Posts Tagged ‘performance’

Overkill Bow Out of Show Due to Frontman Bobby Blitz’s Pneumonia

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Testament and Overkill have been rocking stages hard over the past month, but being out on the road during cold and flu season is not always easy. Overkill frontman Bobby Blitz has been dealing with a cold over the course of the trek that recently turned into something more serious. Overkill bowed out of the tour’s show Friday night (Feb. 15) in Huntington, N.Y, which led the band to reveal Blitz’s worsening ailment as the reason for canceling the show and potentially other dates in the immediate future. Their statement on the matter reads as follows: We are terribly sorry that we had to cancel our performance last night [February 15], but let’s put the rumors to rest, before speculation runs rampant. Blitz [singer Bobby Ellsworth] was diagnosed with what is called ‘walking pneumonia,’ and was medically advised to not perform due to it potentially getting worse if he did. When the health risk is no longer an issue, he’ll be ready to kick ass once again. Overkill’s dates with Testament and support acts Flotsam and Jetsam and 4ARM are scheduled to run through the end of the month. To see the remaining stops, click here . The band has been out on the road promoting their ‘The Electric Age’ album. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/overkill-bobby-blitz-east-coast-thrash-metal-young-fans-more/” title=”Next: Bobby Blitz Talks East Coast Thrash Metal + More” align=”center”]

Daily Reload: 2013 Grammy Awards, Device + More

Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – The 2013 Grammy Awards saw the Black Keys , Halestorm and Trent Reznor  take home golden gramophones. Check out the full list of Grammy winners in the rock categories here. [ Loudwire ] – David Draiman ‘s Device unveil teaser video for self-titled debut album. [ Loudwire ] – Corey Taylor , Maynard James Keenan , Dave Navarro + more weren’t too happy with the 2013 Grammy Awards. See why they offered their criticism here. [ Loudwire ] – Navy SEAL who evidently shot Osama bin Laden talks about the military use of Metallica and Demon Hunter ‘s music.  [ Loudwire ] – Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello joins LL Cool J, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Travis Barker + more for 2013 Grammy performance. [ Loudwire ] – It was 50 years ago today that the Beatles recorded the majority of their ‘Please Please Me’ album in a 13-hour session. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Pearl Jam ‘s upcoming Wrigley Field show is the fastest-selling concert in the ballpark’s history. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Did Jack White drop an F-bomb during his 2013 Grammy performance? [ Diffuser.fm ]

Brian ‘Head’ Welch + Ray Luzier Enjoy Korn Collaboration at NAMM Convention

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire / Ethan Miller, Getty Images There are a lot of happy people out there rejoicing that Korn ‘s former guitarist Brian “Head” Welch is playing some shows with the band again. But before all the festivals and summer touring kicks off, there was a Korn preview of sorts at the NAMM Convention in Anaheim. Korn’s drummer Ray Luzier was performing as part of a Sabian-backed jam session with bass and guitar greats Billy Sheehan and George Lynch. During a break in the action, Luzier grabbed the microphone to reveal the performance’s special guest. He told the audience, “I’m really, really extremely happy to announce that Brian ‘Head’ Welch, the original guitar player of Korn, will be touring in Korn this summer, for the tour, European, States and all.” And with that, he introduced Welch who was in attendance at the event. The guitarist took the stage for a brief performance of Korn’s breakthrough hit ‘Blind,’ while visibly enjoying his surroundings. During the lead-in on the song, Welch turned to George Lynch and told the crowd, “I wouldn’t even be playing guitar if it wasn’t for that dude,” which got a chuckle from the longtime Dokken and Lynch Mob axeman. Korn recently revealed that Welch would be joining them for their European trek and it was announced this week that he was also pulling double duty at this year’s Rock on the Range festival, playing with Korn as well as his current band Love and Death . The summer dates mark the first extended touring for Welch with Korn since 2004. Watch Brian ‘Head’ Welch With Ray Luzier, George Lynch and Billy Sheehan Performing Korn’s ‘Blind’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/brian-head-welch-really-excited-reuniting-korn-2013-gigs/” title=”Next: Brian ‘Head’ Welch Shares Excitement Over Korn Return” align=”center”]

