Metalheads united in a rare moment of emotional synchronicity last summer: we were gutted by a tragedy that struck the best of us — we had a Man Down. Baroness, a critically acclaimed crossover act whose recently released album “Yellow & Green” had captivated audiences and critics with its powerful and somber melodic muscle, had suffered a terrible touring accident — a bus crash in England that left important bones shattered and important people sidelined.

This isn’t that story. Read the worry in archives. This is the story of the trial-klined aftermath. This is the story of how integrity trumps superficiality — the story of the difference between rock stars and rock saints.

“I really only have one option — that option being to get back in the swing of things and become active and productive and creative again,” says Baroness’s nucleus John Baizley. “The only other option is just to give up… and then do what?”

Getting back in the swing of things for a road-dog band like Baroness means touring, and a lot of it, on an astonishing schedule, considering the breadth of their injuries. Robbed of the opportunity to present “Yellow & Green” — a deeply personal and artistically exploratory double album — to American audiences due to the bus crash early in their tour cycle, Baroness’s upcoming dates mark their first opportunity to present — and defend — their work.

“The predictability of the album cycle was wrenched away from us, so now the net of safety and predictability is a thing of the past. I think most people have made up their minds on whether they like the album at this point. And things have changed — in terms of lineup [two members of Baroness have left the band as a result of injury], in terms of perspective. This tour is in gratitude to our fans who continued to pay attention to us all while we were out of commission momentarily. If it turns into anything bigger than that, then I think we’ll be very happy. But we’re starting with a very humble mindset.”

Baizley’s run with Baroness has seen a number of lineup changes, and with this tour, fans will see a completely new rhythm section as drummer Allen Blickle and bassist Matt Maggioni recover from the accident. “We’ve just lost two members, so 50 percent of our sound has changed. So in some ways we’ve taken a very big step in a different direction, musically speaking. And I think the important thing is to embrace that. That’s the new existence, and you work therein. When Allen and Matt left the band, the first discussion that I had with Pete [Adams, lead guitar] was, ‘OK, we absolutely can’t look at this as a shot against the band. We have to look at this as opportunity. This has to be a door open for us to improve. We don’t find the mirror images of what we’ve got, we find something to make us better. We have to get better.”

Although these factors make for a tempestuous start to a tour, Baizley is glad to be hitting the East Coast for his first few dates, having breathed life into Baroness across a number of Atlantic states. And, for fans of his gorgeous art-nouveau style album art, he confirms that he’s incorporating art into his recovery.

“I’m getting close to that overextension again, which is where I actually love being. I like to be constantly in the midst of something.”

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Part of an exhibition displaying outfits and photographs of Marilyn Monroe was stolen while being transported to the Czech Republic from Italy, the event’s curator said on Wednesday.

The exhibition, commemorating the 50th anniversary of her death, was created by the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence last year.

Ferragamo was the actress’ favorite shoemaker and she owned a dozen pairs of his hand-made shoes.

Curator Jan Trestik said a truck carrying mannequins and photographs was raided in an apparently coordinated attack in the central Czech Republic on trucks carrying luxury goods from Italy.

David Sebek, spokesman for Prague Castle, which is due to host the show, said most of the exhibits, including her dresses, had already arrived intact.

Prague police spokesman Tomas Hulan said officers were investigating the case but refused to give any details.

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Oscar winner Ang Lee canceled his plans to direct the pilot of new television series “Tyrant,” saying on Tuesday that he needed to rest after spending four years working on 3D fantasy-adventure film “Life of Pi.”

Lee, 58, signed on to direct the pilot of the drama series for cable network FX in March, shortly after winning the Best Director Oscar for “Life of Pi.”

“It is one of the most brilliant ideas for a series that I’ve seen and one about which I was very excited,” Lee said in a statement. “However, after spending over four years making and promoting ‘Life of Pi,’ I have recently realized that I need some rest.”

“Tyrant” tells the story of an American family that is pulled into the workings of a restive Middle Eastern nation, and Lee was slated to begin filming the pilot this summer.

It would have been the Taiwanese-born director’s first foray into television.

“Tyrant” is produced by Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, who also are producers on Showtime’s Emmy-winning counter-terrorism thriller “Homeland.”

FX did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment.

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An 18-foot, 8-inch Burmese python set a record for the longest snake ever captured in South Florida, where the exotic species has taken up residence.

College student Jason Leon snared the female python in a rural area southeast of Miami earlier this month, when he saw part of it sticking out from brush along the roadside, said Carli Segelson, a spokeswoman for the state’s Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The python broke the previous record set in 2012 by a 17-foot, 7-inch snake caught by researchers studying the impact of the growing population of pythons on the Everglades National Park.

With the help of his friends, Leon wrestled and killed the snake with a knife, Segelson said. He then reported the find through Florida’s “IveGot1″ program, which connects callers to wildlife researchers.

The Burmese python is an invasive species in Florida. Native to the region from India to lower China, the species has been documented to grow as long as 26 feet and weigh 200 pounds.

Florida sponsored a python hunting competition in January to see whether annual hunts might put a dent in the local population, and to provide specimens for further research.

Theories on how the snakes got into the Everglades include dumping by pet owners and the destruction of a nearby exotic pet dealership during the 1992 Hurricane Andrew.

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The year 2013 may very well be remembered as the year of the victory lap. From “Arrested Development” to the Postal Service and Neutral Milk Hotel, entertainment that was underappreciated during its time is returning to bask in the love it should have initially received.

In some instances, the adulation is surprising. In other cases it’s inevitable. For Daft Punk it’s a little bit of both. The hype surrounding the dance and house duo from Paris and their new album, “Random Access Memories,” is a surprise because their last official album, 2005’s “Human After All,” was met with a resounding meh. But it’s inevitable, because since then, the music that they had been pioneering since the late ’90s has become wildly popular.

Did you see how we called Daft Punk a “dance and house” act in the above paragraph? That’s because when we popped “RAM” into our computers, that’s how Daft Punk registered the genre with iTunes. While they arguably play what is now called electronic dance music, or EDM, that genre name seemed to surface during their absence. In fact, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, one half of the helmeted duo, recently admitted to the British publication New Music Express that he had no idea what people were talking about when they mentioned EDM.

“I don’t know EDM artists or the albums,” he said. “At first I thought it was all just one guy, some DJ called EDM.”

But “Random Access Memories” will appeal to people who know all about EDM and to people who don’t know a thing about it. It’s a dance album with high profile guest stars — Pharrell Williams, Julian Casablancas and Nile Rogers, to name a few — who never steal the spotlight from their hosts. The interesting part about the album though, is that it flies in the face of what people might expect a Daft Punk album would sound like in 2013, because it almost sounds like what any album produced by Giorgio Moroder might sound like in 1979. In fact, the 73-year-old disco pioneer is also a guest star on the album, on a winking track titled, “Giorgio By Moroder.”

When the duo could so easily satisfy EDM-hungry fans, why would they play so far against form? Because playing against form is what made fans so excited for Daft Punk to return in the first place.

When Metro spoke with Thomas Mars of Phoenix earlier this month, we asked about the internet speculation that Daft Punk would join his band for a few songs at Coachella, as they had done a few years prior at Madison Square Garden. Phoenix tapped R. Kelly as their special guest instead.

Mars had a good reason for not calling his old friends to join them.

