach her/them fairly, digesting each new move as its own feast and then judging -– just like any other critic would. I’d also like to think any bad blood would be water under the bridge at this point.


But now I’m left wondering just who it is in the No Doubt camp –- their label, their management, Gwen and the guys themselves –- that didn’t want me to trek down to San Diego to see what a terrifically impressive performance they gave Friday night before 19,000 shrieking, ecstatic fans.

I’d hope you (and they) would know my rants and raves well enough to realize I’d never kiss their derrieres just to get in their good graces. Honestly, after this last-minute lock-out, which left me driving to nowhere wondering if I’d get in … well, that can leave even the most balanced scribe eager to tear his subject apart.

Not that I had the slightest trouble once I arrived in Chula. Pulled into VIP parking for $20, closest to the venue just in case I’d only be able to hear what went on, then I strolled toward the box office and instantly scored a pit ticket for $86, a mere $12 over face value. I’d probably have paid more in Ticketmaster fees if I had purchased it the proper way.

As Paramore ripped into the third or fourth song of its aggressive yet tentative set –- so soon into the tour, they’re still a tad overwhelmed by the enormity of it all — I waltzed right up to a curiously unpacked pit and secured a spot left-of-center along the barrier. I wouldn’t have been this close if No Doubt’s publicist had comped me. (Forgive the sameness of my pics … I’m no photographer.)

Given all this prologue, believe me when I make this bold statement: Friday’s 19-song, roughly 90-minute set was so strong, in fact –- so crisply conceived and sharply executed, with one eye cast toward modern pop dazzle, the other toward traditionalism –- that I haven’t the slightest reservation in declaring this the best show I’ve ever seen No Doubt give in more than a decade of following the group.

“We’re just trying to get inspired,” Gwen said between “Hey Baby” and “Different People” midway into the set, reiterating the reason they opted not to hunker down in a studio all year to record a long-overdue follow-up to Rock Steady, but rather got back out on the road to re-energize themselves and see what their chemistry could yield as they enter their 40s. (Tom Dumont’s already there, at 41; Gwen and Adrian Young hit the big four-oh in October and August, respectively; and Tony Kanal’s only a year behind.)

They needn’t have worried about seeming rusty, however –- I’ve never heard them sound so rich and full and precise. What’s more, they’re already busy revamping and remixing. “Excuse Me Mr.” is now much snakier, subtly skanking across funky ’60s-soul horn blats. The soothing “Underneath It All” has been updated as well: its lulling reggae lilt now shifts to a wicked Jamaican proto-ska groove dappled with Caribbean flavors, so expertly executed it would make the Aggrolites jealous.

But it’s the stark, striking look of the show itself that really grabbed me.

With the entire thing played out in a black-and-white (mostly white) motif –- the only color comes from videos on a giant screen behind them, like the spy-noir go-go fun of “Ex-Girlfriend” or the then-to-now evolution footage aired during “Running” –- No Doubt has crafted a bright dazzler that superbly evokes the traditionalism they’ll never leave behind while elevating the group’s ska-rock aesthetic to a high level of class, with kudos due Gwen’s 2Tone-goes-L.A.M.B. attire. (Her entrance clothes, white pants and a tight-fitting white coat hiding a white wife beater, was standard Stefani gear. But her second outfit, a checkered and sequined harlequin get-up in short-shorts and black tights, made her look like the hottest diva the Selecter never had.)

Madness and the Specials and the English Beat would be proud to see the impeccable joy they’ve wrought –- and No Doubt itself should be applauded for so unabashedly returning to their roots and refreshing them with a decade of experience, wisdom and chops development. (“This song means so much more these days,” Gwen said of “A Simple Kind of Life.” You can tell how deeply heartfelt its achin’-to-be lyrics are now that she has little Kingston and Zuma.)

Hit after hit after sharply delivered hit –- from a menacing “Hella Good” to a jaunty “Bathwater” to ripping renditions of “Sunday Morning” and “New” and a beautifully belted “Don’t Speak,” with Gwen’s face in close-up the whole time on the video screen -– all suggested No Doubt is more than ready to move forward. They’ve never played so effortlessly, yet they’re hardly coasting; when Gwen fearlessly raced up to the lawn to get up and close with fans during “Just a Girl,” I could tell just how hard they’re trying to reconnect.

So soon into a comeback tour, and they’re already at the top of their game. “Feels good, yeah?” Gwen asked pretty early on, after one of the few non-smashes in the set list, “End It on This.”

