by Andrew Sacher

Weezer at Jones Beach in 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

So it turns out that totally awesome cruise that Mark McGrath was going to do with a redonkulously stacked lineup of Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors, Vertical Horizon, and more isn't going to happen after all. "It's a real bummer," says Mark McGrath. We feel you bro, a real bummer for sure. Mark blames "that poop cruise" (aka the Carnival cruise that got stuck at sea) for the cancellation. Can you imagine what would have happened if Mark McGrath's cruise got stuck at sea? Would Smash Mouth just play "All Star" on repeat until we got home to encourage us? Alice Cooper cancelled a cruise recently too. Can you imagine if that one got stranded at sea?

Still, other cruises are alive and well, as evidenced by Weezer, whose Weezer Cruise is returning for a second run from February 13-17, 2014 from the coast of Jacksonville, FL to the Bahamas, just over two years after its inaugural cruise. How can Weezer's cruise still happen after that poop cruise ruined cruises forever? Maybe the real reason is Weezer books bands people care about now (the first cruise had Dinosaur Jr., The Antlers, Yuck, Wavves, and more) and Mark McGrath books bands that no one has listened to since people actually bought Now, That's What I Call Music! CDs. Weezer hasn't announced their lineup for this year yet, but we're assuming Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth aren't going to be on it. A trailer video for Weezer's 2014 cruise (which includes info about when tickets go on sale) is below. Stay tuned for the lineup.

Continue reading "Mark McGrath's cruise cancelled, but Weezer Cruise returning for another year"

Alice Cooper at Prudential Center, July 2012 (more by Chris La Putt)

Some call him one of the originators of corpsepaint, others call him that guy from Wayne's World, but those who know remember Alice Cooper from his awesome early days in the 1970s. The pro-am golfer spent last summer out with Iron Maiden, and now you can catch the rock favorite blessing a stage all his own: Beacon Theater on July 18. The show is one of only five known dates so far for the painted one, and tickets go on presale on Wednesday (2/27) at 10AM (code: COOPER) and then hit regular sale on Friday (3/1).

Check out Alice's tour schedule and some classic Cooper clips below...

Continue reading "Alice Cooper playing shows, including NYC @ Beacon Theater"

photos by Chris La Putt

Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper brought their tour to Newark's Prudential Center last night (7/2), after playing Jones Beach last week. Like the Jones Beach show (and other shows on the tour), Alice Cooper played a hits heavy set, delivering tracks like "I'm Eighteen," "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "Billion Dollar Babies," and ending with "School's Out," which included the chorus of "Another Brick In The Wall" (you'll hear more of that song when Roger Waters performs The Wall at Yankee Stadium this weekend).

Like they've been doing on the whole tour, Iron Maiden focused the show most heavily on their 1988 album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, giving us songs like the album's title track, "Can I Play With Madness," "Moonchild," "The Clairvoyant," and "The Evil That Men Do." And of course we were given other favorites as well, like the ever popular "Run to the Hills," "The Number of the Beast," and more.

More pictures and setlists of both bands from last night's show are below...

Continue reading "Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper played Prudential Center in NJ (pics, setlists)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin ; words by Fred Pessaro/BBG

Iron Maiden teamed with Alice Cooper to play Jones Beach last night (6/28), the first of two NYC area shows for the pair as part of their tour together. The bands play Newark, NJ at Prudential Center on July 2nd (tickets).

Due to traffic issues (read: getting pulled over), I missed most of Alice Cooper's set, settling into my seat in time to watch an on-stage beheading (seriously). Clad in studded leather, Cooper finished out his set with the fan favorite "School's Out" (on the last day of NYC public schools) which worked in the "Another Brick In The Wall" chorus.

