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Odds & Ends: Foo Fighters, Prince, Metallica, Toby Keith, Wilco
Foo Fighters is playing a tiny club this week … “SNL” books Prince … Metallica was reportedly considering firing Lars Ulrich … Toby Keith is celebrating National Mezcal Day with fans … Wilco announces Chicago residency.
The ultimate Foo Fighters week just got better with the announcement of the band’s intimate gig at The Cubby Bear in Chicago.
Dave Grohl & Co. are spending the week playing a “Late Show with David Letterman” residency in the lead up to Friday’s premiere of the HBO series “Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways.”
Photo: Owen Sweeney / Invision / AP
Firefly Music Festival, Dover International Speedway, Dover, Del.
The Cubby Bear show takes place Oct. 17, following the debut episode of the eight-part TV documentary. “Sonic Highways” chronicles the Foo Fighters’ journey to create their upcoming eighth studio album by recording each track in a different city with local guest artists. The LP, which shares its name with the TV series, is due out Nov. 10.
The premiere episode of the HBO series just so happens to take place in Chicago and prominently features The Cubby Bear. Foo Fighters will perform the new Sonic Highways single “Something From Nothing” for the first time in concert at the venue.
Tickets for The Cubby Bear show quickly sold out but you can catch a live stream of Friday’s gig at Facebook.com/HBO beginning at 11:59 EDT.
The Purple One is bringing along his band, 3RDEYEGIRL, which is made up of guitarist Donna Grantis, drummer Hannah Ford Welton and basist Ida Nielsen. Prince has two brand new albums to show off – his solo LP, Art Official Age, and his release with 3RDEYEGIRL, Plectrumelectrum.
Photo: NPG Records/AP Photo
Performing at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England.
Former “SNL” cast member Chris Rock is also returning to the show as the evening’s host.
If you weren’t one of the 100,000+ fans who entered the Toby Keith/Wild Shot “Drinks After Work Sweepstakes,” you might not be aware that Oct. 21 is National Mezcal Day.
Keith will be celebrating with the five sweepstakes winners by drinking his signature spirit – Wild Shot Mezcal. The handcrafted mezcal, which has won a handful of awards, is 86.8 proof and made from 100% green agave.
Photo: Alonzo Adams / Invision / AP
Toby Keith's Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert, Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Okla.
For the past three years, the Wild Shot Mezcal inflatable bar has appeared on select dates of Keith’s tour.
You can mark the national holiday at home by raising a glass to Keith and cranking his new single, “Drunk Americans.”
Speaking of celebrations, Wilco announced a six-night residency in Chicago in honor of its 20th anniversary.
The hometown shows take place at the Riviera Theatre Dec. 5-6, 8-9 and 11-12. The setlist will change each night and the band promises to play “songs from every era.”
Tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. CDT.
Photo: John Davisson
Lockn' – Interlocking Music Festival, Oak Ridge Farm, Arrington, Va.
This week Wilco also rolled out details about its anniversary box set and compilation. For more information head over to WilcoWorld.net.
One of the tidbits in Scott Ian’s new autobiography, “I’m The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax,” is the story of how Lars Ulrich was almost fired from Metallica.
Dave Mustaine had relayed the story to Rolling Stone to 2009, after hearing it from Ian, but now the Anthrax guitarist has confirmed the tale is true.
Photo: Joey Foley / OSDAILYNEWS.COM
Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Ian told Colarado Springs, Colo., radio station 94.3 KILO about the incident during a recent interview (via Blabbermouth.net). He explained that James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Cliff Burton were planning on kicking Ulrich out of the band after its 1986 tour. Burton ended up dying in a bus accident during the trek.
“The story was that they had made a plan that they were gonna make a change and get a new drummer,” Ian told 94.3 KILO. “And we were all kind of blown away by that, because it was the four of them. And it was just, like, ‘Wow! Really?’ And they were, like, ‘Yeah. When we finish this tour, we’re gonna find a new drummer.”
The guitarist added, “Obviously, history turned out differently for Metallica, and they went on to become, arguably, one of the biggest bands on the planet. So I’m just glad it all … obviously it all worked out for my friends. It was a horrible tragedy that Cliff was killed in that bus accident.”