“You know what’s nice is that we decided to do Madison Square Garden,” he said, “because we thought, ‘How many chances were there that friends that grew up in the suburbs of Paris who were making music at the same time would be having success at the same time?’ and we had to do something together. But then once you do it, I think you have done it. What I love about their music is that they have such a strong concept. They always go in the direction, they always want to shape the future and we try to do the same thing, and try to go to places where we surprise ourselves, where you change the rules each time a bit. And so that would have been just some sort of disturbing victory lap, or an embarrassing victory lap.”

So while Daft Punk is doing a victory lap of sorts, they’re doing it on their own track.

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Doors founding member Ray Manzarek is dead at the age of 74. The keyboard player, who contributed greatly to the band’s signature sound on songs like “Light My Fire” and “Riders on the Storm” lost a battle to bile duct cancer in a clinic in Germany.

Ever since the death of Doors singer Jim Morrison in 1971, Manzarek was crucial to keeping alive the band’s legacy. He was opposed to Oliver Stone’s portrayal of the band in his 1991 film, saying, “That Oliver Stone thing did real damage to the guy I knew: Jim Morrison, the poet.” But during his life, Manzarek gladly shared his experiences in multiple projects commemorating the band.

We’d like to remember Manzarek with this poignant performance of “The End” from the band’s “Live at the Hollywood Bowl” performance.

The official statement, from the Doors Facebook page is below.

Ray Manzarek, Founding Member of The Doors, Passes Away at 74

Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, passed away today at 12:31PM PT at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany after a lengthy battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74. At the time of his passing, he was surrounded by his wife Dorothy Manzarek, and his brothers Rick and James Manczarek.

Manzarek is best known for his work with The Doors who formed in 1965 when Manzarek had a chance encounter on Venice Beach with poet Jim Morrison. The Doors went on to become one of the most controversial rock acts of the 1960s, selling more than 100-million albums worldwide, and receiving 19 Gold, 14 Platinum and five multi-Platinum albums in the U.S. alone. “L.A.Woman,” “Break On Through to the Other Side,” “The End,” “Hello, I Love You,” and “Light My Fire” were just some of the band’s iconic and ground-breaking songs. After Morrison’s death in 1971, Manzarek went on to become a best-selling author, and a Grammy-nominated recording artist in his own right. In 2002, he revitalized his touring career with Doors’ guitarist and long-time collaborator, Robby Krieger.

“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today,” said Krieger. “I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him.”

Manzarek is survived by his wife Dorothy, brothers Rick and James Manczarek, son Pablo Manzarek, Pablo’s wife Sharmin and their three children Noah, Apollo and Camille. Funeral arrangements are pending. The family asks that their privacy be respected at this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, please make a memoriam donation in Ray Manzarek’s name at www.standup2cancer.org

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Prince has signed a new deal with Kobalt Music Group to market and distribute his future work without giving up control over his rights, the company said on Monday.

The singer/songwriter, who is famed for changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol in a wrangle over musical rights, will release his own work as well as a slate of new music by other artists that he produces, Kobalt said.

The announcement came just hours after the 54-year-old Prince was given a Billboard Icon Award (lifetime achievement) and rocked the Billboard Music Awards ceremony with a version of his “Let’s Go Crazy” dressed in electric green trousers and sporting an Afro hair style.

Kobalt, which is also a global independent music publishing company, launched an artist and label services division in 2012, allowing artists to maintain ownership of their work and control over when, how and where they will release their music.

Traditional labels often take ownership or part-ownership of the artist’s material and often dictate how it is used, an increasingly important sticking point in an industry where digital music can be instantly available.

“This new venture gives Prince the flexibility and freedom he’s always sought in a label partner,” Kobalt President Richard Sanders said in a statement.

The Grammy award-winning singer will also provide artist development and recording services for newly signed artists that Kobalt will market and distribute.

Kobalt was set up in 2000 by Swedish businessman Willard Ahdritz and its publishing roster includes former Beatle Paul McCartney, Icelandic singer Bjork and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.

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Disney said on Monday it will produce a new “Star Wars” animated series to air on television in autumn 2014, giving fans of the science-fiction franchise fresh stories before the next live-action film hits theaters in 2015.

“Star Wars Rebels,” based on George Lucas’ multibillion-dollar film franchise, will be set in the two decades between the events of the third and fourth films, where the Empire becomes a dominant force in the galaxy, Disney said.

“I think ‘Star Wars Rebels’ will capture the look, feel and fun that both kids and their parents love about ‘Star Wars,’” Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm, said in a statement.

The animated series, which will premiere on the Disney Channel and will be shown across Disney XD channels around the world, will come before a new “Star Wars” film in 2015.

“Star Wars: Episode VII,” to be directed by J.J. Abrams, is the first of three new “Star Wars” films announced by Disney in October 2012, when it purchased George Lucas’ Lucasfilm company for $4.05 billion.

“Star Wars” has become a cultural phenomenon since the first film was released in 1977, making characters such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Darth Vader, and phrases like “May the Force be with you,” part of popular culture.

Anticipation is building among the vast “Star Wars” community for the new film, which will be filmed in Britain. The six-film franchise has grossed more than $4.4 billion at the worldwide box office.

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Though Jason Newsted has popped up in a few notable projects since quitting Metallica in 2001, his new band is all about him.

“It’s a big deal,” he says. “There’s a few different hats I’m taking on: I’m the frontman, it’s my songs, it’s my voice.”

It’s also his name. In the tradition of Van Halen, Santana and Bon Jovi, the name of the band is the same as the name of the man. This is a bigger commitment than participating in Dave Navarro’s made-for-reality TV band, Rock Star Supernova, and the bassist seems acutely aware of that.

“It’s nervous excitement,” he says. “It’s a giant challenge.”

Newsted formed six months ago when the band’s namesake started writing songs with guitarist Jessie Farnsworth and drummer Jesus Mendez Jr., and recorded a thrashy four-song EP as tight and terse as its title: “Metal.” In February, Staind guitarist Mike Mushok joined and, though we couldn’t get the band’s leader to reveal its title, a full-length is ready for release by fall.

Through summer, Newsted has 70 gigs worldwide, including London’s 100 Club and Donington’s Download, the same two places he played in 1987, launching his first full-length with Metallica, “…And Justice For All.”

“I did retire from the big thing so I could do what I want with my life. Jumping back into it is different from what I planned to do, but you have to create challenges when you have all the time in the world. This is the biggest that I’ve created for myself in a long time.”

‘Full-on dedicated’
Regrets, Newsted has a few. Quitting Metallica wasn’t easy. But Metallica — driven and ambitious on the one hand and stung by the loss of dear friend and original bassist Cliff Burton, whom Newsted replaced — was never an easy band to be in. For anyone: “I am the man who had to step up and make that decision for EVERYONE,” Newsted emphasizes of his decision to leave in 2001. “It was me that suffered the most. It was me that made the giant sacrifice. It was a horrible, hard decision. I still, every couple of days, I think about it even now. I was the first one into the show and the last one out. I wore a Metallica T-shirt on stage every night. I flew my colors, I was full-on dedicated.”

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File this one under “What took them so long?”: TMZ has reported that the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating death threats made against Chris Brown. Because of his giant ego, we’re gonna call it right here that it’s only just a matter of time before Breezy brags about this in song.

