Posts Tagged ‘evening’

Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider Roasted by Zakk Wylde, Scott Ian, Lita Ford + More

Rogers & Cowan Twisted Sister ‘s Dee Snider was subject to a little skewering Thursday night (Jan. 24), but it was all for a good cause as the Revolver / Guitar World Rock & Roll Roast raised funds for the MusiCares organization. Snider sat upon his throne throughout the evening as a dais of rockers, comedians and actors each took their shots at the singer. Snider’s ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ pal Penn Jillette hosted the evening, which featured last year’s roastee Zakk Wylde , as well as Anthrax ‘s Scott Ian , Lita Ford , ‘That Metal Show’ co-hosts Eddie Trunk and Jim Florentine, Snider’s son Shane, and comedians Jim Norton and Craig Gass. Plus, actor Mark Metcalf was on hand to provide his salute, delivering his “Whaddya want to do with your life?” speech before introducing Snider and the panel. In addition, Alice Cooper , Lorenzo Lamas, Sebastian Bach , Donald Trump, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Steel Panther , Brande Roderick, Chris Jericho and Gene Simmons all sent in video tributes. Jillette opened the night citing the “motley crew” that made up the dais, before apologizing to Snider for mentioning “a real rock and roll band.” Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian had perhaps the line of the night, telling the audience, “Twisted Sister tribute bands don’t exist because no one wants to play the same two songs over and over.” Gass also provided a zinger, stating, “Somewhere in America, there’s a county fair with an empty stage.” Alice Cooper, appearing via a video tribute, took his own jab at Snider, congratulating him on his “regionally successful music career,” while Lita Ford showed her concern for Snider telling him she hoped that menopause hadn’t affected his singing voice. The Twisted Sister frontman wasn’t the only target however, as Zakk Wylde told the singer’s son Shane he was worried about his future, adding, “Those are some big gay shoes to fill.” Florentine singled out another rocker, explaining “I thought Scott Ian came to my house, but it was a garden gnome.” And Norton offered up a dig at Ford, stating, “You can tell Lita is a Ford because no one has wanted to get inside her since the early ’80s.” Snider, however, had some revenge at the end of the night, targeting Jim Norton with one of his best barbs. The rocker joked, “Jim Norton’s career is going so poorly, he’s opening for my son, Shane.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bret-michaels-and-dee-snider-return-for-all-star-celebrity-apprentice/” title=”Next: Dee Snider to Return for ‘Celebrity Apprentice'” align=”center”]

Red Hot Chili Peppers Rock Out at Flea’s Birthday Bash Fundraiser in His Backyard

Michael Loccisano, Getty Images Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea made sure that his 50th birthday would be one that he and all of his guests would remember as he opened up his backyard for a concert-fundraiser to benefit his Silver Lake Conservatory music school. Flea told Rolling Stone prior to the performance, “For this to happen on my 50th birthday is the best gift I could ever hope to receive.” Flea joined his Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates for a set that headlined the night, while he called upon his old friends in Rancid to serve as the opening act. The selection of Rancid to play the backyard fundraiser was no coincidence, as singer singer-guitarist Tim Armstrong has a history with the Silver Lake Conservatory. Flea explained, “Tim studied there. He took lessons there – he was taking flamenco or something. Tim’s cool and those guys showed up. They played for us before, paid for everything, gave us all the merch, everything. Those guys are so generous – they’re like walking the walk, dude.” Ben Harper also made a surprise appearance during the evening, altering his cover of ‘Hallelujah’ to ‘Happy Birthday’ while a giant birthday cake in the form of a stand-up bass was presented to Flea. The bassist was overwhelmed not only from the birthday wishes, but for the support shown his school. He explained, “A big part of my life is music education because it changed my life — but arts, academics and athletics should all be equally treated in schools. There are different kinds of kids and those three things are vital towards the next generation of kids coming up to be happy, productive good citizens.” Finishing out the evening, Red Hot Chili Peppers took the stage for a nine-song set that began with ‘Can’t Stop’ and wrapped up with ‘By the Way.’ A cover of Neil Young ‘s ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’ also found its way into the performance. The bassist stated before the final track, “It’s been kind of an overwhelming experience for me. It feels really meaningful and poignant to have everybody come out and support.” Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea’s 50th Birthday Bash Setlist: ‘Can’t Stop’ ‘Snow (Hey Oh)’ ‘Monarchy of Roses’ ‘Soul to Squeeze’ ‘The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie’ ‘Right on Time’ ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’ ‘Give It Away’ ‘By the Way’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/10-best-red-hot-chili-peppers-songs/” title=”Next: Top 10 Red Hot Chili Peppers Songs” align=”center”]