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Justin Bieber, Pavement Lead The List Of The Best Concert Moments Of 2010

Posted 12/21/10 2:30 pm EST by in Music


With 2010 coming to a close, it's time to reflect on the cultural year that was. And while most of the MTV News staff is focused on putting the best (and not-as-good) moments, songs, albums and performances of the year in grand perspective, it's also important to take a look back at some personal highlights. That's why the MTV Newsroom Blog posed this question to a handful of staffers: What was your single favorite concert experience of 2010?

We see a lot of shows here, so a few people cheated and named more than one event. But that's OK, because the more the merrier. Check out our picks below and let us know what your favorite concert was in the comments!

Jocelyn Vena
It's my job to go to concerts, and this year I had the pleasure of seeing some really big stars in concert, including the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Lady Gaga and even Rihanna. But the one guy I saw the most of in 2010 live was Justin Bieber. I saw him a number of times, but the best spectacle I saw all year was when he was at Madison Square Garden back in September.

The show, which he was taping for his upcoming 3-D movie, included appearances by Usher, Sean Kingston, Boyz II Men, Jaden Smith and even Miley Cyrus. There was confetti and pyro and even an airborne Bieber flying over the audience in a heart-shaped cage. Sure, I'm a bit too old to groove at a Bieber show, but seriously, some of those tunes are quite catchy.

James Montgomery
Look, I am 32 years old. I dislike crowded rooms and loud noises and standing in one place for too long, mainly because it gives me lower back pain. (I have considered orthopedics.) Life isn't what it used to be. These days, I won't go see a band if they're on too late, or if it's too cold out, or if the club is in Manhattan and I have to kill a few hours after work. Or if it's at some firetrap in Bushwick. I realize that this has probably robbed me of several "revelatory" moments over the years, but I'm okay with that. Also, AMC just started re-airing "Breaking Bad," so I'm pretty good on revelatory at the minute.

And yet, in spite of that, there are still rare occasions when I actually make it out to a show and then that the show is actually totally amazingly great, to the point where I find myself thinking something like "I should go to shows more often, even if they're in Manhattan." Here are three of them from 2010, one of which actually took place in Manhattan, which basically proves that I'm totally full of sh--.

1) Titus Andronicus at GlassLands Gallery: This was a benefit for something, but I can't remember what. In that respect, I guess it was sort of a failure. But in terms of everything else (sonic wallop, sweaty camaraderie, sheer spectacle), it was probably the show of the year. Read More...

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Audioslave Make Everything Louder: Wake-Up Video

Posted 11/19/10 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


When Soundgarden first broke up in 1997, frontman Chris Cornell — who has one of the best sets of pipes in the rock singer business — initially embarked on a solo career (he released the underrated Euphoria Morning in 1999). But really, it seemed like he was just waiting for Zack De La Rocha to exit Rage Against the Machine in 2000, leaving bandmates Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk searching for a new voice. They were introduced to Cornell by superstar rock producer Rick Rubin, and the rest is history. The band hit it off immediately, adopted the name Audioslave, recorded 19 songs in three weeks and shortly thereafter dropped their self-titled debut album, which hit the streets on this day in 2002.

Prior to the release of Audioslave, there was a great deal of speculation regarding what the band would actually sound like. Would the Rage boys flip to a more classic rock sound in order to play to Cornell's strengths, or would the singer try a rap or two? The reality was that neither of those things ended up being true, and Audioslave sounded a lot like the guy from Soundgarden singing with Rage Against the Machine.

Of course, that's exactly what a lot of people wanted. Audioslave is full of big, powerful riffs, thudding percussion and Cornell's incredible wail. First single "Cochise" was an excellent introduction into the world of Audioslave, as it wrapped savage riffing around a gorgeous chorus. In fact, the most remarkable moments of Audioslave (which went on to sell over three million copies) are the quiet, prettier ones, like the slow-burning "I Am the Highway" and the power ballad "Like a Stone," one of the band's biggest hits.


