Smashing Soundsystem
Long-anticipated music reunions happened on both ends of the country this weekend. Not only did LCD Soundsystem kick-off their tour with their first show in five years (almost to the day) in New York, but the Smashing Pumpkins also had a reunion of sorts in LA. Original back-up vocalist and rhythm guitarist James Iha celebrated his 48th birthday on Saturday by joining Billy Corgan, original drummer Jimmy Chamberlain, and current guitarist Jeff Schroeder onstage to play tunes from 1993’s Simease Dream including hits “Today” and “Disarm” and deeper cuts like “Mayonaise” and “Spaceboy.” The set was the first Iha had played with the Pumpkins since the group’s first break-up in 2000.
Opera Singer Joins Ranks of Pavarotti
When the Metropolitan Opera allows a singer to break its 74-year, strict “no encore rule,” not once, but three times, the world takes notice. Tenor Javier Camarena, who turned 40 last Saturday, performed a show-stopping encore earlier this month, making it the singer’s third at the legendary Opera house. In keeping with “threes,” Camarena is only the third singer to attain such a distinction: one he shares with Juan Diego Florez and Luciano Pavarotti.
A Tribe Called Quest Boulevard?
Since the unexpected death of 45-year-old A Tribe Called Quest co-founder Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor last week, a petition has surface on Change.org to have a stretch of Linden Boulevard in Queens renamed “A Tribe Called Quest Boulevard.” As of 9:30 this morning, the petition had reached 3,200 of the 5,000 signatures needed to take the mission to the next step. Sign the petition here.
-Taylor Wallace
