2003

Carlos Santana will donate all proceeds from his entire 2003 North American tour to Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), which raises funds to fight AIDS. The tour kicks off June 11 in Atlanta and runs through a July 14 show in Los Angeles. Angelique Kidjo will open all dates.
While the non-profit group’s dedication is to “furthering democracy and equality in South Africa and civil rights in the U.S.,” in recent years, ANSA has focused on the AIDS crisis. Its ongoing projects include South African tours to promote prevention, treatment, and destigmatization, shipping medical supplies to clinics and hospitals, and funding local groups on the frontlines of the epidemic.
ANSA members will be on hand to provide information to fans at all dates on the Santana tour.
Source Billboard.com.

In the mold of Elton John/Billy Joel, modern day piano warriors Ben Folds and Tori Amos will be touring together for a run of dates in a summer outing titled, “Lottapianos.” Eight dates are confirmed so far for July and August, and additional dates are expected. Headliner Amos–who has been touring relentlessly since the late-2000 release of her new album, Scarlet’s Walk–recently wrapped up two months of North American dates. Her current backing band includes longtime collaborators Jon Evans on bass .
Folds, the former leader of Bens Fold Live is touring in support of his live solo debut

The lineup for the 12th annual B.B. King Music Festival has been announced, with Jeff Beck will be joining BB King in the headlining spot of the B.B. King Music Festival. The two will also be joined by Galactic and Mofro. The nationwide trek will be the first time the two legendary guitarists have toured together. Although dates are still being finalized, the tour is currently scheduled to kick off on the West Coast July 25, then make its way across the country through September.
Source Pollstar.com.

After two recorded songs, Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland confirmed he will be the singer for the band featuring former Guns N

Neil Young Fans across the Globe have finally had their long wish come true. Four of Young

Natalie Merchant

Phish’s live downloads site is expanding its offerings and planning to make available all 10 shows from singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio’s upcoming tour in support of his recently released live album “Plasma” (Elektra). The site is offering pre-orders of each show for $9.95 as MP3 files or $12.95 as Shorten files, with the option to purchase the entire tour for discounted prices of $79.95 and $109.95, respectively.
Phish is also offering a similar package-discount for downloadable shows from its 12-date winter tour. The entire run is available for the price of 10 individual shows.
As previously reported, the group’s next batch of retail releases in its Live Phish series is due May 20. The four shows — 7/15/98 Portland, Ore.; 5/7/94 Dallas; 7/12/91 Keene, N.H.; and 12/29/94 Providence, R.I. — were chosen by bassist Mike Gordon, who employed an exhaustive process of reviewing his notes from more than a thousand possible candidates.
Source billboard.com.

Noel Redding, the bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience died Sunday of unknown causes, he was fifty-seven. Redding was recruited by Hendrix

Radiohead, the Flaming Lips, Jamiroquai, Diane Schuur, George Benson, Craig Van Morrison and Jethro Tull are among the many acts on display at Switzerland’s 37th annual Montreux Jazz Festival. Set for July 4-19, the event will feature most artists performing in three venues: Auditorium Stravinski, Miles Davis Hall, and Casino Barriere.
For the majority of the performances, each venue will host a musical genre for the evening, such as a rock’n’roll night with the Pretenders and Van Morrison at Auditorium Stravinski on July 19. Other themes include hip-hop with Gang Starr, RJD2, El-P & Murs, and the Streets July 5 at Miles Davis Hall and “Bireli Lagrene: Tribute to Django Reinhardt” with Philip Catherine, Christian Escoude, Didier Lockwood, and Martin Weiss on July 12 at Casino Barriere.
Source Billboard.com.