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Trouble in Line Folk troubadour Bob Dylan's two-night stop in Santa Cruz sells out in a hurry By Sarah Quelland THERE WAS a phenomenal demand for tickets to folk-rock legend Bob Dylan's two-night stop at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium (scheduled for March 15-16). Almost as soon as the dates were announced, tickets were gone. Close to 2,000 tickets went on sale Sunday morning (Feb. 13) at $45 a pop (fairly reasonable these days), with 250 for sale at the Civic Center box office, and the rest available at various Ticketmaster outlets. An estimated 800 fans braved Sunday's downpour hoping to be one of the lucky ones. A ticket lottery was held to discourage overnight camping, and everyone who lined up by 9am was supposed to receive a lottery ticket; unfortunately, the demand overwhelmed the box office, and many who had lined up before 9am didn't get to participate in the lottery. Tickets for both nights reportedly sold out in about 25 minutes. Dylan's career spans more than four decades, and in that time he's released a substantial amount of significant material. In 1997 Dylan was one of five recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. His 1997 release, Time Out of Mind, won the 1998 Grammy award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. The Royal Swedish Academy of Music is also about to present him with its esteemed Polar Music Prize. Most recently, Dylan penned a new song titled "Things Have Changed" for the soundtrack to the upcoming Michael Douglas movie, Wonder Boys, a soundtrack that includes three older Dylan tunes: "Shooting Star," "Not Dark Yet" and "Buckets of Rain." The movie is set for release next Friday (Feb. 25), and the soundtrack went on sale earlier this week. It appears superstar rock band Kiss is ready to hang it up for good. Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss are gearing up to hit the road one final time. The band stops at the Oakland Arena on March 23. Tickets for all Kiss dates go on sale this Saturday (Feb. 19). The Violent Femmes perform at the Catalyst next Saturday (Feb. 20) with one of the most entertaining ukulele players around, Oliver Brown, supporting. The Femmes will release their first new studio album since 1994's New Times on March 7. The latest release, titled Freak Magnet, offers 15 original songs, with the song "Sleepwalkin' " slated as the first U.S. single. After all these years--almost 20 now--and a string of classic hits ("Blister in the Sun," "Add It Up," "American Music") and fan favorites, the acoustic folk-punk trio's distinctive sound and unusual sense of humor are still completely recognizable. From the folky cadence of "Forbidden" to the contemplative "When You Died" to the obnoxious punk of "Mosh Pit" to the bizarre fairy tale "A Story," the new album is a solid addition to the band's discography. Tickets for this 16+ show are $20 advance and $22 door. Doors open at 7pm, and the show kicks off at 8pm. After an extended hiatus, local ska and dancehall reggae band the Brownies are back in action and have a show coming up this Friday (Feb. 18) at the Cactus Club with Stone Groove and All New Smoothies. Together for about 10 years, the Brownies broke up a few years ago, only reuniting occasionally to jam. Now, the band has reformed with a lineup featuring former members Inka Inka and Dub Nation and says it plans to perform on a more regular basis. ... Papa Roach performs that same night (Feb. 18) at Maritime Hall in a show sponsored by LIVE 105. The guys in the band consider this a fan-appreciation show for people who didn't get into the sold-out show held in January at the Cactus. Tickets for the show are only $1.05, and the doors open at 7pm. ... Metro is offering a special in the music classifieds. Run a free 25-word listing for four weeks in the Musician Exchange and CD-Release section (for Bay Area and Santa Cruz only). This offer expires next Friday (Feb. 25). Contact Rob in our music classifieds at 408.298.8000, ext. 232 for details and mention the Metro calendar. ...Don't forget: the Grammys will be held next Wednesday (Feb. 23) at 8pm on CBS. PLAN AHEAD: Triple Seven, Dollstar and All New Smoothies, Feb. 17 at the Usual; Insolence and others, Feb. 19 at the Cactus; Swarm and Spike 1000, Feb. 19 at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco; Spearhead and Tri-Plex, Feb. 23 at the Usual; the Road Kings, Feb. 23 at Slim's in San Francisco; Bad Religion, March 1 at the Catalyst; Filter, March 4 at the Warfield ; Lords of Acid, March 12 at Maritime Hall in San Francisco; Fiona Apple, March 22 at the Warfield; Oasis, April 8 at the Berkeley Community Theater. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]