Iron Maiden entered shortly therafter, performing with a large elevated section made to look like ice and mimic the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son LP background. The Maiden England tour was focused on the era, so the LP was more than adequately represented (more than half, namely, "Moonchild", "Can I Play With Madness?", "The Evil That Men Do", "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", "The Clairvoyant") along with early favorites ("Iron Maiden") and just plain classics ("Aces High", "The Number of the Beast", "Run To The Hills", etc). Every song was accompanied by its own separate backdrop, set of pyrotechnics, and insanely-energetic Bruce Dickinson cardio workouts and costumes. Just a phenomenal set from the metal legends, but that comes as no surprise. Full setlist is below.

Lets be fair though, the show wasn't just a string of superlatives. The sound from my seat was rather abysmal (elevated at an outdoor concert, go figure) and the entire set was peppered with mini bouts of feedback. Guitarist Janick Gers seems pretty much wholly unnecessary, save for theatricality like the occaisonal guitar toss, double jump-kick, and guitar spin (his solos aren't as bountiful as either Adrian Smith or Dave Murray). And sadly, its clear that Bruce Dickinson can't hit those high notes quite as easily anymore.

Nevertheless, for one picturesque night on the shores of Long Island, Iron Maiden ruled all. And in the spirit of the Nostradamus-focused material on Seventh Son, I predict they'll rule Prudential Center too.

Pictures and setlists from Jones Beach are below.

Continue reading "Iron Maiden played Jones Beach with Alice Cooper (pics/review/setlists)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Das Racist / Battles... get a leg up

While Bonnaroo's roots come from the jamband scene, the festival's outlook has grown each year. The Red Hot Chili Peppers set provided a nod from the festival's past without losing the band's foothold in the present day. In various combinations, members Flea, Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer along with touring percussionist Mauro Refosco improvised their way before returning to the next number on the setlist... Earlier in the day, HR of Bad Brains looked and acted nowhere near the part of a hardcore hero. His bandmates kept the music's mix of powerful, fast numbers with an occasional reggae cooldown. The latter style was necessary after a dust cloud erupted from the crowd moshing and bodysurfing. A pleased Flea of the Chili Peppers watched from the side of the stage. -[Jambands]

Bonnaroo 2012's third day (on June 9th) featured a trio of  headline performances including Alice Cooper, Spectrum Road (which featured John Medeski, Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid and Cindy Blackman Santana), and a "Superjam" put on by Questlove of The Roots that featured  Mr. Brown Sugar himself, D'Angelo, in his first US appearance in over ten years. The "Superjam" also featured appearances from members of The Time and Parliament-Funkadelic, who covered somgs by Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Hendrix and more across the 90 minute set. Setlist and video from that set is below.

More photos from Day 3, including Bad Brains, Das Racist, Battles, Santigold (who plays a free show in Chicago Thursday), Gary Clarke Jr., Mogwai (who performs in NYC twice this week), Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice Cooper, Skrillex, Danzig Legacy (who went on an anti-photo tirade), GZA with Grupo Fantasma (who perform together in Brooklyn twice this week) and more are below. If you missed it, check out photos from Bonnaroo's first day HERE and second day HERE.

Continue reading "Bonnaroo Day 3 in pics (Battles, Das Racist, Danzig, GZA, Mogwai, Alice Cooper, Bad Brains, Skrillex and more)"

Iron Maiden at Madison Square Garden in 2010 (more by Justina Villaneuva)

IRON MAIDEN are back on the road this summer with a series of Arena, Amphitheatre and Festival shows in the U.S.A. and Canada, opening in Charlotte, NC, U.S.A. on June 21, and finishing in Houston, TX, on Aug 18 (dates listed below), to be followed by further dates around the World in 2013. The MAIDEN ENGLAND WORLD TOUR will closely mirror, in terms of production and content, the original 1988 concert video of the same name, shot on the "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Tour".

Iron Maiden will play shows with Alice Cooper on some dates and Coheed & Cambria on others. Look for Alice Cooper at both NYC area shows: June 28th at Jones Beach and July 2nd at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Maiden will release details on fan presales in the near future via their website, but ticketing info is otherwise unavailable.

