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2010-Mar-12 13:43 - Flashback: Matthew Sweet’s Early ’90s Power-Pop Perfection |
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Green Day’s American Idiot begins previews on Broadway in two weeks and we’re stoked (obviously) but that’s not the only musical we’ve got our eyes on this spring. Next month the Berkeley Repertory Theater will premiere Girlfriend, a new show built around the perfect pop confections of Matthew Sweet’s 1991 album — a.k.a. the best power-pop album of all time. (Seriously. It’s amazing. We wouldn’t joke about power-pop.)
The musical is actually a boy-meets-boy love story, so we’re curious how they’ll spin the title song. The album’s other star single, “I’ve Been Waiting,” on the other hand, bypasses personal pronouns entirely, so no rewriting there. Check out the videos for these two “rock and roll valentines” and lap up the chiming guitars, layered harmonies and wickedly infectious melodies. For all you manga fans out there, “Girlfriend” features animated clips from the movie Space Adventure Cobra, and “I’ve Been Waiting” uses clips of Lum Invader, a character from the series Urusei Yatsura. Plus, check out Sweet and Susanna Hoff’s Live at Rolling Stone set.
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2010-Mar-12 13:31 - Ticketing bills in Congress: Two different approaches at protecting consumers |
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(This story was updated on Friday, March 12, 2010 at 4:40pm EST to add a comment from StubHub)
With the introduction of the Ticket Act of 2010, two bills are currently in the House Energy and Commerce Committee that aim to regulate the ticketing industry and protect consumers. Yet, the bills take different approaches, and it appears that the two lead sponsors of the two bills may not have consulted with each other before the second bill was initiated. Full Story... Link |
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2010-Mar-12 12:25 - Vernon PZC rejects application for TicketNetwork Forest concert venue |
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The debate over a planned outdoor concert venue in Vernon, CT, ended decisively on March 11 when town commissions voted against the proposal. TicketNetwork had sought special permits to open a 1,390-capacity, seasonal venue on commercially zoned land owned by the ticket software company.
A motion to deny Application PZC-2009-26 came less than an hour into the Thursday meeting and passed, 6-1. Earlier in the night's deliberation, the commission ruled that the venue would not be a proper use of the land, with a majority vote of 5-2. Full Story... Link |
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2010-Mar-12 11:50 - Long Music Videos: How Does Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” Rank With Michael Jackson, Metallica |
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Lady Gaga upped the ante for supersized music videos last night with her Tarantino homage “Telephone,” which co-stars Beyoncé in a homoerotic rampage of capitalistic ultra-violence. Gaga’s been down this road before — “Paparazzi” was an eight-minute cinematic epic — but Michael Jackson truly pioneered the long music video with “Thriller,” “Bad,” “Ghosts,” “Black or White” and “Smooth Criminal.” Rolling Stone’s readers and editors compiled a list of the 50 Best Songs Over Seven Minutes Long a few years ago, but haven’t tracked down the best lengthy music videos yet. The Grammys honor Best Long Form Music Video, but the category really is meant for filmed shorts. So let’s start the nominating right here — check out clips by Metallica, Guns n’ Roses, Aphex Twin, Snoop Dogg, MC Hammer (yes, really) and the Black Eyed Peas’ recent entry to the field after the jump.
Metallica – “One” (length: 7:42)
Guns n’ Roses – “November Rain” (length: 9:08)
Guns n’ Roses – “Estranged” (length: 9:51)
Aphex Twin – “Window Licker” (length: 10:34)
Snoop Dogg – “Murder Was the Case” (length: 9:34)
MC Hammer – “Here Comes The Hammer” (length: 8:40)
Black Eyed Peas – “Imma Be Rocking That Body” (length: 10:21)
Michael Jackson – “Bad” (length: 8:55)
Michael Jackson – “Black or White” (length: 11)
Michael Jackson – “Smooth Criminal” (length: 9:35)
Michael Jackson – “Ghosts” (length: 9:53)
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2010-Mar-12 11:31 - Glee Live, Sting tickets on sale this weekend |
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Tickets for upcoming concerts from Sting, as well as tickets for upcoming shows from the cast of Fox's hit new television show Glee, are on sale throughout the weekend ending March 15 as compiled by TicketNews.
