Tag Archives: stage

Pukkelpop Festival Death Toll Rises To Five

Organizers call off Belgium event, which featured Eminem, Foo Fighters, Wiz Khalifa and many others, after deaths following stage collapse. By Gil Kaufman Revelers leave the Pukkelpop music festival Photo: AFP/Getty Images Officials in Belgium canceled the Pukkelpop music festival on Friday after the death toll in a stage collapse rose to five. Two more people died overnight after a freak thunderstorm ripped through the festival site in Hasselt, ripping down trees and destroying a stage while Chicago rock band the Smith Westerns were performing their set. According to MSNBC , none of the band’s members were hurt, but their equipment was destroyed in the fourth major incident involving a concert stage collapse this summer. Organizers decided to cancel the rest of the fest and brought in buses and trains to transfer the 60,000 festivalgoers home. The action came after a brief, violent thunderstorm passed through on Thursday evening, collapsing concert tents and the main stage scaffolding, sending panicked concertgoers out into fields of mud in search of shelter. At least 140 people were injured in the incident, 10 of them seriously. “Pukkelpop is in deep mourning,” festival organizer Chokri Mahassine said in a statement. “What has happened is very exceptional and could not have been predicted.” Not aware of the severity of the situation at the time, Smith Westerns singer Cullen Omori tweeted about the stage collapse as it happened. He first complained about the band’s equipment being destroyed (in a since-deleted post) and then wrote, “praying no one go hurt. Wtf.” The band later issued a statement about the collapse. “We had just finished the first song of our set at Pukkelpop when the stage/tent started shaking and simply thought it was a storm passing through. I made a comment about Cheap Trick and we were about to play the next one when our tour manager yelled at me to run off the stage. Right then the tress collapsed one foot in front of Max. At this point we thought only the stage broke, not the tent. Amid the chaos it was hard to tell exactly what had happened, but after the rescue teams started coming in it became clear that there were severe injuries and we are now being told there are reports of multiple deaths. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families who lost loved ones in today’s tragedy.” The festival’s lineup included the Foo Fighters, 30 Seconds to Mars , Wiz Khalifa, Rise Against and Eminem. A Facebook page has been set up to honor the victims and a number of bands tweeted their condolences. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the tragic events at Pukkelpop,” the Foos tweeted . “We are all safe at Pukkelpop. Crazy storm. This is awful. Hearts go out to all,” added Fleet Foxes . Eminem was slated to headline on Friday (August 19), on a bill that also included the Ting Tings, Deftones, Crystal Castles and D12. Saturday’s show was to feature the Offspring, Kasabian, the Kills, Lykke Li, Busy P and Odd Future. The Pukkelpop tragedy follows on the heels of earlier stage collapses this summer at shows by Cheap Trick and the Flaming Lips, and just last week, Sugarland , where five people were killed.

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Pukkelpop Festival Death Toll Rises To Five

Kings Of Leon Have Never Been Shy About Alcohol

Past interviews have highlighted the band’s love of drinking. By Gil Kaufman Kings of Leon Photo: Getty In an era where most rock bands are about as edgy as the latest Ark Music Factory teen-sensation-in-a-box, Tennessee hell-raisers Kings of Leon have often stood out as a throwback to a messier era. The band of brothers (and cousin) raised by a Pentecostal preacher rose from humble beginnings to their current status as one of the biggest rock bands on the planet thanks to dark, moody songs, good genes (and jeans) and a well-established reputation as boozing, brawling ladies’ men who’ve been only somewhat tamed by rock stardom. In recent times, it seemed as if those hellion days were behind them, as one by one the Followill boys have gotten engaged, married or into serious relationships and talked about dialing back the partying. Questions were raised, though, over the weekend when the Kings announced they were canceling the remainder of their U.S. tour due to singer Caleb Followill’s “vocal issues and exhaustion.” The news came after a disastrous show in Dallas during which Followill repeatedly complained about the heat and abruptly left the stage, at one point telling the crowd, “I’m gonna go backstage and I’m gonna vomit. I’m gonna drink a beer and I’m gonna come back out and play three more songs.” Though Caleb never returned to the stage, frustrated bassist Jared Followill later tweeted, “There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. I can’t lie, there are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade.” The missive clearly made it seem as if some deeper issues than the heat were afoot. Looking back at interviews the band has conducted over the past few years, it’s clear that alcohol has long been a part of the fuel that helped the band navigate their rise to stardom — for good or ill. Whether it’s Jared jokingly telling MTV News that he was impressively good at “Rock Band” while drunk or Caleb suggesting that the band’s most recent CD, Come Around Sundown, “sounds better with a cocktail,” to which Jared replied, “Everything [is better with a cocktail],” the boys have not shied away from discussing their tippling. An April 2009 cover story in Rolling Stone magazine called “The God-Fearing, Booze-Swilling Rise of America’s Hottest Band,” in fact, opens with Caleb and brother drummer Nathan arriving home late one night in 2007 after a heavy night of drinking and getting into such a vicious fight that Caleb dislocated his shoulder and Nathan shattered a $7,000 mirror and then proceeded to repeatedly stab his brother’s mattress with a kitchen knife. The rest of the story has a number of other boozy moments, from Caleb’s drunk New York apartment shopping to a description of the light in the interior of their 75-acre Tennessee property “reflecting off the endless bottles of hard alcohol and wine that cover nearly every inch of counter space.” It notes that after Caleb met his wife, model Lily Aldridge , he gave up drinking whiskey and now sticks to “wine, beer and the occasional shot of tequila.” Though their well-documented love of spirits appears to be at least somewhat to blame for recent troubles, the RS story also mentioned that, like his preacher father, Caleb “suffers from nerves, and he regularly vomits during performances.” Caleb has not made any public statement about what ails him, but on Tuesday, he told TMZ he was focused on healing. “I’m just trying to get better,” he said. Asked if the band will still hit the road as planned in September for a string of Canadian shows, he replied, “I don’t know … we’ll see how it goes.” Related Artists Kings Of Leon

