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Today's recap includes tour, concert, special event, and venue announcements as compiled by TicketNews on January 5, 2009.

Due to the rising prices of city real estate and an expiring lease, New York City concert venue The Cutting Room will be closing its doors indefinitely. Co-owners Steve Walter and actor Chris Noth are reportedly looking for new real estate to reopen the club, but a date has not been set.

TicketNews released its Weekly Top Events rankings for the week ending January 3 and once again Wicked holds on to the number one spot in the Top Combined Events rankings with an 8.37 power score. But with the NFL Playoff kicking off this past week the next three positions went to NFL teams. Jersey Boys rounds out the top five with a 2.29 power score. Britney Spears (2.29) comes in behind the Jersey Boys and Elton John & Billy Joel tickets rank at number eight (2.17) in the Top Combined Events rankings.

The Top Concert Events rankings show Nickelback has the third bestselling concert with a 5.28 power score. The Eagles follow with a 4.80 power score, remaining ahead of the number five ranked AC/DC (4.58). Rapper Lil' Wayne (4.05) comes in at number six, followed by crooner Céline Dion (3.80). Fleetwood Mac (3.08) and Bette Midler (2.86) rank at numbers nine and ten, respectively.

More than 500 ticket brokers, ticketing executives, venue and sports team representatives will descend on the Waldorf=Astoria in Manhattan tomorrow, January 6, for Ticket Summit NYC, and the three-day conference and trade show could not come at a more important time for the ticket industry.

Against the backdrop of a serious recession, the landscape surrounding the ticket industry continues to shift. More people are embracing the secondary ticket market than ever before, but they are also looking for bargains. Broadway shows are closing; sports leagues are freezing ticket prices; and in the case of the National Football League, they are also laying off employees.

Singer-songwriter Morrissey has made final adjustments and additions to his 2009 North American and European tour. Initially scheduled for only a handful of U.S. dates, the outspoken and iconic performer will now be in the country for more than 30 performances, followed by an additional 40 gigs in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

The U.S. run begins February 28 at the Mizner Park Amphitheatre's Centre for the Arts in Boca Raton, FL, and wraps April 15 at Sunshine Theatre in Albuquerque, NM. Other highlights for the extensive tour include a March 14 concert at Warner Theatre in Washington, DC, a March 29 performance at the new House of Blues in Boston, MA, and an April 4 set at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL.

The lovable canine comedy "Marley & Me" grabbed the top spot for the second weekend in a row at the movie box office, once again surpassing some of Hollywood’s leading men. The family film about a feisty Labrador retriever generated $24.1 million for the week ending January 4, bringing in a total haul to date of more than $106 million, according to studio estimates and Neilsen EDI.

In fact, another family film ruled the second place spot as well over the long holiday weekend. "Bedtime Stories," the comedy led by Adam Sandler, took the second spot with $20.3 million. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Brad Pitt’s acclaimed drama, was third and took in $18.4 million for the weekend and a total of $79 million during its two weeks out.

Iconic folk-rocker Gordon Lightfoot will be trekking across North America for at least two rounds of tour dates. The musician will hit the road for a March 3 opening show at Bass Concert Hall in Austin, TX, and continue on through an April 18 set at Essar Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.

Highlights for the early spring outing include a March 4 concert at Noklia Theatre in Grand Prairie, TX, a March 10 set at Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, WI, a March 20 performance at Embassy Theatre in Fort Wayne, IN, and a March 22 show at State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN. Canadian shows include a two-night stand at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo, BC, celebrating the venue's 20th anniversary, and another two-night run at the Centre in Vancouver, BC.

"Tickets.com Signs Long-Term Contract With the NHL Buffalo Sabres and HSBC Arena"

COSTA MESA, Calif. (PRNewswire) January 5, 2009 - Tickets.com, a leading worldwide provider of integrated ticketing solutions, has signed a long-term contract extension with the Buffalo Sabres and their home venue, the HSBC Arena. The renewal of the ticketing services agreement includes a partnership with StubHub for secondary ticket market integration. This new added value feature allows season ticket holders the benefit of reselling, transferring or donating tickets, as well as managing their ticket inventory online using the MyTickets(TM) interface from Tickets.com.

The contract extension between the Buffalo Sabres, HSBC Arena and Tickets.com makes StubHub, "the Official Fan to Fan Ticket Marketplace of the Buffalo Sabres." For Tickets.com, it marks the first time that one of their non-Major League Baseball clients has partnered with StubHub, the largest secondary seller in the ticketing industry.

New York City's premier showcase room, The Cutting Room, located on West 24th Street, is shutting its doors after a January 13 performance by comedian Joan Rivers. The club is co-owned by Steve Walter and actor Chris Noth, best known for his roles in "Sex and the City" and in "Law & Order."

"Our lease was up in September," Walter told the New York Post. "We tried negotiating with the landlord but couldn’t work something out."

Marc Anthony, Paulina Rubio, Rosario Dawson, Tony Plana, War, Cucu Diamantes & Yerba Buena, Elida Reyna, and Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano are appearing at the 2009 Latino Inaugural Gala at Union Square in Washington, DC, on January 18. More artists will be added. Tickets are at $200 each and can be purchased online.

"It is inspiring to have so many talented and admired Latino entertainers willing to come together in celebration of our nation's 44th President, the Honorable Barack Obama, and of the historic role Latinos played in this election," stated Esther Aguilera, president and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), one of the co-hosts of the Latino Inaugural Gala, in a statement. "This will truly be an impressive display of the musical and cultural contributions that our community has to offer."

