Backstage Pass

AMERICAN IDOL 7: David vs. David

2008-05-15T02:00:36Z

It's the battle we've been expecting since the finals began: David Archuleta vs. David Cook. But the stakes will actually be higher than expected -- not because the difference between winning "American Idol" and coming in second is all that important, but because the winner may determine the show's future.

See, if Archuleta wins, which seems likely at this point, it will reveal why the future of "Idol" is in trouble. It will show that the people who presumably pick the next big music star don't actually buy music. It means that the star-making machinery doesn't actually make stars. Nothing against him -- or his tween and Grandma voting block -- but a victory for him will solidify the idea that "Idol" is no longer cool and that changes need to be made.

If Cook wins, "Idol" can point to how it still turns nobodies into somebodies. Then, if Cook goes on to live out his Daughtry-esque hit-making destiny, "Idol" can shake off the problematic sales records of Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard. And though he's not exactly edgy, he is compared to Archuleta.

So which David will win? Time will tell.

AMERICAN IDOL 7: Week 13 power rankings

2008-05-14T04:30:49Z

Uh oh. The coronation of David Archuleta – who some blogs have started to call “Gaspy,” which I admit is kind of funny ‘cause it’s true – has hit a snag. No, it’s not because David Cook is actually a better singer and musician, even though he is.

It’s because Archuleta basically struck out this week. Not only did he not sell the Grandma-friendly ballads he’s known for very well, but he tried to sing an age-appropriate song and failed with that as well. His leaden version of Chris Brown’s “With You” prompted Simon Cowell to say it was “like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger,” which was true, though it was Paula Abdul who nailed the problem, saying he was dragging out the notes, which he was.

Cook, on the other hand, handled everything the judges and producers threw at him, including “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which, let’s face it, could have sunk Archuleta or Syesha Mercado (who was, once again, passable, but not quite great), but Cook took it in stride. And he saved his best performance for the end, hitting “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing” out of the park, closing out the show with a memory of his dominance.

He may still end up losing to Archuleta, but that will be because of “American Idol” demographics, not because of actual skills. And that, more than anything, will explain this year’s ratings fall-off and problems for the show going forward.

THE RANKINGS

David Cook, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
David Cook, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
David Cook, “Dare You to Move”
David Archuleta, “And So It Goes”
Syesha Mercado, “If I Ain’t Got You”
Syesha Mercado, “Hit Me Up”
David Archuleta, “Longer”
Syesha Mercado, “Fever”
David Archuleta, “With You”

WILL BE CUT: Syesha
SHOULD BE CUT: Syesha
ACTUALLY CUT: ???

Brookhaven schedule announced

2008-05-13T17:20:33Z

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Blondie, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough “Parallel Lines” album, kick off this summer’s concerts at the Brookhaven Amphitheatre in Farmingville on June 18.

Fellow new wavers Squeeze arrive on Aug. 24 with The Smithereens. Brookhaven will also host a heavy dose of ‘80s metal, with Extreme, Living Colour and Kings X on Aug. 1 and Cinderella, Warrant and Lynch Mob on Aug. 3, as well as a night of country rock with Little River Band, Poco, Pure Prarie League and Firefall on Sept. 7.

The amphitheatre will also pay tribute to Long Island’s rock roots on Sept. 6 with Orleans, Barnaby Bye, Frank Carillo and the Bandoleros, Stanton Anderson, Wes Houston, Kerry Kearney & the Jim Small Band, who will all receive Long Island Sound awards from the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

Other shows set for Farmingville: The LI Philharmonic taking on the music of Led Zeppelin (July 26) and the music of The Eagles (Aug. 23) and the Dave Brubeck Quartet (Aug. 22).

Blondie, One Way or Another

American Idols Tour set for Nassau

2008-05-12T16:15:28Z

This year’s "American Idol" Top 10 will arrive at Nassau Coliseum on Aug. 4, with tickets – between $42.50 and $68.50 -- on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through Ticketmaster, 631-888-9000.

Which one of The Davids will get the prime spot? It’s still too early to tell. But as far as the rest of the Top 10, doesn’t it seem like forever ago since Chikezie was in the mix?

Intro 5.12.08 (Happy Sad edition featuring Black Kids, Los Campesinos, Tegan and Sara, Jesse McCartney, Bishop Allen, Black Keys, Pizzicato Five, Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, Death Cab for Cutie

2008-05-12T10:03:18Z

Glenn

WHY?