Kicking off this weekend's onsales are tickets to see rocker Sting on his upcoming North American tour. Among the markets with tickets on sale Monday are Portland and Las Vegas. Also with tickets on sale this weekend are country stars Brooks & Dunn. Embarking on their final tour, the duo has tickets on sale Saturday morning for their upcoming shows in Omaha and Chicago. Another country star among the weekend onsales is Tim McGraw. The singer has tickets on sale Saturday for his upcoming tour stops in Lake Tahoe and Little Rock. Full Story... Link |
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2010-Mar-12 08:54 - 'Next Fall' lands on Broadway with positive opening night reviews |
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Broadway welcomed "Next Fall," a play by Geoffrey Nauffts, on its March 11 opening night at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Sheryl Kaller resumes her role as director of the split drama-comedy, which earned rave reviews during an Off Broadway run in 2009.
Switching between flash-backs and present-day scenes, the play tracks the five-year relationship of 45-year-old atheist Adam (Patrick Breen) and his 30-year-old boyfriend Luke (Patrick Heusinger), a conservative Christian. As the play opens, Luke is in a coma as a result of an accident, and Adam is left in the waiting room with Luke's equally conservative parents, Arlene (Connie Ray) and Butch (Cotter Smith), who are in-the-dark about their son's sexuality. Full Story... Link |
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2009-Nov-19 14:30 - Eminem Releasing “Relapse: The Refill” Instead of “Relapse 2 ” in December |
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 Photo: Brecheisen/WireImage
Eminem will release Relapse: The Refill — and not Relapse 2 — on December 21st, the rapper announced on his official website today, November 19th. The Refill will include the entire Relapse, plus seven songs that didn’t make the album. The DJ Hero exclusive “Taking My Ball” and the Drake/Lil Wayne/Kanye/Eminem collaboration “Forever” will be included on Refill, Rap-Radar reports, with the other five songs being previously unreleased. So essentially, it’s Slim Shady’s The Fame Monster.
Check out photos of Eminem onstage at the Voodoo Festival.
As Rolling Stone reported in March, Eminem promised not one but two doses of the Dr. Dre-prescribed Relapse would be released in 2009, but with the scheduling of the first installment’s Refill, it appears Relapse 2 is now slotted for release in 2010. “I want to deliver more material for the fans this year like I originally planned. Hopefully these tracks on The Refill will tide the fans over until we put out Relapse 2 next year,” Eminem said. “I got back in with Dre and then a few more producers, including Just Blaze, and went in a completely different direction which made me start from scratch. The new tracks started to sound very different than the tracks I originally intended to be on Relapse 2, but I still want the other stuff to be heard.”
Eminem has reportedly been hard at work in recent months working on Relapse 2, hitting the studio with producers like Just Blaze and Mr. Porter, so 2 won’t be an all-Dr. Dre affair. “I definitely feel like I’m in a different space right now. With the last record, I think a lot of it had to do with me getting sober, my eyes being open again. With Relapse, I wanted to prove myself that I could still do it. The zany, loony, ridiculous shit, so a lot of that album is rapid-fire punch lines,” Em previously said of Relapse 2. “Now I’m at a point where I’m blessed enough to be in a position where I don’t need to put out records, but I want to.”
If you’re still upset that you won’t have Relapse 2 in time for Christmas, you can hurl obscenities at your television when Eminem performs at the American Music Awards on Sunday, November 22nd.
