'How can you pick between me and Trent Reznor?' outspoken rapper asks Baltimore crowd.
By Jordan Upmalis
Lil Wayne performs at the 2008 Virgin Mobile Festival
Photo: Paul Morigi/ Getty Images
BALTIMORE — Fans got more than they bargained for at this weekend's Virgin Mobile Festival — more KanyeKanye, anyway.
Not content to close out the two-day festival with his headlining Sunday slot, Mr. West stormed the stage earlier in the day, joining Lil WayneLil Wayne for a meeting of hip-hop's hottest. Maybe 'Ye was pulling double duty to outshine the legends (Bob DylanBob Dylan, Iggy and the StoogesIggy and the Stooges), big rock veterans (Foo FightersFoo Fighters, Stone Temple PilotsStone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails, OffspringOffspring), and upstarts (ParamoreParamore, Jack JohnsonJack Johnson, DuffyDuffy) who took the Virgin stage over the weekend at Pimlico Race Course.
Rocking a Louis Vuitton backpack, West joined Weezy on Sunday afternoon to spit his verse from the "Lollipop" remix without skipping a beat. The collabo was the high-energy point of a blistering, better-late-than-never performance. Showing up a half-hour late for an hourlong set would be a cardinal sin for most artists, but Weezy more than made up for it. The crowd chanted his name and even booed briefly while waiting for his set, but it was all love once Lil Wayne hit the stage. Wayne came with a mix of old-school, new-school and a lot of gratitude. "How many of y'all got Tha Carter III?" he asked. "I f---in' appreciate you."
He even took time to honor Static Major, asking for a moment of silence for the late rapper and songwriter before jumping into the song that catapulted Wayne from an underground mixtaper to an undeniable mainstream superstar. After welcoming Kanye up for "Lollipop,""Lollipop," Wayne wrapped his set with even more gratitude and some laughs, lip-syncing to Whitney HoustonWhitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You""I Will Always Love You" before leaving the stage.
While Wayne's day was done, Kanye was just getting started. He returned to the stage later that night like a hurricane, shrouded in flashing lights and fog. Fans threw up their Roc-A-Fella diamonds early and held them high all night. No irony was lost on 'Ye, who made it a point to prove his authenticity before jumping into "Diamonds From Sierra Leone."
"I work real hard at this rapping sh--," he said. "This is real rap."
Kanye dove into a set spanning his entire career, from his most recent verse from Young JeezyYoung Jeezy's "Put On" to his humble beginnings on "All Comes Down," asking fans to "scream so loud I can't hear the music" if they knew the song.
And, of course, 'Ye talked, touching on everything from his mother's death to Barack Obama's nomination to crime in the festival's host city of Baltimore. He freestyled as well, expressing his gratitude for fame and his frustration that comes along with it. The raw emotion was undeniable. "I lost my mama/ I went through so much drama/ I went through so much drama/ I'm for Obama," he rapped. He then described his journey over to Pimlico Race Course, noting the flashing blue lights above cameras stationed throughout the 'hood and being content with the fact that even though many Baltimore natives couldn't afford to attend the concert, they could still see and hear the show from the parking lot outside the gates. He also shouted out MySpace, the Internet and Lil Wayne before beginning "Touch the Sky."
West took a bit of a jab at the festival's schedule, specifically the choice concertgoers had to make between his performance and one from Nine Inch Nails happening at the same time at the other end of the park (a dilemma faced by fans at Chicago's Lollapalooza a week earlier). "It's not a black-or-white thing, it's not a rap-or-rock-and-roll thing," he exclaimed. "It's a good-music thing. We jam about good things from the heart. How can you pick between me and Trent Reznor?"
But at the end of the day, Kanye's focus all came back down to his fans. Again freestyling, 'Ye expressed his eagerness to please those who came out to support him. "I hope you had a good time ... f--- that, the time of your life!" And with diamonds high in the sky and screams that could be heard around the block, the crowd's enthusiasm matched Kanye's (no easy feat).
The day before, it was up to West's fellow Chi-Town native Lupe FiascoLupe Fiasco, who had fans bobbing their heads and singing along to "Superstar""Superstar" and "Kick, Push.""Kick, Push." Despite technical difficulties, Lupe aimed to please, shouting after his microphone problem was resolved, "Let's hype this bitch back up, all right?" Given the amount of crowd-surfing during his set and the volume of fans chanting his name when he left the stage, he seemed to succeed.
But the weekend wasn't all about hip-hop. The Foos, the Stooges, Paramore and NIN brought the rock, but the guitar heroes of the day might have been Stone Temple Pilots. Taking the stage later than expected (thanks, Weezy), STP seemed to be the picture of reunification. The band was completely in sync thanks to its current 65-date tour. The focus wasn't mainly on themselves, though. Scott Weiland shared the love, shouting out those sharing the bill. "What a great day of f---ing music!," he gushed. "How about Iggy and the Stooges? And Nine Inch Nails are coming up!" He also had love for the crowd. "What a sea of energy," he exclaimed just before the crowd sang and bobbed along to every note of the band's breakthrough hit "Plush.""Plush."
