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Newsday columnist Glenn Gamboa
Glenn Gamboa
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  • Miley Cyrus @ Nassau Coliseum, 11.18.09

    Thursday November 19, 2009 6:54 AM By Glenn Gamboa

    Miley Cyrus performs Tuesday at

        Remember how people freaked out about Miley Cyrus saying she had never heard a Jay-Z song, even though she sings about how much she likes him in her single “Party in the U.S.A.”?
        Well, at her concert last night at Nassau Coliseum, she changed the lyrics to remove the reference. Instead of Hova, she referred to Britney Spears and Michael Jackson and showed pictures of the King of Pop so that people wouldn’t think she messed up the lyrics.
        It’s an interesting switch, one of many in the 80-minute show. The 16-year-old singer isn’t a natural artist like her pal Taylor Swift. Miley’s clearly a hard-worker, still building her grown-up image and the Jay-Z switch is another sign of how she’s gradually taking more control of her career.
        Whether that means she’s going to choose the country-tinged ballads (“When I Look at You,” “Obsessed,” “The Climb”) that she handled well in her show last night or if she’s going to follow the Spears model of post-Disney controversy remains to be seen.
        Right now, Miley is living out Spears’ not-a-girl, not-yet-a-woman uneasiness.

    FULL REVIEW: It's a new Miley Cyrus at the Coliseum [Newsday]

    SETLIST: Breakout / Start All Over / 7 Things / Kickin’ and Screamin’ / Bottom of the Ocean / Fly on the Wall/Thriller / Let’s Get Crazy / Hoedown Throwdown / These Four Walls / When I Look at You / Obsessed / Spotlight / Girls Night Out / I Love Rock ’n’ Roll / Party in the U.S.A. / Hovering (w/Metro Station) / Simple Song // ENCORE: See You Again / The Climb

    PHOTO: Miley Cyrus at Nassau Coliseum by Mahala Gaylord for Newsday

    Tags: Miley Cyrus, About Last Night, Nassau Coliseum, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Jay-Z

  • Steven Tyler not quitting Aerosmith

    Wednesday November 11, 2009 12:18 PM By Glenn Gamboa

    A handout picture released by

    Um, never mind. Aerosmith -- despite everyone, including actual members of Aerosmith, thinking that they were -- is apparently not splitting with singer Steven Tyler.

    Tyler showed up at the kickoff of the Joe Perry Project tour last night at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza to say, "New York, I want you to know I'm not leaving Aerosmith," before kicking into "Walk This Way." See photos of Aerosmith in concert at Jones Beach and on tour through the years.

    It's an abrupt turnaround seeing as on Monday, Perry was on his Twitter account saying, "Aerosmith is positively looking for a new singer to work with. You just can't take 40 years of experience and throw it in the bin!"

    Perhaps Tyler, who told Classic Rock magazine that he was going to start a solo project, needs to start returning his bandmates' phone calls -- at least the ones that start with, "Hi, are you still in the band?"

    Here's video of Steven Tyler announcing he's not quitting Aerosmith. (Warning: Mr. Tyler loves him some expletives and uses them often in this clip.)

    PHOTOS: Aerosmith in concert at Jones Beach and on tour through the years.

    Tags: Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Never Mind

  • Intro 11.9.09 (Dry Your Eyes Edition)

    Sunday November 8, 2009 6:44 PM By Glenn Gamboa

    Music for the week of 11.9.09 featuring Dashboard Confessional, Miranda Lambert, The Rocket Summer, The xx, The Academy Is..., AFI, The Cribs, Goodie Mob, Rob Thomas, Ray LaMontagne 

    WHY?

    DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL. “Alter the Ending” in stores Tuesday.
    MIRANDA LAMBERT. A Country Music Association award nominee Wednesday.
    THE ROCKET SUMMER. At The Crazy Donkey Wednesday.
    THE XX. At Bowery Ballroom Wednesday and Mercury Lounge Thursday.
    THE ACADEMY IS.... At Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza Wednesday.
    AFI. At Roseland Ballroom Friday.
    THE CRIBS. At Bowery Ballroom Thursday and Friday.
    GOODIE MOB. At Hammerstein Ballroom Friday.
    ROB THOMAS. At Beacon Theatre Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
    RAY LaMONTAGNE. At Beacon Theatre Monday and Tuesday.

