If you enjoyed seeing Tom Petty last year at the Gorge, or maybe didn’t get a chance to go, fear not! Petty’s coming back to the Gorge, along with his Mojo and a bunch of his buds.

Petty will be trekking the country this summer with the likes of My Morning Jacket, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joe Cocker, ZZ Top, and Drive-By Truckers – all are confirmed as special guests throughout the tour.

Mark the calendar for June 12. I’ll see you at the Gorge.

Petty’s releasing a new CD, Mojo, this spring – and every online ticket purchased to the tour comes with a download of Mojo, delivered via email on the album’s release date. So if you’re planning to come to the show anyway, now you’ll know all of the new tracks to sing along.

If you’re still aching for that must-have Petty fix, the first track from the album, entitled “Good Enough” is currently streaming exclusively on TomPetty.com. Click here to listen.

And if this all hasn’t quite wet your whistle yet (how could it not…?), if you purchase tickets online and download Mojo you will also receive 8 tracks recorded during the 2010 Tour to be delivered after the tour.

Thoughts on the new track?

- Shawn

Yesterday was a gold medal music day: a lounge with Fanfarlo (vids to come) and a private performance by Los Lonely Boys. Here’s 3 minutes of “Heaven”:

And did you know the Boys have a covers album out called 1969 where they do all classics from that year? It’s great. No dig on The Beatles, but I love the sound of brothers singing together!

- Shawn

Sting might not be touring with The Police any more, but he will be touring again soon with quite a few of his friends.

Sting, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, will embark on a world tour this summer, performing his most celebrated songs re-imagined for symphonic arrangement.

The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will be conducted by Maestro Steven Mercurio (known for his work with Pavarotti, Bocelli).

Sting’s interest in collaborating with an orchestra followed an invitation to perform with the Chicago and Philadelphia Symphony Orchestras. He reworked his hits, tweaked some arrangements, and apparently enjoyed the experiences:

“Performing with both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra was truly a highlight of my career. I’m delighted by this new opportunity to tour with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and reinterpret the songs I’ve been playing for many years.”

Sting will also be joined by a quartet comprised of Dominic Miller (Sting’s longtime guitarist), David Cossin (a multi-percussion specialist in new and experimental music and featured member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars), Jo Lawry (vocalist) and Ira Coleman (bassist).

There are only a few dates announced thus far, but it has been reported that Sting will play in both Seattle and Portland… stay tuned for details about that.

For now, these dates are finalized:

June 2
Vancouver
Centre For the Performing Arts

June 9
Denver
Red Rocks Park Amphitheater

June 15
Los Angeles
Hollywood Bowl

July 17 & 18
Chicago
Ravinia Festival

Tickets go on sale on Monday, March 8th at 10am (except for the Chicago shows, which go on sale April 22nd).

- Shawn

. . . when I get my hair cut. It seems fine when I’m in the chair, and then when I get to work and take a good look at myself, it’s so much shorter than I thought. Whatever — it grows back quickly.

Back in the go-go 1990s I used to go to some really fancy salon in Belltown where they massaged your scalp, shampooed you with exotic products, served you champagne, gave you a big hug at the end of the visit, and charged you an arm and a leg. Now I go to this place on Capitol Hill called Scream. (This is not a commercial, I swear.) They’re fast, super-nice, and CHEAP. Much better. Although I do kind of miss that scalp massage.

Today, I’ve got 3 new, emerging Mountain artists for you to hear:

Beach House – Norway
Beach House

Dream Pop, a la “Life In a Northern Town” from Beach House (they’re on Seattle’s own Sub Pop Records).

Edward Sharpe
Edward Sharpe

Freak folk (don’t be frightened!) from a fake cult leader.

Antlers
The Antlers

And following in the tradition of indie bands like Deer Hoof, Deer Tick, and The Dears, it’s The Antlers!

Thoughts on this new Mountain music?

- Shawn

The weather affords you the most spectacular views.

You can get this close to the gold medal action.

Or maybe you prefer this type of gold medal action.

You can meet the proud families of Olympians (the bronze medalist in mens giant slalom) at your neighborhood coffee shop.

You can get this close to the back of Julia Mancuso’s head.

You can actually do some skiing or riding.

And finally, you can be serenaded by vikings, and seriously – where else is that gonna happen??

Go. You will not regret it.

- Shawn

My favorite outfit on the mountain. I want to bring this look back!

History and geography lessons needed: These guys are French. French vikings? Clarification needed!

German fans bring the fancy, dah.

Norwegian fan needs fuel!

How did I end up here? And more importantly, how did get back?

Oh hey, here’s how I got there: on the peak to peak gondola. This one had a glass bottom.

See?

This was the starting gate for the Ladies Downill. Another race viewing point that anyone can ski or snowboard to. This was actually the second spot where I watched most of the race. The first spot, I hiked up into the tree line with hundreds of other fans, and there was wifi!

I mention the wifi, because everyone was Tweeting, texting, and app-ing out from our gathering spot, so we knew exactly when Linsday Vonn would be on the course. And here she was! Racing right by me! And then about a minute later, the news of her finish started being relayed up the hill.

And here’s where I had to hike back down. I wonder if Ed Veisturs sweats this much?

Time out, people. Who you calling a luger?

See where it says “Vancouver 2010″? That’s the luge track! I came for the Men’s Doubles and I must say, it’s quite a scene. It’s more like a demolition derby vibe. Everyone stands on gravel along the track, drinking beer and smoking!

Is there a doubles luge sled in this photo? If so, it was pure luck! These dudes are sledding so fast they make the downhill racers I saw earlier in the day seem positively pokey.

Everyone’s covering the Olympics right now, but I’m here to report on the details you might not hear about on NBC or CTV.

Ever wonder who raised the flags at Olympic Medals Ceremonies? The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, that’s who!

Or perhaps you are curious about those bouquets the athletes receive right after being awarded their medals? They throw them in to the crowd gathered at Olympic Park in Whistler, BC. The gent next to me caught this when the big Gold Medal winning bi-athlete from Sweden hurled it into the crowd.

What it feels like to win gold (and silver) in ladies biathalon!

Much to the bewilderment of 6,500 international fans drunk on Olympic fever, Feist played an arty, challenging, slow set. Beautiful, yes. Appropriate for this crowd? Not so much.

The medals ceremony takes place every night in Whistler. On TV they cut between Vancouver’s BC Place (indoors) and Whistler’s Olympic Park (outdoors). This is the only event where I waited in line, needed a ticket, and got a pat-down (Thank you, Dudley Do-Right!) But everything went smoothly and the event was a blast.

I’ll have more from Whistler! Stay tuned.