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9/28/07

VAN HALEN OPENS TOUR WITH LIGHTS, LASERS, 24-SONG SET AND ROTH

Van Halen kicked off its first tour in 22 years with original singer David Lee Roth at the mic on Thursday night (September 27th) at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, delivering a 24-song set that included nearly every classic tune from the band's first six studio albums. Taking the stage at 8:30 p.m. before a sold-out, fanatical audience, the quartet opened with its very first hit single from 1978, their cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." Roth and bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, made full use of the semi-circular stage which snaked into the middle of the audience. Roth did his trademark patter between songs, while Alex Van Halen took a powerhouse drum solo, and Eddie's featured solo incorporated segments of several of his best-known instrumental pieces like "Eruption" and "Cathedral."

The band made use of an extensive light and laser show, while Roth waved a huge red flag toward the finale and tons of confetti were fired above the audience. A newly sober Eddie Van Halen was energetic on guitar, and his and his 15-year-old son's harmony backing vocals reportedly made up for the absence of original bassist and backup singer Michael Anthony.

• One eyewitness at the show simply said, "Call FEMA, Charlotte has been devastated by Hurricane Van Halen."
• The tour next stops in Greensboro, North Carolina on Saturday (September 29th).
• Van Halen's opening night set list:
  "You Really Got Me"
  "I'm the One"
  "Runnin' With the Devil"
  "Romeo Delight"
  "Somebody Get Me a Doctor"
  "Beautiful Girls"
  "Dance the Night Away"
  "Atomic Punk"
  "Everybody Wants Some"
  "So This Is Love?"
  "Mean Street"
  "Pretty Woman"
  Drum Solo
  "Unchained"
  "I'll Wait"
  "And the Cradle Will Rock"
  "Hot for Teacher"
  "Little Dreamer"
  "Little Guitars"
  "Jamie's Cryin'"
  "Ice Cream Man"
  "Panama"
  Guitar Solo (including "Women in Love" intro, "Cathedral", "Eruption")
  "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"
  (encore)
  "1984"
  "Jump"
• (Special thanks to Roxy Myzal, Andy Denemark, Monte Conner and Justin Arcangel for reporting on this story.)

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR POSSIBLE 2008 INDUCTION INTO ROCK HALL OF FAME - INCLUDING MADONNA, BEASTIE BOYS, MELLENCAMP

Nominees were announced Thursday (September 27th) for possible induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame early next year. The list of nominees includes Madonna, the Beastie Boys, songwriter Leonard Cohen, John Mellencamp, Afrika Bambaata, Chic, surf-rock pioneers the Ventures, disco legend Donna Summer, and Sixties group the Dave Clark Five.

Members of the Rock Hall will now vote on the finalists, and it is likely that five inductees will be announced around the beginning of the year. The annual induction ceremony is usually held in March.

• To be eligible, acts must have released their first single no later than 25 years ago, in this case 1982.
• The Rock Hall came under fire last year when it was reported that Hall exec and Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner rigged the results to induct Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five instead of the Dave Clark Five, who allegedly had more votes.

MARTIN SCORSESE'S GEORGE HARRISON DOCUMENTARY TO FOCUS ON HIS SPIRITUAL LIFE

More details are coming to light about the upcoming George Harrison documentary directed by Martin Scorsese. Variety.com reported that the film, which is being constructed as a theatrical release, will feature extensive material from the Harrison archives and the complete cooperation of Harrison's widow Olivia, his son Dhani, and his former Beatles bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

The project, which is expected to go into production next year, is expected to take several years to finish, and will shed new insight into Harrison's spiritual journey throughout the years.

• Scorsese said that, "George Harrison's music and his search for spiritual meaning is a story that still resonates today and I'm looking forward to delving deeper."
• Olivia Harrison added that, "It would have given George great joy to know that Martin Scorsese has agreed to tell his story."
• Olivia was asked if George ever felt hurt by some of the negative reviews his solo work garnered due to much of it dealing with God and religion: "I don't know. I don't think he cared. He wrote what he felt, what he wanted to write. And recently I heard an interview (and) he said, 'You know, sometimes you mention God, or you mention the word 'Lord' and it makes people's hair curl.' And he said, 'Maybe I served some useful purpose (laughs).'"
• Martin Scorsese has worked on several critically acclaimed music films, including being a cameraman on Woodstock, and directing the Band's The Last Waltz and the recent critically acclaimed Bob Dylan documentary, No Direction Home.
• His live concert feature on the Rolling Stones, called Shine A Light, is due out in April.

RICHIE SAMBORA MAKES AN APPEARANCE WITH BON JOVI

Rehabbing rocker Richie Sambora joined the members of Bon Jovi on Wednesday (September 26th) as they were honored by the Recording Academy's New York Chapter. Sambora, who has been receiving treatment at the Cirque Lodge in Utah (where Lindsay Lohan is also staying) told Fox News, "I'm sober, I'm good."

Despite having stepped out on Wednesday, Sambora will head back to Utah and continue his stay through the weekend. "I figured, why not get to the bottom of this and really understand it?"

• Richie entered a week-long treatment program this summer after the death of his father and his recent split from Denise Richards reportedly caused him to seek comfort in alcohol.
• Alicia Keys and gospel singer Donnie McClurkin were also honored at Wednesday's event.

PAUL McCARTNEY AND RINGO STARR TO PERFORM AS LIVERPOOL BECOMES 'EUROPEAN CULTURE CAPITOL 2008'

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will pay tribute to their hometown next year, when Liverpool becomes the European Culture Capitol for 2008, along with Stavanger, Norway.

The Liverpool Echo reported that McCartney will headline a concert on June 1st for more than 30,000 people at Liverpool Football Club's Anfield Stadium. McCartney posted on his official website saying, "I'm very excited about Liverpool being the European Capital of Culture in 2008. We have a fantastic series of events which are sure to get you excited too. I'm very proud of the city and I look forward to welcoming you all and showing you a good time. It's going to be a great year."