Black Kids: At Studio B on Tuesday and Bowery Ballroom on Sunday.
Los Campesinos: At Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday, the Living Room on Sunday and Bowery Ballroom on 5.19.
Tegan and Sara: At Terminal 5 on Monday.
Jesse McCartney: At Zootopia on Saturday.
Bishop Allen: At Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday.
Black Keys: At Terminal 5 on Thursday.
Pizzicato Five: Just because.
Rihanna: Opening for Kanye West at Madison Square Garden Tuesday.
Lupe Fiasco: Opening for Kanye West at Madison Square Garden Tuesday.
Death Cab for Cutie: “Narrow Stairs” CD in stores Tuesday.

Taking Back Sunday @ Madison Square Garden, 5.9.08

2008-05-10T11:37:57Z

     The next chapter in the ever-evolving saga of Taking Back Sunday started with a bang Friday night, as the band made its Madison Square Garden debut.
   Though the Rockville Centre-based band's 45-minute set was shorter than usual and the sound was a bit muddy, it did offer some clues about TBS’ next move, especially since the addition of guitarist/singer Matt Fazzi who replaced Fred Mascherino in February.
   Opening with “Error Operator” and “Liar,” which showcase the heavy-hitting guitarwork of Ed Reyes and Fazzi, the band is concentrating on the hard rock end of their catalog and making those songs sound more aggressive than their original versions. (They even look more aggressive as bassist Matt Rubano bounded around the stage and Mark O'Connell pounded the drums.) Even the one still-untitled new song they unveiled, with lines like “I’m ready to begin again,” has more in common with Queens of the Stone Age than the emo-pioneering sounds of their debut “Tell All Your Friends.”
   That doesn’t mean the band is ready to abandon its past, though, giving the early hit “Cute Without the ‘E’” a prime spot in the set and featuring singer Adam Lazzara scream, “Louder!” as the crowd sang along. But they do seem set on changing it, as a smiling Fazzi gave the backing vocals a poppier sound than the original, or as Lazzara busted out Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” in the middle of “A Decade Under the Influence.”
   Though TBS is currently working on a new album in Brooklyn, they jumped at the chance to play The Garden, even unveiling a new backdrop (and t-shirt) that uses graffiti to change the iconic “I” in the “I (Heart) NY” logo to “TBS.”
   “[My Chemical Romance] gave us a call and said, 'Hey, do you guys wanna play Madison Square Garden?' Lazzara told the crowd. And we said, 'That's not funny, man. That's a mean joke.' But they were serious.
   The night also closed a chapter for My Chemical Romance, whose two-year tour supporting the great album “The Black Parade” ended Friday in grand style, headlining the venue where the band’s brothers Gerard and Mikey Way first developed their arena rock dreams at a Smashing Pumpkins concert.
   In front of family and friends, as well as a capacity crowd, My Chem made the most of the memory with powerful versions of “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “I Don’t Love You” and a dramatic take on “Helena” that left the crowd wanting more.

SETLIST : Error Operator / Liar / Set Phasers to Stun / One-Eighty by Summer / (untitled new song) / Cute Without the ‘E’ / Spin / A Decade Under the Influence / What It Feels Like To Be A Ghost / MakeDamnSure

PHOTO: Matt Fazzi at Madison Square Garden by Charles Eckert for Newsday.

Madonna hits the road

2008-05-08T20:15:49Z

Madonna will kick off the North American leg of her Sticky and Sweet Tour at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 3, followed by shows at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 6 and 7.
The tour supports her “Hard Candy” album, which debuted at No. 1 this week on sales of 280,000, featuring the hit “4 Minutes” with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Tickets for the North American tour go on sale on May 19 through Ticketmaster, with prices ranging from $55 to $350. Citi Cards holders will have access to tickets at a pre-sale that starts at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Madonna’s tour, directed by Jamie King, will start in the stadiums of Europe in August and run through November, ending at Dolphins Stadium in Miami.

PHOTO: Madonna by Steven Klein for Warner Bros.

Tina Turner returns to touring

2008-05-08T20:11:10Z

Tina Turner will return to touring this fall, announcing plans for her first North American tour in eight years, including a stop at Nassau Coliseum on Dec. 3, for her only New York-area appearance.

