MUSIC NEWS: MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2016
AC/DC - AXL ROSE - TOUR
Axl Rose will step in for Brian Johnson on vocals to help AC/DC finish out their tour. Johnson's doctors ordered him to stop touring immediately or risk total hearing loss. AC/DC say they respect Johnson's decision and they are dedicated to honouring their concert commitments. Guns N' Roses will play Mexico City this week and Coachella this weekend. Rose will handle vocals for AC/DC's European tour beginning with Lisbon, Portugal, on May 7th and running through Aarhus, Denmark, on June 12th. The G-N-R tour begins June 23rd in Detroit.
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ZAC BROWN - DRUG BUST
Zac Brown says he was ``in the wrong place at the wrong time'' when four people were arrested for drug possession in a hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 8th. Brown was not arrested or charged. Brown says in a statement he had been at a private gathering at the hotel for a short time when police arrived.
He says he did not know the people arrested and they had just showed up a few minutes before police did. He says he regrets putting himself in that position and will remember what his dad taught him:
``Nothing good ever happens when you stay out late.''
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PAUL STANLEY - ACE FREHLEY - HOSPITALIZED
Kiss singer-guitarist Paul Stanley and former guitarist Ace Frehley each are dealing with hospital stays. Stanley writes on his Facebook page he tore his bicep tendon and had surgery to reattach it with a screw and stitches. He says he will be ``ready to rock'' before the Kiss tour begins. Kiss was supposed to headline the Race to Erase M-S fundraiser in Beverly Hills, California, on Friday but had to play as a three-piece.
Frehley's website reports he was admitted to a hospital for exhaustion and dehydration after Friday's show in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Frehley had called off a show in New Hope, Pennsylvania, a week ago, saying a band member was sick.
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ZZ TOP - BASSIST - DISLOCATED SHOULDER
ZZ Top were forced to call off their weekend concerts because bassist Dusty Hill dislocated his shoulder. They don't say what happened, only that Hill was injured while they were at Lone Star Events Center Amphitheatre in Lubbock, Texas, on Thursday. ZZ Top's next show is scheduled for Friday in Biloxi, Mississippi.
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NORTH CAROLINA - LGBT - ANI DIFRANCO - DURAN DURAN
Ani DiFranco and Duran Duran are joining the list of musicians speaking out over North Carolina's new law that limits anti-discrimination protections for the L-G-B-T community. DiFranco says she was supposed to be part of the Festival for the Eno in Durham on July 4th but called it off because she can't support the state in good conscience. Duran Duran frontman Simon LeBon read a statement at Saturday's show in Charlotte supporting the L-G-B-T community. He also urged fans to sign a petition against the law that will be presented to the state general assembly. Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr canceled shows in North Carolina. Cyndi Lauper is turning her show into a benefit to overturn the law. Against Me! will play in North Carolina and donate the proceeds to an L-G-B-T youth center.
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DAVID GILMOUR - POMPEII
David Gilmour finds a certain pleasure in knowing he'll be playing a concert in an arena where the last time there was an audience, gladiators were going up against lions.
Gilmour will play the ancient amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy, on July 7th and 8th. He's played that arena before. Pink Floyd shot their ``Live at Pompeii'' concert film there in 1971, but there was no audience. Gilmour says no concerts have been played there since Pink Floyd did it. He says with the July shows, he wants the setting to cement the moment in the audience's memory.
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JOSS STONE - SICK DOG
Joss Stone has chosen to be with her dog over playing shows in the Caribbean. Stone writes on her Facebook page she called off a show in the Barbados over the weekend and tomorrow's show in Trinidad because her dog, Missy, was rushed to the vet with internal bleeding. Stone says she was told her dog had only a few hours to live, but doctors have saved her. Stone says it may sound ridiculous, but Missy is the closest thing she has to a child.
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MUSICIANS - OBAMA - CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Common and Busta Rhymes were among the musicians hoping to convince President Barack Obama to help young minorities stay on the right path. Janelle Monae, Ludacris, Chance The Rapper, J. Cole, Wale (wah-LAY') and D-J Khaled were also part of the meeting to discuss the Obama administrations' initiative called My Brother's Keeper. The initiative supports programs to keep young minorities out of the criminal justice system and improve their access to higher education.
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DAVID BYRNE - FILM - COLOUR GUARDS
Eight years ago, a colour guard asked David Byrne for permission to use his songs in a routine. That sparked Byrne's interest in colour guards that led to the new film ``Contemporary Color.'' It's about ten high school and college colour guard teams who were paired with musicians like St. Vincent, Ad-Rock, Canadian songstress Nelly Furtado and others to stage concerts featuring original music. Byrne says he pitched his idea several times and either was turned down or answered with, ``What?'' The film was directed by Turner and Bill Ross and ran at the Tribeca Film Festival. Byrne says it's one of the more unusual projects he's done, but he says he's got another one that has to do with neuroscience that has led him to ``some pretty strange places.''
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THE LUMINEERS - ALBUM CHART
The Lumineers' second album is their first number-one. ``Cleopatra'' makes its debut at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart, moving 125-thousand units. Their self-titled debut peaked at number 2 in 2013. Deftones are number two this week with their new album, ``Gore.'' Chris Stapleton's ``Traveller'' is third, and last week's number one, Kanye West's ``The Life of Pablo,'' drops to fourth.
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``ADELE LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY'' - MAY
N-B-C will rerun Adele's concert special with five songs not included in the original broadcast. ``Adele Live in New York City'' will air May 6th. The special first aired in December. The May broadcast will include the songs ``Water Under the Bridge,'' ``One and Only,'' ``Hometown Glory,'' ``Chasing Pavements'' and ``Daydreamer.''
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JOHN LEGEND - BABY
John Legend's baby has arrived. His wife, model Chrissy Teigen, gave birth to a girl on Thursday. Legend tweets they've named her Luna Simone Stephens and they ``couldn't be happier.''
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(The Associated Press)