Related Stories:
• Eminem Thrills Voodoo Fest With “Relapse” Tracks and Biggest Hits
• Eminem Teams With 50 Cent, Gets Past “Punch Lines” on “Relapse 2″
• Eminem Confirms Two 2009 Albums: “Relapse” Due May 19th Link |
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2009-Nov-19 14:06 - Alice in Chains Announce North American Tour |
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 Photo: Winter/Getty
Alice in Chains are promising to play their classic hits and new tracks from Black Gives Way to Blue on a North American tour that starts February 2nd in Vancouver. Tickets for the trek — which stretches until late March — go on sale December 4th and 5th.
“We have never worked this fucking hard on a record,??? guitarist Jerry Cantrell told RS before the release of Blue. ???It??™s a hell of a challenge to try to add to a legacy. It takes a big set of fucking balls — four sets of balls — to take on a challenge like this, and we did it for the same reasons we made music before. We care about it, we respect what we did, and we also respect the fact that we want to continue to make music with each other, so there??™s a certain level that it has to live up to.”
Check out all the band’s tour dates after the jump.
Dec. 11 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint (KXTE radio show)
Dec. 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre (KROQ Acoustic Xmas)
Feb. 2 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre
Feb. 4 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Feb. 6 – Salem, OR @ Salem Armory
Feb. 11 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
Feb. 17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
Feb. 19 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore
Feb. 21 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland
Feb. 22 – St. Louis, MO @ Pageant
Feb. 23 – Louisville, KY @ Louisville Palace
Feb. 25 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Feb. 27 – Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
Mar 1 – Nashville, TN @ Municipal Auditorium
Mar 2 – Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore
Mar 3 – Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
Mar 5 – Richmond, VA @ The National
Mar 6 – Mashantucket, CT @ Foxwoods
Mar 8 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Mar 12 – Atlantic, City, NJ @ Borgata
Mar 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theatre
Mar 14 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum
Mar 16 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
Mar 17 – Toronto, ONT @ Sound Academy
Mar 19 – Detroit, MI @ Fillmore State Theatre
Mar 20 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
Mar 21 – St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkens Auditorium Link |
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2009-Nov-19 13:35 - Bonnaroo Nails Down Dates for 2010 Festival: June 10-13th |
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The recession helped hasten the demise of a few festivals last year, but at least there’s one thing a music fan can count on: there will be a Bonnaroo in 2010. The ninth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival announced today it would once again call Manchester, Tennessee home from June 10th to 13th, 2010. Tickets for the festival will go on sale at the Bonnaroo official Website starting November 27th. Like last year, fans will have the option of purchasing their tickets via rock & roll layaway (five installments of $50 rather than the lump fee).
The lineup for the 2010 Bonnaroo will be announced in late January/early February, but this year’s festival will be hard to top: Not only did Manchester get two nights of the reunited Phish, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band headlined Saturday night, and the two headliners closed out the festival by performing together during Phish’s Sunday night slot. (Check out all our 2009 Bonnaroo coverage here.) Other artists at ‘Roo ‘09 include the Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Animal Collective and Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Dive into Bonnaroo ‘09 in our gallery of shots from the stage and beyond.
Looking ahead to 2010, it seems like the reunited Pavement might be destined for a headlining slot (Stephen Malkmus is a ‘Roo vet having played the festival in 2006). Phish is also a good bet, as are this year’s Super Bowl halftime performers the Who. And call us crazy, but we’re gonna go out on a limb and predict Guns n’ Roses, who have already scheduled shows in Asia and Canada, will bring Chinese Democracy to Tennessee in 2010.
Related Stories:
• Bonnaroo 2009’s Faces in the Crowd: Hippies, Dads, Bees
• Springsteen Joins Phish to Close Out Electric Bonnaroo 2009
• Phish Deliver Giant Set, Beasties Bring Nas to Bonnaroo Day Two Link |
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2009-Nov-19 12:41 - Janet Jackson Was “Shocked” By Michael’s Propofol Use |
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 Photo: Venturelli/WireImage
 Janet Jackson admitted she was shocked when she learned her brother Michael’s drug addiction had spiraled into the use of the powerful sedative Propofol in an interview with ABC’s In the Spotlight that aired last night. “That was a shocker to me and it just — that’s serious,” Jackson said. “That’s heavy. That’s heavy. None of us knew to that extent.”
