Fantasia to play Ovens in November

Fantasia is bringing her very first headlining tour to Charlotte this fall.

The 30-city "Back to Me" tour will begin on Nov. 4 in Richmond, Va., and stops at Ovens Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 17. This will be the 26-year-old High Point native's first public appearance in the Queen City since her suicide attempt in August, which came just days after the story about her affair with a married Charlotte man was splashed all over the tabloids.

"I'm so excited about this tour and having the chance to connect with my fans, the people that love me and have been supporting me through everything," she said in a statement. "This tour is going to be a real special, intimate experience for them and for me."

The eight-time Grammy nominee's tour will support her third studio album, "Back to Me," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and No. 2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.

Fans can sign up at FantasiaOfficial.com to receive up-to-date tour information and details on pre-sale opportunities. Opening the show for the Season 3 winner of Fox's "American Idol" will be three-time Grammy Award nominee Eric Benet and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer Kandi.

Elton John to play his hits in Asheville

Elton John and his band will appear on Nov. 16 at the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville to performing their “Greatest Hits Live” concert, featuring hits such as “Candle in the Wind,” “Your Song,” “Daniel,” “Rocket Man,” and “Bennie and the Jets.”

Elton John’s career spans five decades, during which he’s produced 35 gold and 25 platinum albums, and 29 consecutive Top 40 hits; and sold more than 250 million records worldwide. His band includes Davey Johnstone on guitar, Bob Birch on bass, John Mahon on percussion, Nigel Olsson on drums, and Kim Bullard on keyboards.

Nov. 16 is a Tuesday, and the concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. The Asheville Civic Center has a seating capacity of approximately 7,600. Tickets ($47/$87/$137, plus applicable fees) go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 4, online at www.ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, or via charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000. There is an eight-ticket limit per customer.

Rodrigo y Gabriela cancel tour

Mexican musical duo Rodrigo y Gabriela have canceled their October tour dates, including a scheduled performance at The Fillmore Charlotte on Oct. 16

From the press release issued by their publicist:

"After a year of relentless touring, the wear and tear finally caught up with Gabriela. Her incredibly physical style of play involves banging out complex rhythms on the neck and body of her guitar night after night, putting great stress upon her right hand and arm as well as joints like the wrist and elbow. It is under a doctor's recommendation that she rest her joints and muscles to avoid further harm and permanent damage. While the duo is incredibly frustrated to have to pull out of dates in cities they were very much looking forward to visiting for the first time, the move was an unavoidable reality that had to be made in order to ensure that Gabriela fully recovers and is able to play at full capacity for many years to come.

Rodrigo y Gabriela hope to return to the cities affected by the tour dates in the future and are grateful for their fans continued support and understanding."

'Billy Elliot' tickets on sale Friday

Tickets to the Tony Award-winning "Billy Elliot the Musical" go on sale Friday during a special event that will double as a charitable opportunity.

The line will begin forming at 5 a.m. at Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St, and the box office will be open from 7 a.m.-9 a.m. During this time, Second Harvest Food Bank will be collecting canned goods and HDR Architecture will display the word "DREAM" using canned goods ("to honor the show's theme of following and achieving one's dream").

"Billy Elliot the Musical" plays at Ovens Auditorium from Jan. 12-30. For more information, click here.

Beginning at 9 a.m., tickets will be available online at BlumenthalCenter.org; by phone at 704-372-1000; through Ticketmaster; or at the Bojangles' Arena box office.

Avett Bros. prove to be red-hot ticket

On Tuesday, the Avett Brothers announced that they would be performing and signing copies of their new CD/DVD, "Live, Volume 3," on Oct. 5 at Manifest Disc in Charlotte.

On Wednesday, Columbia Records announced that the special in-store event had already sold out.

Admission to the 7:30 p.m. appearance on Tuesday, Oct. 5, was granted to the first 400 fans who pre-ordered the CD or DVD at the South Boulevard music store.

"Live, Volume 3" documents the Avett Brothers' performance at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte on Aug. 8, 2009 and can be pre-ordered here.

Stone Temple Pilots concert rescheduled

Stone Temple Pilots have pushed back their show at Charlotte's Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre by two weeks -- originally scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 6, it will now take place on Wednesday, Oct. 20.

According to a Live Nation press release, the move is part of a re-routing of their fall tour. All purchased tickets for the original dates will be honored for the rescheduled shows.

Tickets are on sale now at LiveNation.com, the amphitheatre box office, Ticketmaster or charge by phone 800-745-3000.

Fort Mill chef ready to mix it up on 'Kitchen'

As the saying goes, you can take the girl out of New York, but you can't take the New York out of the girl.

Lisa LaFranca, 48, says co-workers originally thought she'd make a good candidate for Fox's hit show "Hell's Kitchen" because of "my New Yorkness… They think I'm a (expletive), I guess."

The corporate food director -- who has lived in Fort Mill for four years and wound up making "Hell's Kitchen's" Season 8 cast -- describes her personality with equal bluntness: "I'm not out to impress anybody, really. The things I do, I do for me. I don't care what other people think. I really don't. I'm not gonna kiss anybody's (expletive)."

She and 15 other contestants will vie for a $250,000-per-year head chef job in L.A., under the watchful eye of the show's acerbic star, chef Gordon Ramsay (who himself is known for profanity-laced tirades). The competition begins in Wednesday night's season premiere, which airs at 8 on Fox.

LaFranca, for her part, is curious to see how she's been edited. "It'll be interesting to see what they keep and what they don't keep, 'cause with my mouth … I don't know."