We wouldn’t be surprised if he’s had a song ready to go just for this occasion. Can’t you just imagine his agent breathlessly calling him to deliver the news: “You know all those times you were a raging a-hole in public and for some reason people still hired you for things and stuff? Well, somebody’s finally threatened to kill you! Welcome to the big leagues, son!”

Also, if you want proof, just click any of the related tags.

While we certainly don’t advocate for anybody to harm anybody else, it’s just surprising that Brown hadn’t outraged anybody enough to drive them to make threats like these before. Chris Brown, we do hope you stay out of harm’s way, and suggest that maybe the best way to do that would be to not behave like a jackass.

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A custom-made electric guitar played by the late John Lennon and George Harrison of the Beatles is shown in this Julien’s Auctions handout photograph taken at Julien’s Gallery in Beverly Hills.

The semi-hollow-body guitar, manufactured by the VOX company, was sold to an unidentified U.S. buyer at the “Music Icons” event organized by Beverly Hills, California-based Julien’s Auctions and held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan.

Julien’s said previously it expected the guitar, which was the centerpiece of Saturday’s sale, to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000.

Harrison played the instrument, distinguished by two symmetrical flared shoulders on the upper body, while practicing “I Am The Walrus,” and Lennon used it in a video session for the song “Hello, Goodbye,” according to a statement from Julien’s Auctions.

Both songs were on the Beatles’ 1967 album “Magical Mystery Tour.”

The VOX guitar was a prototype instrument custom-built for Lennon in 1966, said Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s. Lennon gave the VOX guitar as a gift in 1967 to Yanni “Magic Alex” Mardas, who was the electronics engineer for the band’s Apple Records label, the auction house said.

The instrument, displayed in recent weeks at a museum in Ireland before the sale, was sold a few years ago by Christie’s Auction House for a little over $100,000. Nolan said the latest buyer, who sent a representative to Saturday’s auction to bid on his behalf, wished to remain anonymous.

Lennon was shot to death in New York in 1980 by a deranged fan, and Harrison died of lung cancer in Los Angeles in 2001. The surviving members of the Beatles are Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

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British boy band One Direction, one of the pop industry’s biggest acts of the last 18 months, are working on an “edgy” third album and will start a world tour next year.

The five singers told a press conference in London that their new album, which the music press speculated would share the same name as their upcoming “Where We Are” 2014 tour, will depart from the teen pop that has had young girls screaming around the world since they first emerged from a talent show.

“The answer is yes, there will be a new album and yeah, I think it’s taking a slightly rockier tone to it,” One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson told reporters on Thursday before handing over to bandmate Liam Payne to expand.

Payne said the group, which also includes Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles, helped out with the songwriting on the new album, but did not mention a release date.

“We’ve written a lot of the songs, which is nice this time,” Payne said. “We’ve just made it a bit more edgy I suppose.”

One Direction, whose members are aged in their late teens and early 20s, have sold 14 million singles in the two years since their debut album “Up All Night”.

They will start their tour on April 25, 2014 in Bogota, Colombia.

“It’s not just the same tour going round again in stadiums,” Styles said. “It’s gonna be a much bigger show.”

The group have confirmed 13 dates in Latin America, Ireland and Britain, with more to come.

One Direction shot to fame on “The X Factor” television singing competition and have conquered the global market with two albums and a string of catchy hit singles.

The band topped the Billboard 200 album chart twice last year with “Up All Night” and their second album “Take Me Home”. They were named Billboard’s top new artist/group in 2012.

(Reporting by Paul Casciato; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

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The Boston Symphony Orchestra has hired Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons to succeed James Levine, an iconic American conductor known for his wild hair and dramatic manner, who left in 2011 due to health problems, it said on Thursday.

Nelsons will be the leading U.S. symphony’s youngest conductor in more than a century when he begins the 2013-14 season as “music director designate.” He will assume the full title of music director for the 2014-15 season.

“Sought after by the top orchestras and opera houses of the world, Maestro Nelsons, at age 34, is already considered one of the most brilliant conductors of our time,” said Chairman of the BSO Board of Trustees Ted Kelly in a press release.

Nelsons, who is currently conducting the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in the United Kingdom, said in the release that his appointment to the BSO marked “one of the highest achievements a conductor could hope for in his lifetime.”

The Boston Symphony has been without a permanent music director since 2011, when Levine – one of the leading forces in U.S. classical music for the last four decades – left after seven seasons because of back problems and other health issues.

Levine, who also serves as music director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, is due to return Sunday to the podium in New York, where he will conduct excerpts from Wagner’s Lohengrin and Schubert’s “Great” Symphony.

Nelsons is scheduled to make his first official appearance at the head of the orchestra in Boston in October, leading Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 in C, and Brahms’s Symphony No. 3.

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“Saturday Night Live” cast member Seth Meyers said on Thursday that he will stay on at the NBC live television comedy show until the end of the year, before he begins hosting the network’s “Late Night” talk show in February 2014.

Meyers, 39, will take the reins from Jimmy Fallon on “Late Night” in a programming shuffle at NBC. Fallon will succeed Jay Leno as host of the earlier “Tonight Show.”

Meyer’s announcement comes ahead of the “SNL” Saturday season finale, which is expected to be the final show for several longtime cast members.

“I’m nowhere near emotionally ready for Saturday to be my last show,” Meyers said on NBC’s “Today” show. “I am going to go back to ‘SNL’ in the fall and do the first half of the” television season.

Comedian Bill Hader said earlier this week he will leave “Saturday Night Live” after this season. The show has served as a career springboard for several former cast members including Will Ferrell, Chevy Chase and Tina Fey.

Longtime cast members Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis are also expected to leave the show, though representatives at NBC would not comment on cast departures.

Meyers has been an ‘SNL’ cast member since 2001 and host of its “Weekend Update” news segment since 2006.

NBC is owned by Comcast Corp.

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Singer Bob Dylan was made an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, joining the ranks of leading writers, composers and artists in the prestigious 115-year-old group.

Henry Cobb, the president of the academy, said honorary members are people of great distinction in the creative arts.

“For more than 50 years, defying categorization in a culture beguiled by categories, Bob Dylan has probed and prodded our psyches, recording and then changing our world and our lives through poetry made manifest in song – creating relationships that we never imagined could exist between words, emotions and ideas,” the citation said.

The singer/songwriter did not attend Wednesday’s ceremony in Manhattan, where Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon gave the keynote address and cited Dylan’s lyrics, and actress Meryl Streep, another honorary member, presented an award.

But he sent his regrets in a statement.

“I feel extremely honored and very lucky to be included in this pantheon of great individual artists who comprise the Academy of Arts and Letters. I look forward to meeting all of you some time soon,” he said.

Virginia Dejani, the executive director of the academy, said Dylan’s induction was decided by a vote of the membership, which totals 250.

“He was on a ballot with other names and he won handily,” she said in an interview.

Dejani said that he was made an honorary member because the Academy failed to decide which department – art, literature or music – he would fit into. The rules of the academy limit honorary membership to 15 Americans, she added.

“It was decided that he is a very multitalented person whose work was so unusual for what he has accomplished that it defies categorization,” Dejani added.

Other honorary U.S. members include directors Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, choreographer Paul Taylor and cellist Yo Yo Ma.

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But her transformation into a humanitarian campaigner and now poster girl for the fight against breast cancer with her revelation that, faced with a high cancer risk, she had undergone a double mastectomy, has elevated her to heroine status in the media.

