WKHY Rock Report |
Headlines for Monday, May 21, 2012
MICK JAGGER: It's Only SNL but I Like It
Mick Jagger's first time hosting Saturday Night Live featured memorable music, and The Rolling Stones singer played a wide range of characters in the show's sketches -- and there was one swear word towards the end of the show.
Jagger stuck mostly to Stones hits, doing a straightforward take on "The Last Time" backed by Arcade Fire. The performance was marred by a glitch that made Tim Kingsbury's guitar drop out during the song's solo. Foo Fighters joined Jagger to do a medley of "19th Nervous Breakdown" and "It's Only Rock n' Roll (But I Like It)."
For his final performance 10 minutes before the show's end, Jagger unveiled a new song called "Tea Party" that he said was a blue number about the upcoming election. He was joined by Jeff Beck, and the lyrics made clear why it was near the end of the show, as one of the lines ended with the S-word.
Two sketches with Jagger included Stones songs:
- He portrayed an insurance salesman at a convention watching other people sing "Satisfaction" and "Sympathy for the Devil" in karaoke. The bit ended with him singing a mournfully slow version of "Satisfaction."
- In the final sketch of the show, Jagger announced that a cast member was graduating. Kristen Wiig, who's leaving the show after seven seasons, then joined him in a dance while Arcade Fire and the SNL band did "She's a Rainbow." She then danced with each cast member while Jagger sang along, with the bands segueing into "Ruby Tuesday" as the credits rolled.
During the rest of sketches Jagger played a banker at JP Morgan, a very effeminate actor on a game show and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler on a talent competition called So You Can Think You Can Dance at an Outdoor Music Festival.
See video HERE!
VAN HALEN: Damage Control
David Lee Roth is trying to put an end to the rumors that he and the members of Van Halen hate each other, which has been reported as the reason why they postponed their summer tour.
In a new video shot just before their show Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota, Roth says, "The band is getting along famously, better than we have in quite some time, and I think the shows reveal that through the miracle of YouTube..." As for the postponed dates, Roth says, "As usual, we've bit off way more than we could chew when it came to scheduling. The band is winning but our schedule has been sidelined for unnecessary roughness. If we continue past July 4th and all the way into Australia and Japan, then we're asking for the robot-zombie tour [and] you don't wanna get to that point."
He adds that the tour will continue and last for two years, and will include Australia and Japan and a festival-type show in the U.S. "We have in mind a supersize monster truck rally Van Halen tractor pull sort of event, and we're gonna be bringing that back around for the United States... So stay tuned and we'll see you down the road in just a little bit." The last date is June 26th in New Orleans.
Next up for Van Halen is Kansas City, Missouri tomorrow night.
See video HERE!
BLACK SABBATH: Drummer Picked, Ward Cropped
It was a memorable weekend for Black Sabbath -- mostly for reasons that had nothing to do with music.
On Saturday, bassist Geezer Butler announced that Ozzy Osbourne's drummer, Tommy Clufetos, would be taking over for Bill Ward, who says he wouldn't join the reunion and that he was asked to play Saturday's show in Birmingham for free.
Butler posted a long note on his website that said Sabbath don't expect to make much money on their appearance at next month's Download Festival because it "costs an absolute fortune to stage" and that "it was a one-off Sabbath show for the fans, before we go into recording the new album. Apparently, this wasn't acceptable to Bill's representatives -- they wanted an amount that was so unrealistic that it seemed to have been a joke."