Look back at Michael Jackson’s remarkable career, in photos.
As Rolling Stone previously reported, Janet said she blames the physician who was at Michael’s side when he suffered cardiac arrest, Dr. Conrad Murray, for her brother’s death, because Murray administered the drug that was named as the primary cause of his premature demise. Janet isn’t the only one pointing fingers at Murray: Jackson’s death has been ruled a homicide, and Murray is the lone suspect in the investigation into the King of Pop’s June 25th death. No charges have been filed yet.
Janet also revealed that she and her family were aware of Michael’s addiction but not the severity of it. On several occasions, Janet said she tried to talk to her brother about his problem. “Of course, that’s what you do. Those are the things that you do when you love someone,” Jackson said. “You can’t just let them continue on that way. And we did a few times. We weren’t very successful. You can’t make ‘em drink the water. It’s something that you can’t do for them. Something they have to do for themselves.”
Jackson also said Michael was “possibly” in denial regarding his own addiction to Propofol. She also discussed growing up in the famous Jackson family, her relationships with Jermaine Dupri and first husband James DeBarge and her own Number Ones greatest hits comp, which was released this week. “I needed to get back to work,” she said. “It helped me get through [Michael's death]. I was able to put a lot of my focus someplace else.”
Related Stories:
• Janet Jackson Blames Dr. Murray for Michael’s Death in Interview
• Janet Jackson Honors Michael With Dance Tribute at VMAs
• Michael Jackson’s Death Officially Ruled Homicide Link |
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2009-Nov-16 14:56 - Tour Tracker: Slayer & Megadeth, Hot Chip and Deftones |
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 Photo: Mason/WireImage
In what is no doubt the loudest trek this winter, Slayer and Megadeth embark on the American Carnage tour, marking the first time in over 20 years the heavy metal masters have assaulted ears together as co-headliners (Testament will also go along for the ride). Also, Hot Chip plot out a handful of April 2010 dates in support of their upcoming album One Life Stand and the Deftones have scheduled two special benefit gigs to raise money for the Chi Ling Cheng Special Needs Trust — a group that helps pay medical bills for their bassist, who was severely injured in a car crash last November. For all the dates, check below.
Slayer/Megadeth with Testament
Jan. 18 – Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theatre
Jan. 19 – Portland, OR @ Memorial Coliseum
Jan. 21 – Daly City, CA @ Cow Palace
Jan. 22 – Long Beach, CA @ Long Beach Arena
Jan. 23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
Jan. 25 – Denver, CO @ Magness Arena
Jan. 26 – Albuquerque, NM @ Tingley Coliseum
Jan. 27 – El Paso, TX @ El Paso Coliseum
Jan. 29 – Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless
Jan. 31 – Nashville, TN @ Municipal Auditorium
Feb. 1 – Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena
Feb. 2 – Louisville, KY @ Broadbent Arena
Feb. 4 – Saint Paul, MN @ The Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Feb. 5 – Chicago, IL @ University of Illinois
Feb. 6 – Detroit, MI @ Cobo Arena
Feb. 9 – Wallingford, CT @ Chevrolet Theatre
Feb. 11 – East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
Feb. 13 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Center
Feb. 14 – Lowell, MA @ Tsongas Arena
Feb. 16 – Quebec City, QC @ Pavilion de la Jeunesse
Feb. 18 – London, ON @ John Labatt Centre
Feb. 19 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
Feb. 20 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Feb. 22 – Moncton, NB @ Moncton Coliseum
Feb. 23 – Halifax, NS @ Metro Centre
Hot Chip
Apr. 16 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
Apr. 19 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
Apr. 20 – Toronto, ON @ Koolhaus
Apr. 22 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Apr. 24 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
The Deftones
November 19 – Los Angeles @ The Avalon
November 20 – Los Angeles @ The Avalon Link |
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2009-Nov-16 14:19 - Janet Jackson Blames Dr. Murray for Michael’s Death in Interview |
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 Photo: Kopaloff/FilmMagic
In her first televised interview since Michael Jackson died on June 25th, Janet Jackson tells ABC’s In the Spotlight that she blames Dr. Conrad Murray for her brother’s death. “He was the one that was administering,” she told ABC’s Robin Roberts in an interview that will air Wednesday, November 18th. “I think he is responsible.” As for the moment she learned Michael had passed away, Jackson said, “It just didn’t ring true to me. It felt like a dream.”