Her deeply personal account of the decision to undergo the operation, published in the New York Times, won her wide praise for her courage, and Pitt’s support of her move has put the couple in a new light in and beyond Hollywood. Jolie said she made the difficult choice in order to “tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.”

“This week they have shown that they are real people and a real couple with a solid relationship,” said Wendy Mitchell, editor at trade magazine Screen International, speaking at the world’s largest film festival in Cannes.

“They have both grown up and even though the tabloid press will still chase them, there is a new respect there for them.”

Jolie, 37, has managed to put her wild reputation behind her, staying out of the public spotlight with Pitt and their six children and only taking to the stage to promote films and causes in which she is involved.

In April, she stood alongside British Foreign Secretary William Hague at a G8 meeting in London, her hair in a bun and in a business suit more typical of Wall Street than Hollywood, to pledge an end to sexual violence and rape in war zones.

A month earlier, in her role as a special envoy for the U.N. Human Rights Council, Jolie accompanied Hague to refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo, never giving an indication of the personal health traumas she was going through at that time.

The actress, whose past roles have included the “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” films, still makes big studio entertainment such as next year’s “Maleficent,” a twist on “Sleeping Beauty” in which she stars as the wicked sorceress who puts a curse on the princess.

She also has combined her humanitarian campaigning with filmmaking, marking her directorial debut with 2011′s “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” a love story between a Muslim woman and a Serbian man with the Bosnian war as a backdrop.

Industry insiders at the Cannes film festival this week, the year’s biggest movie industry gathering, were stunned by Jolie’s mastectomy announcement but said the way she released the news, in her words in the Times, was a sign of her maturity.

Jolie and Pitt, 49, also are talking about marriage.

“She’s somebody who has transformed herself in so many ways from the very beginning when she was dismissed as more or less some kind of kooky bimbo,” said Jay Weissberg, a movie critic at industry publication Variety.

“She has pushed that idea of the public figure having responsibility to the public … coming forward to be a spokesperson for cancer, it’s not only going to help her in Hollywood but help her outside of Hollywood as well.”

Respect from the media

The headlines following Jolie’s announcement signaled enhanced respect for the actress.

“Angelina Jolie praised for revelation over double mastectomy,” said British newspaper The Guardian, while CNN’s headline read “Angelina Jolie’s brave message.”

Bob Thompson, a professor of pop culture at Syracuse University, said that while Jolie’s decision to write about her surgery may bring an added “gravitas” to media stories about the actress, it is unlikely to end tabloid attention.

“I don’t know if suddenly this couple is going to be elevated to a new status and talked about and treated in a different way,” Thompson said.

“(Jolie’s surgery) is a different subject from the usual stories but there will still be speculation on whether she and Brad Pitt are getting married or breaking up, and that’s not going to change very much.”

As for Jolie’s status as a sex symbol, Thompson said that while he hoped it would not diminish her appeal within audiences regarding her as such, he added that the surgery may bring her a “street cred” from a wider public.

“This personal story gives her a sense of street cred that comes from having gone through something particularly trying. … Angelina might get some gravitas from this simply because it’s a serious and frightening experience,” he said.

Amongst their peers, the Hollywood power couple have won respect for using their status to make a difference.

Thierry Fremaux, the director of the Cannes film festival where Jolie has been a frequent guest with films such as “Changeling” and “A Mighty Heart,” said the actress has been an avid campaigner for her causes.

“There is no difference between the star Angelina Jolie and the woman Angelina Jolie. … She has pledged to end sexual violence and rape in conflict in an historic announcement,” Fremaux said.

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People have blamed Yoko Ono for breaking up The Beatles since before they even broke up. But Paul McCartney has definitively said that she had nothing to do with it.

In an interview with Sir David Frost that will be available to view later this year, Sir Paul has come to the defense of John Lennon’s expressive widow.

“She certainly didn’t break the group up,” said McCartney. “I don’t think you can blame her for anything.”

Here is a photo of the three in question at the premiere of “Yellow Submarine” at the London Pavilion in 1968. Speaking of movies, McCartney is starring in “Rockshow,” which will be shown starting Thursday in cinemas nationwide for the first time in 33 years. It’s a documentary about Macca’s post-Beatles group Wings and their 1975-1976 Wings Across America tour. Could give “Iron Man 3″ a run for its money, eh?

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Music mogul and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs will not be appearing in British period TV drama “Downtown Abbey,” U.S. broadcaster PBS said Wednesday, despite tweets saying he would be joining the hit show’s upcoming season.

Diddy set social media abuzz Wednesday after posts on his verified Twitter account said, “MY BIG NEWS: So happy to announce that Im a series regular on DOWNTON ABBEY-my favorite show+i’ll be debuting a sneak peek tonight 12am PST!.”

“It’s not true,” PBS spokeswoman Carrie Johnson said in an email to Reuters.

It is unknown whether or not Diddy’s Twitter account @iamdiddy, followed by 8.7 million people, was hacked after the “Downton Abbey” logo was added as the avatar and background on the account.

A representative for Diddy, 43, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Emmy-winning series “Downton Abbey,” about the lives of aristocratic Britons and their servants in the early 20th century, is broadcast on Britain’s ITV and on public broadcaster PBS in the United States.

The show’s third season U.S. premiere in January attracted a record 7.9 million viewers for PBS. The fourth season is currently being filmed in Britain.

Diddy, 43, rose to prominence in the 1990s for founding New York rap label Bad Boy Records, which helped launch the career of late Notorious B.I.G.

He also scored No. 1 hits in the late 1990s with rap songs “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” and “I’ll Be Missing You.”

The post Diddy on ‘Downton Abbey’? PBS says no appeared first on Metro.us.

For French Montana, having one of the most anticipated hip-hop albums of the year was all part of the plan. Starting out with his own series of DVDs, the Moroccan-born, Bronx-bred rapper mixed artist interviews from the heavyweights in the game to garner attention for his own music. And it worked.

That street buzz, along with a heavy Internet presence (and a couple of hits like “Shot Caller” and “Pop That”) made him one of the most sought after MCs. It was also enough for both Diddy and Rick Ross to sign on to executive produce his debut album, “Excuse My French,” which comes out Tuesday. Montana counts himself lucky to have such mentors, especially since he believes it’s good business built on great relationships.

“If you could have Michael Jordan and Pat Riley coach you, why wouldn’t you?” he explains. “Guys like [Diddy] and Ross don’t move for money. They have to have love for you. That’s all I wanted: Someone that had love and cares about my music as much as I care about it.”

The love for French doesn’t end with Ross and Diddy.

The featured lineup for “Excuse My French” is filled with the genre’s A-list. Snoop, Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo, Drake, Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd and Scarface all make appearances. But why are hip-hop’s hitmakers coming out for somebody who had a rep as a troublemaker when he first entered the industry? Montana says the answer is simple.

“I just want to do things to get my mind off the negativity,” he says. “I just want to make music and have fun and be around positive people. I feel like they see them [in me] when they were on the come-up.”

The road to French’s first album has been a long one. But as the rapper readies himself for its release and his appearance at Hot 97’s 20th anniversary Summer Jam, he believes that a serious amount of self-confidence was the key to success.

“Nobody is going to help you if you don’t help yourself. It got to a point in my life where the person I was looking for to help me was myself. When I needed help, nobody helped me. But when I went out there and got it myself and got in position then everyone started helping me. Once you make up your mind and your back is against the wall and this has to work, then it’s going to work.”

