Search Results for: Rock am Ring

Sure, his much hyped comeback album Invincible proved anything but-that’s not stopping Michael Jackson from dusting off his moonwalking shoes and gearing up to launch what will be his first North American trek since 1993’s Dangerous tour. Jackson-who has done one-off shows in recent months, including a two-night tribute to himself at Madison Square Garden last fall and a September 11 benefit concert-apparently hopes the tour will goose his flagging album sales, according to the New York Post. The singer has not publicly announced any tour, although the music world has been abuzz for months with the prospect. In January,… Read more »

Hard rock outfits Nickelback, Default, and Injected will lead MTV’s annual Campus Invasion tour, which will also feature rising U.K. modern rock act Starsailor on the inaugural MTV2 stage. The trek bows April 4 in Russellville, Ark., with dates so far booked through April 27 in Binghamton, N.Y. Last year’s outing featured American Hi-Fi, Sum 41, and Saliva. Each tour stop will feature the Campus Invasion Expo, featuring a touring DJ, an interactive music performance area, a new music listening station, and giveaways. MTV.com is also sponsoring a contest with a grand prize of a Jeep Liberty Sport. Nickelback is… Read more »

Australian rock trio Silverchair has set a July 9 North American release date for its Atlantic debut, “Diorama,” which will arrive in Australia in April via new independent label Eleven. “This is our third comeback,” jokes singer Daniel Johns, who was only 16 when Silverchair broke internationally in 1995. “I think we’re going to be like Kiss and just increase the amount of makeup as we go on.” In an unlikely pairing, Silverchair turned to Van Dyke Parks, best known for his collaborations with Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson, to provide arrangements for three tunes. “I showed demos to a… Read more »

Virgin Records was negligent in chartering a small plane in which singer-actress Aaliyah and eight other people died last year, according to wrongful death lawsuits filed Wednesday on behalf of two victims’ families. The survivors of Aaliyah, who was among Wednesday night’s Grammy Award nominees and the star of last weekend’s top-grossing film, “Queen of the Damned,” were not among the plaintiffs. Family members of Los Angeles-based hair stylists Eric Forman, 29, and Anthony Dodd, 34, filed their respective lawsuits in Los Angeles Superior Court against Virgin Records America, affiliated music and video production units, the plane’s owner and the… Read more »

The following is a complete list of winners at the 44th annual Grammy Awards, which took place at the Staples Center on Wednesday. Categories marked with an asterisk were handed out during the main, televised ceremony. * RECORD OF THE YEAR “Walk On” – U2 * ALBUM OF THE YEAR “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” – various artists * SONG OF THE YEAR “Fallin”‘ – Alicia Keys, songwriter (Alicia Keys) * NEW ARTIST Alicia Keys * FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE “I’m Like a Bird” – Nelly Furtado MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” – James Taylor… Read more »

Forget J-Lo’s naval and Eminem’s foul mouth. The 44th annual Grammy Awards Wednesday had weightier issues to contend with as artists and performers sought to soothe the nation with humor and song after a year of turmoil within the music industry and in the United States. From heightened security, to performers’ songs and to host Jon Stewart’s jokes, the devastating attacks on America of Sept. 11 hovered in the background of the music industry’s most glamorous night. When Stewart came onstage at the Staples Center, he walked through a dummy metal detector, which gonged off and sent huge security guards… Read more »

Will U2 find what it’s looking for on Wednesday, when it competes for eight Grammy Awards at the music industry’s biggest bash of the year? Or will the Irish rock quartet be rattled by folk musicians, soulful R&B divas and tireless troubadour Bob Dylan? Nothing is ever certain about the Grammys, whose industry voters frequently stun music fans with oddball choices, including last year’s album of the year prize to semi-retired jazz-rock recluses Steely Dan. In the past few years the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, which organizes the event, has tried to improve the awards’ image by… Read more »

If you missed her tour last fall or her HBO special or her recent big screen debut… well, then you must live in a cave. But even cave dwellers need to get out every now and then, so pop’s reigning queen, Britney Spears, has lined up a spring North American tour that kicks off May 24 in Las Vegas, according to her web site. Spears has so far mapped out two month’s worth of shows. The trek will comprise the second leg of the chart champ’s tour in support of her Britney CD. The outing comes on the heels of… Read more »

After all the chest-beating and back-and-forth over whether he would sing for the Grammys or the rival American Music Awards, pop star Michael Jackson will end up having performed on neither. A spokesman for the Grammy-sponsoring National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences said the “Gloved One” will not be performing on Wednesday night’s live CBS telecast of the music industry’s highest honors. Asked whether Jackson declined an offer to appear or whether he was never invited to begin with, the spokesman, Ron Roecker, said he did not know. Jackson’s manager referred queries to his label, Epic Records, but his… Read more »

Toward the end of Ben Folds’ tour last fall in support of his Epic solo debut, “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” the jumpy piano player decided to take the stage solo for a few dates at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. As the artist tells Billboard.com, what transpired on stage was magical, which made the decision to go on the road for his first ever solo tour that much easier. “All of my old songs and everything I’ve ever written, I’m just playing them at the piano and realizing that they’re giving me the same chill that caused them to be written in… Read more »