For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. And send your own concert pics, videos and reviews to MTV News You R Here!
Tha Carter III sales lag as Viva la Vida becomes year's second-best seller.
By Chris Harris
Photo: Capitol
If rapper Lil WayneLil Wayne was expecting his latest LP, Tha Carter III to spend a second-straight week as the nation's best-selling release, he definitely underestimated the sales prowess of British rockers ColdplayColdplay.
While Wayne's latest entered the previous week's chart at #1, with just over a million scans, Tha Carter III just couldn't maintain that sales pace and suffered a 69 percent dip in retail interest in week two, selling 308,500 copies. But that just wasn't enough for him to hold onto Billboard's pole position, as Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends generated first-week scans of more than 721,200, bumping Wayne's opus to the chart's #2 slot. The latest set from Chris Martin and company is now the year's second-best performing debut, as well as the band's second consecutive career #1, following 2005's X&Y, which also opened at #1 but with 737,300 scans.
The last time the Billboard 200 saw back-to-back #1 debuts with sales of more than 700,000 was in 2000, when Britney SpearsBritney Spears' Oops! ... I Did It Again sold 1.3 million, and EminemEminem's The Marshall Mathers LP sold 1.8 million the following week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
In addition to Coldplay's new one, a total of 16 other new releases enter next week's albums sales chart, with five opening in the top 10. Bowing at #3 with 188,400 sold, it's the soundtrack to the Disney Channel movie "Camp Rock," which features contributions from the Jonas BrothersJonas Brothers and others. Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, an expanded, two-disc re-release of the pop star's hit record, enters at #7, with 63,300 sold, while Katy Perry's One of the Boys opens at #9, selling 46,800 units. Lastly, coming in at #10, with 45,700 sold, is the latest from OffspringOffspring, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace.
The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by the 28th addition to the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series, which is #4 after selling another 81,000 units, and PliesPlies' Definition of Real drops to #5, with second-week sales reported at nearly 67,700. UsherUsher's Here I Stand follows at #6, selling 65,000 copies, while DisturbedDisturbed's Indestructible falls four spots to #8, with 59,300 scans.
Elsewhere on the chart, British metallers Judas Priest's latest, Nostradamus, opens at #11, having sold 42,000 copies during its first week in stores. It marks the highest chart position for an album by the band in the U.S. Rapper Blood RawBlood Raw's My Life: The True Testimony enters at #30, with 17,400 sold. 2 Pistols2 Pistols' Death Before Dishonor bows at #33, shifting nearly 15,800 copies. Wolf ParadeWolf Parade's At Mount Zoomer follows at #46, with 12,900 units snatched up, while R&B chanteuse Chanté MooreChanté Moore's Love the Woman debuts at #110, having scanned 6,400 copies. The Hold SteadyThe Hold Steady's Stay Positive enters the chart at #170, after selling close to 3,900 copies, and pop act Prima JPrima J's self-titled debut follows at #172, selling just 34 fewer units.
Brown sued for breach of contract; ex-B2K group members respond to controversy; Nate Dogg in a rehab facility after suffering stroke.
By
T.I. at 2007 ESPY Awards
Photo: Getty Images/ Kevin Winter
T.I. adjusted his calendar Thursday (January 3) after an Atlanta judge postponed until February 19 a suppression hearing that had been scheduled for Thursday. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Grand Hustle rapper's lawyers are seeking to have evidence thrown out because they claim it was obtained as a part of an illegal search when T.I. (real name: Clifford Harris Jr.) was arrested in October for allegedly attempting to purchase illegal machine guns. Lawyers for the rapper filed a motion in November stating his vehicle had been searched without a warrant, consent or probable cause. He has been under house arrest awaiting trial after posting a $3 million bond in late October. ...
Chris Brown has hit a bump as he tours across the U.S. — the singer's set designer is suing him for breach of contract, according to TMZ. John Troxtel claims in a federal lawsuit he filed Christmas Eve that while he was paid for some of his labor, "extra work was required and requested." He says an oral agreement was made but that the touring company has refused to make good on its promise. Troxtel, who is seeking more than $1 million in damages, is also reportedly suing Brown for unjust enrichment. ...
Former B2K groupmates Dreux "Lil Fizz" Frederic and Jarell "J-Boog" Houston have released a statement through their publicist regarding the claims of sexual molestationRaz-B made against manager Chris Stokes in recent online videos. "We had nothing to do with the [videos], their release and/or their claims, we are unaware of any inappropriate behavior," the statement read. Raz-B later retracted and apologized for the accusations. Meanwhile, Raz-B's business partner had no comment on a new, recently surfaced tape of Raz-B, his brother Ricky Romance and Stokes, and said he didn't know when it was shot. ...
Nate Dogg suffered a stroke on December 19, according to a coordinator for the hip-hop crooner's recently formed gospel choir, Innate Praise. Reports had circulated that the longtime Snoop Dogg associate had been admitted to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center in California after suffering a heart attack. Erica Beckwith, however, confirmed to MTV News that Nate Dogg was released on December 26 after being treated for a stroke and is currently in a medical-rehab facility to assist him in his recovery. ...
