WKHY Rock Report |
Headlines for Thursday, February 2, 2012
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: When One Horn Just Won't Do
Though Bruce Springsteen has yet to announce how he'll fill the void left by the late E Street Band saxophone player Clarence Clemons when he starts touring next month, his friend Southside Johnny has let the cat out of the bag. Southside says, "He's stealing my saxophone players to replace Clarence... We steal from each other's bands occasionally."
There have been reports that Springsteen has been rehearsing a horn section in Asbury Park, New Jersey, but there's no word on who exactly will make it up. He's toured with a horn section just twice -- on the Tunnel of Love Express tour in 1988 and the Seeger Sessions Band tour in 2006.
Springsteen has scheduled a March 9th warm-up show at Harlem, New York's legendary Apollo Theatre, with the official tour opener set for March 18th in Atlanta. His new album, Wrecking Ball, will be out March 6th.
Clemons died last June following a massive stroke. He was 69.
VAN HALEN: Ramp It Up in L.A.
Just less than four weeks after they played an intimate invitation-only club show at New York's Cafe Wha, Van Halen took to the stage at Henson Studios in their hometown of Los Angeles last night. And while the idea was similar, everything about it was just a bit bigger.
The stage was more like the one they'll use on their upcoming arena tour, with runways extending from the stage that ran along opposite walls of the rectangular room.
As the band went into their opener, "You Really Got Me," David Lee Roth said, "We've been dusting off the set for the last few months and tonight we're gonna dust off the barbecue." There was no barbecue, but the set-list added the first performances of "Tattoo" and "The Trouble With Never" from A Different Kind of Truth, which hits stores Tuesday. They also pulled out a new chestnut, "Unchained," in place of "Somebody Get Me a Doctor."
And though they also closed the show with "Jump," it was on a grander scale, with the band being joined by a troupe of Brazilian Carnival drummers and female dancers, who lined both runways, while confetti streamed from the rafters.
VAN HALEN: 7 Out of 13
Van Halen have now posted a sneak peek of a seventh song off their new album, A Different Kind of Truth. Sounding a little like "Hot for Teacher," this one is called "As Is," which is also the seventh song on the disc. A Different Kind of Truth will be out Tuesday.
MOTLEY CRUE: Gnome Sweet Gnome or Shout at the Dwarf
Motley Crue start their Las Vegas residency tomorrow, and among their plans for the shows are a mini acoustic set -- and midgets. Singer Vince Neil tells the Las Vegas Sun, "We'll have a Little Crue in there," which is -- no joke -- a Motley tribute act of little people.
Neil adds that the Crue hope to get some special guests to stop by, too. "Some people have actually called us and asked about being in the show, and we're going to have a spot in the show where someone can come up and jam with us. Not every night, but there will definitely be a spot for that."
BLACK SABBATH: Permanent Hometown Honor?
Black Sabbath's hometown of Birmingham, England may soon establish a day in the band's honor. A report by Destination Birmingham is urging the town council to acknowledge their reunion and participation in the nearby Download Festival, saying it's "an opportunity we should not miss." Councilman Philip Parkin says celebrating the reunion would not only celebrate Birmingham's musical heritage but also inspire emerging bands.
The original Sabbath members are in Birmingham recording their first studio album in 33 years as guitarist Tony Iommi undergoes cancer treatment there. Iommi is the only member of the band who still lives in Birmingham.
BLACK KEYS: "Ceiling" Debuts on Monday