She said it again, almost purring with happiness: “Feels gooooood.”

It does indeed, Gwen. Welcome back.

(No Doubt, with Paramore and the Sounds, returns to play July 22, 27-28 at Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk … July 31-Aug. 2 and Aug. 4 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, with Katy Perry joining on the last date … Aug. 5 at Santa Barbara Bowl … and a return to Cricket Wireless Amphitheater on Aug. 8.)

No Doubt at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater, Chula Vista, May 22, 2009
Main set: Spiderwebs / Hella Good / Underneath It All / Excuse Me Mr. / Ex-Girlfriend / End It on This / A Simple Kind of Life / Bathwater / New / Hey Baby / Running / Different People / Don’t Speak / It’s My Life / Just a Girl
Encore: Rock Steady / Stand and Deliver / Sunday Morning
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No Doubt is planning to have some fun

Posted by hvdnghia on May 27th, 2009

LOS ANGELES, California(CNN)

— If a kewpie doll sang in a band and had two kids, she’d be Gwen Stefani.

The pop star and style icon turns 40 this fall, but she still uses words like “you know” and “like” at least five times a minute. That’s part of Stefani’s charm, and her carefree teenybopper mentality is one of the many reasons fans are excited about her first tour with No Doubt in half a decade.

It’s been 14 years since the quartet busted out of Orange County, California, with its signature sound of sunny, ska-influenced pop. In 2004, No Doubt went on hiatus as Stefani launched the first of two successful solo albums. In the meantime, drummer Adrian Young and guitarist Tom Dumont worked on side projects and watched their families grow. Stefani and her husband — former Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale — welcomed two sons, while bassist Tony Kanal is the only member to remain single and child-free.

No Doubt is currently in the midst of a 53-date North American tour, for which they’ve dusted off such classic hits as “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs” and “Bathwater.” Each member now travels in their own individual tour bus — a must for an entourage that includes kids, toys and nannies.




CNN: You’d hear rumors every once in a while that you guys were breaking up, or had broken up. Were those annoying, or did you kind of roll your eyes and say, “That’s part of the game?”

Adrian Young: I think we expected it. And there might even be some people that will think that we broke up, and that this is a reunion tour — and it’s just not the truth. We went 17 straight years without stopping, and we started having families, and we were burnt and we needed to do our own thing for a while.

CNN: What was it like to get all four of you together in a room again?

Tom Dumont: It’s kind of like an old glove. It just fits.

Young: Like an O.J. glove?

Dumont: No, no, no. I know it’s a weird analogy, but in the sense of — you know, it fits.

Tony Kanal: You know when somebody says “glove” now, you immediately think of O.J.

Young: “If it fits, you must acquit.” That’s our band motto now.

Dumont: We’re not going to quit. We’re just great old friends. It’s almost like we’re brothers and sister, and it’s great to be having fun together again.

Young: I feel more like we’re married.

CNN: I hear it’s a little bit different this time. Instead of sharing a tour bus, you’ll each have your own individual buses.

Kanal: This will be our first time on separate buses, only out of necessity. Everyone’s bringing their family.

CNN: Are you just trying to get away from the kids, is that what you’re saying, Tony?!

Kanal: No, no, no! I would love to be on the bus with them.

Gwen Stefani: Tony’s going to be making kids on his bus.

Kanal: Yeah, maybe my girlfriend and I will be in the process of starting our family.

Stefani, Young and CNN (in unison): Really?!

Kanal (ignoring everybody’s reaction): But by default, I’m putting a studio on my bus. Because I don’t have a crib on my bus — they have cribs on their buses — I’m putting a studio on my bus so we can keep writing if the inspiration comes, and we feel like doing it.

Stefani: We’re just putting the studio out there so we can pretend we might go out there and write songs, but we’re really just going to have fun. … We like writing songs, as well [but] I have to tell you, it’s a very tortured process. There is nothing more rewarding when you know you’ve written a hit, and you know this magic happened.


CNN: Did you guys really go to group therapy?

Kanal: No. … We had some self-imposed therapy sessions where we were trying to write music, and we were sitting in the room together, and a lot of stuff came out, and you know, it was kind of an emotional venting. We got rid of a lot of stuff. It was good.

Stefani: We spent a lot of time together in the last 12 months. Right when I came off tour (from her second solo album, “The Sweet Escape”), we started to write, and I was pregnant (with her second son, Zuma), and we did a lot of eating, a lot of chatting — and then we had this magic 15 minutes from 4:45 to 5 o’clock where music would actually come out for a minute.

