06-24-98 - The July 9th show at Harriet Island has been CANCELED. Tickets are refundable through your point of purchase. No official reason has been given but my guess is that it's more of a logistical problem than anything else, having gone through changes a few times. The new H.O.R.D.E. start is the following day in Tinley Park, IL.

• Also joining Chris Barron on the workshop stage is lead singer of The Fool, Ben Lewis. Lewis is a childhood friend of both Chris Barron and John Popper. Look for other members of The Fool to pop up on other stops of the H.O.R.D.E. as well.
• Venue 'cheat sheets' are up - not as complete as the official web site, I know, but hopefully they're of some help to you. :) I hope to eventually get each show's lineup but that could be logistically impossible since I don't wish to steal from the official site...

06-09-98 - Hi folks, sorry it's been so long since I put an update notice up here. I'm in the process of moving to Boston and it's also the end of the academic year (I'm a schoolteacher) so it's a little crazy around here. I've also decided to move the most recent news to the TOP of the page so you know what's freshest right away instead of having to scroll through info to find out nothing's new. Tell me what you think.
Anyway, a TON of news and additions to the page:

• First, there is now a *complete* list of Battle of the Bands winners. Most of this information is taken from the official page but I've cleaned it up a little bit and put dates on bands where I could find them.
• Second, note that Portland Meadows is now a *tentative* date for September 5th. No further info is available, unfortunately.
• Third, apparently the Mighty Mighty Bosstones have either been dropped from or have pulled out of their dates on this year's H.O.R.D.E. Once more, no info on this change either - if I find anything out, I'll post it here.
• Fourth, there are MANY artists who have added dates. Check out below if you're interested in finding out who's now playing where: Bare Jr., Coolbone, New Orleans Klezmer All Stars, Derek Trucks, and Paula Cole. The Bosstones dates have been subtracted. Dates have also been attached to various Battle of the Bands winners. On this same note, the following bands have been moved from Battle of the Bands winners to the normal "Participating Bands" section: Coolbone, Bare Jr., Jim Kelly Band, Leroy, Box Set, and Underdogs.
• Fifth, none other than Chris Barron, lead singer and occasional guitarist for the Spin Doctors, will be hosting the highly experimental third stage of this year's H.O.R.D.E. Festival, commonly known as the Workshop Stage. Some epic jams have come out of this corner, and I am sure that this year will be no exception.
• Finally, I am currently in the process of writing up "cheat sheets" for each individual venue. These will (hopefully) be up shortly and will aid you with ticket prices, phone numbers and locations, as well as other info on various venues. Look for them soon!

05-24-98 - A couple of additions, one venue and one band. First, the River's Edge, Somerset, Wisconsin show is not going to happen - it has been replaced instead by Harriet Island in St. Paul, Minnesota. This brings H.O.R.D.E. back to that state for the first time since it was at Trout Aire Amphitheater on July 9th of 1993. Also, legendary keyboardist and songwriter Merl Saunders will be joining the H.O.R.D.E. tour this year for an undisclosed number of dates. More info will be posted when it becomes available...

05-15-98 - Apparently the resort at Park City, Utah has been bought and renovated and is now called the Canyons. I, for one, think they should call it "The Venue Formerly Known as Wolf Mountain" but TVFKAWM doesn't pronounce quite as well as TAFKAP. Also note that the SPAC on-sale date is May 31st, NOT the 30th as previously stated.

05-14-98 - MANY new on-sale dates have been announced. However, a few changes and additions have been made that should be noted - first, the H.O.R.D.E.'s start in Somerset, Wisconsin is tentative according to the H.O.R.D.E. hotline at (212) 582-0228. No more information is available on this show than 'tentative'. A show has been added September 1st at the Canyons in Park City, Utah. I thought this venue was called Wolf Mountain but perhaps I'm wrong - any help on this? Finally, note that the Boise, Idaho show has changed date from September 3rd to September 2nd.