“After performing with Beyonce at The Grammy Awards, the response was overwhelming,” said Turner. “Everywhere I went people were asking me when I was going back on tour. So after a lot of thought and planning, I can answer the only way I know how: See you in Kansas City where we'll kick the tour off ”

Tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster on May 19.

PHOTO: TinaTurnerLive.com

America helps Jason Castro get his wish

2008-05-08T11:30:41Z

Jason Castro clearly wanted to go home.

It seemed "American Idol" had stopped being fun for him and, let's face it, he wasn't going to win. He didn't really apply himself for a few weeks, no longer trying to come up with ways to showcase his talent as he did with "Hallelujah" or "Over the Rainbow."

So America gave him his wish. They voted for someone else -- apparently Syesha Mercado, since Ryan Seacrest said that only a million votes separated the Top 3.

There's a growing anti-Davids movement, but an Archuleta vs. Cook showdown seems inevitable, no matter what happens next week.

Will Castro have a great post-Idol career? Hard to say. The Jack Johnson model may look laid back, but it really does involve a lot of work. At this point, it's not clear that Castro wants to put in all that work.

CHARTS: Madonna's "Hard Candy" gets sweet debut

2008-05-07T19:01:53Z

Madonna lands her seventh No. 1 album this week, as "Hard Candy" (Warner Bros.) debuts with sales of 280,000 copies. Among all female performers, only Barbra Streisand has more chart-topping albums now, with eight.

"Hard Candy" pushes Mariah Carey's "E=MC2" down to No. 2, with sales of 95,000, and Leona Lewis' "Spirit" to No. 3, with sales of 84,000, making it all about girl power this week.

Lyfe Jennings' "Lyfe Change" debuts at No. 4 and Def Leppard's "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge" debuts at No. 5.

PHOTO: Madonna by Steven Klein for Warner Bros.

Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon really married (not just in video)

2008-05-07T17:10:37Z

The pics on the left are from Mariah Carey's new video "Bye Bye," shot in March and reportedly the first time she met Nick Cannon. The pic on the right is from this week's People magazine, in stores on Friday, where she confirms to the magazine that the couple got married at her Bahamian home on April 30. Wow.

Now I'm the first to admit that I thought this was some weird, elaborate practical joke/publicity stunt to drum up interest in "Bye Bye," which, frankly, didn't need it. It just seemed out of character for the driven, methodical Mariah to do something so impulsive -- and in the middle of her album rollout, no less. And yet she did it. "I never felt a love like this was in the cards for me," she tells People.

Mimi must really be emancipated now. Good for her.

Check out the "Bye Bye" video, which could pretty much double for their wedding video anyway, below.

AMERICAN IDOL 7: Week 12 power rankings

2008-05-07T01:40:39Z

   Sometimes it gets easy to forget that David Archuleta has the potential to be a great singer.
   Yes, he seems a little pre-programmed. And yeah, despite his young age, he’s not really very contemporary. But, man, he’s got a nice voice and when the arrangements are meticulously laid out for him, the results in ""Love Me Tender" and "Stand by Me" are gorgeous. Even though it sounded like he was having a bad allergy week or fighting back some sort of asthma attack as he gasped for breath between notes, those notes were well-placed and well-delivered.
   David Cook showed that despite his high skill level, he still needs a bit of inspiration to make his act work. He took all the fun and drama out when he grunged-up Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” and though he managed a bit of fire on “Baba O’Riley,” it was nowhere near the amount of heat Roger Daltrey gives off on even his worst day. He didn’t take on enough with the Duran Duran song and on “Baba O’Riley” he took on too much.
   Syesha Mercado seemingly always takes on too much, not really making the mark with Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” or Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” which I thought would suit her perfectly. It did suit her, but she was swinging for the fences and came up short, resulting in a bloop single. She probably would have gone home this week if Jason Castro didn’t flame out, but his performances were essentially his way of bowing out.
   His “I Shot the Sheriff” was not as fun as he wanted it to be and flubbing several lines in “Mr. Tambourine Man” really should make it the end of the road for him. Of course, it will also energize his fanbase, as will Syesha’s tears. Will that be enough to save him? Probably not.

