Man, I just watched the YouTube 1 hour 1988 Guns N' Roses show MTV filmed at the Ritz (now called Webster Hall) here in NYC. (I woulda been there, except I was living in LA at the time, damn!) Anyhow, the new GNR will be doing a string of club shows at three different NYC clubs during Fashion Week. Feb 10 @ Roseland, Feb 12 @ Terminal 5 and Feb 15 @ the Ritz (I will always call that club the Ritz.. Ya know when names of places you used to frequent are changed, like they tried to rename Irving Plaza to the Fillmore. Now out of respect for the man who started the Fillmores (West and East), the legendary concert promoter Bill Graham, I could NEVER call it the Fillmore! And apparently no one else could either; they changed it back to Irving Plaza!…You know it's an election season when rock stars start to come out in support of their candidates. First up, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell will perform at a Feb 16th benefit show in San Francisco to help raise funds for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, according to the Mercury News. The performance will include a reception at a yet-to-be-disclosed location. Tickets will run $100 for general seating, $1,000 for preferred seating, and $7,500 for a package that includes preferred seating and an individual photo with the President. More people can be added to the photo for $2,500 per head. (Do they take MasterCard?)…..Meanwhile, have you been in an airport security line where they show video to inform people on the TSA rules? Well Seattle's airport has done it one better! Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell and Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard are two of the musicians who have taped public service announcements for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The PSAs notify arriving travelers about the airport's policies, with Cantrell, for instance, announcing its no-smoking rules. (Which is hilarious since last I knew, he was a change smoker!) Music and videos from famous local acts like Nirvana and Heart will also play throughout the airport terminals. Seattle mayor Mike McGinn said in a statement, “Seattle is known around the world for its music culture, so it's great to see this identity embraced and showcased to all the travelers going through the airport.”….Ya know, Michael Anthony is a class guy. The former Van Halen bassist (and current Chickenfoot member) told the U.K.'s Planet Rock he has no plans to go after the band for songwriting royalties from its upcoming album, A Different Kind Of Truth. With at least seven of the songs on the new disc consisting of reworked material from the Seventies — when Anthony was in the band and used to receive equal songwriting credits with the other three members — a case could be made that Van Halen owes him money from the use of this vintage material. But Anthony said, “I don't want to do anything. I just let it be. And, hey, it'll be nice to hear some of those old songs again that I haven't played in a long time.” Anthony added that he's especially looking forward to one track — “She's The Woman” — which was written before he joined in 1974. Anthony was replaced in Van Halen by guitarist Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang in 2006….Foo Fighters are offering fans free video for “These Days” on iTunes…..Man, I am getting hooked on “Downton Abbey” on PBS. Anyone else out there into it? I LOVE IT!….Happy 48th to Slayer's Jeff Hanneman.
