If you were getting all excited about the prospects of seeing Boy George perform solo here in these United States of America, then I have some bad news: All 30 dates have been cancelled because BG can't get a visa to travel here. It could be the cocaine bust, I suppose. Or possibly they saw that photo of him with the weird make-up spider web dripping down his bald head. I don't know, for I am no expert. Or maybe the State Dept. just really wants to hurt thee.

An unruly fan in Auburn, WA (is there any other kind) got the boot from a Tim McGraw concert after storming the stage during "Indian Outlaw." Let's just assume he was doing it in the name of race relations? Somewhat disorienting video here.

So many records, in fact (720,000 in the first week of their new album, Viva La Vida), that the music industry is feeling good for a change.

LOS ANGELES — Coldplay's new album is already living the life.

"Viva La Vida" will debut at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart with over 720,000 copies sold in its first week, the second-best opening week of 2008, according to the trade magazine's Web site. Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" was the top album debut of the year after it sold a spectacular 1 million copies earlier this month.

Two back-to-back blockbuster sales are a boost to the sluggish music industry, which has had little to celebrate with declining sales.

"Viva La Vida" follows 2005's "X&Y," which also debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, with 737,000 copies sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It album sold 3.2 million copies in the United States.

This, courtesy of Golden Fiddle, is some disturbing business:

According to the fairly diabolical avrilbandaids.com forum:

Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend music video is less than 1 million views away from becoming the most watched video of all time on YouTube, so if ever there was a time for us to bring back our Girlfriend YouTube campaign, that time is now!

But making Girlfriend the most watched video on YouTube is small potatoes compared to what we’re capable of. We’re going to make Girlfriend the first ever video on YouTube to have over 100,000,000 views.

Girlfriend currently has 88,068,719 views and the #1 video Evolution of Dance has 89,046,834 views. Which means we’re just under 1 million views away from taking the #1 spot and 12 million views from hitting the 100,000,000 mark. So what we’re attempting won’t be easy but…. Bahh who am I kidding? Of course it will be easy because we have a secret weapon

Check out http://www.avrilbandaids.com/youtubeviewer.html - This page has been specially designed to kick some serious YouTube butt.

Every 15 seconds this page will automatically refresh adding 1 view to Girlfriend’s YouTube total each time it does. Keep this page open while you browse the internet, study for exams, or even sleep. For extra viewing power, open up two or more browser windows at this page!

The views will start to add up faster than you can even imagine. If we had 86 people keeping two windows open for 10 days straight, we would already be at 10,000,000 views.

Yikes!

When the blog Antiquiet posted nine tracks from Guns 'N' Roses's long delayed Chinese Democracy album, GNR fans (and haters alike) jumped for joy. Then the FBI showed up at the blogger's house.

From Rolling Stone.com:

Last week, the Internet was rocked when California blogger Kevin Skwerl posted nine newly leaked Chinese Democracy tracks, including three previously unheard songs allegedly from Guns n’ Roses long-awaited album. Skwerl — who used to work in the distribution department of Universal Music and is now a Web designer — runs the blog Antiquiet, and says he received the tracks from “an anonymous online source.”

Yesterday Skwerl was surprised to find himself face to face with two FBI agents who paid a visit to his day job. “It was kind of an ambush,” Skwerl tells Rolling Stone. “When I came back from lunch they were waiting in the lobby for me. It’s a little creepy they know where I work.” Two young FBI officers, who Skwerl describes as “Mulder and Scully types,” questioned him for 15 minutes about where he got the tracks and made plans to visit his house at 7:00 a.m. this morning.

“I wasn’t sure if they were going to come by with a warrant and trash the place, like in the movies,” he says. “It was nothing like that.” The FBI officials wanted to see the original files, but Skwerl erased them last week per instructions from Axl Rose’s attorneys. Skwerl ultimately gave them second-hand files that are now widely available on the Internet.