• Ringo Starr will be among the artists kicking off the year's celebrations on January 12th during Liverpool The Musical, the concert featuring the Liverpool Symphony Orchestra at the Liverpool Echo Arena.
• Starr will be performing with the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, who produced his upcoming album, coincidentally called Liverpool 8, which is named after Starr's hometown zip code.
• Starr said that he was thrilled to be performing in celebration of Liverpool: "I'm going to stand on top of St, George's Hall so you can all see me. And the next day we're going to play in this huge concert that's going down in the new arena. How great's that? What could be better? Liverpool, European Capital of Culture '08. Peace and love."
• There has been no word as to whether McCartney and Starr will appear together at any of the many Liverpool Culture events, or whether John Lennon and George Harrison will be represented at any of the year-long festivities.
• Author Christopher Sanford who wrote the recent biography, titled McCartney, says that with the deaths of Lennon and Harrison, the Beatles' legacy firmly belongs to McCartney and Starr now: "It's ironic and in some ways not wholly inappropriate that Paul is the one still on the boards, and of course dear Ringo is still with us, doing the All Starr's and everything else. So yeah, the legacy is theirs now. There is no ambiguity. If you want to hear the Beatles by proxy, you go to a Paul McCartney show."
• Each year, two cities in European Union nations are granted the title of culture capital in an effort to boost job opportunities in the cities and attract tourism.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND APPEARING ON 'TODAY SHOW' THIS MORNING

Bruce Springsteen has a long day ahead of him today (September 28th). He and the E Street Band will appear on the Today Show this morning, performing a handful of songs in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza to promote Springsteen's new album, Magic, which will be released on Tuesday (October 2nd). The fan website springsteenesque.com reported that Springsteen and the band are expected to play five songs and that, "NBC will have retrospectives, snapshots of previous appearances, interviews and fan reaction throughout the morning."

The band then has to cross the Hudson for their appearance in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the Continental Airlines Arena. This will mark their third and final rehearsal show prior to kicking off their U.S. tour on Tuesday in Hartford, Connecticut.

• The Today Show airs on NBC at 7 a.m. Check your local listings for stations.

TRAVIS TRITT AND ZZ TOP JOIN FORCES FOR TWO STADIUM SHOWS

Travis Tritt and ZZ Top will join forces for two shows only, on October 13th at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Indiana and on October 14th at Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. The concerts will showcase Tritt's new album The Storm, as well as ZZ Tops' classic hits.

• Tritt's new album was produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson, and the first single off the album, "You Never Take Me Dancing," is currently sitting at Number 30 on the country charts.
• Rock and Roll Hall of Famers ZZ Top have been busy touring, but plan on heading back into the recording studio later this year.

BONO APPLAUDS MYANMAR PRO-DEMOCRACY DEMONSTRATORS

Ever U2 frontman Bono saw the TV footage of the violence rained down upon monks and other peaceful protestors in Myanmar, he says, he's "slept uneasily." "It is extraordinary to see the Buddhist monks, isn't it?" he said to AP, adding, "Their nonviolence may, I pray, win out over the ugliness of the situation... How far are they going to have to go?"

The 47-year-old singer met and corresponded with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, of the opposition National League for Democracy Party. "U2 actually wrote a song -- 'Walk On' -- for her," he said.

• In related news, Bono received the 2007 Liberty Medal on Philadelphia's Independence Mall yesterday (September 27th) for the work he and his organization, DATA, have done to combat poverty in the poorest countries.
• Bono makes a cameo appearance in the new Beatles-inspired film, Across the Universe, as Dr. Robert, performing the tune "I Am The Walrus."

FOREIGNER 'ALIVE & ROCKIN'' DVD IN STORES OCTOBER 16TH

In celebration of Foreigner's 30th anniversary, the band will release a live DVD called Alive & Rockin' on October 16th. The package contains 100 minutes of footage from last year's Bang Your Head festival in Ballinger, Germany, and includes new interviews with original guitarist Mick Jones and members from the revamped line-up, including drummer Jason Bonham and singer Kelly Hansen. There is also a feature called "Foreigner TV," which focuses on concert fans.

• The 2007 version of the legendary band also includes keyboardist Jeff Jacobs, bassist Jeff Pilson, and sax/flute/guitar player Tom Gimbel.
• The set includes "Double Vision," "Head Games," "Dirty White Boy," "Cold As Ice," "Starrider," "Feels Like The First Time," "Urgent," "Juke Box Hero/Whole Lotta Love," and "Hot Blooded."

MELISSA ETHERIDGE DIDN'T COMPROMISE ON NEW ALBUM

Melissa Etheridge took a maverick approach to the making of her new album, The Awakening. Even though she enjoyed some success with her last album, 2004's Lucky, Etheridge tells us that she avoided contact with her record company while making the album and insisted on doing it strictly on her own terms: "I called my manager and said, 'Really, you gotta call the record company. You gotta tell 'em... 'I'm gonna make an album and I'm gonna give it to you. You don't get to say, 'Well, we don't hear a hit.'' I mean, if you say that, you don't have to sell it. It'll take it and go somewhere else. But it was truly important this came from a place of art coming first."

• The Awakening, Etheridge's 10th album overall, is her first release since her successful battle against breast cancer and since winning the Academy Award for Best Song for "I Want To Wake Up" from the Al Gore film An Inconvenient Truth.
• "Message To Myself" is the first single from The Awakening.
• Etheridge plans to tour to support the album in the summer of 2008.

9/27/07

VAN HALEN KICKS OFF TOUR TONIGHT

Tonight (September 27th) is Van Halen's long-awaited return to the road with founding frontman David Lee Roth. The group kicks off a 38-date tour at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in North Carolina. It's not the entire original lineup -- Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen, will be joined by Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's 16-year-old son, who's taking the place of bassist Michael Anthony.

Anthony and the Van Halens had a falling out before the group's 2004 reunion tour with Roth's replacement, Sammy Hagar. Anthony will be on the road with Hagar this fall, performing as The Other Two -- a sly dig at the Van Halen lineup. Hagar and Anthony were the only two band members who attended the group's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in March, accepting the trophies and performing "Why Can't This Be Love" with the house band.

