By Zachary Swickey

Pomona, California - Before Crosses took the stage at Pomona’s famous Glass House music venue – the air was already thick with anticipation and the crowd’s energy was wildly high well before the show even began. As the six band members slowly crept onstage with three illuminated Crosses as their backdrop, Chino Moreno, lead singer of the Deftones, grabbed the mic – rockin’ a black leather jacket with hood draped – the crowed went hysterical. (At this point, Moreno is essentially a legend in the California music scene and very well-respected by his musical peers).

The crowd certainly wasn't complaining when the band kicked things off with the subdued, dreamy “Thholyghost.” Fans hung on Moreno's every word – singing along with him (something that continued for the majority of the show). Next up was “This Is A Trick,” which is without a doubt one of Crosses strongest songs. Moreno showed signs of his Deftones alter-ego with his primal scream as he “sang” the song’s chorus. Lopez’s excellent production work and digital additions on the track were spot-on in a live setting, sounding like a maniacal emergency siren of the future.

When the band began playing a track off their second EP, Frontiers, Moreno hopped on the guard rail, which he is notoriously known for doing (and something fans adore him for). He draped his body over the clamoring fans as he sang, “I can take you even further,” as hands reached out – hoping to merely touch the icon. During “Telepathy” the three backdrop Crosses even began glowing a deep purple (eventually they covered every color in the spectrum). It was at this point that I realized how crazy talented bassist Chuck Doom is – his finger pluckin’ precision is right up there with RHCP’s Flea. Read More...

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The Beach Boys

If you're a fan of nostalgia and classic rock, 2012 will bring with it an especially awesome treat: a reunion tour from the Beach Boys!

That's right, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks have finally puts years of lawsuits and bitter press spats behind them – "All that stuff is long forgotten," Love tells Rolling Stone – and are hitting the road for a 50-date 50th anniversary tour. The tour kickoff will officially go down at the New Orleans Jazz Fest in late April, but the group is planning something for the Grammys in February.

"There will be a surprise at the Grammys," Jardine tells RS. "We'll do something really exciting. There's a lot of interest in it, which is nice. It's going to be a very big operation."

(That means some sort of performance, right? Maybe with a contemporary artist, a la the recent – and regrettable – Stevie Wonder/Jonas Brothers medley of "Burnin' Up" and "Superstition" at the 2009 Grammys.)

Rumors were swirling that the Boys would announce the reunion at the recent Grammy Nominations Concert, which featured performances from Lady Gaga and Rihanna, but some behind-the-scenes turmoil forced the group to pull out of the special (which at the time seemed a little ominous for the tour moving forward).

In a statement, Brian Wilson said, "This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys. It will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again." Read More...

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Katy Perry

By Zachary Swickey

We already knew that U2 was going to set a new record for highest grossing tour of all time, and of course they have now officially done so – pulling in $293 million more bones this year alone (which means they could pretty much recreate Scrooge McDuck’s swimming pool of money in the real world) from 44 shows as Billboard reports in their list of the top-grossing tours of 2011.

While vets like U2, Bon Jovi, Roger Waters and Take That (Take Who?) take the four top spots, the younger generation of artists aren’t far behind in the money race with birthday girl Taylor Swift rounding out the top five (blowing away several big name acts like the Eagles and Journey who have apparently not stopped believin’). The country charmer grossed a staggering $97 million on her 89-date tour behind Speak Now … 87 of which were impressively sold-out!

Plenty of other MTV favorites managed to make the list. Read on to find out who! Read More...

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<i>Photo by David Harrison</i>

Photo by David Harrison

By David Harrison

LOS ANGELES – Any music fan who has visited Los Angeles over the holidays must be familiar with the ambiguously-titled “Almost Acoustic Christmas,” the annual two-night concert hosted by alternative rock station KROQ. Now in its 22nd installment, Almost Acoustic Christmas has become synonymous with the biggest bands gathering at the Gibson Amphitheater to celebrate the holidays in a very un-acoustic manner. Night one’s lineup this year, however, was particularly special – it featured seven (out of eight) artists who have previously played the festival, namely headliners Blink 182, 311, Sublime with Rome, Social Distortion, Bush, New Found Glory and Chevelle.

Night one started off with a little bit of nostalgia, as New Found Glory took a moment to reminisce about the last time they performed with Blink on the 2001 "Take of Your Pants and Jacket Tour." By music industry standards, ten years is ancient history. In that time, CDs have gone the way of the dinosaurs, YouTube has launched careers and the traditional sense of radio has completely evolved (my parents have been teaching me how to use podcasts… no, I’m not embarrassed). But the cheers from the sold-out crowd at the Gibson Amphitheater on Saturday night proved that some things in rock music haven’t changed since the 1990s. Here is a (partial) list:

1. Blink-182 rocked Almost Acoustic Christmas
2. Sublime with Rome rocked Almost Acoustic Christmas
3. Social Distortion rocked Almost Acoustic Christmas

You get the idea. In fact, take Social Distortion, for example. They headlined the first Almost Acoustic Christmas ever in 1990. Saturday night, frontman Mike Ness announced, “We’re gonna play a song off the [1996] album White Light, White Heat, White Trash. A squeaky voice behind me shouted “I f**king love that album!” and I turned to see a kid in a Social D shirt who was definitely not even born when the album was released, let alone should be using that kind of potty language.