Last week Skwerl’s blog crashed from the traffic flood that resulted from his controversial posting. “My host contacts me and says, ‘What the fuck did you do?’” I go, “Uhhhh. I posted some music.” He goes, “What exactly did you post?” I go, “Uhhhh. [Meek voice] New Guns n’ Roses.” He goes, “Motherfucker.” Before long his cell phone rang with an unfamiliar 323 number. “It was a really cool guy from the Gn’R camp that was a middle man between someone who was very angry and me. He was trying to reach out and see if I’d go without a fight, which is more or less what I did.”

Skwerl agreed to take them down, but a cease-and-desist letter soon followed threatening possible legal action. “I’m not so worried about that,” Skwerl says. “It’s a legal grey area since it wasn’t for download, it wasn’t a finished product. We aren’t sure who owns the recordings. I feel like I might survive this.”

Update: Skwerl wants to make it clear that he’s unsure whether or not he broke the law, but he will cooperate with the feds in any way he can. “If legal proceedings come my way, I’ll face them 100 percent. I’m not afraid of that. I did what I did, and I’ll face the music if I have to.”-Andy Greene

Idolator has a blow-by-blow breakdown of Kanye West's response to fan anger about his controversial Bonnaroo appearance, originally posted on Kanye's own blog. Unsurprisingly, he's mad:

I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall... Why???? I understand if people don't like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much, But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I've ever had in my life. This is the most offended I've ever been... this is the maddest I ever will be. I'm typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want.... arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of.... BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN! LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I'M FLYING! I'M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS. JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, "KANYE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE." CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ????????? HAS ANYONE EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO AT LEAST DO THE MATH??? BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT SINCE THEY HAVEN'T LET'S BREAK DOWN THE WALLS ON THIS TRUMAN SHOW AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY OCCURRED!!! FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES... WE'D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY'D SAY OK... THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN'T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE ... I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT'S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS! MY PEOPLE WORKED OUT A COMPROMISED STAGE PLOT AND A 3AM TIME SLOT AND I AGREED. FAST FOWARD TO THE DAY OF THE SHOW. MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN'T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT THAT POINT WE'RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, " IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!" I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A SHORTY AND WATER WOULD HIT THE TV?????? WHEN I GOT 2 "THROUGH THE WIRE" I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN'T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING. I HAD TO ADJUST MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE STYLE BECAUSE OF IT. A FEW MORE SONGS IN AND THE SONG WAS ON IT'S WAY UP.. I CUT A FEW SONGS FROM THE SET BECAUSE I WANTED PEOPLE 2 EXPERIENCE STRONGER WHILE THERE WAS STILL SOME DARKNESS TO PERFORM IT IN. I'VE STRUGGLED WITH STRONGER FROM IT'S CONCEPTION. REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME. ANYONE WHO CAME TO THE GLOW TOUR CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT PROPERLY. IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I COULDN'T GIVE THESE FANS STRONGER IN IT'S GREATEST FORM... BY THE TIME I GOT TO STRONGER IT WAS DAYTIME AND IT BROKE MY HEART. I'M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO. I'M SORRY... SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE... I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT... HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF... CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL!!!

If you were wondering how to get 50 Cent to sue you, why not do what Taco Bell did, and offer him a paltry sum (for him) to change his name to correspond to the price of their products for a day. That is some ridiculous business, even for a fast food corporation.

Def Leppard is "more relevant than ever," according to singer Joe Elliot. And so, for that matter, is Whitesnake. Perhaps they heard Chinese Democracy leaks and are feeling cocky?

From The Star (of Yorkshire), via Idolator:

HOMETOWN heroes Def Leppard have defended their decision to do a co-headline tour amid suggestions they haven't got what it takes to fill major UK venues on their own anymore.

Ahead of Monday's show at Sheffield Arena with Whitesnake, singer Joe Elliott described it as simply a "great value ticket".

"This is not like the Glitter Band, Mud and Suzi Quatro on the bus playing Butlins, this is Def Leppard and Whitesnake, both with new albums, both acts more relevant than ever, playing arenas," said the Sheffield frontman.

"It's not some saddoes tour, it's not nostalgia. Of course there's gonna be old songs in the set, but they get to play some new stuff and look valid, so do we, and people come to hear stuff they know."

