Notice to barefoot concert fans, careful where you walk in the rain in large outdoor ampitheaters.
State safety officials are investigating the death of a UNC Charlotte student who was electrocuted as he walked barefoot on a wet stairway at an amphitheater during a concert by Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Ashley Faris, 26, of Waxhaw, was pronounced dead at Carolinas Medical Center-University, police said. A passer-by who tried to help Faris, 23-year-old Ryan Robards, was treated for electric shock. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Faris was walking barefoot in the rain Friday night on a lighted, concrete stairway with metal edges at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre when he was shocked. The stairway is to the right of the stage and takes concertgoers from lawn seats to a concession area.
Pollstar.com.

Before the summer shows have even begun, String Cheese Incident has announced the dates for their upcoming fall tour. The 18 show tour will begin with a two night run at Red Rocks, featuring opening acts DJ Logic, STS9 and DJ Greyboy. Also included will be an appearance at the Austin City Limits Festival, and two night stands at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Tower Theatre in Philly, and the Orpheum in Boston.
see the band’s website for full dates:stringcheeseincident.com.

British electronic duo the Chemical Brothers head in a new direction on “The Golden Path,” a song they recently recorded with help from Oklahoma-based rock trio the Flaming Lips. “Wayne Coyne is really infectious,” says Chemical Brother Ed Simons. “He makes you feel really excited about the music. What he’s done for us, the words, the song he’s grafted on to our music, it’s the next level of Chemical Brothers music — it’s just really good.”
The new tune, which Simons’ partner Tom Rowlands calls “psychedelic, up-tempo and emotional wide-screen,” will be included on the Chems’ upcoming CD/DVD career retrospective The Singles: 1993-03, due in September.
Source Rollingstone.com.

Grammy Award winning artist Norah Jones says she has recorded 11 songs for her next album and hopes to release it next year. She describes the music as more up-tempo and funky — but still very much Norah Jones.
“When we were making it we were like, `Wow, this is a way different record! This is like a funky record!’ And then we listened to it again, and we’re like, wow it’s still a snoozer,” she says, laughing. “I’m just a mellow chick. I can’t help it.”
Source Billboard.com.

Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers will embark on an acoustic tour of the West Coast. The run launches July 1 in San Diego and wraps up around July 27th in Boulder, CO. Joining the band on this tour is their on again-off again drummer Matt Chambelain. Wallflowers fan club members will have access to pre-sale ticket information. For dates and more information, visit the band’s site..

Scott Weiland, lead singer for the Stone Temple Pilots , is now the official new lead singer for the new band comprised of ex Guns N Roses members: Slash, Duff McKagen, and Matt Sorum. The band is called

In the form of last year

Pearl Jam is putting together more than fifty rare and previously unissued tracks from their vaults for a retrospective album tentatively for release this year. Pearl Jam

Led Zeppelin scored its first No. 1 album since 1979’s “In Through the Out Door” this week with the three-CD live set “How the West Was Won.” The Atlantic collection sold 154,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, and debuts on top of The Billboard 200. It was released simultaneously with the “Led Zeppelin DVD,” which set a record for highest debut-week and highest single-week sales for a music DVD. No word yet on whether Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham, son of the late John Bonham will reunite for some well-needed live shows.
Source Billboard.com.

On August 14th Sonic Youth will perform with a re-united version of Iggy and the Stooges in Detroit. This will be only the second performance of the Stooges with frontman Iggy Pop in 28 years, following a performance at the Coachella festival in California in April.
Source Sonicyouth.com.