    Tags: Intro, Dashboard Confessional, Miranda Lambert, The Rocket Summer, The xx, The Academy Is..., AFI, The Cribs, Goodie Mob, Rob Thomas, Ray LaMontagne

  • Rihanna speaks out

    Thursday November 5, 2009 3:05 PM By Glenn Gamboa

    Rihanna Breaks Her Silence

        For Rihanna, the beating she received at the hands of her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown wasn’t enough to keep her away from him.
        It took the realization that, as a role model, her decisions could influence other victims of domestic abuse to return their abusers to finally convince her to stay away from Brown, she told Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America” this morning.
        “When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result into some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part,” the 21-year-old singer said. “I could not be held responsible for telling them, ‘Go back.’ If Chris never hit me again, who’s to say that their boyfriends won’t kill these girls… I just didn’t realize how much of an impact I had on these girls’ lives until that happened. It was a wake-up call for me big time.”
        That Rihanna required that wake-up call was shocking, as was her reaction that she was “embarrassed” about her love for Brown. But in a way, that she is making these revelations – they continue tomorrow, as her interview with Sawyer airs on “Good Morning America” and “20/20” – as part of the publicity campaign for her upcoming “Rated R” album is even more shocking.
        “This happened to me and it could happen to anybody,” Rihanna told Sawyer. “There are a lot of women who experienced what I did, but not in the public. It made it really difficult.”
        Nevertheless, Rihanna is moving ahead with promotion of her album, due in stores Nov. 23. She will receive Glamour’s “Woman of the Year” award at Carnegie Hall on Monday and perform in London on Nov. 16 at a concert that will be streamed internationally on the Internet through nokia.com.
        Though she has been putting up a brave front for months, both in her public appearances with Jay-Z promoting “Run This Town” and in the interviews with Glamour magazine and now on ABC, it seems like she is as emotionally fragile as her current single “Russian Roulette” suggests. In “Russian Roulette,” she sings, on one level, about being so lovestruck that she’s willing to put a gun to her head because her lover wants her to.
         In her interview with Sawyer, Rihanna said that victims of domestic abuse need to think clearly about their actions.
        “Don’t react off of love. [Expletive] love,” she said. “Come out of the situation and look at it third person... Love is so blind.”

    PHOTO: Rihanna speaks for the first time about the Chris Brown incident to Diane Sawyer. ABC News photo through Associated Press.

    Tags: Rihanna, Chris Brown, Diane Sawyer

  • U2, Mick Jagger and Black Eyed Peas? Must be Rock Hall's Night 2!

    Saturday October 31, 2009 9:50 AM By Glenn Gamboa

    Bruce Springsteen and the

        Though the first night of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concerts was far more exciting, the second night held closer to organizers’ plans to tell rock’s wide-ranging history through these superstar sets.
        U2 was certainly the most diverse, moving from a moody “Because the Night” with Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith to a pop-tastic “Where Is the Love” with the Black Eyed Peas. That was a bit too wide a stretch, though Bono did try to inject the song with some gravitas and tried to lighten “One” to fit with the Peas.
        However, the risk on “Gimme Shelter,” bringing together Mick Jagger and Black Eyed Peas, paid off handsomely, turning it into a powerful hybrid of darkness and light. And Bono and Jagger’s front-man face-off on “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” was truly a sight to behold, as Jagger bent a bit to Bono’s phrasing and Bono took on a bit of Jagger’s physicality.
        Metallica’s set was nearly as expansive, lightening up for “Sweet Jane” with Lou Reed and raging with Ray Davies on “All Day and All of the Night.” They were even deferential to Ozzy Osbourne, who remains an unstoppable concert force, as he roared through “Iron Man” and “Paranoid.”
        “The censor will have fun with that one,” Metallica’s James Hetfield said, after Osbourne left the stage. So will the rest of us.

    SETLIST: Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire // Aretha Franklin - Baby, I Love You / Don’t Play That Song / Make Them Hear You // Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox - Chain of Fools // Aretha Franklin - New York, New York // Aretha Franklin and Lenny Kravitz - Think // Aretha Franklin - Respect // Jeff Beck - Drown in My Own Tears // Jeff Beck and Sting - People Get Ready // Jeff Beck - Freeway Boogie / Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers // Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy - Let Me Love You // Jeff Beck - Big Block / Rice Pudding // Jeff Beck and Billy Gibbons - Rough Boy / Foxy Lady // Jeff Beck - A Day in the Life // Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls / One / Turn the Page // Metallica and Lou Reed - Sweet Jane / White Light/White Heat // Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne - Iron Man / Paranoid // Metallica and Ray Davies - You Really Got Me / All Day and All of the Night // Metallica - Stone Cold Crazy / Enter Sandman // U2 - Vertigo / Magnificent // U2, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith and Roy Bittan - Because the Night / U2. Bruce Springsteen and Roy Bittan - I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For // U2 - Mysterious Ways // U2 and Black Eyed Peas - Where Is the Love/One // U2, Mick Jagger, Fergie and will.i.am - Gimme Shelter // U2 and Mick Jagger - Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of // U2 - Beautiful Day

    PHOTO: Bruce Springsteen at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary at Madison Square Garden Thursday night by Getty Images

    Tags: U2, Mick Jagger, Black Eyed Peas, Metallica, Ray Davies, Lou Reed, Ozzy Osbourne

  • Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel close Rock Hall 25th anniversary party (with setlist!)

