Things Get Worse For GNR
Guns N Roses dodges bottles during Dublin appearance.
A few nights after a hostile reception during a long delayed and lame set at
the Reading Festival
(story),
things got even uglier for Guns N Roses after Axl and the band
kept fans in Dublin, Ireland waiting more than 90 minutes before taking the
stage Wednesday
(9/1).
When the set finally opened with Welcome To The Jungle, more
than the verbal abuse that the Reading crowd unleashed came at them. Angry
fans pelted the stage with bottles. Announcements that the band wanted to
stay but would only continue the show if the projectiles stopped only
brought a bigger barrage of objects and profanity directed at the band.
Shortly after that announcement the band left the stage, ostensibly due to
'technical difficulties', and did not return.
Billboard.com
Zeppelin Reunion Prospects Fade
Robert Plant has lost what little interest he had. Robert Plant agreed to reunite with Jimmy Page and
John Paul Jones in 1988 at the 40th Anniversary Concert for
Atlantic Records, at a 2007 tribute concert for the label's Ahmet
Ertegun, and for a O2 Arena show the following year. That last
show seems to have convinced Plant to never do it again. Plant
says he has always thought Led Zeppelin ended as a band the night
drummer John Bonham died during a night of binge drinking 30 years
ago. After attending a recent concert by Them Crooked Vultures, the
hard rocking band Jones plays bass with, Plant commented on
how far removed from that style of music he feels now. He also said that
the O2 Arena show was so loud his ears 'bled for two days'.
Even if that was not the literal truth, it serves notice that getting
together with his former band mates to perform Led Zeppelin songs is
about a likely a prospect. Ironically, segments of Zep songs have
been cropping up during concerts Plant is doing with his current
Roots Rock group, Band Of Joy(story).
Mog.com
Clapton Previews New Tracks
Four songs from Sept. 28 album online now. Eric Clapton releases his 19th studio album September 28 (story).
Four tracks from the self-titled release are streaming online. Run
Back to Your Side, Autumn Leaves, Diamonds Made
From Rain and Travelin' Alone are being offered by
Warner Brothers Records in advance of the release. The album, co-produced by
Doyle Bramhall, includes contributions from Steve Winwood,
JJ Cale, Derek Trucks, Allen Toussaint, Sheryl Crow
and drummer Jim Keltner. Clapton says taking a 'just let
it happen' approach to the album resulted in one that he expects will be
a surprise to fans because it was '... a surprise to me, as well.'
Hearitforyourslef
here.
WheresEric.com
Crowe's Singer Can't Stand Swift
Chris Robinson dumps on Taylor Swift.
Diplomacy is something Chris Robinson seldom bothers with. Telling
the audience what he thinks of Miller Beer, sponsor of the 1991 ZZ Top
tour during his band's opening set, reportedly got the Black Crowes
dropped from the tour. Verbal and occasional physical altercations
involving Robinson have cropped up at other times as well. The
latest target of Robinson's ire is pop star Taylor Swift. In
an interview with Nylon Guys magazine, Robinson is quoted as
saying he finds it embarrassing that adults consider Swift talented,
saying, 'She's not. She might be cute, but she is horrible.' He goes
on to lump her in with the other contemporary pop artists he says, '...make
records with producers who play a chord into a computer and it all comes out
the same'. Robinson's band is winding down the Say Goodnight to the Bad
Guys tour, after which the band will go on an indefinite hiatus.
TorontoSun.com
Clapton Gets A Recall
Guitarist's Ferrari at risk of catching fire Eric Clapton loves hot cars - but not this hot. Reacting to a half
dozen reports of 458 Italia models that have gone up in flames,
Ferrari announced a recall involving the exotic cars, including one in
the stable of high-horsepower cars belonging to EC. The problem has been
traced to an adhesive used in the rear wheel well that can melt under
intense heat, causing a portion of the aluminum body to come into contact
with the exhaust and possibly ignite. Letters went out to the 1,248 owners
458 Italia owners notifying them of the problem. You can bet
Clapton, who has owned several of the company's cars and is tight with
management
(story),
got special attention from Ferrari and may have had his retrofitted
with metal rivets to prevent the bodywork from sagging even before the
letters went out. At least the defect gives the thousands of prospective
owners on the 3+ year waiting list a reason to be glad they were not able to
get theirs yet.