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Kings Of Leon Have Never Been Shy About Alcohol

Kings Of Leon Have Never Been Shy About Alcohol

Past interviews have highlighted the band’s love of drinking. By Gil Kaufman Kings of Leon Photo: Getty In an era where most rock bands are about as edgy as the latest Ark Music Factory teen-sensation-in-a-box, Tennessee hell-raisers Kings of Leon have often stood out as a throwback to a messier era. The band of brothers (and cousin) raised by a Pentecostal preacher rose from humble beginnings to their current status as one of the biggest rock bands on the planet thanks to dark, moody songs, good genes (and jeans) and a well-established reputation as boozing, brawling ladies’ men who’ve been only somewhat tamed by rock stardom. In recent times, it seemed as if those hellion days were behind them, as one by one the Followill boys have gotten engaged, married or into serious relationships and talked about dialing back the partying. Questions were raised, though, over the weekend when the Kings announced they were canceling the remainder of their U.S. tour due to singer Caleb Followill’s “vocal issues and exhaustion.” The news came after a disastrous show in Dallas during which Followill repeatedly complained about the heat and abruptly left the stage, at one point telling the crowd, “I’m gonna go backstage and I’m gonna vomit. I’m gonna drink a beer and I’m gonna come back out and play three more songs.” Though Caleb never returned to the stage, frustrated bassist Jared Followill later tweeted, “There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. I can’t lie, there are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade.” The missive clearly made it seem as if some deeper issues than the heat were afoot. Looking back at interviews the band has conducted over the past few years, it’s clear that alcohol has long been a part of the fuel that helped the band navigate their rise to stardom — for good or ill. Whether it’s Jared jokingly telling MTV News that he was impressively good at “Rock Band” while drunk or Caleb suggesting that the band’s most recent CD, Come Around Sundown, “sounds better with a cocktail,” to which Jared replied, “Everything [is better with a cocktail],” the boys have not shied away from discussing their tippling. An April 2009 cover story in Rolling Stone magazine called “The God-Fearing, Booze-Swilling Rise of America’s Hottest Band,” in fact, opens with Caleb and brother drummer Nathan arriving home late one night in 2007 after a heavy night of drinking and getting into such a vicious fight that Caleb dislocated his shoulder and Nathan shattered a $7,000 mirror and then proceeded to repeatedly stab his brother’s mattress with a kitchen knife. The rest of the story has a number of other boozy moments, from Caleb’s drunk New York apartment shopping to a description of the light in the interior of their 75-acre Tennessee property “reflecting off the endless bottles of hard alcohol and wine that cover nearly every inch of counter space.” It notes that after Caleb met his wife, model Lily Aldridge , he gave up drinking whiskey and now sticks to “wine, beer and the occasional shot of tequila.” Though their well-documented love of spirits appears to be at least somewhat to blame for recent troubles, the RS story also mentioned that, like his preacher father, Caleb “suffers from nerves, and he regularly vomits during performances.” Caleb has not made any public statement about what ails him, but on Tuesday, he told TMZ he was focused on healing. “I’m just trying to get better,” he said. Asked if the band will still hit the road as planned in September for a string of Canadian shows, he replied, “I don’t know … we’ll see how it goes.” Related Artists Kings Of Leon