    Friday October 30, 2009 7:57 AM By Glenn Gamboa

    Bruce Springsteen, left, and Steven

    Bruce Springsteen once again offered his geological theory of how Long Island and New Jersey were once a single land mass, before “New York kind of squeezed in the way.”
        Then, he announced, “Long Island is about to meet to New Jersey... I’d like The King of Long Island to meet The E Street Band.”
        And with that,the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden became quite the surprise party, or as Springsteen put it, “The Bridge and Tunnel Summit.”
        Yes, Billy Joel had arrived shortly before 1 a.m. to help close out the nearly six-hour celebration of the history of rock and roll.

     >>PHOTOS: Click here to see photos of Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and other stars at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert

        Joel, along with his guitarist Tommy Byrnes and saxophonist Mark Rivera, joined Springsteen and The E Street Band for a mini-set of their hits that was historic and incredibly fun, especially once Joel and Springsteen started trading verses on “Only the Good Die Young,” “New York State of Mind” and “Born to Run.”
        After a night of stirring moments, including Stevie Wonder choking back tears as he paid tribute to Michael Jackson on “The Way You Make Me Feel” with John Legend, the Springsteen-Joel union was like a stunning rock and roll dream, as each brought his trademark delivery to the other’s song.
        The Rock Hall celebration continues tonight with U2, Aretha Franklin, Metallica and Jeff Beck. One of the surprise guests rumored for U2's set? None other than Mick Jagger. Let the dreaming continue. (For a blow-by-blow description of last night’s events, check out our Twitter page and follow @ndmusic for tonight’s festivities. An edited version of the night's events will air on HBO on Thanksgiving weekend.)

     >>PHOTOS: Click here to see photos of Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and other stars at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert

    SETLIST: Crosby, Stills and Nash - Woodstock / Marrakesh Express / Almost Cut My Hair / Crosby, Stills, Nash and Bonnie Raitt - Love Has No Pride / Crosby, Stills and Nash - Midnight Rider / Crosby, Stills, Nash and Jackson Browne - The Pretender / Crosby, Stills, Nash and James Taylor - Mexico / Love the One You’re With / Paul Simon - Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes / Me and Julio Down by The Schoolyard / You Can Call Me Al / Paul Simon and Dion - The Wanderer / Paul Simon, Crosby and Nash - Here Comes the Sun // Paul Simon - Late in the Evening / Little Anthony and The Imperials - Two Kinds of People // Simon and Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence / Mrs. Robinson/Not Fade Away /The Boxer /Bridge Over Troubled Water / Cecilia // Stevie Wonder - Blowin in the Wind / Uptight / I Was Made to Love Her / For Once in My Life / Signed, Sealed and Delivered / Boogie On, Reggae Woman // Wonder and Smokey Robinson - Tracks of My Tears // Wonder and John Legend - Mercy, Mercy Me / The Way You Make Me Feel // Wonder and B.B. King - The Thrill Is Gone / Wonder - Living for the City // Wonder and Sting - Higher Ground/Roxanne // Wonder and Jeff Beck - Superstition // Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band -- Tenth Avenue Freeze Out // Springsteen, E Street Band and Sam Moore - Hold On, I’m Coming / Soul Man // Springsteen, E Street Band and Tom Morello - The Ghost of Tom Joad // Springsteen, E Street Band and John Fogerty - Fortunate Son / Proud Mary // Springsteen and E Street Band - Jungleland // Springsteen, E Street Band and Darlene Love - A Fine, Fine Boy / Da Do Ron Ron // Springsteen, E Street Band and Morello - London Calling / Badlands // Springsteen, E Street Band and Billy Joel - You May Be Right / Only the Good Die Young / New York State of Mind / Born to Run // Springsteen, E Street Band, Joel, Fogerty, Browne, Sam Moore, Darlene Love, Peter Wolf - Higher and Higher

     

    PHOTO: Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary by Henny Ray Abrams for Associated Press

     

    Tags: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, U2, Aretha Franklin, Metallica, Jeff Beck, John Legend, Mick Jagger


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