• Wolfgang Van Halen reportedly drew up the set list for the tour. At a September 8th run-through in Los Angeles, the group played material entirely from Roth's years in the band, with nothing sung by Hagar or the group's third singer, Gary Cherone. An S-shaped ramp snaked from the front of the stage into the audience to allow the musicians to get closer to the crowd.
• The Van Halen tour runs through December 22nd, wrapping up in Oakland, California. A live album and DVD are expected to be recorded during the run.
• At a press conference in August, Roth joked about how important Van Halen was to both English and Spanish-speaking rock fans: "I myself am certainly more aware of it than ever, of how valuable this band is to me and my history, how valuable it is to the neighborhood, to the communities that this music appeals to. And it's a lot of communities! (speaking Spanish) When you can do it in Spanish, you can also... yeah!"

ELTON JOHN DEFENDS SEIZED ART PHOTO OF NUDE CHILDREN

Elton John has confirmed that he's the owner of a photograph of two naked girls that was seized by British police at the Baltic Center for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, England, on suspicion that it amounts to child pornography. He also says that the photograph is a respected artwork and is also part of a larger installation.

An official statement regarding the photo was posted on his official website eltonjohn.com, saying in part: "The photograph entitled Klara And Edda Belly-Dancing (from 1998) is one of 149 images comprising the Thanksgiving installation by renowned U.S. photographer Nan Goldin. The photograph exists as part of the installation as a whole and has been widely published and exhibited throughout the world... (It) has been offered for sale at Sotheby's New York in 2002 and 2004, and has previously been exhibited in Houston, London, Madrid, New York, Portugal, Warsaw and Zurich without any objections of which we are aware... Elton John purchased the Thanksgiving installation from the White Cube gallery in London."

• The San Francisco Gate quoted a spokesman for Northumbria Police as saying that, â€Å'This item is being assessed and Northumbria Police are in consultation with (prosecutors) investigating the circumstances surrounding it."
• The Associated Press reported that this isn't the first time that Goldin's work has come under fire in London. In 2001 police ordered that the Saatchi Gallery remove one of Goldin's photographs claiming that the image was indecent. The gallery refused to comply and no formal charges were pressed, due to the fact that prosecutors felt that "there was no realistic prospect of securing a conviction in the case."

In other Elton John news:

During a British TV special on his life and career, Elton John shed new light into his debilitating cocaine addiction during the 1970's and '80s. Pinknews.co.uk reported John as saying, "It gave me the confidence to join the game. But I wasn't the kind of person who would do one or two lines. I did a gram and then called out for more."

• He went on to recall one of his more outlandish coke-fuelled demands: "I was once staying in a hotel in London and it was really windy outside. I rang up the office and asked if there was anything they could do about it. That's how bad it got."
• Elton John has been drug and alcohol free since 1990.

PHIL COLLINS SAYS NO NEW GENESIS ALBUM MEANS MORE ROOM FOR CONCERT RARITIES

Phil Collins says that due to Internet postings, it's hard for Genesis to keep their setlists a secret from their audiences. He also explained that some of the show's surprises can be attributed to having more room for rarities, because the band isn't promoting a new album: "It's very difficult to have surprises of any sort really. It used to be that you'd sort of slip in a couple of songs that people weren't expecting, and then people went (gasps) 'They're going to play that!' And now they've read it six months ago. Sometime before we've even decided what we're going to play. But because we haven't got a new album and we're not pushing anything new, as it were, it's given us a chance to really go wider on how to fill the two and a half hours."

• Collins added that although many fans have read the setlist of their current shows, there are still plenty of highlights for the crowd: "You know there's a lot of double drum thing(s), we play different things. Some things we haven't played since the album came out -- on that tour we may have played it. You know there are a few things that'll pleasantly surprise a few people."
• In addition to latter day hits such as "Invisible Touch," "Mama," "Land Of Confusion," "I Can't Dance," and "Throwing It All Away," the band is playing several extended medleys of older material, including an opening medley of "Behind the Lines," "Duke's End," and "Turn It On Again," from their 1980 album Duke.
• Genesis also perform another medley which comprises such classics as "In The Cage," "The Cinema Show," "Duke's Travels," and "Afterglow."
• Genesis perform tonight (Thursday, September 27th) in East Rutherford, New Jersey at Giants Stadium.

NIKKI SIXX SAYS MOTLEY CRUE WILL BE FINE WITHOUT TOMMY LEE

Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx told Howard Stern on his Sirius Satellite radio show on Tuesday (September 25th) that the band "should be fine" without drummer Tommy Lee. Lee quit the band because their ex-manager Carl Stubner demanded more money from Motley Crue to work with him, since Lee was doing solo work, and in the process lost the band "tens of millions of dollars."

The band subsequently sued the manager and Tommy didn't want any part of it. "You'd think that Tommy would support the band, but that's not the case," said Sixx, adding, "He isn't the singer or songwriter, so we should be fine without him... but I have nothing against him."

• Sixx was at the show to promote his new book, The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life of a Shattered Rock Star, which details the excesses that led to his death -- he was brought back to life -- and his current divorce from pin-up girl Donna D'Errico.
• Upon his break from the band, Lee released a statement, saying he's "recently informed Sixx and (guitarist Mick) Mars, the shareholders of Motley Crue, Inc., that he was resigning from the band and his resignation was accepted."

AXL ROSE JOINS SEBASTIAN BACH IN THE STUDIO

After Sebastian Bach donated vocals for the track "Sorry" on Guns N' Roses' long-awaited Chinese Democracy album, he was thrilled to have G N'R frontman Axl Rose return the favor. Rose recently showed up in the studio to record "(Love Is A) Bitchslap," a cover of Aerosmith's "Back In The Saddle," and "Stuck Inside" with the ex-Skid Row vocalist for his solo album. Bach told Blabbermouth.net, "I texted Axl. I go, 'Hey, dude, when are you gonna come and sing on my record?' I was just joking. But he never ceases to amaze me. And his response was, 'When? Where? Where is the studio?' I was, like, 'Pinch me, I'm dreaming.'"