French Montana album release party
Hosted by Funkmaster Flex, featuring Cipha Sounds with Bobby Trends, DJ Spynfo, Young Chow and DJ Kulcha
Tuesday, 10 p.m.
Webster Hall
125 E. 11th St.
$25, 212-353-1600
www.websterhall.com

The post You can call rapper French Montana the ‘Shot Caller’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Chris Pine (Captain Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock) are not very colorful in “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
Credit: Paramount Pictures

‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
Director: J.J. Abrams
Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch
Rated: PG-13
2 (out of 5) Globes

The summer of 2009’s most unexpected delight, director J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek,” revived the moribund franchise, exploiting a canny time-travel loophole so a fresh-faced cast could take on familiar roles unburdened by a half-century’s worth of sci-fi mythology. The film’s great pleasure was watching these flinty Starfleet cadets gradually assume their rightful positions on the bridge of the Enterprise, finally blasting off for adventures unknown. It was terrific pop entertainment.

“Star Trek Into Darkness” is as glum and mechanical as its predecessor was buoyant. After spending an entire movie getting the band together, Abrams — along with returning screenwriters Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci — promptly bust them up and drag the action back down to Earth, ditching the space exploration for a joyless, been-there-done-that revenge plot. Demoted to First Officer for violating the Prime Directive, Chris Pine’s blustery James T. Kirk finds himself investigating an act of domestic terrorism by Benedict Cumberbatch’s rogue officer John Harrison — but he might go by another, more familiar name. An assassination sequence heavily indebted to — of all things — “The Godfather III” follows. A close friend is among the dead: This time, it’s personal.

An itchy admiral, played by Peter Weller, turns the Enterprise into a warship, much to the displeasure of peacenik Chief Engineer Scotty (Simon Pegg), who resigns from his post in protest. Kirk and crew are dispatched on an illegal mission of vengeance, accompanied by Alice Eve’s mysterious Carol Marcus, whose name might raise an eyebrow for “Wrath of Khan” fans.

In fact, there’s a lot that deliberately stokes memories of “Trek”’s 1982 high-water mark first sequel, including a mid-movie reveal that’s probably the worst-kept secret in the history of franchise marketing.

“Darkness” eventually replays an entire sequence from the beloved “Wrath of Kahn” film, except with a couple of key roles swapped. (Here it’s worth mentioning that with those original “Trek” movies, the even-numbered films delivered while the odd-numbered installments were notoriously lousy. Nifty of Abrams to keep the reversal theme going by inverting that particular axiom.)

Shot on film and then post-converted to digital 3-D, “Star Trek Into Darkness” is the muddiest-looking movie you’ll find in theaters right now. (Perhaps the title refers to the cinematography?) The vibrant colors of the crew uniforms and Abrams’ beloved fluorescent lens flares appear to have been submerged in murk.

The charming supporting cast is sidelined, and Michael Giacchino’s rousing score can only feign excitement for so long. This sorry sequel feels rote and hopelessly derivative, timidly going where we all have already gone before.

The post ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ more like ‘Into Dumbness’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Gotye could have just pillaged a riff from Luiz Bonfa and not many people would have been the wiser. Bonfa, a Brazilian guitarist and composer, has been dead for 12 years.

Copyright cases often end up in court long after a song gets so popular (read: When the composer who had been living under a rock for decades finally hears the song that some young gun ripped off from him or her.)

But Gotye was proactive, and when he borrowed a rhythm and chord change that amounts to about four seconds of Bonfa’s 1967 song, “Seville,” he made an agreement with Bonfa’s estate to pay a percentage of the royalties.

In February, Gotye told Billboard that “That Luiz Bonfa sample directly prompted the first line of lyrics. … The back and forth left me thinking about these different breakups and different relationships over the years, and the lyrics flowed from there.”

It was revealed WEdnesday that the agreement has so far netted Bonfa’s estate more than $1 million. Check out the clips below.

While we’re on the topic, this writer recently heard the disco classic “More More More” on the radio and was reminded of how a tiny part in a song can be such a big part of another song. See below. Also, what the hell ever happened to Len?

The post Gotye pays royalties to dead guitarist for ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Soul singer Aretha Franklin has pulled out of two upcoming performances because of health issues, the two concert venues said on Monday.

Franklin, 71, canceled a May 20 concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a May 26 solo performance at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.

“It was canceled for medical reasons,” Foxwoods spokeswoman Dale Wolbrink said, declining to say what health issues caused the “Queen of Soul” to pull out of the May 26 show.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra said Franklin canceled her performance due to a “doctor’s recommendation for treatment during the time frame of May 20 and 26.”

R&B singer Janelle Monae will fill in for Franklin with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the organization said in a statement.

Franklin’s publicist did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Franklin, a towering figure in popular music during the 1960s and 1970s with such hits as “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” was forced to cancel a concert tour in 2010 to undergo surgery for an undisclosed health issue.

The singer is still scheduled to perform at two concerts in Canada and one in Michigan in June.

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Broadcast networks Fox and NBC are turning to proven favorites to lure new viewers next season, with Fox rebooting the defunct Kiefer Sutherland action series “24″ and NBC bringing back Michael J. Fox in a comedy loosely based on his life.

The two networks pitched their TV schedules to advertisers Monday at the start of the upfronts, an annual rite when broadcasters try to persuade advertisers to shell out billions of dollars in advance for their new shows.

NBC and Fox need new hits to fill out their lineups, which may explain why both are bringing back stars from the past.

Primetime ratings at News Corp-owned Fox slumped 16.7 percent this year, according to Nielsen data provided by Horizon Media and based on live viewing and those who record and watch the show the same day. The decline stemmed largely from a dwindling audience for singing contest “American Idol.”

Viewership at Comcast-owned NBC remained flat this season while that of its rivals declined. NBC is so far in third place this year among total viewers based on same-day viewing, but has been in the ratings cellar for years.

At a presentation at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt highlighted “The Michael J. Fox Show,” a new semiautobiographical comedy about a father with Parkinson’s. Fox starred on NBC in 1980s sitcom “Family Ties.”

The network also announced the return of “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes to its schedule in “Sean Saves the World,” a sitcom about a divorced gay dad, and trumpeted its broadcast of the Winter Olympics early next year.

Greenblatt said the network’s performance needs to improve.

“We have no illusions about how much work is ahead of us in order to grow our business,” Greenblatt told advertisers at the presentation.

Jay Leno, who will be replaced by comedian Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” in early 2014, joked in a video duet with Fallon about NBC’s struggles.

“Who knows? We may beat Univision,” Leno sang. NBC lost the February sweeps ratings period this year to Spanish-language network Univision.

Fallon told the crowd to send any complaints about the late night schedule to Greenblatt and flashed an authentic email address for the NBC executive on the screen.

Attendees at NBC’s event said they were impressed with the initial glimpses of the Michael J. Fox comedy as well as drama “The Blacklist,” which stars James Spader as an ex-government agent who is one of the FBI’s most-wanted fugitives.

“‘Blacklist’ stood out to me. I thought it was high drama,” said Greg McLelland, vice president of national sales for Canadian firm Shaw Media, following the event.

Fox also unveiled five new comedies and four dramas. They include “Dads,” the first live-action comedy from “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, and “Almost Human,” from J.J. Abrams, creator of “Lost.”

