Today's Day in Rock News !

Today's Day in Rock


Motley Crue Member Attacked By Fan On Stage
(Classic Rock) Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars was assaulted on stage after an audience member invaded the band's performance area in Canada on Saturday.
The chronically ill musician, who suffers from a disease that makes it difficult for him to move, was knocked down by a person who also grabbed singer VInce Neil and struggled with security men.

Mars, who was celebrating his 62nd birthday, later reported his personal guard Rhyno had suffered two broken ribs. Crue were performing their track Primal Scream when an audience member managed to evade stewards and climbed onto the stage. He ran straight into Mars, sending him to the ground, before making contact with Neil.

The show was stopped as techs restrained the attacker, with bassist Nikki Sixx looking on in concern – and apparently kicking the downed attacker – as two roadies picked Mars off the floor and helped him walk off. Neil told the crowd: "We might be back," before disappearing. After a delay they returned and finished the show. More including video of the attack.



Aerosmith Show Canceled Over Bomb Plot?
Aerosmith have canceled next Saturday's concerts in the Indonesian capital of in Jakarta "due to safety reasons" following an alleged bomb plot, according to Billboard.

The band were scheduled to perform at the JIExpo on May 11th as part of their Global Warming World Tour, but the promoter announced that they have canceled the nearly sold-out show.

The promoter's website ran announcement from Aerosmith's reps that read, "Unfortunately, we have to cancel our upcoming show in Jakarta. We want to apologize to all our fans who were expecting to see us and hope that one day we can make it up to them."

While the band's announcement didn't mention the safety concern in their statement, Billboard reports that that the security concerns may have come from an alleged bomb plot that was targeting the Myanmar Embassy.

Helmi Sugara, a spokesman for the event's organizer, said that the band canceled the show on Saturday. That followed Friday's announcement by Indonesia that they had arrested two suspected militants with bombs.

They report that it was not clear if the show cancelation was directly related to the terror plot or if it was a reaction to some other threat. You can read their report here.



New Guns 'N Roses Album 'Mostly Completed'
Guns 'N Roses fans may not have to wait over a decade for a new album from the band, following the release of their long delayed "Chinese Democracy" in 2008.

The band's guitarist Richard Fortus reportedly told Australian website Noise11.com that many of the songs for a new album have been completed.

While the site does not offer any direct quotes from Fortus, they say they spoke to him and he said that the band has spent a lot of time in the studio working on the album.

He also reportedly said that the album won't be released this year but might see the light of day in 2014, even though the album has already been mostly completed. Read the report here.





Robert Plant Restrains Alleged Stalker
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has taken out a restraining order against a fan that he alleges has been stalking him for the past three years.

The alleged stalker, named as Alysson Billings, who has never met Plant, reportedly believes that she is in a relationship with the Led Zeppelin legend, according to The Sun.

Billings had reportedly turned up at his concerts worldwide and left him hotel keys as well as sending him flowers and packages but things apparently grew worse once Plant became involved with folk singer Patty Griffin.

Billings allegedly sent Plant a slew of threatening messages, according to gossip site TMZ. One message said, "Your betrayal with another woman still stabs my mind."

Another said: "This woman is literally evil for you and your life ... you are about to fall for that dirty old crotch. And I'm not joking, I cannot, will not, shall not live this way anymore." But the third took it to a new level.





Rolling Stones Joined By Keith Urban And Gwen Stefani At Tour Kick Off
(Radio.com) The Rolling Stones rocked Los Angeles' Staples Center on Friday (May 3) with superstar guests and enduring hits at the opening U.S. date of the band's 50th anniversary tour, 50 and Counting.

As the opening guitar strains of "Wild Horses" played, No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani strolled onstage. While some older concert goers relied on their younger counterparts to identify the singer with the long blond tresses and classic Stones tour t-shirt, Stefani and Jagger connected for the classic tune from the Stones' 1971 album, Sticky Fingers.

The show didn't lag for a moment, as country star Keith Urban appeared onstage to add blistering guitar licks to "Respectable" from the Stones' 1978 full-length Some Girls while drummer Charlie Watts' rock-solid beat set the pace.

