"Mars Volta killed. Now awaiting the boys of Soundgarden to bring
their thunder to the Borgata." - Matt Volpe

"Was right up near the rail tonight-Soundgarden at the Borgata.Another amazing show not quite as loud as Nwk. Chris was especially charming." - Donna

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Soundgarden played Borgata Spa & Resort Event Center on Thursday (7/14) in Atlantic City, NJ with The Mars Volta. Soundgarden's setlist was pretty similar to their earlier shows at Jones Beach and Prudential Center, save for a few songs.

The Mars Volta's setlist consisted entirely of new songs except for the last song "Goliath," off their 2008 LP The Bedlam in Goliath. The songs are assumingly off of their upcoming full length, which supposedly will be released in 2012. The Soungarden/MV tour continues through the end of July.

More pictures, videos and setlists from the AC show below...

Continue reading "Soundgarden & Mars Volta played Atlantic City (pics, setlist)"

photos by Kurt Christensen

"So me, Riff, and Elyse saw Soundgarden at Jones Beach. It was an awesome show! The whole band can still fucking rip." - veganaction

It was a generational mix of fans as old classic rock loving men mixed with metal heads, Gen X and Gen Y'ers as the 90's came back alive and everyone remembered when grunge was king. Opening with "Searching with my Good Eye Closed," Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, Ben Shepherd reinvoked the power and thunder that fans have loved them for all these years. It was a trip down memory lane as the band are reintroducing themselves with their back catalogue of singles, B-sides and very deep early cuts and in a set list that appealed to the casual listener to the hardcore fan, Soundgarden were not ready to play any of the new material they have been working on and they didn't need to, they stuck to the working wheel of high octane, dark and murky rock and roll. "Jones Beach, sorry for the wait! We got some new songs but you won't hear any tonight, this is an old song" a bearded Chris Cornell told the crowd right before kicking into "Jesus Christ Pose" -[Officially a Yuppie]

Last night, Sunday night (7/10), Coheed & Cambria opened for Soundgarden at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass, but without their bassist who was arrested at the venue for robbing a pharmacy earlier that day!

Soundgarden is currently touring the east coast, and will play upcoming dates in Phildelphia and Atlantic City (with Mars Volta) in the coming days. Full tour schedule (which now includes a headlining appearance at Voodoo in New Orleans), with more pictures (though none of Coheed), videos and setlists below...

Continue reading "Soundgarden played Jones Beach & the Prudential Center (pics, setlists & videos)"

"Just hours before his band was to open for Soundgarden on Sunday, the bass player for Coheed and Cambria, the alternative rock band from Nyack, N.Y., was arrested on charges he robbed a pharmacy in Massachusetts to get prescription painkillers, the Associated Press reported.

The police said the bassist, Mike Todd, entered the Walgreens pharmacy in Attleboro, Mass., on Sunday afternoon and showed the pharmacists a note on his telephone claiming he had a bomb. Mr. Todd, who is 30, was said to have demanded six bottles of OxyContin and then caught a cab to the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Mass., where his band was to play the opening set before Soundgarden took the stage. He was arrested at the concert hall before the show and charged with armed robbery and possession of a controlled substance, the police said. The band played without him." [NY Times]

Update: Pictures from the Jones Beach show (though none of Coheed), HERE.

Tickets go on sale today (6/29) at noon for the BV presented Little Dragon 'Ritual Union' album release show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

We were promised 10 ticketed Williamsburg Waterfront shows this summer, and now we have another one to add to the list. The diverse list of bands coming to the Brooklyn venue now includes, well, Stone Temple Pilots. Tickets for this July 25th show go on sale Thursday (6/30) at noon.

Another reunited "grunge" band that we don't need to reunite, though not one from the west coast, or even from America, Bush plays Bowery Ballroom on July 28. Tickets go on sale Thursday (6/30) at noon.

Speaking of reunited grunge bands, we have tickets you can win to the Soundgarden shows at Prudential Center (7/8) and Jones Beach (7/9). E-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Soundgarden). Include your first and last name and venue choice in the email. Winners will be randomly selected and contacted. Good luck! FYI, don't worry, your name/email will not be used for anything else.

Speaking of Williamsburg Waterfront, reunited bands and contests, we're giving away tickets to Death From Above 1979 at our Facebook.

We're also giving away tickets to see Bon Sollee tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg on our Facebook.

Dr. Dog are playing Williamsburg Waterfront this summer now too.

Frank Turner added a November 3 show at Bowery Ballroom after his 9/21 show sold out. Tickets go on sale Thursday (6/30) at noon. Andrew Jackson Jihad and Into It. Over It open the show.

Tickets are still available for the Frightened Rabbit show at MHOW and the waterfront show with DCFC.

AmEx presale starts today (6/29) at noon for The Rapture's show at MHOW.

We recently mentioned that of Montreal were added to Escape 2 NY. They play the Hamptons Fest on August 7. Kevin Barnes aka DJ List Christee DJs at Brooklyn Bowl on August 6. Tickets for his DJing gig are on sale now.

People are asking if the real Moonface (aka Spencer) is still playing Mercury Lounge in July. He is, and tickets are still on sale.

Tickets are still available for the WU LYF show at Mercury Lounge but are sure to be gone soon so act quick.

Tickets are still available for the John Maus and Puro Instinct show at Mercury Lounge tonight (6/29.