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Kings Of Leon Have Never Been Shy About Alcohol

Jill Scott Says Chappelle Block Party “Was Not Fun”

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Dave Chappelle’s Block Party in 2004 will go down as one of the coolest outdoor concert experiences of the last ten years.  R&B star Jill Scott was one of the featured performers and tore down the stage with Erykah Badu during a rendition of “You Got Me.” Now if you watch footage from the movie (released in 2006) Jill was very pleasant and easy going back stage, even with her pimple named “Herbert”. But in a recent interview with TheHuffingtonPost she admitted that being back stage wasn’t all fun for her. MR : You’re in a certain Dave Chappelle’s Block Party flick. That must have been fun. JS : That was not fun for me. It was a great experience, however it wasn’t fun. The only reason I say that is I typically work a certain kind of way. There were so many people and so much energy that it was hard for me to find a space to just be for a moment, straight from a crowd of people to the stage, which is not normally what I do. I remember being thoroughly exhausted when that was over, but very proud of the outcome. I still watch it now and then and I think, “Wow, what a great experience.” READ FULL INTERVIEW AT HUFFINGTONPOST.COM RELATED POSTS: You Voted: Jill Scott Represents Black Music in 2011! Jill Scott Debuts At Number 1 On Billboard 200 Jill Scott’s “Womanifesto” [RHYME OF THE WEEK]

Jill Scott Says Chappelle Block Party “Was Not Fun”

Young Jeezy Rouses New York Crowd, With Help From Kanye, Jay-Z

Monday show was in honor of sixth anniversary of his debut LP, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101. By Alvin Blanco Young Jeezy Photo: MTV News According to , New York is his second home. The Atlanta-based rapper looked quite comfortable onstage Monday night at the Highline Ballroom for a special TM101: Live! show. The performance was in honor of the sixth anniversary of his platinum-selling debut album, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Jeezy ran through other selections from his catalog of commercial and street hits, too, while bringing out a number of special, crowd-hyping guests, including Jay-Z and Kanye West. Doors to the show didn’t open until 9 p.m., and those on a line that stretched down 16th Street who made it past the logjam at the front door and into the venue were greeted by Funkmaster Flex of Hot 97 (the station and The Source magazine were among the event’s sponsors), warming up the crowd with a DJ set. Flex spun a number of favorites, included Jay-Z and Kanye West’s (ahem, the Throne ‘s) “Otis” single , which he played at least a couple of times while boisterously expressing his fondness for the tune. As Flex’s set went on, the crowd swelled, including the VIP section upstairs, where artists like Royce Da 5’9″ and Bun B were in attendance. Jeezy’s band, most dressed in dark suits and fitted baseball caps, finally stepped onstage a little before 11:30 p.m. The “favorite rapper’s favorite rapper” hit the stage dressed in all black and wearing sunglasses, with a few dazzling, diamond-encrusted chains around his neck. He kicked off his set with the rousing “Standing Ovation” from his debut album. Most of the crowd rapped along with Jeezy word for word and did so throughout the nearly two dozen songs he would perform as the night went on. After the opener, Jeezy segued into “Let’s Get It/ Sky’s the Limit” and “Go Crazy,” both from his debut. The latter had already been met with an enthusiastic response as soon as its opening notes were heard. But the crowd reached a fever pitch when an unannounced Jay-Z coolly hit the stage to perform his verse as well. After Hova left the stage, Jeezy went into “Trap Star” and afterwards asked the crowd, “NYC, is y’all riding with me tonight?” The band then went into “Put On,” from the trap star’s third album, The Recession. Kanye West then strode to the stage, sending the crowd into another frenzy as he performed his verse from the song. “I told y’all we just getting started,” said Jeezy after Yeezy exited the stage. The Def Jam rapper then performed more fan favorites from his debut, including “Bottom of the Map,” “Bang” and “Get Ya Mind Right,” before the next guest, Bun B, came on to perform “Trap or Die.” Soon after the UGK legend’s cameo, the band left the stage and Jeezy performed some of his notable remix verses, including Rocko’s “Umma Do Me” and recent G-Unit signee Shawty Lo’s “Dey Know Remix.” The next guest to hit the stage was Fabolous, who performed “Flexin” from Jeezy’s The Real Is Back mixtape from earlier this year. The Brooklyn rapper was then given time to perform his own hit “You Be Killin’ Em,” to the crowd’s delight. He then went into another joint cut with Jeezy called “Rollin’ ” before leaving the stage for good. After demonstrating his crowd-control skills by kicking an a cappella version of “Win” from the Real Is Back mixtape, Jeezy gave up the stage up to the LOX. The native NYC rappers got the crowd amped, performing a medley of their hits including Sheek Louch’s “Kiss Your Ass Goodbye,” Styles P’s “I Get High” and Jadakiss’ “We Gone Make It.” The show hit a lull upon Jeezy’s return with “Tear It Up,” about as close to a slow jam as you’ll get, before the energy inside the Highline Ballroom rose again with “Don’t Get Caught.” He then took it to his sophomore album, The Inspiration, and performed the R. Kelly-assisted “Go Getta” before returning to his debut with the Akon-aided “Soul Survivor.” With the show approaching its close, Jeezy declared that his much-delayed fourth album, Thug Motivation 103, is on the way before launching into “Lose My Mind,” one of said project’s first singles. After calling New York “my second home,” Jeezy closed the show with “I Luv It,” the first single from his Inspiration album. But before leaving the stage to a thunderous ovation, Jeezy made sure to tell the crowd, which was now beginning to head to the exits, that he had just gotten word that TM 103 will be in stores September 20. Related Artists Jay-Z Kanye West Young Jeezy