The cavalcade of special guests continued. Former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor joined the band for an extended version of "Midnight Rambler," with Taylor slipped into an easy groove as Richards and lead guitarist Ron Wood exchanged fiery solos and big smiles between them. more on this story





Megadeth Announce Gigantour Details and Black Sabbath Tour Dates
Megadeth have revealed the full lineup and tour dates for this year's Gigantour and also announced that they will be joining Black Sabbath on a separate tour.

Megadeth will headline the Gigantour and frontman Dave Mustaine has selected Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society, former Metallica bass player Jason Newsted's new solo band Newsted, Hellyeah, Disturbed frontman David Draiman's new band Device, and Death Division which features Hellyeah / Nothingface's Jerry Montano and Morbid Angel / Divine Heresy's Tim Yeung.

The trek is set to kick off on July 3rd at Meadowbrook in Gilford, NH and will conclude over a month later on August 11th at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto.

"This year's power-packed lineup is probably the best Gigantour yet, and we've had some pretty massive Gigantours over the years," Mustaine said in the announcement. "Gigantour 2013 brings four of my favorite bands, each centered around a superstar. With Zakk, David, Vinnie, and Jason there are going to be fans from Ozzy to Disturbed to Pantera to Metallica and everything that's metal in-between! Don't miss the metal festival of the summer!"

Megadeth will follow the trek by joining Black Sabbath's South American tour this fall where they will be performing with the metal legends at four concerts. more on this story




Aerosmith, Boston, James Taylor To Play Boston Bombing Benefit Show
Aerosmith, Boston and James Taylor lead a lineup of prominent Boston musicians and other acts that are teaming up for a benefit concert for the victims of the Boston Marathon terrorist bombings.

The benefit concert, "Boston Strong: An Evening Of Support And Celebration," is set to take place on May 30th at the TD Garden in Boston.

The lineup will also feature Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Dane Cook, Extreme, Godsmack, The J. Geils Band, Carole King, New Kids on the

James Taylor says that the event "is destined to be a true Boston landmark. From the promoters to the sound & lights, to the performers and the Garden staff; everyone involved has responded from the heart in a spontaneous and simultaneous desire to be there and to do what we can for the city we love. I am honored to be a part of it, and...I can't wait".





HIM Cancel Tour For Medical Reasons
The Finish hard rock band HIM were forced to cancel their North American tour after frontman Ville Valo was diagnosed with severe asthma with presumptive pneumonia.

The band officially announced the cancelation over the weekend for the tour which was set to kick off on Friday (May 3rd) in Los Angeles.

The band announced that tickets will be refunded and that they will be touring North America this summer when they take part in the Rock Allegiance tour with Volbeat, All That Remains and Airbourne. more on this story




Black Sabbath Doubted That Bill Ward Could Keep Up
(Classic Rock) Ozzy Osbourne says he, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler doubted that Bill Ward could play his full part in the Black Sabbath reunion. And the singer has suggested that there was more to the drummer's lack of involvement than a straightforward contract argument, observing that the drummer "can't be surprised that he didn't get the gig."

Osbourne tells Mojo, via Blabbermouth: "There was also another side to it. When Bill came along, we all had to ask, 'Can he do an hour-and-a-half, two-hour gig? Can he cope?'

"My suggestion was that we run through a set and see how he got on. He was so out of condition – and the drummer is the most demanding job in the whole band.

"Bill couldn't remember what the f**k we were doing. You know them yellow stick-on memo notes? He had them all over his f**king drums. I was like, 'What the f**k's that for, Bill?' He said, 'I can't remember what I'm doing.' He has more to say.




Metallica Receive Lifetime Achievement Award
(hennemusic) Metallica were honored with the Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award at the 5th annual Revolver Golden God Awards in Los Angeles last Thursday.

The band received the honor from Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford, who would later join them for the group's live performance.

Metallica ripped through a 4-song set that included "Disposable Heroes," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Seek And Destroy" and Judas Priest's "Rapid Fire," with Halford on guest vocals. Watch video here.




Deftones Pay Tribute To Kris Kross's Chris Kelly
(Radio.com) During a show Wednesday (May 1) at the Pageant in St. Louis, Deftones paid tribute to 1990s teen rap duo Kris Kross by not only turning their pants backwards but by swapping the chorus of their hard rock hit "Engine No. 9" for "Jump."

