by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer

In the category of "men we most want to imagine as human lollipops," Jon Bon Jovi is definitely in the running. This often tan-chested hunk - with a perfect mane, to boot - has starred in more Gay fantasies than all three of the Jonas Brothers combined, and that's a lot, folks. So it's with great cheer that I announce Seattle as the launching pad for Bon Jovi's massive 2010-11 road trek, "The Circle World Tour." The veteran New Jersey act, which also includes celebrity chick-magnet Richie Sambora, will open their enormous road show at Key Arena on Friday, February 19. The band made the announcement just before playing to a swarm of fans outside the new Meadowlands Stadium a week ago, and for local followers of this Grammy-winning unit, the date and site of their first concert couldn't be sweeter - a weekend evening right in the heart of the Emerald City. Bon Jovi is the latest artist to pick Seattle for the opening date on their itinerary; Green Day, Pink, Tori Amos, Franz Ferdinand, and Pearl Jam have all begun entire tours, or specific legs of their live performance outings, here in the past year. Tickets for Bon Jovi, who'll play songs from a forthcoming new album and longtime favorites like "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name," go on sale November 9 at all Ticketmaster locations.

Poor, poor Elton John. Poor, poor Seattle fans. The pop diva was forced to postpone both of his shows this week, a double-bill with the also legendary Billy Joel, due to a serious case of E. coli and bacterial somethingorother - in a nutshell, he ate something bad and it resulted in a stomach infection that got worse. Like everyone out there, it totally caught me off guard - I was listening repeatedly to "Island Girl" and "Little Jeannie," two of my all-time Sir Elton faves, in hopes of hearing them at Key Arena. At press time, no official cancellation of either concert has been made, so I recommend hanging onto your tickets in the event of rescheduled dates. In the meantime, stay away from gnarly food.

What's it like hanging out with Snow Patrol? Pretty damn sweet. Immediately following the group's show at the Paramount Theatre on October 14, I was escorted backstage to meet up with the band and a few of their road crew members. As with any artist I meet off-stage, I respect the privacy of what I see, smell, hear, and touch - and I claim to have experienced all four with a few anonymous performers. I've met Snow Patrol on two previous occasions, and they've always been the coolest, nicest guys to myself and to fans, in general - in fact, bassist Paul Wilson was kind enough to sign a dozen or so autographs outside the Paramount over an hour after the concert had finished. Inside the band's dressing room, I enjoyed three glasses of red wine and good conversation with lead singer Gary Lightbody, who interviewed with me here in The Music Lounge on October 9. We talked about artists we've both been listening to, such as Grizzly Bear and Kings of Leon, and TV shows we've been watching - surprisingly, he doesn't care for Mad Men (breaks my heart), and his current favorite is Sons of Anarchy. Drummer Jonny Quinn took his shirt off right next to me, and of course I looked, and of course I remembered it the next morning in the shower (yes, I'll go there). Richard Colburn (of Belle and Sebastian) joined Snow Patrol as a background musician on this tour, and shared some funny stories with everyone, as did keyboardist Tom Simpson. Unfortunately, guitarist Nate Connolly was a sick little cowboy and went directly to the group's hotel (I know which one, but I'm not telling) to rest. This is one of the UK's most popular music artists, having opened for Coldplay and U2 this year alone and selling millions of albums overseas, but they don't act like big shots backstage - they're super friendly, easy to talk with, and totally laid-back. Seriously, I've met some asshole musicians in my time, and Snow Patrol is the complete opposite. "Just Say Yes" is the band's newest single, and the video can be seen on YouTube.

Speaking of concert postponements, Passion Pit was also forced to axe its previous Seattle date due to illness, but they've rescheduled the show for December 9 at the Moore Theatre. This is one of the most buzzed-about bands of 2009, and if you listen to the single "Sleepyhead" you'll understand why - a very interesting sound, unlike anything else out there right now. If you're loving the Animal Collective album these days, make a dash for the Passion Pit show. I'll see you there.

Finally, nominations for the 2010 Grammy Awards are less than a month away, set for announcement on the evening of December 2. Will a banner year for Lady GaGa equal multiple nods? Who's got a decent shot at Best New Artist? What did Beyonce submit in the Record/Song of the Year categories? I'll clue you in on this year's major Grammy races with a preview of the nominations on November 27 - I've already glanced at a preliminary ballot, so I've got some ideas on who and what is headed to music's reddest carpet.

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