OK, so it’s not unusual for Axl Rose to be heard on stage with Billy Joel doing a set staple in the latter’s set list of AC/DC‘s “Highway To Hell.” He’s been there, done that. But Friday night at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Axl got on stage with “The Piano Man” to sing “Big Shot.” Another sign of the apocalypse? Wonderers are wondering…..
Oh, the memorials still coming in for Chester Bennington. First, this heart-wrenching letter to fans from his wife, Talinda.
“One week ago, I lost my soulmate and my children lost their hero — their Daddy. We had a fairytale life and now it has turned into some sick Shakespearean tragedy. How do I move on? How do I pick up my shattered soul? The only answer I know is to raise our babies with every ounce of love I have left.
“I want to let my community and the fans worldwide know that we feel your love. We feel your loss as well.
“My babies are so young to have lost their daddy. And I know that all of you will help keep his memory alive. He was a bright, loving soul with an angel’s voice. And now he is pain-free, singing his songs in all of our hearts.
“May God Bless us all and help us turn to one another when we are in pain. Chester would’ve wanted us to do so.
“Rest in peace, my love.”
Mike Shinoda posted this message on his Instagram page:
One week. Feels like forever. I’m here for a couple updates. I know these links aren’t clickable. Just type them out in your browser; they’re easy to remember. 1.) If you need a (local) place to celebrate Chester, look to tiny.cc/lpmemorial and all the amazing fan sites I’ve previously mentioned. 2.) If you’re having suicidal thoughts, go to chester.linkinpark.com 3.) If you’re going to buy merch in honor of Chester, consider who the purchase benefits. Don’t give money to scumbag bootleggers and opportunists. Linkin Park official merchandise is at store.linkinpark.com 4.) If you want to donate in honor of Chester, do it at musicforrelief.org 5.) Brad, Joe, Rob, Dave, and I love you all very much. Thank you for respecting our privacy during this extremely difficult time. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Then this on Instagram from Mike Shinoda’s wife, Anna.
Memories keep sideswiping me,
jarring me back to last week or last month or 18 years ago.
I grasp at them.
I grab all the details and I beg them to become that permanent part of memory – that place where the wooden fence broke under my leg, leaving me with this scar; that place where I can feel my husbands hand gliding my wedding ring on my finger; that place where you introduced us to Talinda for the first time, backstage in a hallway of cement blocks, you both completely confident in your love; that place where I hear you singing to my kids on the boat on the way to the O2 arena.
You thought with your heart;
Passion guided every step, movement, decision, moment.
A heart that big couldn’t help but to love so fiercely, hurt so fiercely.
You were love and magic and joy.
And these Tweets from Linkin Park bassist Dave Phoenix Farrell:
It goes without saying, this last week has been extremely difficult. The outpouring of love and kindness I’ve received from friends and fans from all over the world has been incredible. I wish I could personally thank every one of you for your love and support…A huge part of Chester’s legacy will be the memories we hold of him in our hearts. He was an enthusiastic, playful father… An honest, and passionate musician, and a loyal friend. I’ve been touched to see memorials that have been held worldwide.
Blabbermouth reporting Metallica performed an abbreviated cover version of Van Halen‘s classic song “Runnin’ With The Devil” Saturday night (Jul 29) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. The one-minute nod to the hometown band saw Metallica’s frontman James Hetfield attempting to replicate those iconic David Lee Roth screams, much to the delight of the packed stadium. “That’s all I can sing,” he proclaimed to the crowd after the impromptu rendition ended. “That’s a little homage to the Pasadena boys,” he continued. “Sorry you had to put up with that.”
Then guitarist Kirk Hammett then launched into the opening riff of “You Really Got Me”, with Hetfield adding, “That wasn’t too bad. That was kind of fun.”
Metallica’s professionally filmed footage of the “Runnin’ With The Devil” cover, along with a fan-filmed clip, can be seen above.
A few years back, Hetfield and bassist Robert Trujillo spoke about the impact Van Halen had on them when they were teenagers in Southern California.
“I remember hearing on some radio station that Van Halen‘s [first] album was coming out,” Hetfield recalled. “[I was like], ‘Whoa! What is that? It’s crunchy.’ That really made my hair stand up. Back when I was growing up, Van Halen was the heaviest we had in California.” Trujillo added: “I remember hearing [‘Eruption’] blasting and thinking, ‘What is that?!’”
Metallica and Van Halen toured the U.S. together in 1988 as part of the “Monsters Of Rock” package, also featuring Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come. Hetfield later said about the trek: “That whole ‘Monsters Of Rock’ tour was a big fog for me. Those were my Jägermeister days. It was bad coming back to some of those towns later, because there were a lot of dads and moms and husbands and boyfriends looking for me. Not good. People were hating me, and I didn’t know why…”
The North American leg of Metallica‘s “WorldWired” trek will hit stadiums in seven more cities before ending in mid-August. The next stop on the tour is Phoenix, AZ on Aug 4.
Early images of Green Day in concert and on the road have surfaced online as part of a clip posted from the new documentary, Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk. The film, which was released on Friday (July 28th) in around 60 cities, chronicles the history of the punk rock scene in the Bay Area and was executive produced by the members of Green Day themselves.
Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk is a full-length documentary covering over 30 years of history of the California Bay Area’s punk scene, with a focus on the emergence of Berkeley’s 924 Gilman Street music collective. The Godfather of Punk himself, Iggy Pop, narrates the film.
Members of Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Metallica and other acts appear throughout the movie, which centers on the famous 924 Gilman club where Green Day and other bands came up in the scene.
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong recently teamed up with Billie Joe’s son Joey Armstrong and Tim’s nephew Rey Armstrong to cut a song called “If There Was Ever A Time” for the documentary under the name The Armstrongs.
Turn It Around director Corbett Redford explained why places like 924 Gilman — which operates as a non-profit collective — are essential to this day, saying, “Safe community spaces like Gilman continuing to exist are going to be more important than ever in the days ahead. Outsiders of all stripes need a place to come together under the dark clouds of an often-oppressive world. This was the case then. This is still the case now.“
Green Day will begin a North American trek tomorrow (Aug 1st) in Auburn, WA in support of its latest album, Revolution Radio. (The Pulse Of Radio)
Griffin Taylor, the 14-year-old son of Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor, joined the band on stage Thursday night (July 27th) at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey to sing their hit single “Song #3.” Taylor had Griffin in 2002 with his first wife, Scarlett. The Stone Sour and Slipknot frontman also has daughters named Angelene and Aravis. (Blabbermouth)
Just got word of a secret Nine Inch Nails show tonight in NYC at Webster Hall. Damn, I wish I wasn’t 200 miles away or I would be there!
Celebrating life today! M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold is 37, John 5 of Rob Zombie’s band is 47.
Gotta dash! Getting my notes together to interview Royal Blood at the Upstate Music Hall tonight. Later, taters!