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Second Episode Of 'Conan' Dominated By Soundgarden, Tom Hanks

Posted 11/10/10 8:42 am EST by in Television


With a big ratings victory under his belt and the first night jitters behind him, Conan O'Brien confidently walked onto the set of his new show "Conan" on Tuesday night (November 9) for an excellent sophomore effort that kept the sweet momentum going. The show featured an excellent monologue, a very funny remote package, classic guest spots from Tom Hanks and Jack McBrayer and a savage performance from Soundgarden — their first television appearance in 13 years.

O'Brien opened the show with a more traditional opening, settling into current events humor and only venturing into anti-NBC territory once. He followed that up with the night's comedy highlight: A visit to the guy in charge of standards and practices at TBS. O'Brien admitted that he really wasn't sure exactly what he could say and not say on cable (after all, guest Seth Rogen got away with saying the word "titties" during the first show, something that almost certainly would have been bleeped out on network TV), so he chatted with the guy who is in charge of censoring him. He ran through a number of euphemisms for male genitalia ("The One Legged Pigeon") and sexual positions ("Have you ever tried a Tokyo Sandblaster?"). He wrapped up with an extended riff that saw him figure out exactly how long he could show his rear end without getting the hook (the answer was four seconds).

When the action returned to the studio, O'Brien chatted with longtime friend Tom Hanks (who started the trend of calling O'Brien "Coco") and went through an elaborate bit that featured a handful of green-screened whales swimming through the set's backdrop and ended with Hanks getting soaked. But following a brief conversation with "30 Rock" star and former "Late Night" featured performer Jack McBrayer, O'Brien introduced Soundgarden, who were playing on television for the first time in 13 years (and playing together publicly for only the fifth time since they announced their reunion at the beginning of the year). They played the tepid new single "Black Rain" on the show, but O'Brien saved the best bit for the web: A performance of "Hunted Down," the band's very first single from their classic 1987 EP Screaming Life.

What did you think of the second episode of "Conan"? Let us know in the comments!

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Soundgarden's Reunion Began With A Song They Never Played Before

Posted 9/28/10 2:30 pm EST by in Music


When Soundgarden first announced that they were going to be getting back together, most people expected them to go through the usual process: Play some big festivals, book a ton of tour dates, re-release some old music and constantly hint at the idea of a new album. But Soundgarden have handled their reunion much differently. They have only played a handful of concerts since reconvening (including headlining this year's Lollapalooza). They haven't gone crazy with reissues (they are releasing a new best-of compilation called Telephantasm, which hits stores today) or new music (the sole "new" track on Telephantasm is a jam called "Black Rain" that was originally written and recorded for Badmotorfinger way back in 1991). They seem to be taking everything pretty casually, and it seems to suit them just fine.

Even their initial reunion meeting was somewhat atypical. "We tried this really obscure song that we rarely played live," drummer Matt Cameron told MTV News when the band sat down for a chat on the eve of the release of Telephantasm (as well as the release of the Soundgarden-endorsed "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock").

"We never played it live!" frontman Chris Cornell corrected. "It's called 'Blind Dogs.' We recorded it for 'The Basketball Diaries' [soundtrack] and we never played it live ever. For some reason, that was the first song we played together. I guess that makes sense, though. We set the bar low for the first song."

"There was no standard with which to measure it by," guitarist Kim Thayil added. "So failure was impossible."

Soundgarden admitted that they don't quite know what's next for them, though the members of Pearl Jam have been really open-minded and excited about it (Cameron's day job remains sitting behind their drum kit). There are more songs and demos in the vault that need to be addressed and likely more shows down the line. But for the moment, they're happy to buck the accepted knowledge of what a reunion is supposed to be and are content with simply being in Soundgarden (which has apparently always been awesome). "There was three minutes of 'awkward first date,' and then it was just stories of who threw up on what when," Cornell said of their initial meeting. "It was great."

Should Soundgarden record new music and play more shows? Let us know in the comments!