The tour follows the Lepp's latest album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, their first in six years, and 50 sold-out arena shows in the US.

"No matter how long you've been around you're gonna go through periods where you're just not cool," admitted Joe, whose band has sold over 65 million albums and played to over 50 million fans in the last 15 years.

"The '90s in England were deemed the tough period for us but people over-hype the negativity because you tend to forget Adrenalize came out in the '90s and was number one in 22 countries – '96 was the big dip.

"We were doing okay live, we just weren't getting played on the radio. And once one journalist goes 'the '90s were tough' another journalist reads that and it all goes in one direction."

The "new" Guns 'n' Roses album, 37 years in the making, long rumored to be apocryphal, really really expensive, and, well, riddled with rumors of Axl Rose's true identity as a total crackpot, is now audible. And Stereogum has heard some leaks. And they suck. And if you're surprised, then you really are an optimistic soul. (I, for one, don't even like Appetite For Destruction, much less Lies or Use Your Illusion I or II.)

Kid Rock says no to iTunes. It's nice to see that some artists are still all about the royalty rates (as opposed to say, the nookie). From NME:

Kid Rock is refusing to allow his songs to be sold through the Apple iTunes download service because he doesn't believe that Apple pay artists enough for their downloads.

The rapper claimed that the download service was based on an "old system" whereby musicians were cut out of pay deals.

He did, however, concede that it was inevitable that his music would one day be available on iTunes.

"It's based on an old system where iTunes takes the money, the record company takes the money, and they don't give it to the artists," he told BBC News.

"Back in the day, we all know the stories of the Otis Reddings and Chuck Berrys and Fats Dominos who never got paid," he continued. "So the internet was an opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money.

"I will be on iTunes eventually because I can't avoid it, but I like to always stick to my guns and prove a point and do something original and because I believe in it."

If this here Today Show video, during which Billy Ray Cyrus sounds off about his daughter Miley Cyrus's controversial Vanity Fair pictures, his own reign in 1992 as the "turkey with the longest neck" on Billboard's Top 200 chart (for 17 weeks!), and, of course, the glory that is Nashville Star, is to be believed, good ol' Billy is not the brightest bulb in the the electric lightbulb suit.

Ever wonder what it's like when a country megastar like Kenny Chesney makes a live TV appearance in New York City? Then you should probably read this dispatch from CMT.com:

Editor's note: Kenny Chesney performed early Friday morning (June 13) in New York's Rockefeller Plaza during the Today show's summer concert series. Most of us have never attended one of these free outdoor performances, so we asked New York-based journalist Jim Allen to provide blow-by-blow description of what it takes to be a face in the crowd.

6:00 a.m.

If it weren't for the light breeze that's keeping the temperature from getting too unbearable, this unassuming crowd of faithful, bleary-eyed Kenny Chesney admirers could easily turn ugly at a moment's notice. The fresh-faced group of teens in matching orange T-shirts emblazoned with the name of some do-gooding organization or other. The fortysomething parents thumbing through complimentary hotel copies of USA Today while shepherding their brood, who in turn are holding up the "#1 Kenny Chesney Fan" signs Sirius satellite radio has been passing around. They've all turned out for one of the Today show's early morning, first-come/first-serve free outdoor concerts in the middle of New York's Rockefeller Plaza. Since this one happens to feature the aforementioned country superstar, there are currently more Southern accents and un-ironic cowboy hats per square foot on this midtown Manhattan block than there have probably ever been before.

6:20 a.m.

The line stretches around three sides of the block that encapsulates Rockefeller Center, lining the east, north and south sides with hopeful, (presumably) hardcore Chesneyites. The lucky folks at the front of the queue arrived at 4 a.m. for the privilege of getting closer to their hero than they'd ever be in a concert setting. The line moves forward in maddeningly miniscule increments, the crowd advancing clump by clump, about five feet at a time. A strapping young man in a checked shirt and straw hat betrays a Midwestern twang while wondering aloud if he'll actually get in to see the Man of the Morning, and he's thoughtfully reassured by his mates in waiting. Rockefeller Center shills wander up and down the line, handing out coupons for their observation deck to the captive audience.