TheSun.co.uk
Guess Who's Down A Guitar?
Canadian band has Gibson stolen during Cincinnati concert. The Guess Who left a weekend concert in Cincinnati light one
guitar. The Gibson EC-30 acoustic guitar was apparently lifted from
the backstage area after the band performed at the Taste Of Cincinnati
on Saturday night
(8/28).
The guitar had only been left unattended for a few minutes - but evidently
long enough for someone to snatch it from its case. Founding drummer Jim
Kale and bass player Gary Peterson continue touring as the
Guess Who. Randy Bachman has reunited with his Bachman-Turner
Overdrive partner Fred Turner, while former lead singer Burton
Cummings continues as a solo act.
Gibson.com
Vedder & Depp Join Patti Smith
Little Rock fans witness unusual group of stars.
Fans attending a Patti Smith concert in Little Rock, Arkansas
Saturday
(8/28) got to witness an event not likely to ever get
repeated. The Rocker-poet was joined on stage by Eddie Vedder of
Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, one of the Dixie Chicks, George
Harrison's son Dhani, and actor Johnny Depp. All of the
celebs descended on Little Rock to raise funds and awareness for a campaign
to get the murder convictions of three young men reviewed. Smith, Vedder
and others contend the guilty verdicts were arrived at without evidence to
support them. The special guests all joined Smith on the Robinson
Hall stage for People have The Power (with Depp on
guitar) after Eddie Vedder had come out to sing and play guitar on Dancing Barefoot. Spinner.com Billboard.com
Rundgren Takes Teaching Gig
Accepts assignment as instructor at Indiana University. Steve Miller is not the only Rocker that will be presiding at the
head of the class this fall
(story).
Todd Rundgren has accepted a teaching position at Indiana
University. The Wizard, True Star turned professor will instruct
Well Scholars on the Bloomington campus. The two week teaching stint
developed because Rundgren's Hawaii home is close to one owned by
Indiana University Rock History professor Glenn Gass. A couple
of public appearances are expected to take place while Rundgren is in
residence - a lecture on October 28 and what is being described as a
storytelling concert on Halloween.
IndyStar.com
Stones Monopoly Rolls
Board game based on the band launched. Grateful Deadopoly proved to be quite a hit with fans of the San
Francisco band in 2009
(story).
The Rolling Stones are getting in on the action with a Stones
themed version of the age-old game. Location names on the traditional UK
edition of the Monopoly board are replaced by Stones album titles. Game
pieces also represent iconic things to RS fans - the lips logo, a
pair of tumbling dice, wild horses... Short of drugs and groupies, the game
seems to have the band covered - currency comes in the form of concert
tickets, hotels become gold and platinum record awards and train stations
are replaced by the names of some of the band's biggest tours.
TheSun.co.uk
Bidding Frenzy For Lennon Toilet
Porcelain throne from Lennon home fetches $15,500. Our estimate that a toilet from a house John Lennon lived
in was likely to sell for a lot more than the $1,500 auction officials
estimated it would bring
(story)
proved correct when a high bid of $15,500 took the toilet Saturday
(8/28).
An unidentified overseas buyer placed the winning bid at the Liverpool
auction. The fixture was removed from the home in Tittenhurst, UK three
years after bought Lennon purchased the estate in 1969. The commode
was put up for auction by the son-in-law of the contractor John had gifted
the toilet to in 1969.
Jam.Canoe.com
Fans Unload On Guns N Roses
Axl draws wrath of Reading Festival crowd.