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Randy Johnson: From Pitching To Shooting (Photos Of Rock Bands)

Posted 9/3/10 11:30 am EST by in Music


For 22 seasons, Randy Johnson terrorized hitters in Major League Baseball. He would have cast fear into the hearts of batters if only for his height (he stands at 6'10"), but he also had one of the most blistering fastballs in the game and a sharp slider. Over the course of his career with six different franchises (including the Expos, Mariners, Astros, Yankees, Giants and two stints with the Diamondbacks), he amassed 303 wins and 4,875 strikeouts (the second most of all time, behind Nolan Ryan). Johnson threw two no-hitters in his career, including one perfect game (one of only 20 in the history of Major League Baseball). He just retired from baseball this year, and when it comes time to add his name to the Hall of Fame ballot, he is assured entry into Cooperstown.

And with baseball behind him, Johnson has turned to his other love: photography.

"I studied photography in high school and studied it in college, and obviously with my baseball I wasn't able to do a whole lot, but managed to still walk around and take pictures," Johnson said. "Just kind of a hobby, really. Nothing serious. I have a lot more free time on my hands not playing baseball, and it's a fun thing to do."

Johnson grabbed the attention of the rock community when he was spotted at this year's Lollapalooza, taking photographs of his friends in Soundgarden. "I've been friends with them since the Seattle days," Johnson said of Soundgarden. "I shot them at Lollapalooza, and it was really enjoyable to do that. They posted some of my pictures on their Web site."

Most recently, he broke the camera out for a Megadeth during an American Carnage tour stop (which also featured Slayer and Testament) in his native Phoenix. "I knew they were in town and asked a local concert promoter and knew somebody who worked with Slayer, so it worked out well," he said. "I said hi to Dave [Mustaine] and he liked my photos, so he put a bunch of them up on his Web site."

A lifelong music enthusiast, Johnson gravitated toward shooting bands because he is a fan, but he's not attached to being a rock photographer. "Next month I may shoot some NASCAR," he said. "Photography is a hobby, and whether I'm good, bad or indifferent, it's a fun thing that gets me out of the house. I've got a lot of free time on my hands, so I like the opportunity to try new things."

Check out some of Johnson's shots of Megadeth playing at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix on August 27.


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Soundgarden: Then And Now

Posted 8/6/10 2:00 pm EST by in Music


Lollapalooza has been known for presenting the latest and greatest in cutting edge music since its inception way back in 1991, and while I am excited about seeing what's new in the world of rock, I'm most excited about the return of Soundgarden. Though Nirvana were more iconic and Pearl Jam sold more albums, Soundgarden will always be the band that best represented what "grunge" was supposed to sound like. The sludgy metal riffs, punked-up rhythms, angsty bellows and big hooks all added up to a brew that was a little bit of the past and — in 1992, at least, when Soundgarden first played Lollapalooza — a lot of the future.

After a 13-year hiatus, Soundgarden are back together for another run. I'm dubious of reunions, as most of the time they are designed to be a cash-grab that exploits the nostalgia of a group's biggest fans. So when I made my way to the Vic Theatre in Chicago on Thursday night (August 5) for only the band's second show since their break-up, I didn't know what to expect.

And then Chris Cornell entered.

With his long, curly metal locks back at full strength and an ensemble that included long board shorts and Chuck Taylors (an outfit similar to the one he wore on multiple photo shoots during the band's peak), Cornell opened up the show with a huge metal dirge in the form of "Searching With My Good Eye Closed," a fan-favorite deep cut from their 1992 album Badmotorfinger. It was clear the band were back to play the songs they loved and not necessarily their radio hits (though they played those, too). It was a bracing, refreshing, heavy night of music.

I last saw Soundgarden in 1996, when they appeared as the special surprise guest at a radio festival. What I didn't know they was that they were on the verge of breaking up and that their recently-released album Down on the Upside was considered a commercial and critical disappointment (though at the time, all I knew was that I really, really liked the song "Ty Cobb"). But they put forth the same level of passion, commitment and noise in 1996 as they did last night. These guys never lost a step — they just lost a few years.