05-10-98 - Some more information on Rene Lopez has been confirmed by a friend of his. At this point only one date is confirmed - August 5th at Jones Beach, Wantagh. Those of you who know Rene know that he's always changing projects - he was with The Authority for a while as well as Wasabi, and more recently moved on to the Chrysalids and Baretta. This time around he's teamed up with Van Romaine (formerly of the Chrysalids), Dave Masucci (formerly of The Authority) and a guitar and bass player. Look for him on a few more east coast dates! Also, an on-sale date for SPAC has been announced - May 30th. Finally, according to Planet Radio out of Jacksonville, FL, that town's H.O.R.D.E. date will officially not happen.

05-09-98 - A few more on-sale dates have been announced - Finger Lakes PAC in Canandaigua, NY has been reconfirmed and tickets are slated to be on sale May 16th. This is also the on-sale date for Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, NY. In talking with sources close to Bran Van 3000, their dates have been successfully nailed down, information which can be found above. Pat McGee dates aren't finalized, but a friend of Pat's has confirmed at least August 15th...

05-04-98 - More information culled from the H.O.R.D.E. hotline: A few new bands are on the bill - Bran Van 3000, Klezmer All-Stars, Rene Lopez (formerly of The Authority, Wasabi and Baretta), the Pat McGee Band and Derek Trucks. August 18th's venue has also been nailed down - it's at Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida.

05-03-98 - Well, my service provider is back online and I've got a slew of new information to announce. First off, new venues are confirmed, announced and posted - August 1st has the H.O.R.D.E. coming to Montage Mountain in Scranton, PA, the August 9th date is now at Bristow, VA's Nissan Pavilion, and the Atlanta show (slated for August 16th) is at Lakewood Amphitheater, not Georgia International Horse Park as previously announced. Bands added to the bill include some big names - previous H.O.R.D.E. performers Mighty Mighty Bosstones, To the Moon Alice, Michael Parrish Band and new talent Alisa Carrol and King Norris.

04-26-98 - A few more on-sale dates have been announced - Hartford Meadows and PNC Bank Arts Center both go on sale May 2nd, while Riverport Amphitheater's tickets are available the day before that. Also, several Battle of the Bands winners have been added on to the official site and those changes are reflected here - Johny Vegas, Jonny Mosh (no relation), Danger Bob, Steamroller, Ray's Music Exchange and Smoke the Prophet.

04-25-98 - Just a few tweaks - Finger Lakes PAC has been dropped to 'unconfirmed status'. No word as to why the change has taken place, but hopefully it will be restored soon. Stay tuned. Also, note that Atlanta's venue is unsure at this point - it was Georgia International Horse Park but may be changing...

04-24-98 - MAJOR dates revision! Check out the new schedules above! New talent added as well - Galactic and Cherry Poppin' Daddies have hopped on with still more to come! Also, please note that the dates for Smashing Pumpkins have changed slightly- rumor was that scheduling conflicts might deep-six their entire H.O.R.D.E. appearance, but it appears that quick thinking has saved their dates with a few minor changes. Late-breaking news - the NYC quartet "The Fool" has just landed a date on the H.O.R.D.E. on 7/26 in Canandaigua. C'mon out and see them - and buy their new disc, "Big Trouble in the Mystery House of Joy" - definitely worth a listen!

04-23-98 - Emmet Swimming has just sent me a very nice letter letting me know that they'd be on H.O.R.D.E. from the beginning through the 14th in Bonner Springs, KS. Check these guys out if you're in the area! Smashing Pumpkins was confirmed yesterday on the radio for the first five dates of H.O.R.D.E. - all this stemming from John Popper meeting Billy Corgan at the Bridge School Benefit last October. Also, Gov't Mule dates have been confirmed! 7-9 - 8/4 - looks like I'll be catchin' me some MULE this summah!

04-21-98 - A few tidbits of info about the above-posted data... First and foremost, just to quell any rumors, Blues Traveler is headlining the ENTIRE TOUR. All the shows, no breaks. Smashing Pumpkins will be appearing on the first five or six shows of the tour but probably no more, according to sources close to the H.O.R.D.E. Guster is slated for the West Coast swing, so sorry to all you ravenous east-coast Gusterfans. This comes from the band itself (specific dates coming soon). Keep those letters coming!