Fox Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly said that Fox was making “the biggest investment” to date in programming for the network but declined to comment on the amount.

Reilly said it was likely “American Idol,” which lost 20 percent of its audience this season, would have three judges next year rather than four. Last week, veteran judge Randy Jackson said he would be leaving the show after 12 years.

Wall Street analysts expect broadcast networks to have to settle for lower ad rate increases than they have enjoyed in recent years.

Average prime-time ratings this season have declined 7.5 percent at the four broadcast networks as they compete with cable hits like “The Walking Dead” and “Duck Dynasty,” and streaming services like Netflix Inc.

Netflix, in a bid to shift attention away from the broadcast networks, had a man in a banana suit give out stickers to ad executives outside of the NBC upfront. The stunt promoted “Arrested Development,” a former Fox network sitcom that the Internet streaming service is reviving this month online.

ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co., will present its new schedule to advertisers on Tuesday, followed by CBS on Wednesday.

The post Fox, NBC turn to familiar faces to boost viewership appeared first on Metro.us.

The small, boyhood home of rock legend Little Richard has been spared the wrecking ball and will be moved to make way for an interstate highway, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The piano-pounding performer who became internationally known for his 1950s songs, “Tutti Frutti” and “Good Golly Miss Molly” was born in Macon, about 90 miles south of Atlanta, during the Great Depression. Known for his pompadour hairstyle and flamboyant costumes, he is now 80 year old and living in Tennessee.

The two-bedroom home in a poor neighborhood of Macon was facing demolition for an interstate highway expansion but will be purchased by the Georgia Department of Transportation and moved three blocks where it will be converted into a neighborhood meeting place, state transportation spokeswoman Natalie Dale told Reuters.

The renovated home will include historical information on the lives of Little Richard, whose real name is Richard Penniman, and other prominent people in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood, said Sam Henderson, executive assistant to Macon Mayor Robert Reichert.

The two-bedroom, 850 square-foot home, was constructed in 1920 and is valued at $21,781, according to Bibb County property tax records. By contrast, Little Richard’s current home in Lynchburg, Tennessee has 5,900 square feet of space, is on 13.9 acres and is valued at $367,000, according to Moore County, Tennessee property records.

Little Richard was among the first 10 artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 along with Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and James Brown.

On Saturday, Mercer University in Macon awarded Penniman an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.

“He is a hero to this community,” Henderson said.

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Buy a bus ticket with your concert ticket. If you only go to one concert this summer, you’re probably going to want to see as many acts as you can — which is why it’s worth it to get a little muddy.

The Great GoogaMooga
May 17-19, Brooklyn
The second annual Great GoogaMooga takes over the Nethermead Meadow in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, uniting passions for food and music. The Flaming Lips headline, Chairlift will do a DJ set or two, and locals the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Matt and Kim are also on the bill.
www.brooklyn.googamooga.com

Boston Calling
May 25-26, Boston
Amid the brutalist architecture of Boston’s once-maligned Government Center, this inner city festival marks its first year with performances from fun., The Shins, The National and The Walkmen, as well as locals Caspian and Bad Rabbits. The festival is co-curated by The National’s Aaron Dessner.
www.bostoncalling.com

Roots Picnic
June 1, Festival Pier, Philadelphia
In the sixth annual installment of this festival, The Roots have really hit their stride. Headliners include Gary Clark Jr., Grimes, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and, oh yeah, The Roots!

Governor’s Ball
June 7-9, Randall’s Island
How can so many big name superstars squeeze oversized egos onto one little island? The third annual Governor’s Ball Music Festival on Randall’s Island includes Kings of Leon, Guns N’ Roses and Kanye West. In addition to three days of music onsite, various satellite afterparties around town will feature bands (Haim, Dinosaur Jr., Japandroids).
www.governorsballmusicfestival.com

Bonnaroo
June 13-16, Manchester, Tenn.
You never who you’ll meet at Bonnaroo: According to legend, Kings of Leon drummer Nathan met his wife Jesse in the potty line. Needless to say, it’s huge and romantic, and this year’s three-and-a-half-day lineup includes desert drifters Calexico, Paul McCartney and Wu-Tang Clan’s Friday night spot is high on many to-do lists.
www.bonnaroo.com

Electric Daisy
June 21-23, Las Vegas
America’s other city that never sleeps hosts this dance music-oriented event at a nearby speedway. (You can almost feel the sunburn from here.) This year’s 17th annual Electric Daisy Carnival includes latter-day sainted dance celebs like Diplo’s Major Lazer and Dillon Francis, as well as veteran DJ/producers Calvin Harris and Carl Cox.
www.electricdaisycarnival.com

Newport Folk Fest
July 27-28 , Newport, R.I.
This onetime purist folk fest in Fort Adams State Park features Beck, Feist, Will Oldham and Dawn McCarthy, who recently released an album, “What the Brothers Sang,” inspired by the Everly Brothers, and much folk music inbetween.
www.newportfolkfest.net

Lollapalooza
Aug. 2-4, Chicago
The granddaddy of the modern festival once again draws the biggest names to the Windy City. Goth originators The Cure, stoner rockers Queens of the Stone Age and Manchester ravers New Order are joined by soulman Charles Bradley and new folkies The Lumineers.
www.lollapalooza.com

Outside Lands
Aug. 9–11, San Francisco
Golden Gate Park will once again host this food and music festival, which features onetime rap rock rebels the Red Hot Chili Peppers, pop-soul singer D’Angelo, Willie Nelson and Family, and Daryl Hall and John Oates. That’s some variety show, but don’t miss the brilliant Thao and the Get Down Stay Down.
www.sfoutsidelands.com

Rock the Bells
Aug. 17–18, Aug. 24–25 and Aug. 31–Sept. 1(Projected)
San Bernardino, Calif., Mountain View, Calif. and Holmdel, N.J.
This semi-transitory hip-hop fest celebrates its 10th year and, oddly or not, the lineup is not on the website – yet. There’s a launch party at the House of Blues in Los Angeles on Tuesday, where participating artists will be announced.
www.rockthebells.net

Made in America
Aug. 31-Sept. 1, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia
This festival, commonly known as Jay-Z’s festival due to his input and headlining status in its inaugural year, finds Mr. Carter once again curating the line-up, which includes Beyonce, Deadmau5 and Phoenix mixing it with hip-hop, both young and veteran, including Wiz Khalifa and Public Enemy.
www.madeinamericafest.com

Bumbershoot
Aug. 31 – Sept. 2, Seattle
The onetime small city arts festival is now an international Labor Day Weekend institution at the Seattle Center, ‘neath the Space Needle. Along with big name headliners in all genres, there’s buzzworthy and breaking artists playing smaller stages. This year, the three-day weekend includes local rockers Heart and Death Cab for Cutie. There’s also a great film program as part of the festival. Previous year’s premieres have included “Trainspotting” and “LA Confidential.”
www.bumbershoot.org

The post The best of the summer music fests appeared first on Metro.us.

Whether you’re tailgating before the show or rocking out inside the venue, summer concerts are a ready-made soundtrack that is just awaiting your participation to build memories. Here are the biggest and best bets for your concert dollar.