One day, I was like, “Argh! I’m in this room still! Let’s go on tour!” And everyone was like, “OK!” It was very spontaneous, and it’s all kind of geared towards getting out there … and getting inspired, and hopefully coming out of the other side and making an album.

CNN: Gwen, when you were off doing the two solo albums, did you feel guilty at all? Because I know you all were trying to get back together for a couple of years.

Stefani: I’m one of those people that I have to follow the inspiration when it strikes. …

These guys are just very supportive. We’ve been together forever — forever, forever — since we were kids, and this is just the one time in our lives we’ve had a break from each other. Everybody did their own thing. And I think all of us doing our own thing makes us even more grateful for each other, and kind of definitely not taking each other for granted — not that we ever did before. … But it’s even more intense right now.

CNN: Things have changed since the last time No Doubt was on the road, and there a lot of people who don’t have that disposable income to spend on tickets for concerts.

Young: One of the things we did for this tour for some of the venues is we have $10 lawn tickets for people that maybe want to come to the show, but they’re strapped — and we’ve never done that before as No Doubt, and it feels really good to do that.

CNN: I was calling this a reunion. Was that bad?

Stefani: We don’t really care. We’re just so happy that people want to come out and see the show, whatever they want to call it. We’re just happy that people still are even talking about it. … Even if you didn’t really like our songs, or you had this kind of idea about us, come see us live, and we’ll slap you around. You might have some fun, you know.

NO DOUBT TOUR-5/20/2009 Bakersfield, CA - Rabobank Arena

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NO DOUBT TOUR-5/19/2009 Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center

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Gwen Stefani Takes the Kids to Kimmel

Showing her boys what a rockstar their mommy is, Gwen Stefani was spotted outside the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” studio in Hollywood last night following a live performance (May 18).

The “Hella Good” songstress held her oldest Kingston (almost 3 yrs old) in her arms as she chatted up the paparazzi and signed autographs.


Meanwhile, her youngest Zuma was tended to by a nanny, and it looks like he was trying to keep up with his big brother’s funky hairstyle by sporting a faux hawk of his own.

Gwen recently reunited with her band No Doubt and kicked off a major North American tour ahead of recording a brand new studio album.



Hollywood Gossip


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No Doubt 2009 Tour Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center

Happy Birthday Samuel Young
No Doubt Singing Happy Birthday to Adrian Young's dad in Las Vegas

No Doubt Live in Las Vegas Don't Speak Full video/song

No Doubt Live in Las Vegas Different People Gwen Introduces band!

videos thanks to nxdxtattoo



5/16/2009 Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center (Tiger Jam XII)

Flickr photos > Nick Leonard

Gwen Stefani and No Doubt: Back on Tour

They’ve always been known for their killer live show, and over the weekend Gwen Stefani and a newly reunited No Doubt kicked off their new tour.

The “Hella Good” rockers were all dressed in white as they took the stage at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas as part of the 12th annual Tiger Jam, playing a 90-minute set.

And apparently Gwen was pleased with the turnout, as she announced to the crowd, “You always remember your first show of any tour, and so far, so, so, so good!”

A few celebrities were spotted in the crowd including Tiger Woods, Sean Diddy Combs, Cassie, and a bunch of professional athletes.


Celebrity Gossip
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No Doubt members at Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles-inspired spectacle in Las Vegas,

Gwen Stefani & No Doubt Arriving At LAX

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Gwen Stefani: Balancing Family with No Doubt-shopping at The Grove

The family outing (sans hubby Gavin Rossdale) comes just after Gwen and her No Doubt bandmates made their much-awaited return to the stage on the Today Show earlier this week.

Also appearing on “American Idol” during the course of the week, Gwen was asked by host Ryan Seacrest why the group is touring for the first time in over five years despite not releasing a new album.

Stefani quickly replied, “My fault, my fault, my fault. I had all the babies and all that and then I was home. ... I just said let’s just go on tour. I don’t want to be home writing. I just want to get out there, see everybody, get inspired and kind of do it backwards.”

more photos at Gossip Girls.Com

No Doubt performs onstage at No Doubt's 2009 Tour at the Bamboozle Festival

Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani- Stand and Deliver.

Gwen Stefani striking a pose

Tony Kanal

Gwen Stefani and Adrian Young on Drums

Tom Dumont

Tom Dumont and Tony Kanal

Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani

No Doubt backstage - Behind-the-Scenes at No Doubt's 2009 Tour on May 9, 2009 Ontario, California