6:30 a.m.

The fatigue is just starting to show on some of the faithful. Back muscles are pulled tight in stretching motions, long yawns can be heard from far down the line, and we're still two block-lengths away from the site of the performance. As we finally round the corner of Lacoste and American Girl Place (that is, 49th Street and Fifth Avenue), a hefty gent in a "Some Beach!" shirt looks longingly at the still-closed TGI Friday's. A bruiser in a red Dale Earnhardt Jr. tee is grumpily texting someone a progress update. A weary-looking man offering flyers from a nearby eatery to the passersby shouts, "I'll be here all day."

6:45 a.m.

We've rounded the final corner onto 48th Street, and the promised land is in sight. As the subway grates blow up unwelcome gusts of warm air, we can hear the band warming up in the distance. We get closer to the sonic source, but the music is suddenly obscured by the overwhelming rumble of a Chock Full o' Nuts truck dispensing coffee to the morning crowd.

6:50 a.m.

We can hear the guitarist teasing the melody of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" before the band launches into the season-appropriate Chesney hit, "Summertime." Oh, no, they're starting early, and we're still not within sight of the stage! A palpable anxiety seizes the would-be audience as we hear whoops and cheers from those who've already gotten close enough to see what's going on.

6:55 a.m.

Luck is being a lady this morning, and the last leg of the line's journey accelerates at an unprecedented pace. Before we know it, a string of security guards usher us between the portable railings and into the plaza, where several hundred people are squeezed into a space roughly 200 feet by 300 feet. Kids are hiked up on parents' shoulders, and camera phones are everywhere, raised aloft and snapping away, which is pretty much the only way to get anything approximating a clear view of the stage. The sight lines are arranged to accommodate the TV cameras first and the audience a distant second. Chesney, looking casual in a T-shirt and ball cap, launches into "Better as a Memory" as blinding spotlights pan the crowd and a crane camera swings up and down. An overheated teen nearby is heard to utter "Mom, I think I'm gonna pass out." By the time Chesney kicks off "Never Wanted Nothing More," a realization emerges that something seems out of place. The band is surprisingly laissez-faire for a television broadcast, messing around between songs. And Chesney is curiously uncommunicative to the crowd, not uttering a word after each tune ends. Gradually the epiphany hits us all, like an elephant sitting on an egg: This is just the sound check!

8:45 a.m.

With aching feet and sweaty brows, our patience is finally rewarded as Chesney, now duded up in a proper shirt and a black cowboy hat, runs through hearty performances of ... yes, that's right ... the same three songs we heard twice each over the course of the sound check. No ones seems to mind too much about that, though. Everyone's just happy to be there. The three blonde sisters with matching Statue of Liberty sunglasses, the two blond Nebraskan teens scrolling through Chesney song titles on their iPhone, the folks who dutifully wave signs saying everything from "I love you Kenny!" to "Happy Birthday Uncle Al!" when the cameras pan over them. Chesney's voice booms out of the speakers on either side of the plaza, belting big and strong. And from banjo to acoustic guitar, every element of the mix comes out shockingly clear for an outdoor show. Then, some 15 minutes after it started, it's over as Kenny bids a quick goodbye and hops off the stage, and those who came to hear him slowly file out onto the street. A surprising number stay behind, though, to hear the rest of the show piped into the plaza over the sound system and wait for their split second of fame when the cameras cross their paths. Were they not here for the music at all to begin with, or did they just decide to hang around a while and make a morning of it to make a better story for the folks back home? Whatever the answer, they seem completely content to settle in for the duration, as they brave the 85-degree heat to hear about the hottest new gift tips for Father's Day.

It's no surprise that the members of Kiss are a crusty and resentful mob of businesspeople, but this is funny even for them:

KISS frontman GENE SIMMONS has blamed music fans for the demise of the music industry - and is begging them to stop downloading records illegally.

The musician claims the modern process of downloading songs from the internet instead of buying songs on CD format is taking away artists' passion.

He says, "The record industry is dead, it's six feet underground, and unfortunately the fans have done this.