Shinedown’s Brent Smith on Kathie Lee Gifford’s ‘Meat Loaf’ Remark: ‘My Heart Fell to the Ground’

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com You wouldn’t know it by looking at him today, but there was a period not too long ago that Shinedown singer Brent Smith was struggling with both drug and alcohol addiction, as well as weight issues. Part of the reason Smith is built as well as he is these days is due to his newfound commitment to his health, and he discussed his transformation with the Los Angeles Times . Smith says, “The weight came on about four years ago. I’ve toured for over 12 years and for the first two records I was doing tons of shows all the time. And for those two records I was addicted to cocaine, OxyContin and alcohol. The coke and Oxy kept my weight down, but for the third album I quit opiates and started to crave sugar. I was still drinking a lot of alcohol and started to pack on the pounds.” The singer says one of the big wake-up calls was when he made an appearance on the ‘Today’ show in 2009 and Kathie Lee Gifford stated that she mistook him for Meat Loaf . The vocalist says, “It really stung. I’m a fan of Meat Loaf, but she wasn’t talking about a musical comparison. It was national television and my heart kind of fell on the ground. I’m not trying to be disrespectful to Meat Loaf at all because I’m a fan, but here I am barely 30 years old and that’s the one thing that she says. It was like the performance didn’t even matter.” In the time since, Smith has found a trainer and made a commitment to live healthier for his family. He explained, “I have a four-year-old boy, and he was a huge motivation, and so were the fans. I had an epiphany working out with my trainer … and I haven’t had a drink since.” Since he began his workout regimen, the singer has dropped almost 70 pounds. To read more about Smith’s weight loss journey, check out his Los Angeles Times interview here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-shinedown-album-readers-poll/” title=”Next: Vote for Shinedown’s Best Album” align=”center”]

Ghost Reveal ‘Infestissumam’ Album Release Plans

Metal Blade Records Swedish metal outfit  Ghost have been pounding away in the studio, working to complete their latest effort and the band is happy to announce that ‘Infestissumam’ will arrive next spring. The follow-up to the critically hailed ‘Opus Eponymous’ album was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones, Death Angel) and will be released by Loma Vista Recordings. The 10-track set features the song ‘Secular Haze,’ which the band debuted live during their performance in Linkoping, Sweden over the weekend. Video from the show can be seen below. ‘Secular Haze’ is also available as a free download at the band’s website . If you doubt their dedication to all things hard and heavy, one of the band’s nameless members recently stated about their position toward rock , “Us being faceless and dressing apart from standard couture was a way for everyone to be able to connect with the concept. Being from a metal background, we know that it’s all about looking the part — the choice of shoes you wear, for some bands, proves the value of the song. It’s just a d–k-measuring competition. Hard rock is about who has the biggest d–k and pop music is about who’s got the smallest. I guess we’re pretty average. But in order to have a big d–k, you have to have it mentally.” Ghost, ‘Infestissumam’ Track Listing 1. ‘Infestissumam’ 2. ‘Per Aspera Ad Inferi’ 3. ‘Secular Haze’ 4. ‘Jigolo Har Megiddo’ 5. ‘Ghuleh / Zombie Queen’ 6. ‘Year Zero’ 7. ‘Idolatrine’ 8. ‘Body and Blood’ 9. ‘Depth of Satans Eyes’ 10. ‘Monstrance Clock’ Watch Ghost Perform ‘Secular Haze’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/nameless-ghoul-of-ghost-talks-touring-anonymity-more/” title=”Next: Ghost Member Discusses Band Anonymity” align=”center”] ?

