Rockstar Newswire

As we throwback to the 80s in a Vice City state of mind celebrating the game's 10th anniversary and forthcoming mobile release, here's a special edition of the Rockstar Soundtrack Alumni Concert Calendar compiling a list of places and dates where you can catch notable artists you've heard in our games perform live.

It's great to see so many of these legendary artists still so actively touring around the world, so whether you had your dial locked to Flash FM, Wildstyle Pirate Radio, Wave 103, V-Rock, Fever 105 or Wave 103 - there's bound to be a nostalgic favorite act out there from the Vice City radio waves to catch coming your way. Peruse the below list we've put together that covers dates into early 2013 from the East Coast to the West Coast, across Europe, Australia, South America and more. Do shout in comments if you're aware of any other soundtrack performances we missed, experience some live music from the decade of excess and revisit a time when wearing neon was un-ironic...

Hit the jump to see the full calendar.

Released last week on Halloween, enjoy the new official music video for "TEARS", from Max Payne 3 soundtrack composers HEALTH.

"TEARS" is available as a single on iTunes and as part of the Max Payne 3 Original Soundtrack on iTunes and on CD via the Rockstar Warehouse.

Previously:
“TEARS” by HEALTH Single Now Available on iTunes
Max Payne 3 Official TV Commercial

In the wake of our summertime post cataloguing seasonal concert appearances by notable Rockstar soundtrack alumni, many of you had some specific special requests you asked us to track down in the future (a special shout to Richie.Rich_96, VinewoodTits and others). Our latest edition for the early fall season includes some of those along with many others you've heard in Rockstar games new and old as we encourage you to get out there and experience some great live music from just a few of our favorites. Of course, we also encourage you to do chime in in comments with any other appearances you may know of, requests for other soundtrack artists you'd like to see in future roundups, or with your own experiences from perhaps having personally attended a summer show.

Here's a selected fall lineup with shows all over the North America, Europe, and Australia including all of HEALTH's upcoming tour dates along with events from Max Payne 3's Emicida and Trouble & Bass, Red Dead Redemption's Jose Gonzales, Grand Theft Auto IV's Crookers, Max Cavalera, Iggy Pop, Jeru The Damaja, DJ Premier, Philip Glass, and David Rodigan, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' Turntables On The Hudson, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' Parliament and the Funkadelics and Toto.

See the full fall calendar after the jump.

With the original Max Payne now available on both iOS and Android devices, here's a nostalgic look and listen at a direct by-product of that first game's release from over a decade ago.

In 2002, the trend of the hip-hop street mixtape was in full swing - inexpensively mass produced and released on CDs (no longer commonly available on cassettes and not yet made obselete by the Internet). DJs like Clue (heard on the radio in Liberty City Stories), Kay Slay, and Queens-based DJ Whoo Kid ruled the scene with releases chock full of rap exclusives and original freestyles. To up the showmanship and excitement around each of these CDs, DJs would often enlist high-profile hosts and theme up the mixtape with a homage or parody of popular sporting events or hit movies of the time like Final Destination, Unbreakable and more.

Owing to his own videogame obsessions and to his friendship with Grand Theft Auto III's DJ Stretch Armstrong, Whoo Kid was the first DJ to theme up popular rap mixtapes around our games - starting with Grand Theft Auto: The Mixtape (hosted by Capone of CNN) in early 2002 - and followed up shortly thereafter with this blockbuster Max Payne mixtape hosted by both N.O.R.E. and Baby aka Birdman of Cash Money and filled with then-heavily-anticipated remixes, freestyles and dis records.

Today, you can hear a crisp digital rip of this decade-old gunshots, Max Payne samples, and BulletTime sfx-laden mix at mixtape site DatPiff.com - a nice, nostalgic treat for both hardcore Max fans and fans of early aughts street rap.

