Odds & Ends: Demi Lovato, X Japan, Laneway Festival, Lockn’ Music Festival

Demi Lovato’s fans will get to help route her upcoming European excursion, thanks to a new partnership with Shazam. First things first, make sure you have the app on your phone.

As she explains in the video below, to get Lovato to play your city, all you need to do is Shazam the single “Neon Lights” whenever you hear the tune. The European tour will be scheduled based on the locations with the most Shazams.  

Along with today’s news that Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are headlining Lockn’ – Interlocking Music Festival, organizers announced this week that the lineup will feature Tedeschi Trucks Band and Cabinet.

Plus, Phil Lesh revealed which buddies he’s bringing along as part of “Phil Lesh & Friends.” The former Grateful Dead bassist will be joined by Warren Haynes, John Scofield, John Medeski and Joe Russo.

Lockn’ takes place Sept. 4-7 in Arrington, Va., at Oak Ridge Farm. The lineup also includes Bob Weir & RatDog, Willie Nelson, Wilco, Gary Clark Jr., Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Keller Williams, The Allman Brothers Band, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Widespread Panic and more.

Tickets are on sale now. For more information visit LocknFestival.com.

During Monday’s solo classical concert at San Francisco’s Davies Hall, X Japan’s Yoshiki let fans in on a little secret. The Japanese heavy metal band will take the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City Oct. 11, marking the group’s first U.S. gig since its 2011 global tour.

Ticketing details for the MSG show will be announced soon. In the meantime, Yoshiki will continue supporting his new album, Yoshiki Classical. The next stop on his solo outing is May 3 in Mexico City.

After expanding to the U.S. in 2013 with a Detroit-area event, St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival is taking a break this year.

An announcement on Laneway’s website notes that organizers hope to return to the area in 2015.   

“Thanks for your continued support and interest in Laneway Festival Detroit. For those who joined us at Laneway Detroit last year, you know it was a great success. However, we’ve decided to postpone it this year due to timing.

“It was a difficult decision, but, unfortunately, artists’ scheduling was our biggest obstacle and we didn’t want to compromise the quality of the festival we all expect.”

The festival that launched in Melbourne in 2004 has been held in five cities in Australia, as well as New Zealand and Singapore.

The debut Detroit festival was held at the Meadow Brook Music Festival venue, located on Oakland University’s campus in Rochester Hills, Mich., with a lineup featuring The National, Sigur Rós, Solange, The Dismemberment Plan, Deerhunter and more.

A post on Laneway’s Facebook page describes Detroiters as “some of the most passionate people on the planet” and declares, “We have no intention of doing any other city in America unless Detroit can be part of it.”