I'll be honest: Soundgarden didn't play one of the songs I desperately wanted to hear (that would be "The Day I Tried to Live," though maybe they'll slip it into their festival-closing set this Sunday). But I definitely wandered out of the Vic feeling good, if only because Soundgarden proved it was possible to go home again (and do it really, really loudly).

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Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Korn And Ice Cube Help Us Look Back At Lollapallooza

Posted 8/6/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


The 2010 Lollapalooza festival is about to begin in Grant Park in the heart of downtown Chicago. Once things get started with These United States (who have the honor of playing the first set of this year's festival), the music won't stop until Soundgarden and Arcade Fire both wave goodnight following their festival-closing sets on Sunday (August 8). Along the way, there will be huge performances care of Lady Gaga, Green Day, Phoenix, the Strokes, the Black Keys, Erykah Badu and dozens of others, and MTV News will be delivering the goods on every last note.

Ever since the first Lollapalooza way back in 1991 (which Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell put together as a farewell tour for his seminal band), the festival has morphed and evolved along with the popular tastes of the day. There has rarely been a better barometer of what's going on in the rock universe than the Lollapalooza lineup, be it the rise of grunge (1992), the explorations into dance music (1997), flirtations with metal (1996) or the growing influence of hip-hop and R&B (2008). MTV News has been on the ground with many of the Lollapaloozas of the past, so all this week, MTV News' James Montgomery has been preparing for this year's festival with a series he called "Lollapalooza Lookbacks." Check out the noisy trip down memory lane below.

1992: Soundgarden Stand on the Verge of Greatness
No band has ever played Lollapalooza more than Soundgarden (in addition to this weekend, they also hopped on in '96 and '92), and in 1992, they were crossing the country with the touring festival just as they were starting to pick up steam on the back of Badmotorfinger. But guitarist Kim Thayil was also into the idea of catching up with bands he liked. "I'd like to come and see Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.," he told MTV News in 1992.

1997: Korn Can Take the Heat
Lollapalooza 1997 will probably always be remembered as the "electronica year," as acts like the Orb, Orbital and the Prodigy owned the main stage. But just as it was for many bands in the past, Lollapalooza provided a proving ground for Korn, who were only just building up the nu-metal wave. Drummer David Silveria summed up the experience of playing the touring summer festival nicely. "I think it means, like, spending the summer in hot-ass Africa," he joked.

1992: Ice Cube Goes Buck Wild
Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell has always said that he wanted his festival to be a celebration of all types of music, and he has largely stuck to his guns. Read More...

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Lollapalooza 2010: Welcome To The MTV News Tent

Posted 8/5/10 7:00 pm EST by in Music


It may not look like much now, but as soon as Friday (August 6) dawns, the tent in that photo will be absolutely jumping. It's one of the many places your intrepid MTV News crew will be stationed around the grounds of Chicago's Grant Park, where Lollapalooza 2010 will take over for the next three days. From this outdoor nerve center, we'll be bringing you the latest news, reviews, updates, opinions, reactions and interviews straight from the festival grounds, giving you the full scoop on the greatness being delivered by the likes of Lady Gaga, Soundgarden, Arcade Fire, Green Day and dozens upon dozens of others.

According to the grounds crew, the pre-production process has been slowed a bit by rain in the Windy City, so the ground is still a little bit wet and many of the moving parts still incomplete (it seems likely that the crews will be working well into the night to make sure the festival kicks off flawlessly tomorrow). But we got to see plenty of stuff in motion: The merch tables are well-stocked with Lollapalooza T-shirts, the giant smokers are being loaded up to churn out meat and the Port-A-Potties are, at the moment, squeaky clean (expect that to change pretty quickly). There's a definite sense of excitement in the neighborhood, as festival-goers are already planning their attacks, scheduling out their days and stocking up on sunblock and bug spray.