The Jonas Brothers have inked a fat deal with Live Nation, and it's being called the first of its kind for an up-and-coming group, according to Billboard. The multimillion-dollar agreement will see the band of brothers playing a jaw-dropping 140 shows at theaters and arenas over the next two years. Eight shows have been lined up so far for the Look Me in the Eyes Tour, in Tuscon, Arizona (January 31); Las Vegas (February 1); Los Angeles (February 2); Everett, Washington (February 5); Portland, Oregon (February 6); February 8 (Salt Lake City); El Paso, Texas (February 11); and San Antonio (February 12). ... Radiohead have, according to the U.K.'s The Times, agreed to a deal with iTunes — which some fans may have noticed, given that the band's In Rainbows album is now available through the online store. "In terms of digital income, we've made more money out of this record than out of all the other Radiohead albums put together, forever," Thom Yorke reportedly said about the release. ...
Bono has teamed with Hard Rock for a new tee that is benefitting the Wildlife Conservation Society's Conservation Cotton Initiative, which helps educate impoverished African farmers. The Bono Signature Series T-shirt, which will be available starting Monday at Hard Rock's terrestrial and online shops, is being made available via Edun, a socially conscious clothing company that Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, launched in spring 2005. ... Bright Eyes mainman Conor Oberst, who toured as part of the Vote for Change Tour in support of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, performed at a rally for another Democratic contender, Senator Barack Obama, in Iowa on Tuesday. According to The New York Observer, Oberst played for a crowd of approximately 1,000 Obama supporters and at one point told them, "I met the next president of the United States earlier today." But that's hardly the only star Obama has on his side. Scarlett Johansson was a special guest at a rally for him in Iowa on Wednesday night, according to The Nation. She reportedly spoke with a group of young supporters in Des Moines. ...
The Facebook profile cited in many articles (including MTV News') about Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the late Benazir Bhutto's son, is a hoax, according to a statement from Farahnaz Ispahani of the Pakistan Peoples Party. "The statement that's on [the Facebook profile] is not his statement," he told The New York Times. "It seems genuine but according to Mr. Zardari, and we checked with him, the Facebook statement has not been written by Bilawal." ...
Foo Fighters are following in Justin Timberlake's footsteps — the band is participating in this year's "My Grammy Moment" segment for the February 10 awards ceremony. Unsigned instrumentalists — sorry, singers — are getting the chance to perform with Dave Grohl and the gang as part of an orchestra, with the winner being showcased as the featured instrumentalist. Interested? Record a performance video that is no longer than one minute and reflects your talent and submit it here. A Grammy Awards panel will choose 45 quarter-finalists, after which the public will narrow down the group to semifinalists who will perform with the five-time Grammy-nominated band. ... Christina Aguilera and Katie Holmes, starring side by side in a new flick? Rumors are circulating online that the two have been tapped for an upcoming comedy called "Humboldt Park," but Rene Rigal, who is executive producing the flick, told MTV News in regards to the castings, "We haven't heard anything as of yet." ...
Mark this one with a "WTF?" on your calendar: Keytar-wielding indie-rockers and former You Hear It First artistsMute Math will open for Matchbox Twenty and Alanis Morissette on their Exile in America tour, which runs from January 25 in Hollywood, Florida, through March 18 in Las Vegas. ... Hot Chip will pad their February 5 release, Made in the Dark, with a smattering of shows in April. The British electro-poppers will play nine gigs, from an April 10 one in Philadelphia through an April 24 show in San Francisco. ... Meanwhile, Ween are barreling on with their longest tour in three years. The band will play six gigs in January — from January 23 in Washington, D.C., through January 31 in Orlando, Florida — and is slated to play February 1-2 in St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before jetting overseas. ...
Sketch-comedy duo Tim and Eric have a few friends you may know. Maroon 5 bassist Mickey Madden, Phantom Planet frontman Alex Greenwald and the Like singer/guitarist Z have chalked up covers of songs by the pair's fictional Casey and His Brothers group. Check 'em out on TimAndEric.com. ... Sean Penn will head the awards jury at this year's Cannes Film Festival, which is slated for May 14-25. According to AP, the "Into the Wild" director said "a new generation of filmmaking may have begun," and that there seems to be "a rejuvenation of cinema building worldwide." ...
The Offspring are nearly finished with the follow-up to 2003's Splinter. According to a post from frontman Dexter Hollandon the punk-rockers' Web site, they're "taking a quick break from recording right now to be with our families. I've got two lyrics to do, a couple more to sing, and various musical tweaks and fixes to get done. Then, we'll be ready to mix." There's no release date for the album yet, but the Offspring "want to thank all our fans who have been so patient, and we want you to know that we've been in the studio nearly every day now for quite awhile working hard to make a great record," the post says. ...
