Alicia Keys, Linkin Park, Sum41, Ja Rule, More Head To Holiday Radio Fests

In recent years the radio station-sponsored concert has become as much a holiday tradition as chestnuts roasting on an open fire or children lined up at the mall to sit on Santa's lap.

Whether it's the Deck the Hall Ball in Seattle, the Mistletoe Jam in Denver or the many Not So Silent Nights or Jingle Balls around the country, holiday shows are growing in quantity and quality every year.

Chart-topping acts in rock (Staind, Linkin Park), hip-hop (Ja Rule, Jay-Z) and R&B (Alicia Keys, Craig David) are taking part in this year's events, which begin next week and last until mid-December.

"We initially started doing Jingle Bashes to give our audience a chance to see the artists that we play, because in 1993, many didn't tour," explained Erik Bradley, music director at WBBN, whose show stars Keys this year. "Now, of course, that has all changed, but the audience still enjoys coming out for a big party with artists and our station jocks."

Some station's holiday concerts, like KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas in Los Angeles (which has not been announced yet) or WHTZ's Jingle Ball in New York (which features Enrique Iglesias, Alicia Keys, Pink and others) have become some of the most anticipated shows of the year.

Here is a "wrap-up" of most of this year's holiday festivals:

• WBCN X-Mas Rave Blink-182 and Lit @ Orpheum; 311, Tantric and Flickerstick @ Avalon; Adema and Reveille @ Axis; Pete Yorn and Remy Zero @ Paradise Rock Club; November 27 Boston, MA

• WBRU Birthday Bash 311, Lit, Tantric and Adema @ Lupo's; Coldplay, Remy Zero, and Delta Clutch @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium November 28 Providence, RI

• WJBX 99X Fest 5 Sum41, Disturbed, Alien Ant Farm, Lit and Tantric @ Lee County Sports Complex November 30 Fort Myers, FL
   
• WTMX Miracle on State Street Melissa Etheridge, Blues Traveler, Five for Fighting and the Verve Pipe's Brian Vander Ark @ Chicago Theater December 1 Chicago, IL

• WDRQ Electric Kringle Jingle Jay-Z, Craig David, Jessica Simpson, 112, LFO, City High, Willa Ford, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Pink, Enrique Iglesias and O-Town via satellite @ Palace of Auburn Hills

  December 1 Auburn Hills, MI  

• WHFS HFSmas Nutcracker Blink-182, System of a Down, Puddle of Mudd, Coldplay, Pete Yorn and the Crystal Method @ Patriot Center December 1 Washington, D.C.

• WPBZ Buzz Bake Sale Staind, Alien Ant Farm, Sum41, Drowning Pool, Jimmy Eat World, Disturbed, Static-X, Adema, Tantric, Dave Navarro, Handsome Devil, Stroke 9, Sugarcult, Reveille, Cave and New Found Glory @ Mars Music Amphitheatre December 1 West Palm Beach, FL

• WSUN Next Big Thing Sum41, Disturbed, Alien Ant Farm, New Found Glory, Dave Navarro, Jimmy Eat World, Adema, Flickerstick, Lucky Boys Confusion, Stroke 9, Sugarcult, Abandoned Pools, Soulsystem and Crizzly and the Punx @ Coachman Park     December 2 Clearwater, FL

• KKND The Low Dough Mistletoe Show Lit and others @ State Palace Theater December 4 New Orleans, LA
   
• KRBE Jingle Jam 2001 City High, Craig David, Michelle Branch, LFO and Lifehouse @ Compaq Center December 5 Houston, TX
   
• KNDD Deck the Hall Ball "Electric" with Blink-182, Linkin Park, System of a Down and Staind on December 6; "Acoustic" with Staind, Coldplay and Travis on December 7 @ Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA

• WRZX X-Mas Concert Fuel, Sevendust, Lit and Adema @ Pepsi Coliseum December 6 Indianapolis, IN

• KITS Not So Silent Night Linkin Park, P.O.D., Puddle of Mudd, System of a Down, Alien Ant Farm, Sum41 and AFI @ Compaq Center December 7 San Jose, CA

• WNOU Radio Now Santa Slam 2K1 Craig David, Lifehouse, Blu Cantrell, Evan and Jaron and the Calling @ Murat Theatre December 8 Indianapolis, IN

• KDWB Jingle Ball Alicia Keys, Craig David, Christina Millian and Toya @ Quest December 9 Minneapolis, MN

• WSTR Not So Silent Night Smash Mouth, Train and Natalie Merchant @ Atlanta Civic Center December 10 Atlanta, GA

• KBPI Mistletoe Jam System of a Down, Sevendust, Alien Ant Farm and Hoobastank @ The Fillmore December 11 Denver, CO

• WXDX Kiss Ass Christmas The Crystal Method, Flickerstick, Pete Yorn, Remy Zero and Buzz Poets @ Rosebud December 11 Pittsburgh, PA

• WPLY Feastival Blink-182, Bush, Sum41, Lit and Nickelback @ First Union Center December 12 Philadelphia, PA

• WKQX Twisted 8 Blink-182, 311, Bush, Alien Ant Farm, Sum41 and Pete Yorn @ United Center December 13 Chicago, IL

• WHTZ Jingle Ball Enrique Iglesias, Alicia Keys, Sugar Ray, O-Town, Pink, Craig David, Jewel, Lifehouse and Five for Fighting @ Madison Square Garden December 13 New York, NY
   
• WIOQ Jingle Ball Enrique Iglesias, Alicia Keys, O-Town, Jay-Z, Craig David, Michelle Branch, Lifehouse and Toya @ Tweeter Center December 14 Camden, NJ

• KPNT Ho Ho Show Bush, Alien Ant Farm, Puddle of Mudd, the Crystal Method and Boy Hits Car @ The Pageant December 14 St. Louis, MO

• WBBM Jingle Bash Alicia Keys @ Arie Crown Theatre December 15 Chicago, IL
   
• WENZ Jingle Ball 2001 Sugar Ray, Shaggy, Lifehouse, Michelle Branch, Blu Cantrell, Craig David and American Hi-Fi @ Arco Arena December 15 Sacramento, CA

• CIMX The Night 89X Stole Christmas Blink-182, 311 and the Crystal Method @ Cobo Arena December 15 Detroit, MI

• KKBT Holiday Cooldown Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Faith Evans and Ginuwine @ Wiltern Theatre December 16 Los Angeles, CA

• KBKS Jingle Bell Bash Barenaked Ladies, Jessica Simpson, American Hi-Fi, Michelle Branch, Lifehouse, Blu Cantrell, Train and Craig David @ Stadium Exhibition Center December 17 Seattle, WA

• WKST KissMas Concert Ja Rule, Alicia Keys, City High, Toya and Dante Thomas @ A.J. Palumbo Center December 17 Pittsburgh, PA
   
• KIIS Jingle Ball Alicia Keys, Shakira, Sugar Ray, Lifehouse, Five for Fighting, LFO, Michelle Branch and Craig David @ Staples Center December 19 Los Angeles, CA

• KGLL KissMas Freedom Bash Barenaked Ladies, Jessica Simpson, Jewel and Nikka Costa @ Pepsi Center December 20 Denver, CO