As for MTV News, we'll be bringing you the latest developments as they happen, starting tonight. Intrepid MTV Newsroom Blog editor will be headed over to the Vic Theatre to catch an opening night concert from Soundgarden, while MTV News' own James Montgomery will be on the scene at Perez Hilton's "One Night in Chicago" party with B.o.B, Kid Sister, J. Brazil and a handful of others. You can get up-to-the-minute updates by following them on Twitter (Kyle is @kylemtv, while James is @positivnegativ) and be sure to keep in touch with the MTV Newsroom Blog and MTV News for the full reports. We'll see you there!

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Lady Gaga, Green Day And Others Invading Lollapalooza (And The Newsroom Blog)

Posted 8/4/10 5:30 pm EST by in Music


This coming weekend is the best one of the summer for music fans, as the 2010 version of Lollapalooza will take over Grant Park in Chicago on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (August 6,7 and 8). This year's version of the festival — first conceived by Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell all the way back in 1991 — features some incredible heavy hitters in the music world, lead by headliners Lady Gaga, Green Day, a reunited Soundgarden, the back-in-the-saddle Strokes, Phoenix and Arcade Fire. The rest of the lineup is positively lousy with awesome live acts like B.o.B, the National, Erykah Badu, Against Me!, the Black Keys and MGMT (among dozens of others).

With a party that big, you know the MTV News crew will be there. Over the next few days, we'll be bringing you all of the latest reports, reviews, interviews and insights from the grounds of Grant Park. You'll be able to check out the latest words, photos, video and whatever else we can think of right here on the MTV Newsroom Blog (point your browser to our our special Lollapalooza tag to keep track of everything going on).

And in addition to the blog posts, you'll also be able to get up-to-the-minute reports on Twitter. MTV News' Kyle Anderson (@kylemtv) and James Montgomery (@positivenegativ) will be providing updates from the grounds and leading you to the best of our Lollapalooza coverage.

Of all the acts reporting for duty this weekend in Chicago, we're especially excited about the reunited Strokes, who have been gone for a minute but are back and better than ever. Their debut album Is This It remains one of the definitive musical statements of the young century, and tracks like "Hard to Explain" should sound delightfully anthemic blown up to festival size.

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Lollapalooza 2010: Lady Gaga, The Strokes, Soundgarden And The Rest Of The Winners

Posted 4/6/10 11:46 am EST by in Music


The weather is starting to warm up and the days are getting longer, which means we are inching that much closer to the summer festival season. Coachella and Bonnaroo have been booked for months, and now the final member of the three biggest summer fests has finally announced its lineup. They certainly saved the best for last, as Lollapalooza 2010 has an incredible lineup. The festival, which will take place in Chicago's Grant Park on August 6-8, features the likes of Lady Gaga, Soundgarden, Green Day and the newly-reunited Strokes.

Of all the summer festivals, Lollapalooza tends to be the best. It's incredibly well-run, the lineup is always incredibly varied, the venue is large enough to feel remote but still, of course, in downtown Chicago. It's a little cost-prohibitive (there's no camping, which forces everybody into hotels) and always unbearably hot, but it often ends up being the finest three days of music all year. How does this year's collection of acts stack up? Here are the artists we're most excited about.

Lady Gaga
Festivals don't always lend themselves to theatricality, but Lollapalooza has been open to larger-scale productions (both Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails brought their full-scale visual spectacles to their sets in 2008). That could mean that Gaga can bring the whole Monster Ball to Grant Park (and even if she doesn't, it'll be total lunacy during her set anyway).

Soundgarden
Heavy music rarely works at outdoor shows (and especially at festivals like Lollapalooza), but the recently-reunited Seattle legends always managed to deliver in the open air. It seems like any time a band who was on the old Lollapalooza tours in the '90s comes back for a big set (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine and the like), it's always a big deal.

The Strokes
The band hasn't been on stage together in four years, so this will be a good test to see if they still have the magic. Considering how much re-assessment their albums have gotten since their hiatus began (especially their debut Is This It, which ended up near the top of a lot of best-of-the-decade lists), the crowd will probably be extremely rabid for this set. With a good set, the New Yorkers can consider this a coronation.
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