Justin Bieber v Bob Dylan: Has the Biebs got what it takes to take out the Master?

ONE is lionised as the songwriter of his generation while the other faces the challenge of keeping a generation of fans after they grow up.

Both the master Bob Dylan and the apprentice Justin Bieber will inspire fanatic devotion among their many admirers when they perform in Sydney this week.

Fresh from his acclaimed sets at the annual Bluesfest in Byron Bay, Dylan performs two concerts at the Sydney Entertainment Centre from tonight while Bieber will stage a two-night stand at Acer Arena from tomorrow.

While Dylan's Baby Boomer fans may express their adulation with vigorous cheering and applause, you can count on your ears ringing from the piercing screams that will greet Bieber's every move.

Bieber fever shocked Sydney a year ago when thousands of hysterical tweens and teens unexpectedly arrived at the Overseas Passenger Terminal for a television appearance and later caused mayhem at Sunrise's Martin Place studios where police cancelled a show for safety reasons.

Since then, armed with a debut record My World 2.0 Bieber has become as much a social media star as he has a chart-topper - his fans have downloaded more than 24 million singles and his YouTube videos have been viewed at least 1.5 billion times.

Like Lady Gaga, he is rewriting the pop rule book and knows a few daily Twitter or Facebook updates have more power to keep the fan fires burning than radio playing his breakthrough hit Baby three times a day.

"AUSTRALIA ... we are coming ... and there might be some surprises," he posted at the weekend with a link to his song Next 2 You featuring Chris Brown, also touring Australia.

Some fans have even coerced their parents into spruiking for hotel rooms to get closer to Bieber as well as for tickets which range from $95 to $285 for the Bieber Fever Ultimate VIP package.

Dylan fans also paid $95 for their Sydney Entertainment Centre cheap seats, with the front rows costing just $175 to see a living legend perform classics including Like A Rolling Stone, A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall and Tangled Up In Blue.

Of course their extras for the evening will include dinner and drinks. The Beliebers will buy T-shirts, iPod skins, dog tags, towels, bracelets, tracksuit pants and a teddy bear.

Baby face v Baby boomer

Justin Bieber

- AGE: 17

- ALBUMS: One studio album, two remix collections and one compilation

- CAREER: Signed to Island records in 2008 after discovered on YouTube

- SIGNIFICANT OTHER: Disney "It girl" Selena Gomez

- Named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People 2011

- MENTOR: Usher

- SOCIAL MEDIA: 9,141,770 Twitter followers; 25,986,403 people like him on Facebook

- AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES: Seven concerts

Bob Dylan

- AGE: 69

- ALBUMS: 34 studio albums plus live and compilation recordings

- CAREER: Signed to Columbia Records in 1961

- SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: Two ex-wives and six children

- Named one of Time's 100 Most Important People of the Century

- MENTOR: Woody Guthrie

- SOCIAL MEDIA: 42,275 Twitter followers; 2,376,779 people like him on Facebook

- AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES: Nine concerts

Foo Fighters at Sydney Harbour Thursday March 24, 2011

This could be the biggest rock event of 2011. The Foo Fighters are coming to Australia to play a world first, exclusive show in March.

Triple M have teamed up with Channel V and Sony Music to present 'Foo Fighters Wasting Light on the Harbour', a concert that will see the world's biggest rock band play live at a secret location on Sydney Harbour on Thursday March 24. And it gets better! In an Australian first, Dave Grohl and the Fooies will be playing songs from their upcoming studio album Wasting Light.

If you've heard the Fooies new single "Rope" you'll know exactly what they're on about. This album is going to be insane and to hear it live will be simply awesome.

When: Thursday, 2011/03/24
Where: Sydney Harbour - , Sydney, NSW Australia

The only way you can attend this exclusive event in Sydney is by winning tickets through Channel [V] and Triple M.

STING Symphonicity Tour - Sydney Events

Sting Performing his Greatest Hits, Re-imagined for Symphonic Arrangement
Conducted by Steven Mercurio

Performances Confirmed in Perth, Barossa Valley, Melbourne, Sydney, Hunter Valley, Brisbane and Christchurch.

For Immediate Release - Sunday, October 10, 2010.

LIVE NATION is pleased to announce that STING will extend his critically-acclaimed world tour, Symphonicity, to Australia and New Zealand in January and February, 2011.

The Australian tour will begin January 22 in Perth (Sandalford Estate) followed by performances in the Barossa Valley and Melbourne (Music Bowl), with an additional two-night engagement at the renowned Sydney Opera House. The tour will also make stops at the Hope Estate Winery in Hunter Valley and the Brisbane River Stage before continuing to New Zealand, where Sting will perform at the CBS Canterbury Arena in Christchurch, before concluding at the already sold-out Mission Estate Winery, on February 12 in Napier Valley.

Following sold-out performances throughout North America and Europe, Symphonicity finds Sting performing his greatest hits, re-imagined for symphonic arrangement, conducted by Maestro Steven Mercurio (Pavarotti, Bocelli). For this portion of the tour, Symphonicity will feature the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Perth, Barossa Valley and Melbourne, the Sydney Symphony in Sydney, Brisbane and Hunter Valley, with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra performing in Christchurch and Napier, NZ.

Sting will also be joined by a group of accomplished musicians, comprised of Dominic Miller (Sting's longtime guitarist), Rhani Krija (Sting's longtime multi-genre percussionist), David Cossin (a multi-percussion specialist in new and experimental music and featured member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars), Jo Lawry (Australian vocalist) and Ira Coleman (bassist).

"I am looking forward to performing in Australia and New Zealand, having a whole new palate of musical colours to work with and reinventing the songs that have been the staples of my live shows for over thirty years," says Sting.

Drawing from a diverse and illustrious career that has produced numerous multi-platinum albums, a staggering list of number one songs, countless accolades and worldwide record sales of nearly 100 million, Sting's most celebrated songs have been re-interpreted with brand new orchestrations arranged by Jorge Calandrelli, David Hartley, Michel Legrand, Rob Mathes, Vince Mendoza, Steven Mercurio, Bill Ross, Robert Sadin, and Nicola Tescari.

Selections, created especially for this tour, will include fan-favourites such as The Police hits "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Roxanne", "Next To You" and "Every Breath You Take," to notable songs from Sting's enduring solo career - "Englishman In New York," "Fragile," "Russians," "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You," "Fields Of Gold," and "Desert Rose."

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