Paul McCartney + Nirvana Members Perform New Song ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ at 12-12-12 Concert

Ben Pruchnie, Getty Images / Twitter: Krist Novoselic Throughout the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, a monumental bulk of talent occupied the grand stage. During the charitable event, which lasted for over five hours, legendary artists such as Bruce Springsteen, the Who and the Rolling Stones performed for a worldwide audience, but the true highlight of the night was the collaboration between Beatles legend  Paul McCartney  and  Nirvana members Dave Grohl , Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear (touring member) on the new song ’Cut Me Some Slack.’ Earlier in the day, there were rumors that McCartney would be singing the late Kurt Cobain’s parts for some Nirvana covers, but the collective instead performed an original track that they had written during an impromptu jam session . Bassist Krist Novoselic tweeted earlier that the song was “kind of ‘Helter Skelter’ meets ‘Scentless Apprentice.’ It rocks with a heavy groove. St. Paul is powerful.” Novoselic also tweeted out the above photo of himself with Grohl and Smear. ‘Helter Skelter’ ended up being the first song Sir Paul played as he finally to, followed by ‘Let Me Roll It,’ ‘Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five’ and ‘Blackbird’ among others before the one-time Nirvana musicians joined the Beatles legend. Throughout the 12-12-12 show, the official Foo Fighters Twitter page had been posting pictures of single letters in succession, eventually spelling out, “Cut Me Some Slack.” Rocking an electric ukelele and a glass guitar slide, McCartney showcased his trademark howl in the new track ‘Cut Me Some Slack,’ which mixed a heavy Nirvana sound with a ‘Helter Skelter’ attitude. The band was so incredibly tight, you would have sworn that the group were playing together for years. Grohl, in particular, was a beast on the drums. (Watch a clip of the performance below.) The song was genuinely mind-blowing, and the good news is that it will be the first cut on the soundtrack to Dave Grohl’s ‘Sound City’ documentary, according to a Foo Fighters tweet after the performance. Before McCartney’s performance with the members of Nirvana, the audience was gifted with the voice of Pearl Jam ‘s Eddie Vedder earlier in the night. The singer took a spot next to Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters to sing the rock anthem ‘Comfortably Numb.’ Vedder’s voice fit perfectly within the Pink Floyd standard, offering a diverse cadence to the track while switching back and forth with Waters. For more on the 12-12-12 Concert, click here . To donate to the relief efforts, click here . Watch a 30-Second Clip of McCartney + Nirvana Members Performing [button href=”http://loudwire.com/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-nirvana-nevermind/” title=”Next: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind'” align=”center”]

Machine Head’s Robb Flynn Returns to Stage in Oakland Following Surgery

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire It took a little longer than initially expected, but Machine Head made it back to the stage Monday night in Oakland. The band was forced to  temporarily drop off  their tour when Robb Flynn required emergency surgery for a hernia, and they planned to be back for a show in Portland, Ore., on Saturday night. However, a bus breakdown thwarted those plans, but they eventually returned to the stage in Oakland. The timing was perfect for the band, as the Fox Theater’s hometown crowd provided just the boost the group was looking for upon their return. This marked the band’s first set in Oakland since their 1995 performance at Kaiser Arena supporting Slayer. Flynn, just 12 days removed from his surgery and still fighting a chest infection, gave the fans his all during the performance. The band had vowed prior to the surgery that they would return before the trek was finished and they’ll now complete the run with fellow rockers Dethklok , All That Remains , and the Black Dahlia Murder . Fan filmed footage of the group performing their song ‘Halo’ from Monday’s set can be seen below. For the remaining dates on Machine Head’s tour, check here . Watch Machine Head Perform ‘Halo’ in Oakland [button href=”http://loudwire.com/machine-head-robb-flynn-second-video-update-hernia-surgery/” title=”Next: Robb Flynn Details Hernia Surgery Recovery With Video Diary” align=”center”]