9/26/07

THE EAGLES TO APPEAR AT COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION AWARDS

The Eagles will appear on the The 41st Annual CMA Awards on November 7th. The show will be broadcast live on ABC from Nashville, at the Sommet Center.

On October 30th, the Eagles will release their first new studio album since 1979 called Long Road Out Of Eden. Their latest single, the country-tinged "How Long," was written and recorded in the early 1970s by the Eagles' frequent collaborator J.D. Souther, and was first performed live by the band around that time.

• The Eagles and the Dixie Chicks will open Los Angeles' new Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on October 18th, with additional shows scheduled for the 20th, 21st, 24th, 26th and 27th. So far, those are the only dates the Eagles have booked for this year.

JURY STILL DEADLOCKED ON PHIL SPECTOR VERDICT

With the jury still not unanimous in their verdict, Phil Spector's defense team filed a motion Monday (September 24th) requesting Judge Fidler to provide new jury instructions that dictate the music producer be acquitted if the jury "thinks the defendant assisted Lana Clarkson's suicide." The suicide theory has not been proven, however, and his attorneys have used it as the cornerstone of their defense.

The jury requested a VCR, presumably to view the tape in evidence of Spector's chauffeur Adriano de Souza's police interview the day after his boss told him "I think I killed somebody" the night of Clarkson's death.

• The judge told the defense team that if there's one more standstill in deliberations by the jury, he will instruct them that if they deem his actions an assisted suicide, it will result in an acquittal.
• In related news, Judge Fidler received an alleged death threat on the Official Team Spector page on MySpace that read, "I love Phil Spector!! The evil judge should DIE!!" The message, signed by "Chelle," was removed on Monday, and the Judicial Services Unit is investigating it.
• Spector's wife, Rachelle, is called Chelle by friends and had argued with the judge, who threatened to hold her in contempt. She later apologized in a note.
• Spector faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted.

JOHN FOGERTY KNOCKS PRESIDENT BUSH'S MILITARY RECORD

John Fogerty's new album called Revival knocks President George W. Bush's foreign policy, and his decision to put American lives at risk in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Fogerty, who served in the U.S. Army Reserve rather than be shipped off to Viet Nam in the 1960s, feels that given the rumors about Bush's tenure in the National Guard, he should be the last person sending men to war: "I mean there were a lot of people who figured out some ploy and completely avoided the service, or at least reduced their obligation. I mean, I'd even worried about myself at times. You know I was in the Reserve, I wasn't in the full-on regular army. The only difference here in George Bush's case, all the other people who got out of it didn't run for President -- and then become Commander in Chief (laughs) of all those people and then send them off to war."

• John Fogerty will appear on CBS' The Late Show With David Letterman on October 2nd to promote Revival which comes out that day. Check your local listings for stations and times.
• Fogerty kicks off his tour on November 2nd in New York City at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
• He'll tape an episode of PBS' Soundstage on November 29th in Chicago. The performance will air nationwide in January.

DAVID GILMOUR SAYS HE HAS NO DESIRE TO REUNITE WITH PINK FLOYD

David Gilmour says that a Pink Floyd reunion just isn't in the works. Gilmour recently released a new concert DVD called Remember That Night - Live From The Royal Albert Hall, on which he revisits a handful of Floyd classics. But he says the chemistry between him and Roger Waters is simply not strong enough anymore to jump-start a full-on Floyd reunion.

Gilmour told rollingstone.com that although Pink Floyd's 2005 reunion at Live 8 was an enjoyable experience, it didn't lead him to want to reunite the band for any additional projects, admitting that, "Everything went so well, I can't see why I would want to be going back to that old thing. It's very retrogressive. I want to look forward, and looking back isn't my joy."

He went on to say that, "Roger hasn't written a lyric lately that has really been something where I've gone, 'Wow, I wish that was part of my oeuvre.' I don't know how one puts it, but going back into all that just wouldn't bring me joy. It's my time of life to be selfish (and) please myself."

• When asked if he and Waters were on speaking terms, Gilmour said: "Yeah. We're not calling each other every week and going out for dinner every week, but the week of Live 8, we went out for dinner a couple of times. It's a bit more reasonable. I think there are fundamental differences of opinion and view. As Roger likes to say, we are musically, philosophically, and politically different."
• Gilmour added that his and Waters creative partnership has pretty much been dead for over 30 years: "I suspect that our... musicality and taste and intelligence has run out of steam. Roger thought it had in 1975. Certainly, I don't have any particular desire for (a reunion with Waters). What one is willing to sacrifice for one's art is another whole point, and that's beyond what I'm willing to do right at the moment."
• The Remember That Night - Live from the Royal Albert Hall DVD features cameos from Gilmour's Floyd bandmates Nick Mason and Richard Wright, along with performances by David Bowie on "Comfortably Numb" and the Syd Barrett-era classic "Arnold Lane," and David Crosby and Graham Nash appear on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and a cover of Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young's "Find The Cost Of Freedom," among many other tracks.

FLASHBACK: THE BEATLES RELEASE 'ABBEY ROAD'

It was on this day 38 years ago (September 26th, 1969), that the Beatles' final album Abbey Road was released. Although the Let It Be album was released the next year featuring earlier unreleased tracks, Abbey Road was the last album the group recorded together.

The album's working title had been Everest -- after a brand of cigarettes their engineer Geoff Emerick smoked -- before the group simply chose the name of the street where their recording studio was located.

Abbey Road spent eleven weeks at Number One and featured the double A-sided single "Come Together" and "Something," the highest-charting Beatles song written by George Harrison. Paul McCartney commented on the song in The Beatles Anthology saying, "'Something' was out of left field... It appealed to me because it has a very beautiful melody. I thought it was George's greatest track."

