Good morning Radicals! Let’s kick the week off right with some music news in DIRT!
A string of North American stadium dates for Pearl Jam were leaked briefly on the band’s own website Friday, before being pulled down again. The dates are yet to be officially announced but if the leak was accurate, the band will start in August with two shows at Seattle’s Safeco Field, followed by double headers at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Boston’s Fenway Park.
A mid-August show in Missoula, Montana — possibly a campaign fundraiser for that state’s Democratic senator Jon Tester — was also among the dates leaked.
Pearl Jam last toured in 2016 and only played briefly last year at its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
A full month of European shows is already confirmed for June and July, with speculation brewing that the band is going to record its 11th studio LP this spring.
The unconfirmed Pearl Jam dates are (subject to change):
- August 8 – Seattle, WA – Safeco Field
- August 10 – Seattle, WA – Safeco Field
- August 13 – Missoula, MT – Washington-Grizzly Stadium
- August 18 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
- August 20 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
- September 2 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
- September 4 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
Pop Evil has released a music video for its new single, “Colors Bleed.” The band brought back director Columbia Tatone, who also directed the recent “Waking Lions” video, to create the new clip. Both songs are from the group’s upcoming self-titled fifth LP, which is due out on February 16th and follows up 2015’s Up.
Lead singer Leigh Kakaty told us that “Colors Bleed” was inspired by the sight of the ugly and deadly white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia last year: “‘Colors Bleed’ was written after the Charlottesville incident, so I think it was just kind of me venting in my own way to let people be aware that it’s this melting pot of culture that has made America great and it’s made us, you know, who we are. It’s what we come from, it’s something we should be proud of.” You can hear more from Leigh every night as the hardDrive XL Featured Artist of the Week!
The new Pop Evil album marks the recording debut of British drummer Hayley Cramer, who joined in 2016 following the departure of Josh “Chachi” Marunde. Pop Evil will embark on the “Music Over Words” tour on February 14th at the Kewadin Casino in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan, wrapping things up at the Fillmore in Detroit on April 6th.
Additionally, Pop Evil is confirmed to appear at the Carolina Rebellion festival on Friday, May 5th and Florida’s Fort Rock on Sunday, April 29th. See all those dates on the Road Rage page.
Greta Van Fleet has a fan in legendary singer Robert Plant. The Led Zeppelin frontman told Louisville radio station 91.9 WFPK that he’s heard the young Michigan-based group, saying that vocalist Josh Kiszka is “pretty good…there’s a job out there for him.” The irony is that Greta Van Fleet’s sound has been compared to Zeppelin, with Kiszka’s voice similar to Plant’s and the musical style close as well.
Greta Van Fleet rocketed to the top of the rock radio charts last year with “Highway Tune.” The track is taken from the quartet’s debut EP, Black Smoke Rising, which came out last April. Their latest single is “Safari Song.” The Michigan-based group is reportedly working on its first full-length LP and will head out on a European tour this March.
The band is confirmed to appear at this year’s edition of the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival, which will be held on April 13th through the 15th and again with the exact same bill on April 20th through the 22nd at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. More headlining and festival dates will follow in late April, May and June.
Enjoy this acoustic performance of the GVF boys in the hardDriveRadio studios:
Thousands of Cranberries fans visited a church in Limerick, Ireland on Sunday to pay tribute to late singer Dolores O’Riordan, whose body was lying in repose following her death last Monday, January 15th, at the age of 46. After O’Riordan’s body was released back to her family last week following an autopsy, a four-hour public viewing was arranged at St. Joseph’s Church in her hometown.
According to the Irish Times, Cranberries songs played quietly as fans entered the church. A floral tribute next to O’Riordan’s coffin, from the singer’s Cranberries bandmates, was inscribed with an homage to one of the band’s biggest hits, “The song has ended, but the memories linger on.”
The coffin was also lined with photographs of the singer performing onstage as well as two pictures of O’Riordan meeting the late Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy told mourners, “We come to offer a heartfelt greeting to a deeply loved and cherished daughter of Limerick. As we file past her coffin, let’s pray for her, her family and those she loved and helped in life.”
Another public viewing is scheduled for today in the town of Ballyneety before O’Riordan is laid to rest on Tuesday. The funeral service will be open to the public and broadcast on Irish radio, while the burial will be private and attended only by family.
Tests have been carried out to establish how O’Riordan died, but the results are not expected until at least April.
O’Riordan was found “unresponsive” at a Central London hotel last Monday. There is speculation that she may have overdosed intentionally on prescription medication.
O’Riordan enjoyed huge success with the Cranberries in the 1990s, recording hits like “Linger,” “Dreams” and the chart-topping “Zombie.”
Metallica frontman James Hetfield will voice a character named Wolfgang in a forthcoming episode of the animated series Skylanders Academy on Netflix. The Wolfgang character is said to be a werewolf villain who enjoys “evil music.” Hetfield has previously done voice work for the animated shows Metalocalypse, Dave The Barbarian, The Simpsons, American Dad! and others.
A fan managed to somehow get on stage during a Foo Fighters show in Australia and run all the way up to Dave Grohl. Grohl handled it fairly well, but was visibly upset with the lack of security that allowed the fan up there in the first place. Before the fan was taken offstage by security, Grohl yelled, “Get the f**k off my stage!”
Finally, celebrating birthdays today are former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler and former Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody! A wonderful day to all!