Former Kid 'N Play frontman Christopher "Play" Martin was reportedly hospitalized over the weekend when his car was struck by another vehicle whose driver was wounded by a bullet. According to North Carolina's The News & Observer, the one-time rapper's car was struck after a man — suspected of fleeing from where a home robbery took place — was allegedly fired upon by local police. The man, identified as Raul Riva Aldamo, reportedly died as a result of the gunfire. Martin and his companion, Michelle Gonzales, were released from doctor's care on Wednesday, and according to a rep for Martin, he is at home recovering.
1.2.08
Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump has been named one of the un-sexiest men of 2007 by Boston alt-weekly The Phoenix. He lands at #95 on the list, right next to Larry King and Jon Heder. ...
Prodigy, who will start serving a three-and-
Shakira considered plastic surgery; Diddy unveils Bad Boy's next phase; Raconteurs line up U.S. show.
By MTV News staff report
Photo: Time, inc.
Shakira might have said that she's lucky her breasts are "small and humble" in "Whenever, Wherever," but there was a time when she considered getting breast-augmentation surgery because she was unhappy with her body, the singer reveals in the next issue of Teen People. The magazine's latest cover star also said that wasn't the only plastic surgery she looked into. "I considered ... all kinds of things. 'Maybe my eyebrows should be higher. Maybe my lips should be bigger.' " Eventually Shakira came to accept herself, despite all the insecurities. "I'm actually shy; I've just learned to hide it." But her hips don't lie — and her dancing reveals more skin than she sometimes would like to show. "It's not my hobby to show my belly! The moves I do when I perform require it. People of America, I want you to know that I wear clothes once in a while!" ...
Diddy introduced a select few to the next phase of Bad Boy Records Tuesday night in New York. Sean Combs held a small party at his Daddy's House studio and previewed music by newcomers Cheri Dennis and Yung Joc and veterans 8Ball and MJG. ... Jack White is preparing to unleash his brand-new band, the Raconteurs, on America — for one night, at least. On April 7, the band — which also features Detroit songwriter Brendan Benson and two-thirds of Cincinnati garage-rockers the Greenhornes — will play its first-ever U.S. gig at Irving Plaza in New York. Tickets go on sale Thursday at noon via Ticketmaster.com. The Rac's debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, is due in stores May 16. ...
Nick Lachey has decided on a title and release date for his second album: What's Left of Me, due May 9. The title is the same as the first single, which recently hit the airwaves. ... Paul Wall has titled his fall release Ain't No 401K for a Hustla. Wall is also set to appear alongside Lil' Keke on The Day Hell Broke Loose 3 compilation, due in August. ... Pimp-C will release a DVD documenting his experiences being incarcerated during the Houston boom in 2005 and what has happened after his recent release. "Pimpalation: Return of the Trill," hosted by MTV News' Sway, is due April 11 and will be followed by a CD called Pimpalation on June 13. ... Foo Fighters will be featured in a pair of episodes of "The West Wing." The shows will air Sunday and April 9 at 8 p.m. on NBC. ... Notorious B.I.G.'s family will receive $1.1 million from the city of Los Angeles after the City Council on Wednesday approved the amount U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper awarded in January. The money covers the family's legal expenses in a civil trial that was ruled a mistrial last year when it was discovered that the Los Angeles Police Department withheld statements that linked two rogue LAPD officers, David Mack and Rafael Perez, to the rapper's shooting. ...
Could it really be over so soon? That's what former Howard Stern listeners across the East Coast and Midwest might have been asking themselves Wednesday morning (March 29) when they turned on their radios to find Stern replacement David Lee Roth absent. Yes, preliminary numbers for Roth have not been promising, but a CBS Radio spokesperson denied reports that the former Van Halen singer had been canned just three months into his gig, saying the motor-mouthed morning man was simply taking a few days off to travel back to New York after broadcasting from Miami Beach Monday and Tuesday. Roth is expected to be back on the air Friday. ... Elsewhere on the dial, Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer Dicky Barrett has attacked Los Angeles' Indie 103.1 after he was recently fired as host of the station's morning show. In a statement released by his publicist, Barrett said he was fired for expressing his dislike on air for a Morrissey song the station was spinning and for an unauthorized pro-choice conversation he had with a caller. Indie General Manager Dawn Girocco responded by saying Dicky was not as committed to the show as he needed to be. ...
After complaints and a lawsuit earlier this year from a Louisiana man, Apple Computer released a software update Wednesday that allows iPod owners to set a maximum volume on their players. The free download works with Nanos and fifth-generation models that play video, and it also allows parents to set a volume limit on their child's iPod and lock it with a special code. The free update is available at apple.com/ipod/download. ... On Monday a judge ordered Michael Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe to submit copies of legal papers missing from their divorce file, The Associated Press reports. The documents, concerning the custody of the pair's two children, include Rowe's 2001 motion to terminate parental rights and an emergency motion filed two years later seeking temporary custody as well as Jackson's filing opposing his ex-wife's custody motion. Attorneys for Jackson and Rowe have 30 days to turn over the paperwork. A hearing has been set for May 24. ...