Hot 97 Summer Jam
While we usually use this space to lightly make fun of a concert bill, there’s just so many great acts on here that we need to use all of the space to tell you who’s playing: Wu-Tang Clan, Chris Brown, Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz, Miguel, Wale, Fabolous, A$AP Rocky, French Monatana and Joe Budden!
June 2, MetLife Stadium

Paul McCartney
Ellen DeGeneres once introduced Sir Paul at the Grammys by saying, “The next performer needs no introduction.” True to her word, she left the stage and let it be for one of the last living Beatles. We’d like to do the newspaper equivalent.
June 8 and 10, Barclays Center

One Direction
If seeing the New Kids/98 Degrees/Boyz II Men show bummed you out, go see a boy band that includes actual boys.
June 28 and 29, Nikon at Jones Beach

Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars has turned his “Unorthodox Jukebox” into a 1980s time machine, which works out just fine for his opening act, Fitz and the Tantrums, who have also set the dial for the 1980s with their brand new “More Than Just a Dream.” Wear your neon jams and join them.
June 29, Barclays Center

Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z: 20/20 World Tour
Arguably the biggest tour of the summer, it remains to be seen how Jay-Z and JT will split the stage on The 20/20 World Tour. We can only hope that there are 20 songs from each artist, rather than a staged recreation of the best moments of ABC’s most popular investigative journalism TV show. That said, it would be awesome if they did that for the first few shows and then switched it up by the time they got here.
July 19 and 20, Yankee Stadium

Americanarama Festival of Music
For a genre that takes itself a little too seriously when at its worst, these three giants of Americana prove that a sense of humor is necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff. By calling their tour Americanarama, Bob Dylan, Wilco and My Morning Jacket are having a good ole time.
July 27, Nikon at Jones Beach

Justin Bieber
Who would have thought at this time last year that the Justin Bieber tour would become the equivalent of the Rolling Stones’ 1972 tour in terms of rumored debauchery? We can only hope he’s still around for his own 50 and Counting tour in 2060.
Aug. 2, Barclays Center

Beyonce
Beyonce was going to release a new album this year. Remember that? Seems like she might not have remembered either, as Mrs. Carter sets out on the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour before her new songs have even hit the market. It’s kind of like when it’s the end of the school year, and absolutely all of your friends are psyched to be done with exams, but you’ve still got one left that you totally forgot to study for. But in this case, Beyonce can just say, “I’m Beyonce, I don’t have to take the final.”
Aug. 3, 4, 5, Barclays Center

Under the Influence of Music Tour
Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky, B.o.B. and Trinidad James are a stellar lineup, but we have to wonder: Now that marijuana is pretty much totally legal, when are musicians going to stop giving their tours titles with little winking references to weed?
Aug. 6, Nikon at Jones Beach

Kenny Chesney
One thing that has not changed in America for the past 100 years: Cowboys are still really good at herding large groups of mammals into confined open-air structures. Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves round out this rootin’-tootin’ bill.
Aug. 10, MetLife Stadium

The post Summer Music Preview: Hottest tickets for summer concerts appeared first on Metro.us.

Whether you’re tailgating before the show or rocking out inside the venue, summer concerts are a ready-made soundtrack that is just awaiting your participation to build memories. Here are the biggest and best bets for your concert dollar.

KISS 108 FM Concert
While we usually use this space to lightly make fun of a concert bill, there’s just so many great acts on this bill that we need to use all of the space here to tell you who’s playing: Demi Lovato, Cher Lloyd, Ne-Yo, Olly Murs, Krewella, Sammy Adams, Jason Derulo, Chris Wallace, Icona Pop, Ariana Grande and Emblem3.
May 18, Comcast Center

Paul McCartney
Ellen DeGeneres once introduced Sir Paul at the Grammys by saying, “The next performer needs no introduction.” True to her word, she left the stage and let it be for one of the last living Beatles. We’d like to do the newspaper equivalent of that introduction.
July 9, Fenway Park

The Rolling Stones
Ah, from a Beatle to the Stones. Both visit the Hub in July. It is impossible to refute naysayers’ complaint that the Stones are old. Their current string of shows is celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary of their formation and first album. But it’s also impossible to refute that the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band is still worth seeing. Switching up sets to dip into obscurities in their deep catalogue, you’ll get to hear some classic tunes. Whew! We did that without using either a “Satisfaction” or “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” reference.
June 12 and 14, TD Garden

Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars has turned his “Unorthodox Jukebox” into a 1980s time machine, which works out just fine for his opening act, Fitz and the Tantrums, who have also set the dial for the 1980s with their brand new “More Than Just a Dream.” Wear your neon jams and join them.
June 26, TD Garden

One Direction
If seeing the New Kids/98 Degrees/Boyz II Men show bummed you out, go check out this British boy band. It’s a boy band with actual boys in it!
June 26, Comcast Center

Americanarama Festival of Music
For a genre that takes itself a little too seriously when its at its worst, these three giants of Americana prove that a sense of humor is necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff. By calling their Americana tour Americanarama, Bob Dylan, Wilco and My Morning Jacket are not taking theselves too seriously. The only bummer is that this is on the same night as Bieber. So many people in this city will be so torn! This is tougher than deciding between Bruno Mars and One Direction!
July 20, Comcast Center

Justin Bieber
Who would have thought at this time last year that the Justin Bieber tour would become the equivalent of the Rolling Stones’ 1972 tour in terms of rumored debauchery? We can only hope he’s still around for his own 50 and Counting tour in 2060.
July 20, TD Garden

Beyonce
Beyonce was going to release a new album this year. Remember that? Seems like she might not have remembered either, as Mrs. Carter sets out on the Mrs. Carter Tour before her new songs have hit the market. It seems almost like when it’s the end of the school year, and absolutely everybody’s psyched to be done with exams, but you’ve still got one left that you totally forgot to study for.
July 23, TD Garden

Taylor Swift
It wouldn’t be summer without a stadium and TaySwi (people call her that, right?) This year she brings with her that lovable British muppet Ed Shearan as well as Austin Mahone and Joel Crouse.
July 26 and 27, Gillette Stadium

Under the Influence of Music Tour
Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky, B.o.B., Trinidad James are a stellar lineup, but we have to wonder: Now that marijuana is pretty much totally legal, when are musicians going to stop titling their tours with little winking references to weed?
Aug. 7, Comcast Center

Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z: The 20/20 World Tour
Arguably the biggest tour of the summer, it remains to be seen how Jay-Z and JT will split the stage on the 20/20 World Tour. We can only hope that there are 20 songs from each artist, rather than a staged recreation of the best moments of ABC’s most popular investigative journalism TV show. That said, it would be awesome if they did that for the first few shows and then by the time they got here, they were playing the hits, because wouldn’t that create some great tension?
Aug. 10 and 11, Fenway Park

Kenny Chesney
One thing that has not changed in America for the past 100 years: Cowboys are still really good at herding large groups of mammals into confined open-air structures. Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves round out this rootin’-tootin’ bill.
Aug. 23 and 24, Gillette Stadium

The post Summer Music Preview: Hottest tickets for summer concerts appeared first on Metro.us.

Whether you’re tailgating before the show or rocking out inside the venue, summer concerts are a ready-made soundtrack that is just awaiting your participation to build memories. Here are the biggest and best bets for your concert dollar.