Read More...

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Lana Del Rey

By Rya Backer

NEW YORK – It's hard to know what to make of Lana Del Rey at first glance. Is she as Jools Holland once dubbed her an "Internet phenomenon" worth no more than a few salacious blog posts? Or is she a legitimate chanteuse wrapped in the hyper feminine, yet innately American (and admittedly well-curated) image she's projected in videos for such tracks as "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans"?

Regardless of where one stands on the issue, last night at her sold-out show at Bowery Ballroom, Del Rey offered skeptics and fans alike a recital in the most literal sense: she played all the songs she'd practiced, hoping to show both the crowd how much she's improved since she first appeared – seemingly out of nowhere – less than six months ago.

Arriving on stage shortly after 9:15, looking like a Real Housewife (perfect makeup and blow-out? Check) dressed up for a night downtown, pairing her low-top Chuck Taylors with a tailored, white pleated dress, Del Rey sauntered onto a stage aglow with white balloons projecting the stock footage and vintage-treated videos that would look familiar to those privy to her YouTube account. Read More...

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Keith Urban

By Zachary Swickey

Country star Keith Urban is the latest in a long list of musicians to require throat surgery to remove a polyp from his vocal cords. The singer made the announcement on his website, stating the surgery will be minor, although it is undetermined how much vocal rest he will actually need.

This has forced Urban to postpone his "All for the Hall" benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which was scheduled for Jan. 18 in Nashville. It was to include performances from Rascal Flatts, Vince Gill and Allison Krauss with Urban acting as emcee for the evening. Urban will still honor any one-song performances leading up to his surgery later this month.

There seems to be some sort of throat epidemic going around considering the growing list of musicians facing serious vocal ailments. Adele, the best selling artist in the U.S. this year, has nixed her tour of the states twice (which had been selling tickets like hotcakes) due to her persisting vocal problems that now require the amazing British songbird to undergo surgery. (Word of advice: lay off the cigs my dear). But trust us; she’s just as bummed as we are about it.

Who else is on doctor-ordered vocal rest? Read on for more. Read More...

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She's taken the stage with her kids, but it's the guys that Britney Spears brings on stage to perform lap dances on that really make headlines. On Monday night, Joe Jonas ended his run opening for Spears in Europe and she rewarded the singer for all his hard work with a private lap dance during her song "Lace and Leather."

"What a great night! LONDON! you rule! what a way to end the @britneyspears tour," he tweeted, before this shout out for his Femme Fatale, "And.. @britneyspears thanks for the strip tease.. ;) "

Joe is, of course, only the latest recipient of Spears' sexy dances. Over the course of her last two tours, the singer has given some of her high-profile pals – and pals with benefits – a lap dance. Read More...

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Beyonce

Beyonce is set to drop her live DVD special "Live At Roseland" on November 21. Filmed over four nights in August, the special will take fans right inside the venue for B's intimate string of sold out shows in New York City. Not many had the chance to see it for themselves, so this is a nice holiday treat from the expectant singer.

We got the chance to be there (you're so jealous, aren't you?) and since the night remains ingrained on our memories forever, we decided to share the few moments you should be most excited to see once it drops. Read More...

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Lamar

By Steven Roberts

Way back in 20 aught 7 when I started interning at MTV News, CMJ Week was one of the things that got me noticed and helped me stick around. The annual music showcase sees dozens of artists descend – well, some just take the L from Brooklyn – on New York City to try and prove themselves. As an intern, I loved the chance to run around my hometown to cover music. I was doing that already, but this time it was free and I could tell girls I was working for MTV News.

Fast-forward four years, I'm old and jaded, and CMJ isn't that big of a deal. Well, that isn't entirely true. It still provides kids an opportunity to see plenty of up-and-coming acts and it gives those acts a chance to broaden their fanbase. And I wasn't mad at all of those invites in my inbox either.

My co-worker CJ and I decided to compile a list of some of our favorite shows this weekend, read on for more. Read More...

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Florence

By Zachary Swickey

Florence Welch, the fiery frontwoman of Florence + the Machine, has admitted to adopting sober living while on tour. The group was an opening act on U2’s record-shattering roadshow this summer, and the demanding schedule required a lot from the singer, which led her to choose sobriety on the road.

Welch explained to UK’s The Sun, saying, “I have stopped drinking on tour. I feel a bit more responsibility for my body and for fans who come to see us. When we toured with U2 it was such a grueling schedule and I had shows every day and I can’t do that with a hangover.”

We’ve seen firsthand how delicate a voice can be with Adele axing two U.S. tours this year due to her crazy schedule, and Welch doesn’t seem keen on running into the same problem as she elaborated, stating, “This is the best job in the world and I don’t want to spoil it. Stopping drinking has made a huge difference in my vocal range too.”

The singer even got a pep talk about performing in high heels from Bono himself: “Bono was great. He gave me advice on how to perform even when I’m wearing huge high-heeled shoes. He told me how to keep my feet on the spot and use my arms.” (Sidenote: Bono is actually known to wear shoes with heels several inches thick due to his short stature, but he’s kind of sensitive about it so don’t tease him).

Check out our recent interview with Welch after the jump for more details about life on the road with the Machine, as well as her culinary skills (or lack thereof). Read More...

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