Alice Cooper is also playing Bonnaroo this year.

All Iron Maiden tour dates and some video from that production in 1988, below.

Continue reading "Iron Maiden touring like it's 1988 (shows include Jones Beach & Prudential Center w/ Alice Cooper) -- 2012 Tour Dates"

"Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The 11th annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 7 - 10 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2012 lineup will total over 125 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days.Tickets for the event will go on sale on this Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 12 noon EST exclusively at bonnaroo.com."

Radiohead, Beach Boys, Phish, Little Dragon, SBTRKT, The Antlers, Bad Brains, Laura Marling, St. Vinent, Tune-Yards, Flying Lotus, and many more are playing Bonnaroo this year. Full list below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2012 lineup announced"

Beach Boys @ The Grammys

Though the Bonnaroo lineup won't be announced until later today (via Spotify), Knoxville.com has supposedly leaked some of it via a photo gallery which includes Beach Boys, Radiohead, Bon Iver, Phish, Foster the People, Alice Cooper, Ludacris, Black Star, Skrillex, Punch Brothers, The Avett Brothers, The Shins, Flogging Molly, Feist and Aziz Ansari. We can't know for sure if this is all correct, but I did hear that the Beach Boys were playing, and many of those bands have been rumored for a while, and the Beach Boys have promised more dates, so... well, we'll see soon! UPDATE: Yep, they are!

If it is all true, I really hope that this time Foster the People stay off the Beach Boys' stage unlike at the Grammys, as you can watch below...

Continue reading "Beach Boys played the Grammys, playing Bonnaroo? (we'll know for sure soon)"

"the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced the Alice Cooper Band, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Tom Waits as its 2011 performer inductees. Also being inducted this year as individual recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award are Jac Holzman and Art Rupe. The Award for Musical Excellence (previously the Sidemen category) will be presented to Leon Russell. The 26th annual ceremony will take place on Monday, March 14, 2011, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and be broadcast on Fuse, Madison Square Garden's national music television network."

Catch Darlene Love at BB King Blues Club in NY tonight (12/19).

words & photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

ZZ Top

While many designers tagged trendier (see younger) performers to appear at their Fashion Week soirees, many of which happened the day before for Fashion's Night Out, John Varvatos and show curator/drummer Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver, Guns N' Roses) stayed true to the spirit of the Bowery store located where CBGB once stood, picking a lineup that would make Wayne and Garth tremble with a lack of self worth (Mike Meyers sitting on the side of the stage with a giddy grin would seem to confirm that).

Alejandro Escovedo performed first on Saturday night (9/11), churning out garage crunch with no less than 4 guitarists blazing on the Varvatos store's small stage. Ian Hunter (lead singer of Mott the Hopple) followed and was joined by Escovedo for a performance of glam cornerstone anthem "All The Young Dudes."

To break up the boys club, former Runaways singer Cherie Currie, one of rock's more underappreciated female frontwomen, came on next. Currie performed "Cherry Bomb," the Runaways' ode to young female rebellion, with a still palpable sense of angst, proving at the same time you're never too old to stop flaunting sex appeal (and to fit into leather corsets).

The Darling Stilettos

Taking a cue from the icon that preceded them, the night's youngest performers, The Darling Stilettos (think rock's answer to the Pussycat Dolls), danced and felt each other up in all the right places while screaming classic rock covers (and one original tune) like over-sexualized banshees.

There were new groups from established rockers as well. New York icon Jessie Malin performed with his latest musical collective The St. Marks Social, and recently formed rock super group Black Country Communion, consisting of former Deep Purple frontman/bassist Glenn Hughes, blues guitar god Joe Bonamassa, and prodigal son Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) gave a sneak preview of some of the heavy tracks from their upcoming self-titled debut.