"Chris from Kris Kross passed, who we represent full tonight… for the next three tracks," announced frontman Chino Moreno from the stage calling attention to his pants worn backward.

After uproarious audience applause he preached, "The Daddy Mac will make ya…" and let the audience fill in "jump jump."

Moreno called attention to drummer Abe Cunningham, who adorned pants both inside out and backwards. Check out video of the tribute here.




Slash, Duff McKagan and Dave Mustaine Tribute Jeff Hanneman
(Gibson) Tributes have been pouring in for Jeff Hanneman. One of the founding members of the pioneering thrash metal band Slayer, Hanneman died May 2 in California of liver failure. He was only 49.

Slayer's statement was simple. "Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11am this morning near his Southern California home. He was 49. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed."

Responding on Twitter, Slash wrote: "Tragic & shocking news about Jeff Hanneman. He is going to missed by so many. What a sad day for metal. RIP man."

Fellow former Guns N' Roses bandmate Duff McKagan wrote: "Jeff Hanneman of @Slayer RIP. Wow. I'm so very sorry for your loss Hanneman family."

Megadeth guitarist Dave Mustaine stated: "Tonight one less star will be shining and sadly, the stage got just a little bit darker. Jeff Hanneman 1964-2013."

Hanneman had been on hiatus from Slayer since early 2011, when he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease that doctors believed might have been caused by a spider bite. Hanneman almost lost his arm, and was briefly placed in a medically-induced coma. But after a series of skin grafts, he had been working on his physical rehabilitation, including playing guitar. more on this story






Metallica Rock SF Giants Game
(hennemusic) Metallica were the featured guests at the first Metallica Night at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Friday where they kicked off the San Francisco Giants' home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Metallica performing the National Anthem (you can watch the performance here) and drummer Lars Ulrich threw out the ceremonial first pitch (you can watch it here.)

As part of the festivities, fans were able to bid on one, or both, of the custom made Giants guitars played during the anthem by Metallica members James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. more on this story




Vampire Weekend Release 'Ya Hey' Lyric Video
(Radio.com) Vampire Weekend continues to heighten the anticipation for Modern Vampires of the City by releasing a new song, "Ya Hey," in the form of a lyric video. The track will be featured on the band's upcoming third album, set for a May 14th release.

The moody, mid-tempo track strikes quite a contrast to previously-released single "Diane Young," and is closer in tone to that tune's accompanying B-side, "Step."

Where the lyric video for "Diane Young" unexpectedly courted controversy by featuring rare Saab automobiles on fire, the "Ya Hey" clip boasts images of people (including the band members) popping champagne bottle on a New York City rooftop.

The song features the band's customarily oblique lyrics, with the spoken-word last verse alluding to a music festival DJ set, referring to both reggae artist Desmond Dekker and the Rolling Stones: "Outside the tents, on the festival grounds/As the air began to cool, and the sun went down/My soul swooned, as I faintly heard the sound/Of you spinning 'Israelites'/Into '19th Nervous Breakdown.'" Check out the lyric video here.




Judas Priest Stars To Attend Epitaph Theatrical Screening
(hennemusic) Judas Priest singer Rob Halford and guitarist Richie Faulkner will be on hand for the New York premiere screening of their new live DVD, "Epitaph."

The May 14 event at New York's Clearview Chelsea will be hosted by That Metal Show's Eddie Trunk. Due May 28, "Epitaph" captures the final show of the band's last ever world tour, filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo London on May 26, 2012.

Worldwide screenings begin May 16 in theaters across the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Bulgaria, Estonia, Romania, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Central America with many more to follow.

Fans can check out details for their city in the widget here.




Whitesnake Releasing Another New Live Album
(hennemusic) Whitesnake will release their second live album this year. The new album, entitled "Made In Britain/The World Record," will be released on June 19.

The 2CD set includes "Made In Britain," featuring the best takes of the band's concerts in Britain in June 2011, and "The World Record," which contains rare tracks from Whitesnake's shows in Europe and America on the "Forevermore" tour.

Last month, Whitesnake issued the live package, "Made In Japan." The Deluxe 2CD/DVD Edition, Blu-ray and DVD captures the band in concert at the Loud Park festival on October 15th, 2011 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan during their Forevermore World Tour. more on this story




Gary Holt Pays Tribute To Slayer's Jeff Hanneman
(Classic Rock) Gary Holt has paid tribute to friend and colleague Jeff Hanneman, after standing in for the Slayer guitarist until his death on Thursday.