The group had been in the slow process of breaking up since their return from India the previous year, and struggled through 1968's White Album as well as the month-long movie shoot that resulted in 1970's Let It Be album and film. By the spring of 1969 John Lennon was drifting further away, after marrying Yoko Ono and embarking on the first of several anti-war "bed in" events. Paul McCartney was eager that the group not end on the sour note that had became the Let It Be project, and rallied the group to produce an album on par with classics like Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

• Renown Beatles author Bruce Spizer says that some of the credit for the aural quality of Abbey Road has to go to the Beatles' chief engineer and their producer: "Some of that obviously was due to the great techniques that Geoff Emerick and George Martin were putting forth on these, where, you know, the Beatles wanted a certain sound, it was their job to somehow create it."
• From the opening funky groove of Lennon's "Come Together" to Harrison's classic ode to spring "Here Comes The Sun" to McCartney's mini-opera that dominated side two, the Beatles managed to put their personal and business differences aside to produce an album that rivaled, if not topped, their greatest work.
• Ringo Starr recalled during The Beatles Anthology that, "I think it shows on record when we were excited: The track's exciting and it all comes together. It doesn't matter what we go through as individuals... When it gets to the music you can see that it's really cool... we all put in one thousand percent."
• On August 20th 1969 all four Beatles attended the album's final mix and running-order session. It was the last time all four Beatles were together in a recording studio.
• The recording studio Abbey Road was built in 1929 by the Beatles' British record label EMI and named EMI Recording Studios. It was only after the album's success that EMI formally changed the studio's name to Abbey Road.

BOB DYLAN ATTENDS YOM KIPPUR SERVICES IN GEORGIA

Bob Dylan attended Yom Kippur services over the weekend at the Chabad-Lubavitch of Georgia synagogue, according to chabad.org.

Dylan, whose given name is Robert Zimmerman, has been known to attend various Jewish high holiday services throughout the year. He read from the Torah in Hebrew in front of the congregation, without many people noticing who he was.

• Bob Dylan will next perform tomorrow night (September 27th) in Charlottesville, Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena.

SEX PISTOLS BRING 'ANARCHY' TO GUITAR HERO III

Punk rockers apparently want to be guitar heroes, too. The Sex Pistols went back into the studio earlier this month, for the first time in 30 years, to record a new version of their 1976 landmark "Anarchy In The U.K." for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, which will be released October 28th. The original Pistols John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), Steve Jones, and Paul Cook re-recorded "Anarchy..." with producer Chris Thomas earlier this month in London, using an analog sound desk in order to retain the song's sound.

• In a statement, Lydon said re-recording "Anarchy" was "a stress" but that the group "rose to the occasion I think... admirably!... A bit of anarchy in a video game is alright by me." Jones said that "It was great for Guitar Hero to, in a way, get us back in the studio. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but it actually turned out great and I think everyone held their own. I like it (Guitar Hero) because my friends' kids like it. And I like what kids like."
• "Anarchy" will be reissued as a vinyl single on Monday (October 1st), with three other Pistols singles set to follow in October. The Pistols' only studio album, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols, will be re-released on vinyl on October 29th.
• Tim Riley, worldwide executive of music for Guitar Hero manufacturer Activision, said that "Guitar Hero fans have been requesting more punk rock in the game since its first inception. We are honored that the Sex Pistols went into the studio after 30 years, so that we could have a song from the most renowned punk band of all time in the game."

NEW JIMI HENDRIX BOOK OUT IN OCTOBER

A new authorized Jimi Hendrix book and CD set, titled Jimi Hendrix: An Illustrated Experience, hits stores October 9th. The $45 package includes exclusive material from the private family archives of the legendary guitarist, a biography penned by co-authors Janie Hendrix and John McDermott, a portfolio of his original drawings, diary entries, rare handwritten song lyrics, and never-before-seen archival photographs.

In addition to 30 interactive features, the book includes a 70-minute audio CD with interviews and commercially unreleased recordings of live concert music and studio jam session.

• Janie Hendrix is Jimi's sister and heads the family companies of Experience Hendrix and Authentic Hendrix as CEO and president. John McDermott is catalog manager for Experience Hendrix and has written two books on the pioneering musician.

9/25/07

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND PLAY FIRST SHOW IN THREE YEARS

Bruce Springsteen played the first of his rehearsal shows with the E Street Band last night (Monday, September 24th) at New Jersey's Asbury Park Convention Hall.

Springsteen, who'll be playing at the Hall again tonight (Tuesday, September 25th), has announced that the band will play a third rehearsal show in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the Continental Airlines Arena on Friday night (September 28th).

Tickets priced at $100 go on sale at 12 noon ET today (Tuesday, September 25th) exclusively through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone.

• Last night's setlist at the Asbury Park Convention Hall:
  "Radio Nowhere"
  "No Surrender"
  "Gypsy Biker"
  "Empty Sky"
  "Something In The Night"
  "Girls In Their Summer Clothes"
  "Night"
  "Promised Land"
  "Livin' In The Future"
  "Devil's Arcade"
  "Candy's Room"
  "She's The One"
  "Lonesome Day"
  "My Hometown"
  "The Rising"
  "Last To Die"
  "Long Walk Home"
  "Thundercrack"
  "Born To Run"
  "Darlington County"
  "American Land"
• On September 28th, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform on NBC's Today Show live from New York City's Rockefeller Plaza.
• On October 2nd, Springsteen's latest album, Magic, will be released. The album marks the first studio release by Springsteen and the E Street Band in over five years.

AEROSMITH'S JOE PERRY: 'EVERY NIGHT CAN BE OUR LAST'

Aerosmith has just wrapped up a brief set of North American dates and will be taking a short break before entering the studio in November. After over 30 years together, the members of the Boston-based rock band have survived injury, addiction and cancer, but now that they're well into their fifties, the still-youthful quintet is beginning to feel their age.

Guitarist Joe Perry said that touring and performance is no longer something the band can take for granted: "You realize you're not an immortal, and you don't have this 22-year-old feeling of 'this thing can go on forever,' and you know, 'I can do whatever I want, I can go for three nights without sleep and everything will be fine.' You start to realize that it's a very delicate thing, life is a delicate thing, and being able to perform at the top of your game is a delicate thing. And it's one of those changes, you know, that comes over. I'm still amazed that we can put on the kind of show that we put on. Every night could be our last.”

• Perry recently told Billboard.com that when they return to the studio in November, they'll create their music from leftover material from earlier projects and use bits and pieces that organically come together. "I'd like to have songs that the band can play live and have them sound great and not need to have a bunch of overdubs and all that, even though we will do that after the fact," he said. "But that's the icing on the cake. The cake is good songs, and that's what we're gonna be shooting for."