After a brief pause, Los Angeles superstar cover band Camp Freddy settled in as the house band for the remainder of the show, welcoming on stage a revolving door of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alumni as the evening catapulted upward in intensity. Some played covers, like ZZ Top (who were in town to play two nights at Beacon Theatre) evoking the spirit of Hendrix with "Foxy Lady" and Perry Farrell aggressively launching into the audience during "Sympathy for the Devil." Others did their own songs, like MC5's outspoken guitarist Wayne Kramer urging the crowd on during "Kick Out the Jams" with help from Handsome Dick Manitoba, or Alice Cooper being diabolically stylish while performing "I'm 18" and "School's Out."

By the time Farrell ended the night with Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song," the Varvatos store crowd had finally reached the feverish level of turbulence one would expect for such a night. In fact the performers throughout the night consistently displayed more energy than the predominantly younger audience. For an event full of aging rockers, it really just felt like a riotous gathering of all the young dudes.

The crowd was full of familiar faces as well. Chris Brown, Jimmy Kimmel, Rachael Ray, and Matt Pinfield were among those getting their picture taken on the red carpet and mingling with the fashioned-out crowd. Iggy Pop (who played Don Hill's the night before) and Robert Plant (who played Bowery Ballroom the next day) were nowhere in sight though. More pictures and some videos from the whole night below...

Continue reading "ZZ Top, Perry Farrell, Alice Cooper & many more played John Varvatos' 10th Anniversary @ the Bowery store (pics & video) "

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club played the Fashion Week party at Don Hill's on Thursday. Iggy Pop and The Stooges played there Friday, and according to the above Tweet by Eli Mizrahi, Courtney Love is playing there tonight.

Eli's Tweet also reminds us that tonight is the John Varvatos's 10th Anniversary party in the store previously known as CBGB. There will be a concert from: 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. Supposedly confirmed performers include Alejandro Escovedo, Alice Cooper, Wayne Kramer, Ian Hunter, ZZ Top, Black Country Communion, Camp Freddy, Cherie Currie, Darling Stillettos, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Jesse Malin & The St. Marks Social, and Perry Farrell . Rumored performers include Iggy Pop and (thanks John) Robert Plant (who plays Bowery Ballroom Sunday).

Who else is playing fashion week parties tonight?

DOWNLOAD: Vampire Weekend - Horchata (MP3)

Noisecreep: Who are some of the young musicians you admire?

Alice Cooper: There are some very inventive people. Jack White is incredible, because he goes against all the rules. He makes records that really are kind of sloppy and yet his voice and his guitar make it work. Everything that guy does is catchy. I am very encouraged that a lot of bands sound like they're going back to the garage and they're not depending on high-tech crap to be their music. But two guitars, bass, drums, and a lead singer, to me that's rock 'n' roll.

I do get a little annoyed that it seems like a lot of bands that come out now that I read, "The greatest band that I've ever heard." And I see them and I go, "There's absolutely no testosterone in this band." I heard the title Vampire Weekend and I thought, "Oh, man, that's gonna be great. I gotta see it." And there are these guys with little Gap T-shirts on and they're singing about I don't know what, it was so light I couldn't listen to it. And I'm going, "What happened to the balls in rock 'n' roll? Why are American bands so wimpy?"

I'm getting a lot of bands that are kind of going, "Oh, the summer in the rain and aren't lightning bugs wonderful?" And I'm going, "What kind of drug are you on?" I think if you asked Ozzy, Iggy and all the other people that come from our generation, we're kind of hoping the young guys step it up a little bit when it comes to being guys.

Alice Cooper will probably not be checking out the new Vampire Weekend record, Contra, which comes out January 12th, 2010 on XL. It's the follow up to their 2008 debut that recently ranked #51 on Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 2000s.

After a myserious countdown on VW's site, the new album's first track, "Horchata," was posted as a free download today. In turn it is/was/will be posted to every blog on the Internet including this one. You can find it above to download at your convenience. After listening to it, I'd say I think they are on their way to continued success. Album art above. Album tracklist below...

