Crowded House plot North American tour
Crowded House have announced their first North American tour since 1996.
The legendary Kiwis will kick things off in Northampton, Massachusetts on August 4 and hit major US and Canadian cities including Boston, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles. They'll wrap things up in Atlanta, Georgia on September 12.
The band is supporting their first new album since 1993. 'Time On Earth' is due out on July 10, and features guest appearances by The Smiths legend Johnny Marr and the Dixie Chicks, as previously reported.
The touring band will feature Matt Sherrod on drums, standing in for the late Paul Hester.
The tour dates are:
Northampton, MA Calvin Theater (August 4)
Boston, MA Bank of American Pavillion (5)
Philadelphia, PA Mann Center for Performing Arts (6)
New York, NY Beacon Theatre (8, 9)
Montreal, QUE St. Denis (11)
Toronto, ONT Massey Hall (13)
Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theatre (14)
Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theatre (17)
Chicago, IL House of Blues (18)
Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre (20)
Denver, CO Fillmore (22)
San Diego, CA Humphrey's (24)
Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl (25)
Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre of the Arts (26)
Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater (28)
Saratoga, CA Mountain Winery (29, 30)
Seattle, WA Bumbershoot (September 1)
Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer (2)
Vancouver, BC Orpheum Theatre (3)
Calgary, AB Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (5)
Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (6)
Winnipeg, MB Winnipeg Concert Hall (8)
Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre (9)
Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium (11)
Atlanta, GA Tabernacle (12) |
Lily Allen has 'no idea' why her US visa was revoked
Lily Allen has no idea why her US visa was revoked, it was reported today.
The singer was held at Los Angeles Airport on Sunday after arriving from Australia and was searched before having her working visa revoked, says the Associated Press.
According to previous reports, Allen's visa problems stemmed from an incident involving a London photographer in March. At the time Allen received a warning from police but was not charged. However, it was just speculation that her visa was revoked as a result of this incident.
A record company spokesman from EMI said in a statement that the singer "has no idea why she was singled out for such treatment" and that they are sure there is enough time to sort out the situation before Allen's scheduled return next month.
The statement also said Allen was not strip-searched, as previously reported.
The singer is due to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas on September 9. |
Kanye West reacts to fallout over homophobia comments
Kanye West have spoken out about the reaction he received after speaking out against homophobia.
West, who went to Number One with single [B]'Stronger'[/B] last night (August 19), was quoted as calling rap too homophobic.
Speaking about the reaction he got for that statement, he explained: "Speaking out against hip-hop homophobia, some people were like 'Oh, Kanye must be gay! Look at the way he's dressing! And why would he speak about it? He's a gay rapper'," he notes. "And my whole point is, I wouldn't have spoke on that if I was gay or if I was in the closet. I would have stayed so far away from it.
"And I'm still homophobic myself to certain extent... You know, I wouldn't go to a gay parade and feel comfortable. I wouldn't ever to a gay club or something and just be chillin' and grab a drink.
"It's being in the entertainment world, I meet so many different gay people who are actually nice people. Where I came from, Chicago, being black and being a hip-hop artist, we used to really disrespect gay people. And the thing is, we can't get close to them with a 10-foot pole. And I realised, 'Wow, how ignorant has this been?'"
Speaking about his famous post-Hurricane Katrina outburst live on US television ("George Bush doesn't care about black people,") he told Manchester Evening News: "I guess people are keeping it a little bit more real now.
"At the time, that's what I had to do. It's almost a character flaw in me to be emotional and honest like that. Sometimes it works out; sometimes it can backfire on you." |