$5 MILLION OFFERED TO WINNER IF TOMMY LEE AND KID ROCK FIGHT

Las Vegas entertainment mogul Jeff Beacher is hoping a $5 million jackpot will entice Kid Rock and Tommy Lee to settle their feud in a publicized boxing match. After the rockers brawled at the MTV Video Music Awards, Beacher offered $1 million as the take-all prize for the winner, and has since teamed up with boxing promoter Bob Arum to sweeten the reward.

DEFINITIVE JIMI HENDRIX 'MONTEREY' PERFORMANCE SET FOR DVD AND CD

The definitive DVD of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Monterey Pop Festival performance will be released on October 16th.

Billboard reported that the new special edition DVD, called Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At Monterey, features all known footage of Hendrix's set from June 18th, 1967, and was "newly transferred from the original 16mm camera reversal original (negative)," and features newly-remastered 5.1. surround sound.

The tracklisting for The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live at Monterey DVD is: Introduction by Brian Jones, "Killing Floor," "Foxy Lady," "Like A Rolling Stone,"
"Rock Me Baby," "Hey Joe," "The Wind Cries Mary," "Purple Haze," and "Wild Thing."

• The tracklisting for the vinyl and CD version also includes one additional track, "Can You See Me."
• Bonus features include a featurette on the Monterey International Pop Festival, and recollections by Hendrix's Experience bandmates, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell.
• Also included in bonus material is The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At Monterey: A Second Look, which enables viewers to view Hendrix's set from a variety of alternate camera angles, and a rare performance footage of the Jimi Hendrix Experience performing "Stone Free" and "Like A Rolling Stone" on February 25, 1967 in Chelmsford, UK.

JENNIFER LOPEZ DUET TO APPEAR ON ULTIMATE SANTANA

Carlos Santana has added a secret collaboration with Jennifer Lopez to his upcoming greatest hits album. Lopez and Baby Bash sing on a track called "This Boy's Fire," which will appear on the October 16th release Ultimate Santana.

The song is one of three previously unreleased tracks to be included on the career-spanning collection. "Into the Night," featuring Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, is currently being played on the radio, and Tina Turner duets on the song "The Game of Love," which was a hit for Santana and Michelle Branch in 2002.

• Santana and Turner originally recorded "The Game of Love" in 2002, but it never made it on the Shaman album. According to Spinner.com, someone at Santana's record label wanted Branch to sing it instead. When asked about the different versions, Carlos Santana said, "There's the girl and there's the woman, and Michelle is unfolding into a woman... but it takes time to go from a girl to a woman." He added, "Queens come and go -- there's only one Tina Turner."
• Ultimate Santana will also include such hits as "Maria Maria," "Black Magic Woman," "Evil Ways," and "Smooth" featuring Rob Thomas.
• Santana and Kroeger already had a hit song together with 2002's "Why Don't You and I."

PAUL McCARTNEY MIGHT BE ON BOARD FOR 'SHREK 4'

Paul McCartney might be on board for the upcoming Shrek sequel. McCartney's particularly fond of the project due to his three year old daughter Beatrice being a fan of the animated series. Britain's Daily Express quoted a source saying, "Paul has been discussing working on the next Shrek (movie). (His Wings hit) 'Live And Let Die' was sung in the last movie at Shrek's father-in-law's funeral and was one of the funniest moments."

The source added, "Producers want Paul to compose some songs for the next one. He could briefly even be a character. There have been meetings and he's very keen because his daughter is a fan."

• McCartney recently told Britain's The Sun, "I'm a huge fan of Shrek. As is my little girl. I can do a really good impression of him -- I put on my best Scottish accent!"
• McCartney has always been interested in animation, and has often incorporated it into his various video projects.

9/24/07

JETHRO TULL TOUR OPENS TODAY

Eclectic British rock band Jethro Tull kick off their North American tour tonight (September 24th), at Calgary, Alberta's Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium and will stay on the road -- taking a detour to South Africa in early November -- through their December 14th show in Fort Myers, Florida at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.

Flute-wielding front man Ian Anderson told us that the band has a long history of touring on this side of the proverbial "pond": "We have a tour coming up that, uh (laughs), as far as America is concerned, it began in 1969. We're always in and out of the USA and it's... we have a long history of playing all over the country and in Canada, too, where we have some concerts this year, so it's business as usual, really."

The band, who earned an infamous 1989 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, trace their background to folk rock, progressive rock and electronic rock, which lends them many options in compiling their set list for live performances: "This year, it's essentially just the usual mixture of Jethro Tull music. Some acoustic songs, some rock songs some new material, some selected old material. The highlights of a 40-year career."

• Jethro Tull North American tour dates (subject to change):
  September 24 - Calgary, AB - Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
  September 25 - Edmonton, AB - Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
  September 27 - Victoria, BC - Royal Theatre
  September 28 - Richmond, BC - River Rock Casino Resort
  September 29 - Coquitlam, BC - Red Robinson Theatre
  September 30 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
  October 2 - Eugene, OR - Hult Center for the Performing Arts
  October 3 - Chico, CA - Laxson Auditorium
  October 4 - Santa Rosa, CA - Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
  October 5 - Lancaster, CA - Lancaster Performing Arts Center
  October 6 - Thousand Oaks, CA - Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
  October 7 - Mesa, AZ - Mesa Arts Center
  October 9 - Salt Lake City, UT - Abravanel Hall
  October 10 - Denver, CO - Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
  October 12 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
  October 13 - Joliet, IL - Rialto Square Theatre
  October 14 - Waukegan, IL - Genesee Theatre
  October 15 - Springfield, IL - Sangamon Auditorium
  November 23 - Montreal, QC - Place Des Arts, Salle Wilfrid Pelletier
  November 24 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
  November 25 - London, ON - John Labatt Centre
  November 26 - Ottawa, ON - National Arts Centre
  November 28 - Newark, NJ - New Jersey Performing Arts Center
  November 29 - Albany, NY - Palace Theater
  November 30 - Providence, RI - Providence Performing Arts Center
  December 1 - Wallingford, CT - Chevrolet Theatre
  December 2 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
  December 3 - Bethesda, MD - Music Center at Strathmore
  December 5 - Newport News, VA - Ferguson Center for the Arts
  December 7 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
  December 8 - Mobile, AL - Saenger Theater Performing Arts Center
  December 10 - Orlando, FL - Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre
  December 11 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
  December 12 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
  December 13 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Casino
  December 14 - Fort Myers, FL - Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TO PLAY NYC BENEFIT FOR INJURED U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS

