In September 2008, DJ AM (real name Adam Goldstein) and Travis Barker were involved in a terrible plane crash. Although four people died, Goldstein and Barker managed to escape with severe burns. Goldstein, a former drug addict, starting using again after the crash. By August 2009, he was dead at the result of an accidental overdose. Now Goldstein’s mother is adding a wrongful death claim to the one Adam filed against the plane manufacturers and the estates of the pilots responsible for the crash.
“The crash ultimately caused Adam Goldstein’s death at a later date,” the papers state.
Friends and associates of the musician have widely blamed his trauma from the September 2008 plane crash as leading to his fatal relapse in August.
A trial is set for March 2. A number of opposing lawsuits have been filed in the case.
Learjet has previously denied all responsibility for the crash.
Well, friends and family believe Goldstein’s fragile state after the crash led to his relapse. That may be so, but the plane manufacturers and the pilots didn’t force Goldstein to take drugs years before he boarded one of their planes. I understand that a plane crash must be incredibly traumatic. Nevertheless, Goldstein chose to turn to drugs. The defendants didn’t suggest that Goldstein take drugs following the accident.
The defendants should be held responsible for any injuries, lost earnings, etc. However, they are not responsible for Goldstein’s drug overdose.
I like The Who. I saw them twice at the Hollywood Bowl when I was in high school and surviving members Roger Daltrey and Pete Towshend were fun to watch both times. But that was at the Hollywood Bowl — not the Super Bowl. As SI.com reports, the band will perform during the big game’s historic halftime show. The Super Bowl Halftime Show usually features relevant acts with mass appeal. While The Who are reportedly writing a new album, the band hardly seems as enticing as Paul McCartney, Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Bruce Springsteen, who have all performed at the show in the past.
Who wants some breaking news? Who wants to know who is performing at halftime of Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7 in Miami? Who wants me to shut up and just get to it already? Well, if you haven’t figured it out by now, according to a source, The Who will take the stage during the NFL’s championship game. Reached for comment, an NFL spokesperson said, “When we have something to announce, we’ll announce it.”
I don’t doubt that The Who will play their hearts out, but acts like Kanye West, Jay-Z, Weezer, and Neil Young are all better choices.
Sorry to burst your bubble Aerosmith fans, but I guess things aren’t all peaches and cream with the aging band. Although Steven Tyler won’t be quitting Aerosmith, he does want to take two years off from touring and recording.
Despite Tyler’s onstage insistence that he isn’t quitting the band, Perry says Aerosmith is still considering touring and recording with a new singer. “He wants to take two years off from the band,” Perry says. “The rest of the band wants to keep on working. We have so many different options to fill up that time. Anything is possible at this point. Basically, any communication that we’ve had over the last couple of months has been through managers, so that’s been pretty strange.”
Perry adds, “I never won any money trying to second-guess what goes on in Steven’s mind. I guess this is just Aerosmith business as usual.”
A friend of mine wrote a great piece on Aerosmith’s album Rocks. Apparently, the band used to have a spark. Still, I think that spark lies in the songwriting and prowess of the musicianship, not Tyler’s vocals.
Two days ago, Steven Tyler threatened to leave the only band that could tolerate his antics and instead form “Brand Tyler,” a nondescript project. Last night, Tyler surprised the crowd during a Joe Perry Project show in NYC and announced that he’s not quitting Aerosmith. Yeah, nobody would care about “Brand Tyler.”
The video is below.
The guy is a big goon. Joe Perry, however, seems level-headed enough. After all, Perry wanted to make another record in the vein of their bluesy sound from the 70s. Steven Tyler, however, wanted to write simple pop songs similar to “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.”
Perhaps the greatest reward an older artist can have is the satisfaction of knowing a massive representation of their work is available for all to experience. Some musicians quit their bands or go on hiatus, only to reunite for all the wrong reasons. Others simply slap together one or several predictable compilations. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will never succumb to this level of triviality. The band has been together since 1976, constantly touring and recording. In watching them perform at last year’s Super Bowl, it’s obvious how important they are to American music.
Over the years, the band has created an impressive catalogue of studio albums, but their live act also continues to earn heaps of praise. On November 24, Reprise Records will unveil The Live Anthology, a 4-disc box set (also available for download) containing 48 tracks compiled by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and Ryan Ulyate from three decades worth of live material. The package also looks spectacular, featuring artwork from Shepard Fairey, who recently designed the “HOPE” poster for Obama’s presidential campaign.
Come November 22, Best Buy will have the honor of exclusively selling the deluxe version in the U.S. In addition to the standard package, buyers will receive an extra disc of live material, two previously unavailable DVDs, a Blu-ray disc featuring all 62 songs in pristine 96K 24-bit audio, and a seven LP vinyl box set of 51 tracks. Damn.
Still, retrospectives the size of Smart cars are nothing new. Tom Petty knows this, so instead of simply treating his fans to a delectable live package, his team created a one-of-a-kind sensation to up to the ante. It’s called the SuperHighway Tour, an online experience that augments The Live Anthology. By purchasing a “ticket” to the SuperHighway Tour, fans can access commentary, vintage photos, and a virtual merchandise booth, all the while surfing through its visually stunning website.
Here’s how the label describes it:
Fans will also be able to share their photos and stories from their favorite Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers shows. Then on the album’s November 24 release, ticketholders will receive the remaining 24 tracks on The Live Anthology, thereby completing the digital album.
Access to the Superhighway Tour will be available to fans that purchase “tickets” from Ticketmaster.com or through the Superhighway Tour box office.
Tickets for the entire 8-week Superhighway Tour are on sale now through Ticketmaster.com and TomPettySuperHighwayTour.com. The price of a Superhighway Tour ticket includes all 48 The Live Anthology digital tracks plus the 8-week online experience for $24.98 without any additional service fees. Downloads will be available in 256kbps MP3 or FLAC formats – fan’s choice.
A FREE PREVIEW of the SuperHighway Tour is now available at http://www.tompettysuperhighwaytour.com and includes a FREE DOWNLOAD of a track from the 1981 run of shows at Los Angeles’ Forum.
The release of The Live Anthology comes on the heels of two sold out tours, the Grammy winning documentary Runnin’ Down A Dream (directed by Peter Bogdanovich), and a headline performance at the Super Bowl XLII halftime show. Now, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – one of rock and roll’s greatest touring bands – will mark their unparalleled string of success with the release of this landmark collection of live recordings that is unlike anything previously available – the band’s story told through the music alone.
The producers made no fixes or overdubs, letting the newly mixed original recordings showcase the invention, spontaneity, craft, and the musicianship that has made Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers among the most celebrated live performers of their time. Along with powerful interpretations of their own classic hits and originals, The Live Anthology features the band tackling some of their best-loved cover material, from classics to obscure beauties to unexpected adaptations. The theme from Goldfinger, the Zombies’ “I Want You Back Again,” the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” early Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well,” Booker T. and the MGs’ “Green Onions,” James Brown’s “Good, Good Lovin'” and many more. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers travel wide, paying their musical debts through song and showing just how confidently the band moves across genres and over time.
It’s like going to a concert and avoiding the long lines, body odor, and drunken idiots. Seriously though, this is an innovative idea — one that guarantees weeks of staring at your computer and rocking out like you’re actually in attendance.