As he awaits his murder trial, troubles keep mounting for famed "wall of sound" record producer Phil Spector. A former personal assistant has sued Spector for more than $5 million in Los Angeles, claming sexual harassment, according to an Associated Press report. Spector sued former assistant Michelle Blaine in September, alleging that she skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars from his accounts. Blaine hit back on Friday, saying that Spector authorized the payments to her, including those for a $700,000 house and that he sexually harassed her, sometimes appeared naked in front of her and once asked Blaine to find a prostitute for him. Blaine also claims that after Spector was charged with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, the producer repeatedly proposed marriage to her as a way to block her from testifying against him. Spector's murder trial is slated to begin in September. ...
Eugene Landy, the show-business psychologist famous for his controversial relationship with troubled Beach Boys star Brian Wilson, died March 22 in Honolulu of complications from lung cancer, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 71. Landy, who also worked with original shock rocker Alice Cooper and actor Rod Steiger, pioneered the concept of "24 hour therapy" when he began treating Wilson in the mid 1970s. Hired to work on Wilson's intense phobias and drug addictions, Landy took control of every aspect of the singer's life, monitoring him 24 hours a day and eventually acting as his manager and artistic collaborator, crossing an ethical line and eventually giving up his license to practice in California after admitting to a charge of unlawfully prescribing drugs in 1989. ...
Prolific songwriter Cindy Walker, known as the "dean of Texas songwriters," died of natural causes Thursday at the age of 87, according to The Los Angeles Times. Walker was known for the more than 500 sentimental, Western-flavored songs she wrote, performed by everyone from Roy Orbison ("Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)"), to Ray Charles ("You Don't Know Me"), with the latter covered by more than 75 artists, including Elvis Presley. Willie Nelson released an album-length tribute to Walker this month called You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker. Walker, often called the greatest living country music songwriter, was a charter member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.
03.28.2006
Mariah Carey's been dreaming of a Broadway Christmas since late 2004, when she originally announced plans for a holiday musical, and now she's finally making progress with her plan. "I don't want to mention anything definitive until things are signed," she told MTV Radio, "but there's a very big company that just signed on to develop the project with me." Carey said the musical — which she'll create, produce and star in — will incorporate music from her 1994 album, Merry Christmas, as well as new material. "It's probably going to be a movie first," she said. "I don't want to say a television movie, because it's not like a cheesy network movie, but then it's going to be made for the Broadway production. So the [TV movie] will set the stage for the stage." ...
It was nothing but royalty Monday night in New York as a king, queen and prince came together for the premiere of "ATL." T.I. (the King of the South), Queen Latifah and former Prince of Bel Air Will Smith (with Jada Pinkett) joined Jay-Z, Usher, DJ Drama, Tisha Campbell and Duane Martin at the Tribeca Theater. Latifah's longtime friends and business partners Shakim Compere and Lance "Un" Rivera were also on hand. ...
Jessica Simpson is moving up in the world — at least as far as FHM's annual list of 100 Sexiest Women is concerned. While Scarlett Johansson nabbed the top spot, Simpson catapulted from #16 on last year's list to #4 this year. Other singers making the top half of the chart include Paris Hilton (#11), Lindsay Lohan (#14), Beyoncé (#18), Shakira (#20), Jennifer Lopez (#26; she was #1 in 2000 and 2001), Mariah Carey (#28), Mandy Moore (#31), Christina Aguilera (#37), Gwen Stefani (#40) and Kelly Clarkson (#50). Hilary Duff, the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie and Stefani were new entries this year, but Britney Spears, who was #1 in 2004, was nowhere to be found (Check out photos of FHM's Sexiest Women.). ... Since Lindsay L
Also out this week are albums by Clutch, Eric Bent and Patti LaBelle.
By Alyssa Rashbaum
His new album doesn't hit stores for almost two months, but Kanye West is already making his presence felt in record stores. The rapper/producer's skills are featured on new albums from three R&B, soul and hip-hop up-and-comers this week.
West produced "I Changed My Mind," the first single from R&B newcomer Keyshia Cole's debut album, The Way It Is. Cole, who also enlisted jailed MC Shyne for the track, had once gotten her musical tutelage from none other than MC Hammer. For soul singer Leela James, Kanye collaborated on a pair of tracks on her debut album, A Change Is Gonna Come. James, who defines her sound as "back-porch soul," also worked with Raphael Saadiq and Wyclef Jean on the disc. North Carolina-bred hip-hop trio Little Brother, meanwhile, got a nod from West on "I See Now," a track off The Chittlin Circuit 1.5.Out Tuesday, June 21:
All Good Funk Alliance - On the One (Sunswept)
Amici Forever - Defined (RCA Victor)
Eric Benét - Hurricane (Reprise)
B.G. - Life After Cash Money: Chopped and Screwed (Koch)
Offspring, Transplants also highlights of 10th annual trek.
By Gil Kaufman
My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way (file)
Photo: Getty Images
MILWAUKEE — It being Sunday and all, My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way figured he'd throw in a few benedictions between amped-up hits by his New Jersey punk band. But church never sounded, or looked, quite like this. "Let me hear you say hell yeah, Milwaukee!" Way shouted over and over during his band's twilight set, which closed the show on the second night of this summer's Vans Warped Tour.