Today's recap includes concert and tour announcements, festival news and more, as compiled by TicketNews on January 2, 2009.

The surviving members of the Grateful Dead will band together again, literally, as The Dead prepare for a spring 2009 tour. The so-called Spring Fling is scheduled to hit 16 cities across the U.S., including two-night stands at a few lucky venues.

More than 10 years after its inception, the Irish step dancing phenomenon Riverdance is still going strong with plans for a new North American tour this year. The extensive 29-city trek begins with a January 13-18 residency at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre in Orlando, FL, and wraps after a June 26-28 run at Wolftrap in Vienna, VA.

Other highlights for the tour include a stretch from February 24 to March 1 at Jackson Hall in Nashville, TN, a run from March 31 to April 5 at Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, PA, and a May 1-3 stint at Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI. Two Canadian cities are also included on the tour, with the company residing from May 19 through June 21 at the Canon Theatre in Toronto, ON, before completing a brief June 22-24 run at the John Labatt Center in London, ON.

Tickets for upcoming NASCAR races as well as tickets for upcoming concerts from Rick Springfield are on sale throughout the weekend ending January 5, as compiled by TicketNews.

In addition to those events, dance fans will want to grab tickets to see Riverdance in Jacksonville, FL. Tickets for the show go on sale today. In the onsales for Monday are tickets to see Cirque Du Soleil: Saltimbanco in Mobile, AL. On sale Sunday are tickets for the upcoming Broadway revival of West Side Story. The revival is currently performing in Washington D.C. prior to its March opening on Broadway.

Ticketmaster Entertainment continues to confront issues in Canada over the company's relationship with subsidiary TicketsNow.

This past summer, the company was criticized in the country over the way Elton John tickets were turning up on TicketsNow, but now a consumer advocate is vowing to turn up the heat and government officials are recommending that future complaints against the ticketing giant be directed to the police.

Piano rock band The Fray is celebrating the New Year and the upcoming release of their sophomore album with a brief tour of North America. The sold-out trek is scheduled to begin January 6 at Gothic Theatre in Denver, CO, and wrap February 4 at Webster Theatre in New York, NY.

The nine-city outing also includes a January 9 show at Metro in Chicago, IL, a January 14 concert at Wilbur Theatre in Boston, MA, and a January 16 performance at 9:30 Club in Toronto, ON. A single Canadian performance is on the books for January 12 at Phoenix in Toronto, ON.

Having already performed 175 shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York City since 1989, the Allman Brothers Band has booked an initial 10 concerts this spring (March 9-10, 12-14, 16-17 and 19-21) at the newly renovated venue. If history projects the future, the Allmans, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary, will probably play about 15 shows when the run is over. Ticket information will be announced in mid-January.

The Allman Brothers' 175 shows at the Beacon is the most acclaimed and longest-running residency in rock and roll for an act at a major venue. However, the band will definitely not hit the magical 200 concerts at the Beacon this year. "It will takes us two years," band manager Bert Holman told TicketNews.

The New Year opened with an exciting revelation for Deadheads across the nation: The Dead will tour for the first time in four years with a round of spring 2009 dates. The legendary jam band's Spring Fling arena tour will open April 12 with a gig at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC, and run through a May 10 show at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA.

"Happy New Year, everybody!! Hope and change are in the air! So what better way to kick off 2009 than to confirm what’s been buzzing in the rumor mill for some time," began the January 1 announcement on the group's official Web site.

Finding the tickets you want, at a price you can afford can be a difficult experience for anyone. With a plethora of sites to choose from, all offering different prices, different seats and different service fees, finding the right site to buy from can be tough.

Brian Stewart was one of those frustrated consumers, sparking him to come up with the idea for his site BookMe.com. In January 2008, he went on a mission to find cheap tickets for a future Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat game. Stewart told TicketNews that after an hour and a half of searching, with most of his time wasted re-entering the same info, he knew there had to be a better way.

The annual three-day Lollapalooza Festival will be held in Chicago, IL, for the next 10 years. Lollapalooza used to be a traveling festival playing many sheds across North America before settling in Chicago in 2005.

The success of Lollapalooza, staged in Chicago's Grant Park by Austin, Texas-based promoter C3 Presents since 2005, has resulted in a 10-year extension agreement between the promoter, the Chicago Park District and Parkways Foundation that is expected to bring a minimum of $12.3 million to benefit Chicago's parks. In 2007, the Chicago Park District and Parkways Foundation signed a five-year contract with C3 based on the festival's initial success. Last summer's event sold out in advance.

Today's recap includes a concert industry analysis for 2008, event and tour announcements, and more as compiled by TicketNews on December 31, 2008.

Over the past weeks and months, various concert industry sources have been releasing their numbers for top grossing tours and concert ticket sales, and all have projected a faily optimistic look at the state of the industry in 2008, despite the nation's economic woes. However, some industry analysts say that 2009 will really be the year to watch and that recent concert attendance trends have been troubling. Read TicketNews's full 2008 concert industry analysis and 2009 forecast.

Across the world tonight, people will observe the start of the New Year at one-off concerts and special club events. But for performers Travis Barker and DJ AM (Adam Goldstein), tonight's musical celebration of fresh beginnings and change will be special for another reason.

The former Blink 182 drummer and the celebrity disk jockey will perform together in concert for the first time since surviving a fatal plane crash that claimed the lives of four people. Barker and Goldstein will hit the stage at The Wiltern in Los Angeles for a concert hosted by New Year's Nation.