It’s Election Day for those of you who are conscious Americans who want something better from the government! Get out and cast a ballot and stop whining!
He’s baaacccckkkk with a BANG! MetalSucks and The Pulse Of Radio report Marilyn Manson returned to the stage on Sunday night (Nov 5th) for the first time since a stage prop fell on him during a Sep 30th show in New York City, breaking his leg in two places. The wheelchair-bound shock rocker‘s Sunday performance at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest in San Bernardino, CA immediately created controversy when Manson pointed a fake assault rifle at the crowd, just hours after a lone 26-year-old man went on a shooting rampage at a church in Sutherland Springs, TX, killing 26 people and wounding at least 20 more.
Manson issued a statement on Monday (Nov 6th) defending his actions, writing, “In an era where mass shootings have become a nearly daily occurrence this was an act of theatre in an attempt to make a statement about how easily accessible semi-automatic weapons are and how seeing them has become normalized.” He continued, “My art has always been a reaction to popular culture and my way to make people think about the horrible things that happen in this world. My performance was not meant to be disrespectful or show any insensitivity. The prop microphone I used on stage was handed to me with the approval of a police officer. My empathy goes out to anyone who has been affected by the irresponsible and reprehensible misuse of REAL guns.”
San Bernardino itself was the site of a terrorist attack in 2015, when a radicalized married couple inspired by foreign terrorist organizations went on a killing spree that left 14 dead.
Manson also introduced his new bassist on Sunday night, with former Mars Volta member Juan Alderete taking over the spot recently vacated by Twiggy Ramirez. The latter, whose real name is Jeordie White, was dismissed by Manson last month after a former girlfriend accused White of raping and abusing her when they were dating. Manson, who’s touring behind his 10th studio album Heaven Upside Down, begins a European tour next week. Trying to get Mr Manson on the hotLine with Lou Brutus before he crosses the pond. Stay tuned!
The boys doing good!
Metallica sent an email yesterday letting us know their performance at this Thursday’s (Nov 9th) Band Together Bay Area benefit concert will be streamed live on Metallica.com, the band’s YouTube channel and the group’s Facebook page. The show will also be available on Twitter in the U.S. via @tippingpoint and a special Band Together account as well.
The group will perform a 75-minute set to close out a night that will also feature appearances from Dave Matthews, G-Eazy, Rancid, Dead & Company and Raphael Saadiq. 100 percent of the ticket price will go to relief efforts following the devastating wildfires that wreaked havoc in Northern California last month.
Fans who wish to make contributions can do so by clicking the “donate” button on the livestream or texting “TOGETHER” to 20222. Metallica said in a statement, “We are so proud to be a part of Band Together Bay Area and we hope you can join us this Thursday in assisting our friends and neighbors who have lost so much. All funds from ticket sales will benefit Tipping Point Community, who have set up an Emergency Relief Fund for low-income, vulnerable communities impacted by the crisis, including vineyard workers, immigrants, displaced young people, and students.”
Metallica will also be making a donation to Tipping Point through its All Within My Hands Foundation. Good on ya, fellas!
Meanwhile, Metallica is streaming rare video footage of the band performing “Master Of Puppets” at the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark on Jul 6th, 1986. The clip is taken from the remastered deluxe box set of Master Of Puppets, available everywhere on November 10th via Blackened Recordings. If you are a hardDriveRadio Radical, then you can sign up to win a copy of the remastered set and a grand prize of the deluxe package now! Get on over to the home page to register if not! And good luck! (Thanks to Blackened Recordings and Metallica!)
Watch out! Maynard has his eye on you! (Photo: BrooklynVegan)
Oh boy! More than 60 people were forcibly removed from A Perfect Circle‘s show on Saturday night (Nov 4th) in Reading, PA, according to David Farrar, the General Manager of the Santander Arena & Performing Arts Center where the band performed. The concertgoers were ejected for taking pictures during the band’s set in violation of A Perfect Circle’s super-strict “no photos” policy.
Farrar revealed the number of ejections on Instagram when he commented on one fan claiming that he successfully snapped a few photos. Farrar remarked, “Your [sic] good. We tossed over 60 people last night for taking pics.” He later added, “This was 110 percent the band’s policy and has been for Tool, APC, and Puscifer . . . it’s not a new policy.”
The policy seems to have originated with singer Maynard James Keenan, who fronts all three bands and usually performs either in disguise or in a shadowy area at the rear of the stage. MetalSucks reported that every show on A Perfect Circle’s current North American arena tour has enforced a strict “no photos and videos” policy, with ejection from the venue threatened as punishment.
A show last week in Brooklyn featured printed warning signs posted around the venue, a security guard outside shouting the policy into a megaphone and a video message from the band displayed on all the venue’s video screens. The policy, while not new, still comes at a time when a number of artists, including members of Disturbed, Slipknot and Red Hot Chili Peppers, have spoken out against fans recording shows with their smartphones.
Keenan told us in the past that he’s not fond of musicians being treated like celebrities: “There’s this kind of idol situation that’s been set up. I think it’s out of proportion with what’s real. It’s hyped up by damaged musicians who need some kind of acknowledgement and need to fill that empty hole for attention, for recognition. I would like to see it get to the point where it’s just people enjoying music for music’s sake.“
A Perfect Circle continues its fall tour tonight (Nov 7th) in Camden, NJ. The band has been playing several new tracks on the road and recently issued a single called “The Doomed.” A new studio album is expected out in early 2018. (Thanks The Pulse Of Radio and MetalSucks.)
After a nearly seven-year absence from Las Vegas, multi-platinum, chart-topping rock band Nickelback is returning to Sin City in February 2018 for an impressive five-night run at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Monster Truck will open all five shows. The limited run is made even more special with the announcement that these shows will be Nickelback‘s only North American dates scheduled in 2018.
The Las Vegas shows are scheduled for Feb 23, 24, 27 and March 2 and 3, 2018. Tickets go on sale to the public this Friday, Nov 10 at 10 a.m. PT. (Thanks Blabbermouth.)
And finally today, our pal Corey Taylor will guest on the new album from Tonight Alive. The Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman will appear on “My Underworld,” the final song of the Australian rockers’ fourth album, Underworld, which will be released on January 12 via Hopeless Records. Also guesting on the disc is PVRIS frontwoman Lyn Gunn, who contributes her vocals to the track “I Disappear”. (Blabbermouth)
Dunno about you, but I, for one, am excited about Justice League coming out next Friday!
Happy 49th today to former Mudvayne and HellYeah guitarist Greg Tribbett. Happy 46th to Robin Finck, NIN and G’NR.
