Monday’s Hors d’Oeuvres: Under The Bridge

It used to be tradition that each Monday following Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit concerts at Shoreline would bring fluffy reviews extolling the virtues of that weekend’s concerts and of the Youngs work for the Hillsborough school, yet that didn’t happen today. Jim Harrington of the Oakland Tribune found the event lacking a certain pizzazz, which doesn’t surprise us given this year’s lineup. Let’s hope this truly unique and worthwhile event returns to form when it comes back this time next year.

Here’s a brief look at some stories that broke over the past three days…

• Rolling Stone raves about this year’s Voodoo Festival in NoLa
• Motown royalty came out in droves for Levi Stubb’s funeral
• Umphrey’s McGee blogs about their time in Seattle watching ND
• Boston Globe profiles Sweden’s free-wheeling rockers Dungen
• moe. kicks down an epic moe.down set from August 31, 2001 as the next installment of the Dr. Stan’s Prescription series
• You’ve gotta read Blair Jackson’s amazing Merl Saunders obit

Finally, one of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin came clean about the group’s plan to tour sans Robert Plant. Mike Greenhaus of Relix reports that John Paul Jones addressed the rumors during a question and answer session at the Manson’s guitar show. JPJ acknowledged that he’s been practicing with Jason Bonham and Jimmy Page and that they’re very interested in doing a tour even if Robert Plant isn’t willing to sing with them. Stay tuned.