The Police and Smashing Pumpkins are headlining the 2007 Virgin Festival on August 4th and 5th at Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore, MD but who else will be playing? Only some of the premiere names in rock, hip-hop and electronica.  A few of the most noteworthy acts include 311, Wu Tang Clan, Chris Cornell, Modest Mouse, Beastie Boys, Incubus, Ben Harper, Cheap Trick and Fountains of Wayne. Not too shabby… the entire lineup can be found below.
 Tickets go on sale at 10am on May 5th and cost $175 for the two-day tickets; VIP tickets are $450. If the show isn’t sold out by May 19th, then they will begin selling single day tickets for $97.50. A single day VIP ticket, if made available, will cost $250.
The Virgin Festival chose Baltimore as it’s first United States tour location in 2006 and after a tremendous first showing, Richard Bronson’s brainchild is giving the city a second go. Last year’s event headlined The Who and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and recieved a rave review by music fans who traveled cross country to get in the gates that are also home to one of the Triple Crown Horse Races - Preakness.
This concert is bound to be one of the hottest of the Summer, so leave your calender open on May 5th and pick up a few extra VIP tickets for us!
Ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist, James Iha, has announced that he has no intention of touring with the band this spring/summer.
Iha claims he is too busy writing music for his solo project and working on his indie record label, Scratchie Records. He even told Rolling Stone, “I haven’t spoken to Billy [Corgan] in years.”
The only members on board for the reunion so far are singer Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain. It does not appear that guitarist Iha or bassist Wretzky will join.
However, temporary member Melissa Auf der Maur has stated, “My services are always there to play my favorite songs. If D’arcy [Wretzky] is not available, I’m always happy to be second in line.”
With Iha’s announcement, a few questions are brought up.
How can Corgan and Chamberlain expect this to fly if they don’t follow up and try to convince Iha or D’arcy Wretzky?
Does this mean the upcoming Smashing Pumpkins album Zeitgeist will only feature Corgan and Chamberlain? Disappointing.
Will they delay the reunion concert until all the members have time and are up for it?
Only time will tell..
What do you think about this “reunion”?
Do you remember Jin and Poster Boy - the legends from the Freestyle Friday Hall of Fame? I can remember them going from obscurity to sensations as people tuned in week after week to see who they would face next. After each victory they would get closer to the ultimate honor of induction into the Hall of Fame. Poster Boy was the first to recieve the acclaim and Jin followed suit soon after.
Even more rewarding for them were the record deals that followed. Poster Boy quickly put out a single with Swizz Beats (the hottest producer at the time) that ripped a freestyle flow over a bangin Jurassic Park sample. Jin got scooped up by the Ruff Ryders and had his Wyclef produced single - “Learn Chinese” - hit the mainstream.
But after these initial spurts of focus, neither maintained their glory or lived up to their expectations. In fact, we were unable to find much of anything about either artists’ current endeavors. Jin has reportedly dropped a couple albums and at one point changed his name to “The Emcee”, a move that seems pretty bland and boring. Review of a MySpace profile called TheRealJin made mention to Jin concerts in San Francisco and London. Poster Boy, however, seems to have fallen off the musical map entirely.
Below you’ll find one of our favorite ever Jin battles. In Week 6, Skazoo goes first and rips a ridiculous freestyle that looks like it could end Jin’s reign. At the end of the flow he calls AJ’s (the host) wardrobe “terrible” - creating a little ruckus. Jin helps put him in his place with a knockout punch that rightfully sends Skazoo out the door.
If you’ve got any news or updates on what Poster Boy or Jin are up to now… leave a reply. We’re probably not the only ones eager to know!
Chris Cornell has announced his first UK concert, which will be in support of his forthcoming solo album ‘Carry On’ due in stores April 30 (May 21 in UK). The concert is on May 16 at London’s Astoria, and you can buy tickets here, on ents24.com
What songs he will play: It is almost certain Chris will play plenty of the new songs from ‘Carry On’. He will probably play a few Soundgarden favorites, and it is rumored he will play some Temple of the Dog.
Also recently announced was “Arms Around Your Love”, the title of the first single off the new album.
The guy doesn’t necessarily *look* the part of a beatboxin bboy. But when you check this out you’ll be wowed. The beats get progressively more intricate as he intertwines the sound of a gremlin into the mouth made symphony. Come to think of it… this guy kind of LOOKS like a gremlin. But still - props to him.
