2003

The 2003 edition of the Sprite Liquid Mix tour will offer fans in 20 cities an affordable chance to see a late summer festival lineup including N*E*R*D and the Roots. Tickets to the tour, scheduled to kick off Aug. 14 in Denver and run through Sept. 14 in Boston, will cost only $10. O.A.R., Talib Kweli, Robert Randolph & the Family Band are also on the bill.
The event will boast two stages, the second of which will feature national and local bands to be announced. Other elements include the PlayStation2 Urban Playground, where BMX bikers will put on a show, an NBA Rhythm N Rims basketball court on which concertgoers can compete, and the Blockbuster video gaming lounge, where ticket holders can try out PlayStation game systems and new software. The Pinnacle “Work It” Performance Zone will feature audience members engaging in strength and endurance contests, while Scion Sessions will feature graffiti artists and local DJ talent.
Last year’s Sprite Liquid Mix tour featured Jay-Z, 311, N*E*R*D, Nappy Roots, and Hoobastank, with $20 ticket prices.
Source and tour dates visit Billboard.com.

In light of the recent headaches of holding the Field Day festival in Calverton, NY, the organizers of Bonnaroo have cancelled the inaugural Bonnaroo NE.
During the past few weeks, we have closely watched the developments surrounding the organizational and permitting process for another festival – Field Day – scheduled for the same site on the weekend of June 7-8,” read a statement issued by the Bonnaroo folks. “This process culminated with the denial of Field Day’s permits and the cancellation of the festival at this site only two days before it was scheduled to open.”
Bonnaroo NE organizers assure fans this decision has no impact on the Bonnaroo Music Festival, scheduled for Manchester, Tenn., June 12-15.
Source bonnaroo.com.

The Eels will launch their international tour with three dates in Southern California starting June 17. They then head on over to Europe and the U.K. where they’ll camp out through July 7. After that, it’s back to the States for a monthlong tour of theatres. Shootenanny!, the Eels’ latest album, just hit shelves this month and follows the band’s hit disc, Souljacker. Eels mastermind Mark Oliver Everett, a.k.a. E, has also done some side work, scoring the film “Levity.” There were rumors that MC Honky – an affiliate of the Eels – would join the band on their Tour Of Duty, but that doesn’t appear to be happening.
For list of dates vistit Pollstar.com.

In a sign of the future – bands launching their own Internet TV Stations, Radiohead has launched their new Internet TV Station, – Radiohead.tv. which will feature webcasts of live gigs, studio footage and original programming. The band

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.

As if moving from an open field to Giants Stadium wasn’t bad enough karma for this year’s Field Day Festival, Beck got injured prior to his performance and couldn’t play his set. While watching Blur’s performance from the side of the stage when he was “accidentally slammed in the ribs by a stage hand.Festival medical crew personnel initially were concerned that there may be a broken rib, an injury that could puncture Beck’s lung if he were to perform.”X-rays taken at a nearby hospital were negative “but Beck was in considerable pain and discomfort.” Organizers later attempted to find room in the schedule for Beck to “do something acoustically, but the complicated logistics of the festival made it impossible.”Beck isn’t expected to miss any other appearances due to the injury. His North American tour with Dashboard Confessional and the Black Keys continues on Tuesday outside Detroit.
Source ETonline.com.

Three years after calling it quits, the seminal alt-country band Whiskeytown will be reuniting. The band featuring frontman Ryan Adams, singer/violinist Caitlin Cary left to pursue solo careers back in 2000. Cary and her husband/drummer Skillet Gilmore, who played on Whiskeytown

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.

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.