"They've decided to download and file share. There is no record industry around so we're going to wait until everybody settles down and becomes civilised."

In which case, we can be thankful that someone is preventing Kiss from making new records...

Rule of thumb for festival audiences: Don't be throwing bottles at Josh Homme, lead Queen of the Stone Age, especially if he has a fever. If you do, he will berate you, and not using particularly progressive language, either. (Video NSFW.)

"Kanye Sucks! Kanye Sucks! Kanye Sucks!" At least that's what the crowd at Bonnaroo was chanting when West, scheduled to perform at 8:15pm, went on at 4:25am. I love Kanye, but that does kind of suck, man.

I don't spend a lot of time obsessing over shows I wish I had been able to attend—there's always another show. But this one, featuring my favorite American rock band of the past 30 years or so (R.E.M.) playing one of their very besty besty bestest songs ever ("Fall On Me") with the guitarist from my favorite British band of the '80s (Johnny Marr of the Smiths, who is now remarkably in Modest Mouse) doing a janging guest spot—well, this is an exception. Stereogum has pix and video.

For the second time in as many years, Motley Crue has confirmed its place as one of sugar metal's most litigious bands by suing its management for, you know, being shady and not putting the money in the right places. If you're wondering "what money?" well, just play along for now, 'k?

Sooo... Metallica previews new album before an audience of blogger and journalist types. Said types review what they have heard on their blogs and such. Metallica—or, wait, Metallica's management—demands that said reviews get pulled until said record is released. Metallica responds to the fracas... on a blog of its own!

While we occasionally enjoy reading the various comments, rumors, speculation, reviews, gossip and all the good that the internet brings, rarely do we feel the desire/need to respond to the "blogosphere" . . . hey, everyone is entitled to have their thoughts and opinions, right? However, once we re-surfaced on Tuesday after a few weeks on tour in Europe, we were informed that someone at Q Prime (our managers) had made the error of asking a few publications to take down reviews of the rough mixes from the new record that were posted on their sites. Our response was "WHY?!!! Why take down mostly positive reviews of the new material and prevent people from getting psyched about the next record. . . that makes no sense to us!" So after a few rounds of managerial ear spank and sentencing everyone at Q Prime to 20 push-ups each, we figured why not take matters into our own hands and just post the links here on our site. Kerrang, Metal Hammer, The Quietus.

You see, we have maintained an "in the press" section here on Metallica.com for many years now, posting links to reviews of shows, album and DVD releases, and various other tidbits we've come across while surfing around. Some good, some not so good, but we put 'em all up . . . sort of the same way we treat our message boards on this site . . . welcoming all feedback.

So in the spirit of keeping this section current, we've put as many of the reviews of the rough mixes of the new record up here as we could find. If we missed any, let us know . . . and in the meantime, we're always adding, so peruse at your leisure.

Is someone going soft on crime?

The battle of the reality shows that feature competition among mediocre musical hopefuls has kicked into high gear as judge (and, let's be serious, likely profit participant) of Nashville Star John Rich (a.k.a. half of Big & Rich) talks some smack about that other show (a.k.a. American Idol).

From People:

“After the performances, we get back together with those artists one on one and spend time getting down to the nitty-gritty on everything they’re doing,” says Rich, one half of the hit-making duo Big & Rich.

“We would be doing the artists a disservice to just give them a flippant comment and move on down the road. They are not going to get any better if we do that,” says Rich, comparing Star to Idol.

It looks like Rich’s contestants will need all the help they can get. “The winner is going to go from being an amateur singer to performing at the opening ceremony of the Olympics in 10 weeks,” he says. “Think about that!”

In addition to performing at the Olympics, the winner will also release a record produced by Rich. Billy Ray Cyrus hosts the show, which airs Monday (9 p.m. ET, on NBC). Joining Rich on the judges’ panel are singer Jewel and songwriter Jeffrey Steele. Star’s 12 finalists include African American and Hispanic country artists, a 32-year-old mother of five, and two high school friends who dream of making it as a duet. “Who knew that one genre had that many colors in it?” says Rich. “That’s a pretty great genre of music right there.”