"Let me hear you say f--- yeah!" he said in a preacher's cadence, stretching out his healing hands as he strode across the stage wearing a very un-priestly vestment of black bondage pants, a black jacket and a black T-shirt with a photo of Bela Lugosi on it. At the very least, most sermons don't contain quite so many four-letter words starting with "f," or pleas to spit in the face of rock stars that ask female fans to lift their shirts.
But those kinds of contradictions are what Warped is all about. One minute you're watching a bunch of lunatics in loin cloths and combat boots calling themselves Bad Fathers play spazz-out punk rap tunes and just a few yards away you catch Phoenix's Greeley Estates shredding their throats during one of the most intense emo sets of the day. Along the way you might wander by MxPx and No Use for a Name playing some classic pop punk, Bedouin Soundclash mixing in a bit of ska and dub and Valient Thorr playing, well, it's hard to say. But it was something kind of scary along the lines of the Black Crowes meet Motörhead in tight trousers, bushy beards and lots of talk about the planet Venus.
The great equalizer? It doesn't matter if you're a veteran act like the Offspring or a band called Dork, just about everyone gets 30 minutes to do their thing, and, more than any other tour out there, it's almost impossible to tell the bands from their fans in the audience.
"It's cool to see kids going from watching the Offspring to something new like Hawthorne Heights, right?" said tour founder Kevin Lyman backstage as the sun was setting and vendors began dismantling their tents. Taking off on his customized lowrider bicycle, which, along with mini motorcycles and longboard skateboards, was the preferred means of backstage locomotion, Lyman smiled as he surveyed another successful outing of his decade-old creation.
While there was plenty of the flavor of the day emo and screamo from the likes of Silverstein, Bleed the Dream and Hawthorne Heights, there was also the hard-to-categorize set from punk supergroup the Transplants. The band played a diabolical mix of rap, punk, dub and drum'n'bass that got the audience hyped. Bobbing his mowhawked head so furiously it looked like he was bashing a cymbal with it to double his already insane torrent of beats, Travis Barker led the band into the new song "Madness," with Tim Armstrong and Rob Aston switching off on gravely vocals on a classic from their first album, "Diamonds and Guns."
One of the day's most theatrical sets belonged to Avenged Sevenfold, who took the stage amid a thick dry-ice fog and chants of "A7X" from their adoring fans. With a double guitar attack and the high-flying theatrics of pumped-up, mirror-shade-wearing singer M. Shadows, the group mixed a bit of Misfits/ Danzig horrorcore with straight-up hardcore, blitzkrieg guitar solos and lyrics worthy of a Dungeons and Dragons game on new tunes such as "Beast and the Harlot."
And though they were among the veteran acts on the bill, the Offspring were Warped newbies, on their first outing with the trek. Touring in support of their greatest-hits album, the classic So Cal punkers gave the audience exactly what it wanted with hits like "Why Don't You Get a Job?," their huge breakthrough, "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)," and what amounts to their "Free Bird," the rousing "Self Esteem."
The thousands of fans who braved nearly eight hours of brazen punk on this perfect 75 degree day were rewarded just before 9 p.m., when My Chemical Romance played to the biggest crowd of the day. With just 30 minutes to make their case, MCR blasted out of the gate with their breakthrough "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)," which, like nearly their entire set, broke out into an audience chant-along. With a stage full of his peers looking on, Way relished the role of conquering hero, returning to Warped as a headliner and making the audience jump and shout along to his band's current hit, "Helena," and closing with a crowd-pleasing version of "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison."
And now, in honor of Warped's 10th anniversary, we present the inaugural Warpie Awards:
Most punk-rock move to get invited into the family: The Shira Girl stage. Founder Shira Girl bum-rushed last year's Warped with a guerrilla stage setup outside the tour and this year she had her own stage, which added some much-needed estrogen to the mostly male affair.
Rebel yell of the day: Greeley Estates singer Ryan Zimmerman, who sounded like a cat drowning in a steel drum. Honorable mention goes to From First to Last's three vocalists, who brought a bit of opera to their emo.
Giving new meaning to the phrase "extreme sports": Avenged Sevenfold, for hitting the Major League Baseball batting cages. If only more baseball players took batting practice in hoodies, studded belts, lip rings and wallet chains.
T-shirt message of the day: In a sea of clever tees, "Drink apple juice 'cuz OJ will kill you" stood out. Runner-up prize goes to the 2-year-old budding punk with the black shirt that read, "When I grow up I want to be a sick boy."
Best prop: The dude who dragged a taxidermied chicken around all day and waved it like he just didn't care.
Too-soon award: To thetruth.com booth, whose DJ managed to get the kids moving to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." If only for a minute.
Get no love award: The Marines, who were dissed profanely from the stage by at least two bands for having a recruiting booth at the previous date.
... is the new black award: Pink. It said so right on that guy's T-shirt, "Tough guys wear pink."