Continue reading "Vampire Weekend post new MP3 from new album Contra"

by Black Bubblegum, photos by Ryan Muir

'And for like ten minutes she would just do these fucking amazing animal yelps and screams and growling and all this shit.'

Its a beautiful warm Sunday morning at Kutscher's and Wayne Coyne is waiting for me in a golf cart near the main stage. Clad in his trademark light colored suit, I shake his hand and exchange pleasantries. Then he notices that I'm with photographer Ryan Muir.

"You want to take some pictures? Lets head to the pool."

One problem. The pool is separated by a chain-link fence and there is no way around.

"Let's just jump it" Wayne says, but he's already on the other side.

Wayne is a gracious, charismatic ringmaster/shaman who is up for anything, as long as it leaves a lasting impression, much like the lovable oddballs The Flaming Lips that he fronts.

Starting over 25 years ago as an acid-drenched punk band with a Butthole Surfers obsession, The Flaming Lips have aged gracefully into their current role as quirky pop elder statesmen by keeping their punk rock spirit and freak-out tendencies. 1999's The Soft Bulletin began the band's current trajectory towards poignant and epic melodies, which continues with the release of their new LP Embryonic. It impacts record stores on October 13th, and you can listen to it now courtesy of the Colbert Report.

As you probably heard, The Flaming Lips were invited to headline All Tomorrow's Parties New York (ATP NY) as well as curate the final day of shows at the festival this year. We sat with the Oklahoma native on that sunday (9/13), while a team of men in orange jumpsuits (read: The Lips crew) carted around giant lighting sets, trashcans filled with stuffed animals, and yeti costumes....

Continue reading "an interview w/ Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips "

Aug 27, 06:00 PM Comedy Central Presents in New York City: Anthony Jeselnik, Doug Benson
Aug 29, 06:00 PM Comedy Central Presents in New York City: John Mulaney, Kristen Schaal
Sep 06, 05:00 PM Family Feud
Sep 09, 03:30 PM Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Amanda Congdon. The Ting Tings
Sep 10, 03:30 PM Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Alice Cooper

That's a sample of the things you can get free tickets for.

DOWNLOAD: Alice Cooper - You Make Me Wanna (MP3)

Ozzy Osbourne issued a press release late Thursday that blasted police in Fargo, North Dakota, for staging a sting operation in his name before his concert Monday night at the Fargodome.....

....Osbourne, who denied prior knowledge of the sting, said he took personal offense to Laney's scheme.

"Instead of holding a press conference to pat himself on the back, Sheriff Laney should be apologizing to me for using my name in connection with these arrests," Osbourne said in his statement. "It's insulting to me and to my audience and it shows how lazy this particular sheriff is when it comes to doing his job.

"Sheriff Laney went out of his way to tarnish my reputation by implying that I somehow attract a criminal element, which is certainly not true," Ozzy continued. "My audiences are good, hard-working people who have been hugely supportive of my music for nearly four decades. They have also been very supportive of my wife Sharon's colon cancer charity by raising over a million dollars (partly through VIP ticket sales) at my shows. It's obvious to me that this sheriff has an agenda and is just trying to make a name for himself on my back." [MTV]

And speaking of, or about, Ozzy....

Alice Cooper has claimed that Ozzy Osbourne's reality TV show The Osbournes ruined his career because it left his fans disappointed. The rock legend insisted that by allowing the world into his house the Black Sabbath singer ruined the mystery surrounding him and made him a laughing stock. Cooper said: "Most fans thought he lived in a big, dark castle with skeletons in the cellar. When that show aired they knew he was just some guy who potters around his Beverly Hills mansion. It was meant to be some kind of comedy but the audience was laughing at Ozzy, not with him. And as a close friend, that made me very sad." [digital spy] (via)

"Ozzy", "Alice" and friends at Vegoose 2007 (CRED)

More about the sting, here. More photos from Vegoose, here.