André Rieu to Tour Australia - The Waltz Tour Goes On

Violin master André Rieu, one of the best-selling live acts in the world, is delighted to announce he is returning to Australia with a brand new show in October 2013. Called "And The Waltz Goes On Tour", the tour is named after his successful album on which he collaborated with Sir Anthony Hopkins. Rieu will perform in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Billboard ranked his 2011 tour as the 9th highest grossing tour of the year, just behind Lady Gaga. He has broken all classical concert records, packing stadiums and arenas with more than 700,000 adoring fans each year. Rieu has sold over 32 million albums globally and received 330 platinum awards for his albums. With his natural charisma, Rieu conducts his 60-piece Johann Strauss Orchestra and plays his 1732 Stradivarius violin to create a celebratory atmosphere.

"Every night when I play around the whole world, I see with my own eyes what the waltz does with the audience. People get out of their seats and waltz in the aisles spontaneously. They sing, they smile and for a moment they forget all their worries and are happy. That is why this tour is an ode to the waltz!" says André Rieu.

As always, the maestro and his orchestra will perform beautiful waltzes on this tour, but the concerts are much more than that. From famous Viennese operettas to film scores, spirituals to musicals, and from folk songs to marches; Rieu's concerts are a perfect mix of thrilling, romantic, festive and emotional melodies combined with surprises, balloons, beautiful soloists and of course Rieu's great sense of humor.

So far, 2012 has been a hugely successful year for the violinist. Rieu gave a record breaking series of 30 sold-out concerts in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He won a Classic BRIT award for his album "And The Waltz Goes On" and is nominated for a prestigious Mexican Luna award. With his first tour in Brazil Rieu reached the #1 position in Pollstar’s Box Office Chart of highest grossing tours in July. Leaving behind artist like Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Coldplay, Celine Dion, The Black Keys and Pearl Jam.

TOUR DATES*:

Sat 12 Oct - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Wed 16 Oct - Allphones Arena Sydney
Sat 19 Oct - Rod Laver Arena Melbourne
Wed 23 Oct - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Tue 29 Oct - Perth Arena
*Ticketek is selling for the above venues only.

Supafest 2013 - Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne & Perth

Chase Records is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated line-up for Supafest 4.

Garnered as one of the biggest urban music festivals in the world, Supafest has successfully delivered over 25 international urban and hip-hop superstars over the last 4 years. 2013 sees the legendary TI performing in Australia for the very first time, along with R&B icon Ne-Yo, Supafest favourite Akon and hip-hop legend 50 Cent.

Joining them are J. Cole, Young Jeezy, Waka Flocka, DJ Unk, Mindless Behaviour and Kevin McCall, who are all making their Australian debut for Supafest.

Supafest Tour Dates:

Perth Arena 25th April

Sydney ANZ Stadium 26th April

Melbourne Flemmington Racecourse 27th April

Brisbane RNA Showgrounds 28th April

Buy tickets HERE

Perth Monopoly Board in the Planning

AN official Perth Monopoly game is in the planning, with Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi already throwing in her two cents worth regarding which landmarks to include.

Ms Scaffidi, who was last year dubbed second best mayor in the world, was one of the first on Tuesday to "like" the project's Facebook page, where members of the public can suggest landmarks they'd like to see included.

Top of her list was the 50-year-old Council House, which glows in a variety of colours at night following the addition of more than 22,000 LED lights in 2010.

She also suggested Kings Park, which City of Perth wants to include within its boundaries along with James Packer's Crown Casino at Burswood.

The park is currently administered by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority while Crown falls within Victoria Park.

Ms Scaffidi defended the City of Perth's plan to annexe more land, which has been rejected by Victoria Park Mayor Trevor Vaughan as "cherry picking".

"We're disappointed that some parochialism has slipped into this argument," Ms Scaffidi told AAP.

"They are very passionate about their local communities but we need to lift our horizons very strategically about what is the capital city and the form of local government that is going to serve our greater city well for the next 30 to 50 years.

"If we just do small tweaks and minor boundary changes, it's really not going to be worth the expense or the bother."

Ms Scaffidi also said the City of Perth remains staunchly opposed to the Liberal-led state government's plan to run light rail down its main pedestrian malls as there would not be enough room to accommodate both trams and foot traffic.

She said light rail would be good running down the main corporate thoroughfare, St George's Terrace, however.

Ms Scaffidi also said Transperth buses should not be allowed in the CBD as they add substantially to congestion, leaving the free CAT buses and light rail to ferry people around the small CBD zone.

Back on Monopoly, she suggested Jutland Parade in Dalkeith - one of the nation's most salubrious suburbs - could be Mayfair.

The game is scheduled to hit the shelves in November.

Metro Hotel Perth to Add 53 rooms

Situated on the south side of Perth just 10 minutes drive from the CBD, Metro Hotel Perth enjoys a prime vantage point on the south side of the Swan River. The hotel is now a well-known landmark on the Perth skyline and has, over the last 40 years, acquired iconic status with residents and visitors alike. Metro Hotel Perth will add 53 rooms to its existing hotel of 94 rooms to meet the increased demand for accommodation in Perth.

The redevelopment will also include major renovations to the lobby area of the hotel, pool area, restaurant and car park. Building will commence in mid-2013 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2013, with minimal disruption to guests.

Metro Hospitality Group’s chief operating officer George Bedwani said, “We believe the hotel industry in Perth will remain buoyant over the next five years as there continues to be capacity constraints due to few major hotel developments being built in Perth. This particular hotel is in high demand as its just outside but within easy access to the CBD.

Four years ago we completed a $3.5 million renovation to all 94 rooms. That renovation has been instrumental in us capitalising on the current boom. We are now going the next step to ensure we benefit from the anticipated growth and demand over the next 4-5 years.”

Enjoying panoramic views across the Swan River, Metro Hotel Perth is an ideal accommodation choice for value-conscious business and leisure visitors to Perth.

The rooms are much larger than the average hotel room, many with private balconies, and 70 currently overlooking the scenic Swan River. The hotel has seven conference rooms with a seating capacity for 200 people, its own licensed restaurant and bar, an outdoor swimming pool and parking.