Kraftwerk Get Some Help From Olympic Cyclists

Kraftwerk found a way to spice up their live show a bit that I find quite Advanced:

The German godfathers of electronica played a two-hour set to open the Manchester International Festival. They were joined by Ed Clancy, Jason Kenny, Jamie Staff and Geraint Thomas - who all triumphed in Beijing in 2008.

The quartet appeared from behind the band to ride in a wave formation during Kraftwerk's song Tour De France. The cyclists' names were announced from the stage with a thick German accent a couple of minutes into the song, much to the delight of the crowd. The wave formation was then mirrored by elaborate visual effects on screens behind the stage.

Most of the audience agreed the appearance was the highlight of the show. "I think I died and went to heaven when the cyclists came out for Tour De France. That's the best track and action I've ever seen working together - it's my gig of the year," said one enthusiastic fan.

I like that in the mind of this fan, heaven is a Kraftwerk concert that features four guys on bicycles. Oh and that in heaven you get to see the best gig of the year, not the best gig ever.

Lou vs. Liu: Do Not Talk While Lou Reed Is Performing

Lou Reed is weird in that he wants people to be respectful when he performs, and he's not afraid to say something about it:

An insider tells us that the iconic rocker demanded the bar be shut down when he sang at Persol's Incognito design exhibit at the Whitney on Tuesday - because he didn't want to hear the clinking of glasses or ice. Onstage, the musician even shouted to the crowd, "Shut the [bleep] up - you're talking too much!"

Apparently one of the fans who obeyed was Lucy Liu. I'm not sure if I like her more or less now.

In related news, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders says the show was "flawless." He talked to Reed, who said, "It''s always fun to play a museum. When I was with Andy Warhol, we played hundreds of them." Especially when you can tell Lucy Liu to shut up and she does, I guess.

Lionel Ritchie to Pull Reverse Rick Springfield

Here's the mildly interesting story:

Singer Lionel Ritchie is set to star in U.S. soap One Life To Live.

The 'Easy' singer will tape his debut on the show next week and the episode will be telecast in July, reports Contactmusic.

Although, Richie's role is being kept a secret, a show spokesman said, "He won't just sing and go."

Of course not. He'll stay all night long. But seriously, the end of the article is what caught my eye:

Other celebrities like Snoop Dogg have also made an appearance on the show.

I don't know if Snoop is Advanced, but he is truly fascinating.

Eddie Van Halen Suing Nike

Here's the latest (and only), from Blabbermouth:

According to KTLA-TV, guitarist Eddie Van Halen filed a lawsuit against Nike in Los Angeles Friday, alleging the company used the trademarked striped design from his guitar on their new line of "Dunk Lows" tennis shoes.

The Nike shoes feature red, white and black streaks along the midsole.

The suit states that Van Halen received a 2001 copyright for the design on the body of his "Frankenstein" electric guitar.

Court papers allege that Nike infringed on that copyright by using the design on sneakers without "consent, approval or license."

Van Halen claims Nike is doing "irreparable harm and damage" to his signature design. He is seeking general and punitive damages, all profits arising from the sales of "Dunk Lows" and a permanent injunciton halting production of the Nike shoes.

Wow. Don't mess with Frankenstein. If you would like the EVH approved shoes, go here for his sneakers that look suspiciously like Chuck Taylors. I smell another lawsuit.

Cheap Trick to bring 'Sgt. Pepper' to Las Vegas

Here's the story:

Cheap Trick will interpret The Beatles' classic 1966 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" during a September Las Vegas engagement.

The band will kick off the performances, complete with a full symphony orchestra, Sept. 13 at the Las Vegas Hilton. The showcase will run over nine nights and will feature "special musical guests to be announced later," according to promoters.

"We are going to make rock 'n' roll history by incorporating this legendary American rock group with the music of The Beatles," said Bill Edwards, the show's producer, in a press statement. "This is a groundbreaking performance that everyone said couldn't be done live, but Cheap Trick has perfected it."

I used to joke about making an album called Jason Hartley Perfects the Classics, but I'll be darned if Cheap Trick hasn't gone an one-upped me.

AFL vs. AC/DC

It's a clash of priorities in Australia:

AC/DC is booked to play three concerts at Docklands in Melbourne next February. Two of the concerts have already sold out. But the AFL [Australian Football League] has booked pre-season matches on the same nights. The AFL has written to stadium officials to remind them of their contractual obligations saying it has first call on the indoor venue. But concert promoter Garry Van Egmond says the AC/DC shows will not be rescheduled or relocated.

"We're going ahead as planned. We couldn't, we wouldn't even consider it. We've got dates in Japan after this which we can't change," he said. "We've got three dates booked, we've sold 180,000 tickets and there's still some tickets available for the third show.

"We're going ahead, full steam ahead. We've got a watertight contract." AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has told Fairfax Radio the debacle is a matter for the stadium to sort out. "The ball's in the Etihad Stadium management's court. We're being absolutely open and honest in our agreement," he said

Please note that this is a preseason game! Those Aussies are serious about their football. But what a dilemma for an Advanced Fan of AC/DC. AFL chief broadcasting and commercial officer is really bummed because he has tickets to the concert.

Bono and the Edge Talk Spider-Man Musical

While Batman seems to be the most Advanced superhero, doing a Spider-Man Musical is still pretty good. Plus U2 already did a song for a Batman movie. Still, U2 cannot be Advanced because bands don't qualify. Only solo acts can achieve Advancement.