Look back at Jackson’s career, in photos.
Janet added she believes Dr. Murray should never practice medicine again, but the prospect of losing his license is likely the least of his problems: As Rolling Stone reported, Murray has been the focus of the investigation into Jackson’s death, which has been ruled a homicide caused by an acute Propofol intoxication. Police have yet to file charges against Murray, but the investigation is reportedly still ongoing.
“I was at my house in New York. You know, another day,” Jackson said of the day she learned Michael had died. “Another morning. And I get a call … [my assistant] said, ‘Your brother’s been taken to the hospital. It’s on CNN right now,’ ” she told Roberts. “I called everyone’s [phones]. There’s a line busy or — someone wasn’t picking up. I spoke to mother. I spoke to Tito. I spoke to my nephew Austin. I spoke to my sister La Toya. I told them to call me when they got to the hospital. And I remember thinking nobody’s calling me back, so I tried calling again, and that’s how I found out that he was no longer … I couldn’t believe it.”
In the November 18th interview, Janet also reminisces about her close childhood with Michael, what it was like growing up in the Jackson family and the last time she saw her brother. “We had a lot of fun, laughing. …I was being silly, acting silly,” Janet said of seeing MJ two days before her birthday in May 2009, “And he was sitting in front of me and just cracking up, laughing at me. I was being loud. And he thought it was so funny.”
Related Stories:
• Janet Jackson Honors Michael With Dance Tribute at VMAs
• Michael Jackson’s Death Officially Ruled Homicide
• Report: Doctor Left Jackson Alone After Administering Propofol Link |
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2009-Nov-16 13:47 - My Chemical Romance Trade Theatrics for Raw Rock on Next LP |
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 Photo: Greg Watermann
When My Chemical Romance finally stopped touring behind their 2006 concept album The Black Parade, the band was so drained guitarist Frank Iero feared the worst: “I thought the band was going to break up.” But instead of splitting, MCR took a break, then hit a Los Angeles studio with Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen producer Brendan O’Brien and spent almost a full year crafting something far from the theatrical pomp of the Parade. As singer Gerard Way tells Rolling Stone in our new issue, he wanted to “harness everything that’s great about this band into shorter songs. Almost protopunk, like the Stooges or the MC5.”
The New Jersey quintet’s as-yet-untitled fourth disc is due in the spring, and RS hung out in the studio while Way cut some vocals for “Trans Am,” the track that stoked their new creative direction and pushed them to become “an American rock band instead of a British rock band,” as he puts it. The first-pumper begins with “I got a bulletproof heart” and includes a Queen-esque section where Way sings “These pigs are after me, after you” repeatedly.
When RS caught up with Way at Comic-Con earlier this year, he reported the band had written its very own “Born to Run” in “Death Before Disco.” “I can??™t wait for people to hear it. To me, it??™s the greatest song we??™ve ever written — it??™s my favorite MCR song,” he said.
For the full story on the band’s upcoming disc, grab the latest issue of RS, on stands now.
Related Stories:
• Q&A: Gerard Way Link |
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Photo: Countess/Getty 
Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Photo: Boyd/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty 