The Exodus axeman was called up in 2011 after Hanneman was bitten by a spider, leading to an attack of necrotising fasciitis that caused the loss of most of the flesh of his arm, and brought him close to death.

Now Holt has released a statement, saying he's "devastated" and that the news "hit me like a ton of bricks." He comments: "Jeff, it's been an honour, my brother, to try my best to honour your songs best I could.

"There is only one Jeff Hanneman. All I ever could hope to do was play those songs you wrote with the conviction with which you played and wrote them. There is only one of you; that mould was broken long ago." more.





3 'Iron Man' Covers For 'Iron Man 3′
(Radio.com) Iron Man 3 is now in theaters. The main cast members are back — Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan — while Don Cheadle returns as Col. James Rhodes for a second film.

In honor of the occasion, we thought we'd point out three covers of Black Sabbath's classic "Iron Man." Sabbath's original was used in the credits of the first film (the second film's soundtrack was dominated by AC/DC), and Tony Stark was actually wearing a Black Sabbath t-shirt in a crucial scene in The Avengers. Of course, you can't beat the original, from the band's classic second album, 1970′s Paranoid. But here are three others that aren't so bad.

Metallica: This band has a long history with Sabbath. They opened for singer Ozzy Osbourne in 1986, and are notably huge fans of the legendary metal group. Bassist Robert Trujillo played in Ozzy's backing band before joining Metallica (replacing Jason Newstead, who initially replaced Trujillo in Ozzy's band). So, when Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006 and declined to perform, it was no surprise that Metallica were called on to pay tribute. Below, watch Metallica's two-song set (they perform "Hole In The Sky" followed by "Iron Man," which starts at about 3:40).

The Cardigans: Metallica covering Sabbath is less of a shocker than say, Swedish twee group the Cardigans taking on the song. Sure, you wouldn't expect the band to cover "Iron Man," but they made the classic their own. Slowing things down, singer Nina Persson gets us into the groove right from the start, cooing, "I am Iron Man." It's the most adorable Ozzy impression you'll ever hear.

Find out what No. 3 was and listen to all three here.




Eddie Van Halen & LL Cool J Appear on CNN
(hennemusic) Eddie Van Halen and LL Cool J were among the guests on Friday's edition of CNN's Piers Morgan Live and video from the appearance has gone online.

The pair were on hand to discuss their collaboration on the rapper's new album, "Authentic," which hit stores this past week. The guitar icon appears on two tracks: "We're the Greatest" and "Not Leaving You Tonight."

Eddie has made guest appearances on projects throughout his career, including records by Michael Jackson, Roger Waters, Steve Lukather, Dweezil Zappa, Thomas Dolby and Nicolette Larson. Watch the CNN appearance.




Kadavar's New Video and Behind The Scenes Clip Go Online
(Classic Rock) Classic Rock is proud to premiere the latest video from Kadavar. You can view the new video and an exclusive making-of clip online.

The track Come Back Life is taken from the German psychedelic rock band's second album Abra Kadavar, released via Nuclear Blast last month.

Drummer Tiger recently said: ""We sat down for two weeks straight to finish composing with total commitment. The songs are more diversified, the ideas feel more spontaneous. We've tried to capture much more of our live energy, which is why we've recorded almost everything all together in one room, with the amps turned up to the max." Watch the vides here.




Beware Of Darkness Go Behind The Scenes
(Classic Rock) Los Angeles-based Beware Of Darkness are preparing to release their debut full-length album Orthodox and they introduce themselves in a behind-the-scenes UK tour clip.

This new power trio is made up of songwriter and guitarist Kyle Nicolaides, drummer Tony Cupito and bass general Daniel Curcio.

The band are set to release new single Howl on May 6 with its music video offering up a suitably visceral visual accompaniment. The Orthodox album will be out on May 27.

Beware Of Darkness have been staking a claim to UK soil over the past few weeks with a series of live dates including support slots with the likes of Skunk Anansie and their very own headline performances. They're set to continue on their UK journey with a stint supporting Smashing Pumpkins in July, among various European festival appearances.