Best cover: Atreyu, who turned Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" into a screamo anthem (the band recorded it for the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" soundtrack) as they got a sea of hundreds windmilling their T-shirts over their heads while flashing devil horns with the other hand.
For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.
Related Artists
Tour will run from June 17 through August 14; discounted tickets available March 15.
By Gil Kaufman
Photo: Jason Campbell
The Vans Warped Tour has officially announced the lineup and itinerary for the 11th annual edition of the punk/skating tour. As previously reported by MTV News, the bill for the oldest touring festival in the U.S. will be topped by the Offspring and My Chemical Romance, along with the Transplants, MxPx, All-American Rejects, Dropkick Murphys, Thrice, Atreyu and Senses Fail.
The 48-date tour, which kicks off on June 17 at the Germain Amphitheatre in Columbus, Ohio, will snake its way across the country through mid-August, wrapping up on August 14 at the Englishtown Raceway in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Discount tickets will be available on the Warped Web site beginning March 15.
For the full itinerary, see "Warped Tour Organizers Cave, Announce Full Itinerary Two Weeks Early."
New attractions for 2005 include the Amateur Skate Jam (a daily contest judged by pro skaters for local amateur skaters, who will compete for prize money) and, for the first time, fans can also vote daily on the tour's Web site on which band they would like to see play for an extra 10 minutes.
Making their return are such popular attractions as Reverse Day Care (an air-conditioned area where kids can drop off their parents), the Codes of the Cutz hip-hop tent and the Girlz Garage stage. Organizers are also encouraging attendees to donate items for local homeless shelters through Punk Junk, an on-site donation center.
Other bands confirmed to perform so far: A Thorn for Every Heart, Academy Is, Amber Pacific, Armor for Sleep, Avenged Sevenfold, Bedouin Sound Clash, Billy Talent, the Bled, Bleeding Through, Boys Night Out, the Briefs, a Change of Pace, Dead 60's, Emery, the Explosion, the Fight, From First to Last, Funeral for a Friend, Gatsby's American Dream, Go Betty Go, Gratitude, Greeley Estates, Gym Class Heroes, Halifax, Hidden in Plain View, Hopesfall, HorrorPops, Hot Rod Circuit, Juliette and the Licks, Kinison, Left Alone, Lost City Angels, Mae, Matchbook Romance, the Matches, Midtown, Millencolin, Motion City Soundtrack, Near Miss, Plain White T's, Reggie & the Full Effect, Relient K, Rufio, Saosin, Silverstein, Skindred, Something Corporate, the Starting Line, Street Dogs, Strike Anywhere, Stutterfly, Throw Rag, Tsunami Bomb, the Twenty Twos, Yesterday's Rising and ZAO.
For a feature on My Chemical Romance, check out "My Chemical Romance: They're Okay (Promise)."
'The demand of the kids on the Internet made us put them out there,' organizer Kevin Lyman says.
By James Montgomery
Photo: Columbia
In the end, it was sheer necessity, combined with a whole bunch of demand, that forced Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman to reveal the full list of 2005 dates for the annual trek. Sometimes, marketing plans just go out the window.
"We were hoping to hold off announcing the dates until the first of March, but the demand of the kids on the Internet made us put them out there," Lyman said. "The kids are prodding, they're on the Web sites. Their dads work at the venues, and find out when the venue is hosting Warped, and the kids put it out there and it pops up on a Web site."
Lyman had previously revealed the first three dates of the tour, along with a few of the headliners (see "On This Summer's Warped Tour: Offspring, MCR, MxPx — And On-Stage Weddings"), but now visitors to WarpedTour.com can check out not only the full itinerary, but also the list of all 45 acts confirmed for this summer's jaunt, from the Academy Is ... and the All American Rejects to the Unseen and Underoath.
Internet presales begin on April 1 (a full 77 days before the first Warped show), but Lyman doesn't see the accelerated schedule as a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"It's good to see this kind of demand, it means kids want to go to the Warped Tour this summer," he laughed. "It's probably the day they stop doing that that I'm going to worry about things."
Warped Tour dates, according to tour organizers:
6/17 - Columbus, OH @ Germain Amphitheatre
6/18 - Columbus, OH @ Germain Amphitheatre
6/19 - Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
6/21 - St. Louis, MO @ UMB Bank Pavilion
6/22 - Kansas City, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
6/24 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Center Lot
6/25 - Houston, TX @ Reliant Center
6/26 - San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
6/28 - Las Cruces, NM @ N.M.S.U. Practice Field
6/29 - Peoria, AZ @ Peoria Sports Complex
6/30 - San Diego, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre/ UCSD Field
7/1 - Long Beach, CA @ Cal State Long Beach
7/2 - San Francisco @ Pier 30/32
7/3 - Ventura, CA @ Seaside Park
7/4 - Fresno, CA @ Selland Arena Lot
7/6 - Long Beach, CA @ Cal State Long Beach
7/7 - Marysville, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre Lot
7/8 - Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre Lot
7/9 - George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre Lot
7/10 - Saint Helens, OR @ Columbia Meadows
7/12 - Vancouver, BC @ Thunderbird Stadium
7/14 - Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway
7/15 - Bozeman, MT @ Gallatin County Fairgrounds
7/16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Utah State Fairgrounds
7/17 - Denver, CO @ Invesco Field at Mile High
7/20 - Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
7/21 - Cleveland, OH @ Tower City Amphitheatre
7/22 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center Lot
7/23 - Chicago, IL @ Tweeter Center
7/24 - Minneapolis, MN @ Metrodome
7/26 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Six Flags P.A.C.