Making 80,000 fans wait more than an hour before taking the stage Friday
(8/27)
put Guns N Roses in front of an audience that only an incredible set
could please. The performance Axl Rose and the current lineup of
GNR turned in at the Reading Festival only made an already angry
crowd more hostile. An account of the set from Spinner describing Rose
as '...bloated and red' went on to say his voice quality and attitude were
equally unappealing to the crowd, which responded with booing and jeers that
grew louder as the set ground on. The night ended with many of those who
hadn't walked out on GNR to check out LCD Soundsystem
performing on another stage hurling abuse at Axl and the band as they
walked off after a failed attempt to play Paradise City.
Mercifully, power to the stage had been cut off after a set Spinner reports
was plagued by Rose's lackluster vocals and the band as a whole
delivering a performance that came across as an '...oddly high-pitched,
nasal whine.'
Spinner.com
Massive Springsteen Set Detailed
Springsteen Darkness reissue contains six discs.
The 30th anniversary reissue of Darkness On The Edge Of Town
has grown into a 3 CD & 3 DVD collection packing a whopping 6 hours of
footage and 2+ hours of audio. Also out Nov. 16 is The Promise,
a 2 CD or 4 lp configuration that includes 21 songs recorded during the Darkness sessions, tunes Bruce describes as 'substantial',
and ones he possibly should have released as a separate album before the
1978 release of Darkness. Springsteen manager and
confidant Jon Landau promises the previously unreleased material adds
up to '...simply a great listening experience.' The first DVD in the
complete collection is The Promise: The Making Of Darkness on the Edge
of Town, the documentary by Thom Zimny that premiers at the
Toronto Film Festival September 14 and comes to HBO October 7
(story).
The second DVD features a 2009 HD recording of the E Street Band
doing the original album in its entirety in 2009 at an empty Paramount
Theater in Asbury Park, along with a dozen concert clips filmed at
shows between 1976 and 1978. A complete 26 song set filmed at the Summit
in Houston in December of '78 is documented on the third DVD. Backstreets.com has complete track lists and more info about the
long-anticipated collection.
U2 Slapped With Noise Fine
Barcelona fines band $22k for excessive volume.
Violation of a city noise ordinance in Barcelona, Spain while rehearsing for
a June, 2009 concert has cost U2 18,000 Euros, or about $22,000 -
chump change to them. The violation citing came in response to complaints
by residents within ear shot of the late night session the band staged in
Camp Nou, the Barcelona soccer stadium. The band ran-up a larger fine
in its own home town the following month, but not for the volume of its
music. Dublin officials fined a promoter $60,000 for noise associated with
assembly and break-down of the massive Claw stage after neighbors got so
riled up over four days of noise that they protested by blocking equipment
trucks as they attempted to leave the venue
(story).
Music.spreadit.org
Ron Wood Feels Like Playing
Stones guitarist enlists several greats for solo project. Ron Wood has made no secret of the fact he wishes the
Rolling Stones would get on with studio and touring plans. His
frustration with Mick Jagger also applies to Rod Stewart, lead
singer of Faces, the band Wood was a member of before joining
the Rolling Stones in 1975. Stewart has repeatedly expressed
interest in a Faces reunion tour but has refused to opt in on dates
the Faces have done
(story).
A positive outlet for that frustration Ron Wood deciding to record a new
solo album. Chances are the guitarist knew better than bothering to ask
Jagger or Stewart to guest on the project, but he had no trouble
rounding up some great contributors. The 12 songs on I Feel Like
Playing (Sept. 28, Eagle Records) feature the likes of Billy
Gibbons of ZZ Top, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Slash,
Bobby Womack, Kris Kristofferson, and fellow Faces
member Ian McLagan. Ron Wood - I Feel Like Playing
1) Thing Like That
2) Sweetness
3) Lucky Man
4) I Gotta See
5) Thing About You
6) Catch You
7) Spoonful
8) I Don’t Think So
9) 100%
10.) Fancy Pants
11.) Tell Me Something
12.) Forever
