After Phish wraps up their four-night New Years Eve run in Miami this December, keyboard player Page McConnell will begin a short tour up the East Coast with his side project, Vida Blue. And Phish fans will be pleased to hear that the Jazz Mandolin Project, featuring Jon Fishman on drums, will open all dates except the last date in Vermont.
Sat, Jan 3 / Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts / Miami Beach, FLSun, Jan 4 / Jannus Landing / St. Petersburg, FLMon, Jan 5 / The Tabernacle / Atlanta, GAWed, Jan 7 / The Orange Peel / Asheville, GAThu, Jan 8 / 9:30 Club / Washington, DCFri, Jan 9 / Electric Factory / Philadelphia, PASat, Jan 10 / Roseland Ballroom / New York, NYMon, Jan 12 / Higher Ground / Winooski, VT
Full ticketing information can be found at phish.com/tourdates
Roots rockers The Jayhawks will be featured on Austin City Limits January 3, 2004 on PBS. This particular performance will also feature Gillian Welch. Other acts to be featured this year on the series
A Broadway musical based on songs by John Lennon, tentatively titled “The Lennon Project,” will musically explore the turbulent times of the 1960s and 1970s with some 30 songs drawn from more than 200 Lennon wrote after the Beatles break-up. The legendary band released their last album, “Let It Be,” in 1970 but had already dissolved as a act.
“Over the past two decades, I have been experiencing the feedback from the world to John’s life, statements and music,” Yoko Ono said in a statement. “I realized what John had meant to the world. He was a catalyst who brought down the hypocrisy and the old world establishments by saying ‘Gimme Some Truth.'”
“What we present on stage should again give people insight, encouragement, inspiration and fun, so they can go on with their lives with some assurance and hope,” she continued.
The show, which is planned for the 2004-2005 season, will be produced by Edgar Lansbury and Don Scardino. Scardino will also direct the show with a script he plans to write with Eric Overmyer.
The Lennon show follows several recent Broadway shows based on preexisting songs by a composer. The long-running “Mamma Mia” is based on music by ABBA; the Tony-winning, rock-ballet “Movin’ Out” is performed to Billy Joel’s music; and this season marks the opening of “The Boy From Oz,” a musical biography of Australian cabaret singer Peter Allen.
As previously reported, Capitol will on Nov. 18 release the “Lennon Legend” DVD, featuring rare newsreel and private footage from the Lennon/Ono archive, 15 new and remastered music video clips, newly created animations of Lennon’s drawings and an extensive photo gallery.
Source Billboard.com.
Guns N’ Roses hasn’t released a new album in a decade, but that isn’t stopping Geffen from delving into the group’s back catalog. On Oct. 28, the label will offer the first DVD editions of the 1998 home video “Welcome to the Videos,” plus the separate 1992 home videos “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II: World Tour – 1992 in Toyko.”
“Welcome to the Videos” rounds up clips for such favorites as “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Patience,” “Don’t Cry” and GNR’s cover of Wings’ “Live and Let Die.”
Guns N’ Roses has been dormant since its disastrous fall 2002 comeback tour, which was derailed after frontman Axl Rose failed to show up for a concert in Philadelphia. The group’s terminally delayed album “Chinese Democracy” appears no closer to release; a March posting on GNR’s official Web site says, “stay tuned for news and information on ‘Chinese Democracy’ coming soon.'”
Source Billboard.com.