This summer's tour will feature 'at least one' onstage wedding, according to founder Kevin Lyman.
By James Montgomery
Photo: Columbia
Even as much of the Northeast finds itself in the middle of a bone-chilling cold snap, it's never too early to start thinking about those balmy summer months — especially if you're a fan of the Warped Tour. Details for the 2005 version are piling up faster than that snow drift outside your window.
Just-announced acts on this summer's tour include the Offspring, Fall Out Boy, MxPx, the Dropkick Murphys, No Use for a Name, Atreyu, Strung-Out, Mest and Hawthorne Heights. They'll join previously confirmed acts the Transplants, My Chemical Romance and Thrice on the tour's 11th annual jaunt (see "Warped Tour Just Ended, But Next Year's Trek Is Already Taking Shape").
"We always try to pick bands for the tour based on what the kids are telling me. Kids e-mail me all the time with suggestions, and if I get enough of them, I'll get in touch with the band," Warped founder Kevin Lyman said. "Like with the Offspring, who have never played the tour, a kid e-mailed me and was like, 'Why can't you guys work this out?' And I went, 'You know what? You're right.' "
Lyman also said that the tour will kick off on June 18 in Columbus, Ohio, at the Germain Amphitheater, then head to Milwaukee's Marcus Amphitheatre on the 19th and UMB Bank Pavilion near St. Louis on the 21st. More dates will be announced soon.
There are also plans for Warped 2005 to include "at least one" honest-to-goodness wedding. In December, Lyman put out the call for couples looking to get hitched onstage, and the response he got was enough to convince him that he needed to get something started.
"Like most things with Warped, the idea of a wedding started off as a joke. But when I posted on WarpedTour.com, we got such a response that I had to give it a real look," Lyman said. "So now I'm contacting bands to see if they know any ordained ministers. I figure there's got to be some punk-rock ministers out there."
Lyman also is finishing up the Warped Tour 10th Anniversary film, which he's compiled with the help of hundreds of amateur videographers across the country. The film features live performances shot by fans at each of the first 10 editions of Warped, and is due in stores "sometime later this year."
Dress taken in broad daylight from exhibit celebrating Orange County's rock history.
By Alyssa Rashbaum, with additional reporting by Jennifer Vineyard
Photo:
The No Doubt archives suffered a loss this week when the dress Gwen Stefani wore on the cover of Tragic Kingdom, the band's 1995 breakthough LP, was stolen from the Orange County, California, museum where it was on temporary display.
The red vinyl dress was reported stolen from the Fullerton Museum Center on Tuesday, where it was a part of the exhibit "The Orange Groove: Orange County's Rock n' Roll History," which runs through May 22. According to a statement released by the band's label, the dress was likely stolen between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday.
The dress was on a mannequin and mounted on a stage three-and-a-half feet high that was surrounded by plexiglass.
"It probably would have taken two people: one as a lookout, one to take it," said Sergeant Steve Matson of the Fullerton Police Department. "We're focusing in on possibly two females that may have been involved, and we're in the process of taking yearbooks to people who work at the museum to see if they can identify them."
"Someone must have given this some thought to vault [the stage] during daylight business hours," said "Orange Groove" curator Jim Washburn. "We're trying to figure out how this was accomplished. It's awfully selfish, almost sociopathic, to think that your interest in the band matters more than anyone else who would want to see it," he said.
Stefani's dress was a central item in the exhibit, which celebrates the musical legacy of the O.C. and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar, which was created in Fullerton. Other No Doubt items in the collection are band photos, instruments and awards, including their 2003 Grammy for "Underneath It All" and 1997 MTV Video Music Award for "Don't Speak."
Guitars from the Offspring, Mike Ness of Social Distortion (whose axe was featured on the cover of the band's 1990 self-titled album) and items from the O.C.'s folk, hippie and punk scenes are also included.
The theft of Stefani's dress — which had been on loan to the Hard Rock Café in the past — marks the first time anything has been stolen from the museum in 17 years, according to Washburn. The museum decided to publicize the robbery on Tuesday in hopes that it would expedite the return of the dress.
"Our foremost priority in this matter is the safe return of the dress, as it means a lot to the band," Interscope Records said in the statement.
The Fullerton Police Department is currently investigating the theft, but the label has asked that anyone with information on the whereabouts of the dress contact the police department at (714) 738-5336 — or return it to the museum's after-hours drop-off box, "no questions asked."
[This story was updated at 4:28 p.m. ET on 01.12.2005]
Revitol 
АllHotNews
