The celebrity guest lineup for the November 9 Bass Player LIVE! Concert & Awards Show presented by Hartke has been expanded.
The all-star concert will take place at the historic Fonda Theatre and will honor heavy metal legend, Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler, rockabilly bass legend Lee Rocker and the late American blues musician and songwriter Willie Dixon, while jazz-rock phenom Tal Wilkenfeld will be presented with the “Young Gun” award.
The Bass Player LIVE! Concert & Awards Show will be hosted by Jim Norton (comedian/actor/radio host/New York Times best-selling author). The evening will feature an all-star band of rock luminaries performing Black Sabbath songs as a tribute to Geezer Butler. The performance will culminate with Geezer joining the band for the finale.
Musicians participating in the Geezer Butler tribute include Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society) on guitar and lead vocals, Charlie Benante (Anthrax) on drums, Corey Taylor (Stone Sour, Slipknot) and Sebastian Bach on lead vocals, along with guest bassists including: Billy Sheehan (the Winery Dogs, David Lee Roth), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Jason Newsted (Newsted), Rex Brown (Kill Devil Hill, Pantera). Green Day’s Mike Dirnt has also been added to the show as an award presenter.
“Terry “Geezer” Butler is my No. 1 influence and greatest teacher of electric bass in heavy metal music,” says Jason Newsted. “All true metal bassists look up to Geezer as a pioneer and godfather of our chosen instrument. The best, ever.”
Host Jim Norton says, "Lee Rocker actually made the standup bass look cool and Geezer Butler is simply the most underrated bassist and lyricist of all time."
Bass Player LIVE! Concert & Awards Show will also feature performances from Lee Rocker (Stray Cats), Tal Wilkenfeld and a very special Willie Dixon tribute organized by — and featuring — the Rolling Stones’ bassist/collaborator Darryl Jones.
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For the past three years, Bass Player has paid tribute to bass giants who have gone before us, dedicating posthumous Lifetime Achievement Awards to James Jamerson in 2011 and Jaco Pastorius in 2012. This year will honor the memory of Willie Dixon, a founding father of Chicago blues and a prolific composer who wrote songs made famous by such bands as Cream, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Darryl Jones will present the award to Dixon’s family on behalf of Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation, an organization devoted to promoting the blues tradition in Chicago area schools and beyond, before leading an all-star band through a powerful medley of Dixon compositions.
Doors for The Fonda Theatre open 6:30 p.m. Saturday, November 9. The concert begins 7:30 p.m.
The Bass Player LIVE! musician clinics and exhibitors will be at S.I.R. Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Saturday, November 9, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, November 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bass players of all ages, levels and styles are invited to attend.
The stylistically diverse slate of clinics includes Tonight Show/American Idol bassist/musical director Rickey Minor; John Mayer and session bassist Sean Hurley; session legends Jerry Jemmott, Nathan East, “Ready” Freddie Washington and Bob Glaub; jazz heavies Michael Manring, Hadrien Feraud, Janek Gwizdala and Adam Nitti; Stevie Wonder bassman Nate Watts; and Prince and Jeff Beck bass lass Rhonda Smith.
The Bass Player LIVE! daytime activities at S.I.R. also will feature various artist signings, including David Ellefson’s My Life With Deth book signing at 11:30 a.m. November 9, directly after his clinic with Frank Bello. Books will be sold just outside the clinic (held in Room A) and the signing will take place at the Hartke booth.
The full itinerary of clinics and list of exhibitors can be found HERE.
Tickets are on sale now at bassplayer.com. Weekend package tickets that include the concert and awards show along with all clinics and exhibits are available for $90. Tickets for the Bass Player LIVE! Concert & Awards Show can also be purchased separately as follows:
Day Pass for Saturday OR Sunday - $37.50 Day Pass for Saturday AND Sunday - $52.50 Bass Player LIVE Concert general admission - $42.50 Bass Player LIVE Concert balcony seat - $45 All Inclusive Day Pass for both Saturday and Sunday, plus a general admission concert ticket - $90
Note: Each Day Pass purchase includes a complimentary subscription to Bass Player.
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