Bruce Springsteen will perform on November 7th at the Stand Up for Heroes: A Benefit for the Bob Woodruff Family Fund concert in New York City, according to backstreets.com. The show, which is part of the New York Comedy Festival event at Town Hall, will be emceed by Conan O'Brien, and will also feature performances by Lewis Black and Robin Williams, among others. It is not known yet whether Springsteen will perform solo or with the E Street Band.

The Bob Woodruff Family Fund assists "service members injured while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Special emphasis is placed on the 'hidden signature injuries' of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- traumatic brain injury and combat stress injuries including post-traumatic stress disorder." Ticket information for the concert, which falls between Springsteen's Detroit and Washington, D.C. dates, has yet to be announced

• In other Springsteen news, his Boston shows on November 18th and 19th go on sale today, (September 24th) at 10 a.m. EST through ticketmaster.com.
• NJ.com reported in its "Bruce Blog" that during Springsteen and the E Street Band's rehearsals on Friday (September 21st) in Asbury Park, the band ran through such Springsteen classics as "She's The One" from Born To Run and "Promised Land" from Darkness On The Edge Of Town, alongside material from The Rising and Springsteen's upcoming album Magic.
• On September 28th, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform on NBC's Today Show live from New York City's Rockefeller Plaza. The official kick off for the tour will be four days later on October 2nd in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Hartford Civic Center.
• That same day, Springsteen's latest album, Magic, will be released. The album marks the first studio release by Springsteen and the E Street Band in over five years.
• E Street Radio will return to Sirius Channel 10 on September 27th. The satellite Springsteen station, which first ran in 2005, is scheduled to run through late March and include, "a mix of released material, rare outtakes, and 'fan-based' live recordings."

BON JOVI GUITARIST RICHIE SAMBORA BACK IN REHAB

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora returned to rehab this week to receive additional treatment for his drinking problem. This time, he's at Utah's Cirque Lodge, where he's reportedly booked in a private room.

He first went to rehab after the dissolution of his marriage to Heather Locklear, his subsequent break-up with girlfriend Denise Richards, and the death of his father. But his week at UCLA's Medical Center in Los Angeles, just prior to the band's tour, wasn't enough to get him on the "straight and narrow." At the time, he told NBC's Matt Lauer "I was just drinking too much, and I needed to get my life together."

• Sambora isn't the only celebrity at the Cirque Lodge at the moment -- Lindsay Lohan is also receiving attention for her addictions there.

SCOTT WEILAND SAYS TOURING WITH OTHER EX-DRUG ADDICTS HELPS HIM STAY SOBER

Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland has done his fair share of drugs, eventually entering rehab back in 2003. Now out on tour and sharing the bill with Alice in Chains, Weiland is almost always surrounded by the party lifestyle. But he's also around other former drug addicts. Weiland tells us that it actually helps to be on the road with fellow ex-addicts: "The hardest part about being a drug addict is really not using, it's just the places that your head goes. It's the discomfort of our thoughts that we end up medicating. So to be able to, you know, have people to sort of talk to and stuff, it definitely helps out. And there's definitely a lot of ex-junkies and alcoholics and freaks out on this tour."

• Weiland has a history of drug related arrests dating back to the mid-1990s.
• Velvet Revolver and Alice in Chains perform in Englewood, Colorado tonight (Monday, September 24th). The tour wraps on October 26th in Irvine, California.
• Velvet Revolver is touring in support of its sophomore album, Libertad.

PETER FRAMPTON WON'T PERFORM 'FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE!' IN LAS VEGAS

Peter Frampton says that he's ruled out ever playing a Frampton Comes Alive! show in Las Vegas. The legendary guitarist is currently out on the road in support of his Grammy Award-winning instrumental set, Fingerprints.

Frampton says that turning himself into a nostalgia act for money holds no interest for him: "People have suggested that I go out and go to Vegas, have them build a room for me and do Frampton Comes Alive! from beginning to end. I could never do that. Well, I guess never say 'never.' But for me to go back and do the entire album would be something... I don't know. I would be playing for the audience rather than playing for myself. And you have to play for yourself first."

• The multi-platinum Frampton Comes Alive!, which was released in January 1976, issued the hit singles "Show Me The Way," "Baby I Love Your Way," and "Do You Feel Like We Do," and topped the Billboard 200 album charts for 10 weeks.
• Fingerprints snagged the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Pop Album.
• The album, which included his Grammy-nominated cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun," featured performances by Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and Matt Cameron, Govt Mule and Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Hayes, and Frampton Comes Alive! bassist Stanley Sheldon, among others.
• Peter Frampton performs tonight and tomorrow (Monday and Tuesday, September 24th and 25th) in Alexandria, Virginia at Birchmere. Frampton has dates booked through November.

NEW WHO MOVIE SHOWS EVOLUTION OF PETE TOWNSHEND AND ROGER DALTREY'S RELATIONSHIP

The filmmakers of the new documentary Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who, say that the movie examines Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey's relationship. The film's producer, Nigel Sinclair, told Billboard, "We discerned from it that the most interesting thing was the evolution of Pete and Roger's relationship. The fact that these two are able to continue as the Who, it is almost like it was meant to be that way. Discovering, as we did from interviewing them, what the magic or their working partnership was, that was very exciting."