04-20-98 - And...they're off! A nearly complete (but not totally!) itinerary has been announced by H.O.R.D.E. Central at (212) 582-0228. Additions like Paula Cole, Agents of Good Roots and Marcy Playground, rumored here first, have been confirmed, but some threw this maintainer for a loop - Smashing Pumpkins, Cowboy Mouth, Chris Stills and Guster? The latter personally set up in part by me...thank you... :) Anyway - MANY dates are announced, but some are still missing, so take heart, Virginians, Houstonians and Seattle-dwellers - you may yet get your H.O.R.D.E. And the Toronto addition is happening - H.O.R.D.E. is international! I guess with guests like Barenaked Ladies and Alana Davis it was only a matter of time...

04-19-98 - Dead Girls and Other Stories, a band whose name rivals Cherry Poppin' Daddies for 'most likely to make you wince', won the Washington, DC Battle of the Bands and will most likely play that area's H.O.R.D.E. They're a local punk-rock band that beat out the likes of Jonathan Spottiswoode & His Enemies, Big Village and Angus. Also, could H.O.R.D.E. be hitting Toronto? Rumors are circulating that for the first time ever, the H.O.R.D.E. could reach beyond national boundaries...

04-17-98 - I smell Marcy...Playground...who's that loungin'...in the H.O.R.D.E.? Who's that playing...several dates in my direction? Yes, it's true. According to Marcy Playground's site, they've signed on to a two-week stint of the H.O.R.D.E. between July 21st and August 2nd, primarily Northwest dates. So the sex-and-candy-meisters will be coming to an amphitheater near you.

04-16-98 - Could Agents of Good Roots be hopping on the tour? They've just been announced as the opener for Blues Traveler at Red Rocks for 4th of July weekend, and some of you may remember that the previous opener was on H.O.R.D.E. all tour last time - Leftover Salmon. The other opener - Gov't Mule - is already taking on the first half of the tour, so there is a possibility that AGR will join in. Stay tuned, as always! Full H.O.R.D.E. routing info should be available within a week - keep it here for the latest!

04-13-98 - The Battle of the Bands news is coming fast and furious! Kerosene Dream emerged victorious in Portland, Oregon's version of the Battle, and the lowdown on the showdown in Cleveland is that Third Wish takes the top prize over there, and will appear at Blossom Hills and other regional shows, according to the radio (the first is fact, the second a rumor). More specific Huffamoose info, gleaned from their tour director, is that they will most likely be hitting midwest and eastern dates, including "Philly, Cleveland, Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and more".

04-12-98 - Another Battle of the Bands will take place at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS, featuring five of the midwest's finest: Sandoval, Danger Bob, The Ultimate Fakebook, the Budinskis and the Victorstands. The show is 21+ and admission is $5. Show up and support local music! Also, Jiggle the Handle's date was confirmed by yesterday's Boston Globe as July 30th, and I've been told that Indiana's own Homunculus has won its local Battle of the Bands and will be appearing on a local show (most likely Deer Creek, though a date has not been announced yet).

04-11-98 - Get it while it's hot! More rumored/confirmed/etc. information! According to Riverbend Music Center's web site, not only will the H.O.R.D.E. be passing through sometime this summer (most likely late July), but none other than Paula Cole may be on the bill. At present, Paula's summer dates are unconfirmed - could she be jumping on the tour? Stay tuned... Also, a confirmed date - according to their web site, the H.O.R.D.E. will hit PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on July 31st.

04-05-98 - Just a few tidbits that I've thrown together - first, another date has been added - Great Woods Amphitheater in Mansfield, MA. Tickets go on sale April 25th for the July 30th show. Ahh, the tradition continues (okay, so it's some hometown bias. Please cut your friendly webpage maintainer some slack). Secondly, the band Huffamoose has been added to the bill according to the band's page although dates as of yet are not known. Check http://www.huffamoose.com for updates on that. Finally, Boston's own Jiggle the Handle won the Battle of the Bands on March 19th and will appear on H.O.R.D.E. this year - dates to be announced.