A few highlights to check out in there: 

• Tracks 2, 18, 26 - Original samples from Max Payne 1 ripped by Whoo Kid from his PS2 copy of the game.
• Track 7 - Lil Wayne's "Max Payne" - made custom for Whoo Kid specifically for this mixtape, a pre-YMCMB Wayne freestyles over Nas' "Ether" instrumental with lines like "They call me Bad Wayne / And I'm like Max Payne / The sickest shit to hit since anthrax came ... I come through and do my Grand Theft thing / my cran-ap, tan cap, slant back thing...".
• Tracks 8, 15 - Some seminal G-Unit street cuts, hitting as part of 50 Cent's mixtape world domination before he would explode later that year as the hottest new rapper out (50 would host Whoo Kid's Max Payne 2 mixtape later that year, pre-dating the game's sequel itself).
• Tracks 9, 16, 29 - The Lox aka D-Block have been mixtape staples since the heyday, and Whoo Kid made sure this mixtape had them present in full force. Keen GTA soundtrack fans may remember some vintage late 90s Lox mixtape freestyles licensed for an appearance on DJ Clue's Liberty City Stories radio station mix. Some of the most serious gamers and down to earth guys in the rap biz, we're still good friends with The Lox to this day and they've made cameos and soundtrack appearances in many of our games from The Warriors to GTAIV.
• Track 27 - Big Noyd's "Maximum Payne" - the Mobb Deep affiliate rapper is responsible for a few street classics himself, and here blessed Whoo Kid with a little custom freestyle all about gunplay and bullet-time.

http://www.datpiff.com/DJ-Whoo-Kid-Max-Payne-The-Official-Mixtape.300322.html
 

As Serrano gives his Comando Sombra henchmen the signal to unleash hell on Club Moderno’s dance floor and Max puts down his lowball glass and picks up his PT92 - you are treated to a bass-driven set teeming with energy and filled with Trouble & Bass' own funhouse collection of house, electro and fat low end.

Today, you can download Max Payne 3: The Official Soundtrack on iTunes.

The original soundtrack for Max Payne 3 is composed by HEALTH, the L.A. noise band whose non-symmetrical sounds have garnered critical acclaim from the music press and fans around the world. Mixing their signature percussive undertones and synth effects, HEALTH has created a dark and driving soundscape that perfectly reflect Max’s blurred and frayed mental state. HEALTH discard conventional balanced compositions and inject their signature melancholy noise pop into a score that helps propel Max as he transitions between his dark present and tragic past, giving each their own distinctive feel, while staying true to the heavy atmosphere of the Max Payne series.

The Official Soundtrack also includes Emicida's "9 Circulos" as a special bonus track - a powerful and socially conscious original song created by the acclaimed Brazilian MC especially for Max Payne 3.

Full tracklisting:

1. SAMPA
2. SHELLS
3. PAINKILLER
4. BLASPHEMY
5. MAX NJ
6. TORTURE
7. MAX DOCKS
8. THE GIRL
9. MAX KILL
10. +90
11. FABIANA
12. MAX FAVELA
13. DEAD
14. GUNS
15. MAX PANAMA
16. THE IMPERIAL PALACE
17. 16 230
18. U.F.E.
19. COMBAT DRUGS
20. PILLS
21. FUTURE
22. MAX FINALE
23. BIRTH
24. SEVERIN
25. PAIN
26. TEARS
27. 9 Circulos (Bonus Track) – Emicida


Previously:
Download "MAX: THEME" by HEALTH Plus More Updates on the Max Payne 3 Original Soundtrack
 

Yesterday marked not only the date of the official release of Max Payne 3 here in the states but also the release of HEALTH's hypnotic and powerful Soundtrack single "TEARS" on iTunes. Today, we've got more Soundtrack treats for you all as we gear up for Max Payne 3's international release kicking off on Friday.

Starting with a special free download for Max Payne fans everywhere, the "MAX: THEME" by HEALTH as heard above - their faithful, haunting rendition of the signature Max Payne theme as heard in the Max Payne 3 Launch Trailer (and teased in this in-studio behind-the-scenes clip).

We've also launched the Soundtrack feature page at the Max Payne 3 Official Website this week with more audio and info for everyone including an audio snippet of another pounding percussive track from the Soundtrack by HEALTH, "COMBAT DRUGS" (heard in Official Trailer #2). You can also read up on some new details about other music that underscores the Max Payne 3 story - from the original Trouble & Bass DJ Mix heard during the game's fateful Nightclub sequence (stay tuned for a special mixtape release of that mix soon) to the gritty and soulful sounds of celebrated contemporary blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr that are heard during the Hoboken Bar sequence, a violent turning point in Max's life.

The Max Payne 3 Official Soundtrack will be available digitally next week, Tuesday May 23rd featuring all original music from the score as composed by HEALTH, including "TEARS" as well as the bonus track "9 Círculos" by Emicida. Stay tuned for full tracklist info by Tuesday - and also keep an eye out on the Rockstar Twitter feed for the release of a special "US To BR" Remix of Emicida's "9 Círculos" later this week.