Kenny Chesney
One thing that has not changed in America for the past 100 years: Cowboys are still really good at herding large groups of mammals into confined open-air structures. Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves round out this rootin’-tootin’ bill. June 8, Lincoln Financial Field

The Rolling Stones
It is impossible to refute the naysayers’ complaint that the Stones are old. Their current string of shows is celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary of their formation and first album. But it’s also impossible to refute that the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band is still worth seeing. Switching up sets to dip into obscurities in their deep catalogue, you’ll get to hear some classic tunes. Whew! We did that without using either a “Satisfaction” or “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” reference. June 18 and 21, Wells Fargo Center

Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars has turned his “Unorthodox Jukebox” into a 1980s time machine, which works out just fine for his opening act, Fitz and the Tantrums, who have also set the dial for the 1980s with their brand new “More Than Just a Dream.” Wear your neon jams and join them. June 24, Wells Fargo Center

One Direction
If seeing the New Kids/98 Degrees/Boyz II Men show bummed you out, go see a boy band that includes actual boys. June 25, Wells Fargo Center

Justin Bieber
Who would have thought at this time last year that the Justin Bieber tour would become the equivalent of the Rolling Stones’ 1972 tour in terms of rumored debauchery? We can only hope he’s still around for his own “50 and Counting” tour in 2060. July 17, Wells Fargo Center

Taylor Swift
It wouldn’t be summer without a stadium and TaySwi (people call her that, right?). This year she brings with her that huggable British muppet Ed Sheeran, as well as Austin Mahone and Joel Crouse. July 19 and 20, Lincoln Financial Field

Beyonce
Beyonce was going to release a new album this year. Remember that? Seems like she might not have remembered either, as Mrs. Carter sets out on the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour before her new songs have even hit the market. It’s kind of like when it’s the end of the school year, and absolutely all of your friends are psyched to be done with exams, but you’ve still got one left that you totally forgot to study for. The only difference is she has the ability to say, “I’m Beyonce. I don’t have to take your damn final!” July 25, Wells Fargo Center

Americanarama Festival of Music
For a genre that takes itself a little too seriously when at its worst, these three giants of Americana prove that a sense of humor is necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff. By calling their tour Americanarama, Bob Dylan, Wilco and My Morning Jacket are quite obviously not taking themselves too seriously. July 28, Susquehanna Bank Center

Under the Influence of Music Tour
Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky, B.o.B. and Trinidad James are a stellar lineup, but we have to wonder: Now that marijuana is pretty much totally legal, when are musicians going to stop giving their tours titles with little winking references to weed? Aug. 2, PNC Bank Arts Center

Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z
Arguably the biggest tour of the summer, it remains to be seen how Jay-Z and JT will split the stage on The 20/20 World Tour. We can only hope that there are 20 songs from each artist, rather than a staged recreation of the best moments of ABC’s most popular investigative journalism TV show. That said, it would be awesome if they did that for the first few shows and then switched it up by the time they got here. Aug. 13, Citizens Bank Park

John Mayer
We still don’t like the dude’s music, but we can appreciate that his body is a wonderland. Lookin’ good, Johnny! Aug. 23, Susquehanna Bank Center

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What may be most moving about the footage of Beth Hart performing at the Kennedy Honors concert in December is watching the members of her audience realize what a powerful moment they’re witnessing. Hart nonchalantly walks out onto the stage to join guitarist Jeff Beck to sing “I’d Rather Go Blind,” a song made famous by the late Etta James. The segment is to honor blues great Buddy Guy, who is transfixed from the first note Hart sings. Later in the song, the camera pans to the Obamas, who are deep in reverent head-nodding that transcends any possible polite pretending for the camera. And when she finishes, the members of Led Zeppelin are among the first to their feet for a standing ovation.

“I remember I sat myself down and I was like, ‘Don’t miss enjoying this amazing experience that’s coming your way by being nervous. Just focus and do your gig,’” recalls Hart, who had been releasing records for more than 15 years before she took the stage that night.

Hart says she didn’t actually watch the performance until she was home for the holidays with her family.

“To have my mother watch that and see that — she’s just like the center of my life — it was really something else, definitely the highlight of my life,” says Hart.

Dancing barefoot

Enjoying a bit of a renaissance with her latest album, “Bang Bang Boom Boom,” and receiving accolades is bittersweet for Hart, as she tours the U.S. for the first time in a decade. Her career almost went off the rails after years of drug abuse.

“This is my first time being clean for the United States, and I’m just having a ball,” she says, joyfully, before adding one of the few memories she held onto from her darker days. “I was playing at a venue where Patti Smith was playing and I’m just the most hugest Patti Smith fan and we walk in and as we cross the floor I go, ‘Oh my God, I remember coming out here in my bathing suit and taking a shower with a hose!’ And it kind of freaked me out for a minute. It kind of bummed me out. And then I thought, ‘Hey, you know what? You’ve grown a lot. You’re human. It’s cool. Forgive. Move on.’

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The word that Thomas Mars sings the most on the new Phoenix album is “alone” (we stopped counting after 25 times!) It might seem strange that with such solitary subject matter, these four guys from the French suburbs are reaching the biggest audiences of their career.

“When you make an album, you have to be disconnected,” says Mars. “You have to make this for yourself. And then when you’re on tour, you feel something else suddenly. It’s distinctively different.”

To witness the band translating the songs from the April-released “Bankrupt!” to the masses, this distinct difference is striking. While Mars sings “I’d rather be alone” on the refrain of lead-off single “Entertainment,” he’s jumping into the audience and demonstrating that he’d actually rather connect on a universal note with people who have obviously felt the same way.

While the band looked quite comfortable headlining Coachella last month, playing for about 180,000 people over two weekends, this bigger stage show has not been without its growing pains.

“It’s a discovery for us,” says Mars. “When we started we weren’t sure of that possibility, to make those monster shows. And then at some point after a few experiments, we saw some sort of poetic value or some kind of Roman Empire quality to it: something grand, something bigger than music.”

But part of how Phoenix achieves this grand scale is by maintaining an intimacy. Mars says he has been going into the audience to sing since the band began before the new millennium.

“There have been a few shows I remember when we played, when there was not even a stage,” he says. “We were the same height as the crowd and you show that you’re really immersed into it. So I think that’s something that we miss and we try to always have that, even to this day.”

The past is always present

“Bankrupt!” feels very much like a summer album. Its dense layers provide new discoveries upon repeated listens, a sunshine soundtrack to make a mundane summer job less mundane, with melodies ready for group singing in the car with friends. The sound is decidedly more synth-based than the guitar-heavy tracks that put the band on the map with 2009’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.” There’s also a feel of the music of the band members’ youth, as they steal a drum sound directly from Prince. But this is definitely not retro music.

“There’s a lot of late ’70s analog keyboard and the digital keyboards from the ’80s and drum machines,” explains Mars. “And then there’s all the new stuff. But the thing is all this new stuff, they don’t really have color. They will all sound like something from 2010 or 2013 in a few years. But right now they don’t have any identity in a way.”

Daft Punk is not playing at my house, but R. Kelly is

Rumors ran rampant that Phoenix would include their childhood friends Daft Punk in their Coachella performances. But they had done that already, in 2010 at Madison Square Garden. The band didn’t want to give in to predictable expectations, but they also didn’t want to disappoint by not having a special guest. After last year’s Virtual 2Pac, they knew the bar had been set high for special guests. Their solution was to do exactly what nobody would ever consider: ask R. Kelly. Click here to hear Mars’ account of what happened behind the scenes.

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