03-31-98 - Squeaking in some news before April Fool's Day rolls around - and this is no joke what you see here. Reports have it that apparently Blues Traveler may not be the final act of the tour this year. They still plan on participating in the full slew of dates, but don't want to close out the day; they'd prefer the next-to-last slot. No reports on their motivation behind this, but speculation has it that they don't wish to be upstaged. This may or may not happen, but the biggest part of this news is that this will mean another - bigger, perhaps? - name may be added to the festival. Stay tuned... Also, I've heard reports that no fewer than 23 bands have signed on to this year's migration of the traveling festival - dates to be officially released soon...but who knows when that is? :)

03-24-98 - Those of you in the Orlando area will be treated to a local Battle of the Bands show at the House of Blues on April 8th. Stop on by and vote for your favorite local performer, and one lucky winner will be on their way to a H.O.R.D.E. date! Also, I added a notice up top by the known dates for those too thick-skulled to read these news releases. I'll be doing some investigating at venues to find out exactly what the pre-August plans are for the H.O.R.D.E...stay tuned.

03-13-98 - Thanks to the front office of Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise and friends thereof, the first preliminary dates have been announced! PLEASE keep in mind that these are tentative and not even from the H.O.R.D.E. office, so remain calm. Also, notice that H.O.R.D.E. will begin directly after Blues Traveler's annual Red Rocks gigs on July 3rd and 4th at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO. Expect the tour to move eastward from there, moving through the midwest and northern states and then up into New England before playing the dates listed above. Venues are not available but should be soon. Matt Abts of Gov't Mule reports that they are planning on being on H.O.R.D.E. for all of July, so they've been added to the list. Finally, the H.O.R.D.E. hotline is up and running! Call (212) 582-0228 for official information but keep it here for the hottest rumors!

03-12-98 - Elderberry Jam's H.O.R.D.E. participation has already happened, according to FTP sources, so I've removed them from the list. However, several confirmations have been announced now that the H.O.R.D.E. hotline is up and running. Alana Davis is officially added to the bill, and more updates should come soon. Also, Gov't Mule's lead vocalist and guitarist Warren Haynes himself has said that they are tentatively scheduled for a side stage gig on this year's H.O.R.D.E. Stay tuned...

03-10-98 - According to Family Tree Productions http://www.ftreep.com, Portland, Maine jam band Elderberry Jam will be performing on this year's H.O.R.D.E. No word as to when or where, but I would expect a few shows in the northeast at least...

03-05-98 - RBBS has been confirmed as true, reports a source close to this year's H.O.R.D.E. According to a Medeski, Martin and Wood website they too will be joining the traveling festival but this is merely a rumor at this point. The managers of H.O.R.D.E. are also said to be courting Morphine for a return to the tour - which would be their 3rd or 4th showing. Finally, MTV News has firm word that Alana Davis (she of '32 Flavors' fame [actually an Ani DiFranco tune, but who's counting?]) is hopping on the bill as well, throwing some estrogen into the mix (no, Barenaked Ladies do NOT count as estrogen).

03-03-98 - Straight from the drummer's mouth: Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise will be playing a few weeks on this year's H.O.R.D.E. No dates have been released yet (although names are being sifted through as we speak) but look for those by mid-month.

02-19-98 - Word from the front office says that routing and lineups should be forthcoming very soon. Also, a source close to Blues Traveler management reports that Fiona Apple is rumored to be on at least part of the H.O.R.D.E. tour this year. More on this as it develops.

01-14-98 - After further conversation with the front office, word has it that they are looking for a roots-reggae artist as well as perhaps a big-sounding funk band, horns blaring and all. They are pursuing "several big names" but nothing has been released or even rumored yet as far as concrete names go.

01-10-98 - Welcome to the first (unofficial) H.O.R.D.E. '98 page! Last year's was a smashing success thanks to everyone who visited, contributed information and helped me out. Thanks especially to the folks from Silent Partner, at HyperRust and in the Beck camp, as well as unnamed sources (you know who you are) at various music magazines.
As speculated in interviews last month and as confirmed by the wonderful Gina from Blues Traveler, the founders of H.O.R.D.E. will be rejoining the tour this year in full force. Citing a desire to "bring the tour back to what it used to be - a family affair", Silent Partner has signed Barenaked Ladies and Ben Harper onto the bill.