Tickets are still available for Memory Tapes and New Moods at Mercury Lounge on Friday (7/1).

Caveman are playing Mercury Lounge on September 15. Tickets go on sale Friday (7/1) at noon with an AmEx presale starting today (6/29) at noon.

Two Gallants play Mercury Lounge on September 13. Tickets are on sale now.

Pepper Rabbit were not added to the Braids show at Mercury Lounge, but they added their own on August 31 with We Barbarians. Tickets are on sale now.

North Highlands and ARMS play Mercury Lounge on July 27. Tickets are on sale now.

Check out what's happening on the Fourth of July (and in Philly).

by BBG

Over the past few months, we've been busy jamming, writing and hanging out together - exploring the creative aspect of being Soundgarden. It feels great. We have some cool new songs that we are going to record very soon. Thank you for all of the support!

Loudest of Love,

Ben, Chris, Kim and Matt

Coheed & Cambria (who is also scheduled to play a free show at Williamsburg Waterfront) will join Soundgarden at both NYC-area dates, July 8th at Prudential Center in Neark and July 9th at Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, NY. Tickets for Prudential Center and Jones beach go on Fan Presale at 9AM and 7AM PDT (aka noon and 10AM EST) respectively, while regular sale for both Prudential Center and Jones Beach kicks off at 10AM on 5/13. They also play Mohegan Sun in CT on July 6th and the Borgata in Atlantic City on July 14th. All dates are listed below.

The Mars Volta play the Atlantic City date, but neither of the NYC-area shows, so maybe they'll announce their own NYC show soon? Omar and Cedric last played NYC together in March.

In related news, Kim Thayil of Soundgarden recently contributed guitar to the new record by A Storm of Light, As The Valley of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade. Check out that track/a recent interview with Josh Graham.

All tour dates, some with Queens of the Stone Age and Meat Puppets too, are listed below...

Continue reading "Soundgarden announce tour, some shows w/ Mars Volta, others w/ Coheed & Cambria (dates)"

most photos by Josh Darr

Dodos w/ special guest Neko Case / The Antlers

"There were no special effects during Soundgarden's performance on the last night of Lollapalooza -- no lasers, no costume changes, no props or hydraulics. Even the video screens switched over to black and white. But the band didn't need any added visuals: Soundgarden delivered an explosive set of classic '90s songs in front of their biggest audience since their breakup 13 years ago. Chris Cornell underplayed the band's return, suggesting their decade-plus break was more like a few years. "It's good to be back!" said Cornell, who's grown his hair back out to its late-'80s length. "We just took a little break, but now we're back."" [Rolling Stone]

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2010 - Day 3 in pics, Soundgarden setlist, videos"

"The 2010 Lollapalooza line-up is official: Soundgarden, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, and Phoenix will headline, joined by Social Distortion, MGMT, Jimmy Cliff, Hot Chip, and The Black Keys. With 130 bands on this year's bill, its sure to be a weekend long feast for the ears.

It's a monumental year for Lollapalooza, filled with homecomings, reunions, and first-times. Soundgarden, 1992 and 1996 Lollapalooza alumni, return to the Lollapalooza stage for their first performance since 1997. Green Day will rock Grant Park sixteen years after their first Lollapalooza appearance. While Lady Gaga will headline the festival only three short years after playing the BMI stage at Lollapalooza 2007.

Arcade Fire returns to Grant Park, having played the reincarnated Lollapalooza in 2005. This is the first Lollapalooza for The Strokes - and also their first show in four years. And making their Lollapalooza debut: Phoenix." - Lollapalooza

Continue reading "Lollapalooza actually announces 2010 lineup "

Lollapalooza is teasing people with a Wheel of Fortune style lineup-announcement. They've only filled in the O's. As the Daily Swarm points out, Soundgarden, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, and Phoenix fit nicely into the top row. Tickets are on sale.

"Just got off the phone with Julian Casablancas and he confirms that the Strokes will indeed be headlining Lollapalooza this summer as first reported here a few weeks ago.

He says he's pretty stoked about the band's string of festival dates this summer. "We're getting the biggest offers of our career," he says. "It feels great, because I remember people writing things like 'We'll see if they're still around in 10 years' when we first came out."

...Casablancas says the Strokes are wrapping up their fourth studio album, and first since 2006. "I think it'll be out in September," he says. "I've written a lot of melodies for it, but the other guys have also contributed a lot more: melodies, choruses, parts. It's way more collaborative. So it'll have a different feel than our other albums." [Chicago Tribune]

The show in Chicago can be added to the Strokes' upcoming gig at Isle of Wight Fest in England this June.

Julian's upcoming tour dates include a show at Irving Plaza in NYC and a March 30th show at Sayreville, NJ's Starland Ballroom.

Continue reading "Strokes confirmed for Lollapalooza, Lady Gaga still rumored"

by BBG

The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again! www.soundgardenworld.com - [Chris Cornell]

Since the breakup, the rest of Soundgarden has kept busy as well, with Kim Thayil collaborating with Ascend, Jello Biafra, and sunn O))), Ben Shepard collaborating with Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan, and Matt Cameron serving as Pearl Jam's drummer. In March, the three joined Tad Doyle (of Tad) on stage in Seattle at a show for The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello). They performed Soundgarden material. Dig on video from that show, as well as a gang of Soundgarden vids, below...

Continue reading "Soundgarden is back "