Pete Townshend says that the deaths of Keith Moon and John Entwistle ultimately made his and Daltrey's relationship stronger and more meaningful on both a creative and personal level: "I think being stratified to some extent by losing Keith Moon and losing John Entwistle, relatively recently in John's case -- we have each other. And we're supported by great musicians and we're very, very lucky. We go back to school together. It's great to still have that friendship and that relationship. You know, I don't know that I know anybody that well from those days. But when you're 60 and you have friends that go back 45 years, that's very cool."

• Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who premiered earlier this month at the Toronto Film Festival, and includes many previously unseen performances.
• Then film features archival interviews with late Who co-founders, Keith Moon and John Entwistle, along with new and exclusive interviews with Townshend, Daltrey, former Who drummer Kenney Jones, Daltrey's wife Heather, Entwistle's first wife Allison, Moon's mother Kit Moon, his sister Leslie Fox, original Who co-manager Chris Stamp, producers Shel Talmy and Glyn Johns, longtime sound man Bobby Pridden, and the Who's manager for over 30 years, Bill Curbishley.
• Also appearing in the film are longtime fans, Sting, Eddie Vedder, the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones, the Edge and Oasis' Noel Gallagher.
• A deluxe DVD version of the film will be released on November 6th.
• For more information on Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who, log on to thewhomovie.com.

FORMER RAMONES DRUMMER SUING OVER DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ROYALTIES

One-time Ramones drummer Richard Reinhardt, better known as Richie Ramone, filed a $1 million lawsuit in Federal court on Friday (September 21st) seeking unpaid royalties for the money generated from downloads of six songs he co-wrote for the band.

The Associated Press reported that Reinhardt filed suit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Apple Inc., Real Networks Inc., the Ramones' management, and the estate of the band's late co-founder and guitarist Johnny Ramone, whose real name was John Cummings.

• Reinhardt, who replaced the Ramones' second drummer Marky Ramone in the band between 1983 and 1987, claims that he has never authorized any deal to digitally market the co-written songs: "Smash You," "Somebody Put Something in My Drink," "Human Kind," "I'm Not Jesus," "I Know Better Now" and "(You) Can't Say Something Nice."
• An earlier suit he'd filed in Federal court suit against the band for unpaid royalties during his four year stint is being settled out of court.
• His lawyer, Jeff Sanders, said that, "Richie has never gotten the recognition creatively, and certainly economically, for being a mainstay for the Ramones during what was probably not their most visible period."

SEX PISTOLS ADD MORE DATES, JOHNNY ROTTEN SLAGS STING

The Sex Pistols have just announced additional dates for their current reunion mini-tour. After their single date at England's Brixton Academy sold out in just 10 minutes, they booked the next two days there and, in true punk form, raised their ticket prices to 85 British pounds (roughly $170).

When asked by Britain's Virgin Radio about other bands who've recently reformed for a tour, frontman Johnny "Rotten" Lydon wasted no time giving his honest opinion, calling Sting -- who is currently touring with the reunited Police -- "a soggy old dead carcass." The prototypical punk continued, "Listening to Stink try to squeak through 'Roxanne' one more time, it's not fun. It's like letting air out of a balloon."

• The Sex Pistols originally planned only the one-off show to mark the 30th anniversary of their single studio album, Never Mind the Bullocks. Their "God Save The Queen" single will be reissued on seven-inch vinyl to celebrate the anniversary.

PAUL McCARTNEY DASHES ACROSS LONDON FOR DAUGHTERS' PHOTO AND FASHION SHOWS

Paul McCartney had a busy night on Friday (September 21st) when he attended shows by two of his daughters in London. Hello magazine reported that McCartney started the night supporting daughter Mary McCartney, whose charity photo exhibition ran at the Avenue Restaurant in central London. After sharing a glass of champagne with Mary and mingling with the press while singing his daughter's praises, he raced to West London to watch daughter Stella McCartney close out fashion week with her latest sportswear collection.

• Rather than present her new line in a traditional fashion venue, Stella converted a West London sports center "into a freshly turfed mini golf course -- complete with pond, benches and ice cream van."

In other Beatles-related news:

The new Beatles-inspired movie Across The Universe, which features over two dozen Beatles classics, is not allowed to use the Beatles' name in any of the marketing materials.

Variety.com reported that Revolution Studios paid the Beatles' song publishers a whopping $8.2 million for the rights to record the movie's soundtrack, which amounts to $250,000 per song for the 33-song soundtrack.

• Sony marketing president Valerie Van Galder said that it was not a hindrance in promoting the film, explaining that, ""When we got our exit polls back, 97 percent of the people came because the music was written by the Beatles... Everyone in the world knows that the Beatles wrote this music. It's the most famous music in the world. We're not hiding it. We're just not overtly saying it because (the Beatles) don't sing these songs."
• According to the website, the filmmakers were able to find one loophole that would allow mention of the band in their promotional campaign, which included critics reviews that mention the band's name in describing the film.
• The movie, which is a fictional story set against the tumultuous 1960s, features characters named directly from Beatles classics -- including Lucy, Max, Sadie, Jo-Jo, and Prudence.
• Across The Universe features musical cameos by Bono, Joe Cocker, and comedian Eddie Izzard, among others.

FORMER GUNS N' ROSES DRUMMER FALLS ILL IN MEXICO

Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler fell ill during a live performance at Hard Rock Live in Mexico City Wednesday night (September 19th), according to Mexican newspaper El Universal. He was treated by paramedics and a Red Cross spokeswoman told the Associated Press -- on condition of anonymity -- that he wasn't hospitalized and she didn't know what had made him sick.

According to Blabbermouth.net, Adler was touring with Adler's Appetite to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Guns N' Roses' debut album, Appetite For Destruction. One of the founding members of the band, he was forced out of Guns N' Roses in 1989 when his drug use prevented him from performing properly.

9/21/07

MORE THAN ONE MILLION REGISTERED FOR LED ZEPPELIN LOTTERY

More than one million fans managed to register in the lottery to buy tickets to see Led Zeppelin in late November, according to BBC News. Promoters claimed that the web site where fans could register received tens of millions of hits in the one-week period during which it was open. Just 20,000 tickets will be made available for the show, which will take place on November 26th at London's O2 arena and will reunite the surviving members of Zeppelin onstage for the first time in 19 years. Winners of the lo