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Young Jeezy Rouses New York Crowd, With Help From Kanye, Jay-Z

The Evolution Of Kelly Rowland [PHOTOS]

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Kelly Rowland’s Here I Am album hits stores tomorrow Tuesday July 26. We have seen her grow from a pretty young girl to a bad ass woman. She is currently on every rapper’s top 5 wifey list and killing the urban charts with her number 1 hit “Motivation.”  There has been this on going argument that Kelly Rowland is just as beautiful and talented as Beyonce for years now and I agree. Kelly has seen her share of ups and downs and is finally getting her equal share of the pie. Lets be honest, she is buzzing way more than Beyonce at the moment. In early 2009 Kelly Rowland ended her professional relation with Mathew Knowles and Columbia Records. After a year of being without a label, Kelly signed with Universal Motown and her solo career began to sky rocket. I @itsJazzyFBaby decided to give you guys a photo gallery titled, “The Evolution Of Kelly Rowland.” Lets take a look at how Kelly has become a beautiful young woman and don’t forget to pick up the album tomorrow! Recent Post: Kelly Rowland Guest Stars on “Single Ladies” Young Jeezy Wants To Make Kelly Rowland Wifey

The Evolution Of Kelly Rowland [PHOTOS]

Nicki Minaj Named The New Face Of MAC

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Nicki Minaj has been named the new face of MAC. MAC has announced that both Nicki Minaj and Ricky Martin will be the new faces for the Viva Glam 2012 campaign. Following in the footsteps of Lady Gaga,the Young Money princess will represent the MAC AIDS Viva Glam Initiative campaign. All proceeds from the makeup line go to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS. To further the cause of the campaign, Nicki will be designing her own shade of lipstick, which will go on sale in the coming months. SOURCE Definitely a good look for Ms. Minaj! Nicki Minaj Gets Wild On Stage In Jamaica [PHOTOS] UPDATE: Nicki Minaj Denies Beatdown, Says “Man Would Have Balls Removed”

Nicki Minaj Named The New Face Of MAC

Blind Item: Which Rapper Is Broke?

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I’m all about blind items, I can usually figure it out before I finish reading the entire paragraph. I recently came across this little tidbit in the NY Post : Which hip-hop artist drove up to his agent’s office in a $200,000 car, wearing a $50,000 wristwatch, to beg for money because he’s “dead broke” and needed $5,000 for child support? . . . Hmmm..could it be Bow Wow??? He did just have a baby! Bow Wow Excluded From His Daughter’s Birth Certificate Bow Wow Opens Up To Russell Simmons About Suicidal Thoughts

Blind Item: Which Rapper Is Broke?

Mya Joins Beenie Man On Stage In Jamaica [PHOTOS]

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Mya joined Beenie Man on stage in Jamaica during Reggae Sumfest 2011 in Montego Bay to perform “Girls Dem Suga.” Mya looked amazing as always showcasing her long juicy legs in a yellow dress. Click here , for more photos of Mya and Beenie Man at Sumfest. Mya & Her Thick Thighs Hit The Stage For Gay Pride [PHOTOS] Mya Sings Happy Birthday To “The Rock”

Mya Joins Beenie Man On Stage In Jamaica [PHOTOS]

Sean Kingston Returns to the Stage!

Welcome back, Sean Kingston. For the first time since his scary jet skiing accident in late May, the artist returned to the stage this weekend in Miami. He appeared as a special guest of Nicki Minaj’s, running out in front of a screaming crowd after prompting from the featured act. It’s nice to see the big man up and around, isn’t it? Sean Kingston Returns!

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Sean Kingston Returns to the Stage!