THE RANKINGS
David Archuleta, “Love Me Tender”
David Archuleta, “Stand By Me”
David Cook, ‘Baba O’Riley”
Syesha Mercado, “A Change Is Gonna Come”
David Cook, “Hungry Like the Wolf”
Syesha Mercado, “Proud Mary”
Jason Castro, “I Shot the Sheriff”
Jason Castro, “Mr. Tambourine Man”

BOTTOM TWO: Jason, Syesha
WILL BE CUT: Jason
SHOULD BE CUT: Jason
ACTUALLY CUT: ??

Taking Back Sunday reveals new guitarist

2008-05-06T19:52:16Z

Taking Back Sunday introduced its new guitarist/singer Matt Fazzi, formerly of the band Facing New York, to its hometown crowd at a “secret” show last night at the Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale.
   “We told him if you guys didn’t like him he was out of the band,” joked singer Adam Lazzara onstage, as Fazzi received a huge ovation from the capacity crowd that even included the band Metro Station, featuring Trace Cyrus, Miley’s brother, who plays the club tonight.
   Fazzi replaces guitarist/singer Fred Mascherino, who left the band late last year to head his own band The Color Fred. “It’s a trip because it automatically puts me in a place where I’ve been trying to go by myself for a long time – playing music for a living, as my livelihood,” Fazzi said after making his public debut. “I’m just trying to soak it all up and have a good time.”
   The Rockville Centre-based band picked Fazzi in February, after a series of auditions with several indie rockers. “When [TBS guitarist Ed Reyes] texted me, I hadn’t even realized that Fred had left the band,” Fazzi said. “I went and we just vibed really well and played a lot of songs.”
   Reyes said when Mascherino left, Fazzi was the first person he thought of to bring in. “He was in this amazing band called Facing New York, which was one of my favorite bands that nobody knew about,” Reyes said. “He’s such a talented guy and he became one of my best friends over the years... We’ve always talked about starting another band and jamming together.I called him up and said, ‘Fazz, you wanna try?’ and he said, ‘Give me a week.’”
   Fazzi, who turns 23 on Saturday, will certainly get a trial by fire. His first official show in the band is Friday night’s show at Madison Square Garden, with high-profile festivals following later this summer. Immediately after joining the band, they began work on the follow-up to the album “Louder Now,” which hit No. 2 in 2006.
   “He’s got his own spice,” Reyes said. “Kid’s got a groove like you wouldn’t believe and everyone will hear when the new record comes out. He’s a big part of it.”
    So how are they going to deal with having two Matts in the band? Well, bassist Matt Rubano said last names are going to become very important. "His last name is cool," Rubano said. "So he's been going by Fazz and I'm answering to 'Bano. But whenever someone says Matt, there's going to be a bunch of guys going, 'Huh?'"

SETLIST: You Know How I Do / Error Operator / Liar / Set Phasers To Stun / One-Eighty by Summer / (untitled new song) / Cute Without the ‘E’ / Miami / Spin / Up Against / Bonus Mosh Part Two / (untitled new song) / A Decade Under the Influence / What It Feels Like To Be A Ghost / MakeDamnSure

PHOTO: Matt Fazzi by Wayne Herrschaft for Newsday.

The Police reunion adds another date

2008-05-06T19:08:55Z

    Well, Police fans, it’s not going to end here.
   Though it looked like the final shows of the Police reunion would be at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach on Aug. 4 and 5, Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, along with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced that the band’s actual final concert would be held in New York and that it would be a fundraiser for public television stations WNET and WLIW. The date and venue weren’t announced at the press conference, though it is expected to be an indoor venue and not Central Park. No ticket information was released, though the TV stations’ websites will be handling distribution.
   “We kicked off our very first American tour at CBGB's in 1978 and this summer, 30 years later, our journey will come full circle as we play our final show here in New York City,” The Police said in a statement. We are honored to partner with public television and have a deep respect for their commitment to arts and culture.

PHOTO: The Police by Duane Michaels for thepolice.com

Nine Inch Nails gives us "The Slip"

2008-05-05T13:21:49Z

Trent Reznor is taking free Internet distribution very seriously. This morning the Nine Inch Nails mastermind is giving away the band's new CD "The Slip" away on his website, saying "Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years - this one's on me."

He's hoping fans will pick up the next round -- especially as tickets for the band's new arena tour start to go on sale. And judging by the reaction to the limited editions of his "Ghosts" CDs, he's probably right.

PHOTO: Trent Reznor by Rob Sheridan