Rock News: Music's high and low notes

MELISSA ETHERIDGE

Throngs of holiday shoppers and commuters in New York City were surprised Sunday with a live concert in the Grand Central Terminal featuring two-time Grammy Award winner Melissa Etheridge.

The 60-minute set on the East Balcony was filmed by MuchMusic USA and will air nationally on Christmas Day (at 9 p.m. EST) on the cable network.

Playing guitar and piano, Etheridge performed songs that included some of her best known hits such as "Come To My Window," "Bring Me Some Water," "Chrome Plated Heart," "I Want To Be In Love" and her new hit single "Lover Please" from her recently released album, "Skin."

The "Melissa Etheridge Live at Grand Central" show is one of several new exclusive concert events MuchMusic USA is debuting this December. Other concert events premiering this month include: "Shoutback with Luis Fonsi," premiering on Dec. 23; "Class Dismissed 2001 with Alanis Morissette," premiering on Dec. 27; and the recently aired "Busta's Hip Hop Lounge International Down In New York Dressed to Impress" with rap artist Busta Rhymes.

'MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET'

Mariah Carey, Alicia Keyes, Mary J. Blige, and Shaggy are among the artists who'll perform this Tuesday at WKTU's "Miracle on 34th Street" concert at Madison Square Garden in New York (beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET).

Also on the bill: Amber, Blu Cantrell, Kevin Ceballo, Deborah Cox, Craig David, Enrique Iglesias, Chaka Khan, Christina Milian, Stephanie Mills and Shakira.

Liza Minelli will make a rare live appearance, singing the classic song "New York, New York" in a tribute to the heroes of the World Trade Center disaster.

LIL BOW WOW

Lil Bow Wow is celebrating the release of his second album, "Doggy Bag" --- the follow-up to his multi-platinum debut "Beware Of Dog" -- with a free Fan Appreciation Concert at Manhattan's Hammerstein Ballroom on Tuesday. The first 3,000 Bow Wow fans arriving at the venue with their own copies of "Doggy Bag" will be admitted to the show (which begins at 5 p.m. ET).

Bow Wow's career has been a series of firsts: he became the youngest musician to kick off the Grammy Awards when he introduced Madonna's opening at this year's ceremony. And he recently entered "The Guinness Book of World Records" as the youngest solo rapper to hit No.1 on the U.S. charts.

Lil Bow Wow will star in the upcoming Fox film "Like Mike" as a kid who finds a pair of magic sneakers that give him the basketball prowess of Michael Jordan. "Like Mike" is set for release in June 2002 -- the same month Bow Wow is scheduled to launch his very own line of hip kid's clothing under the moniker "Lil Bow Wear."

PAUL McCARTNEY

Paul McCartney says his final moments with George Harrison were "the best thing for me" -- especially the part where the former Beatle band mates held hands.

McCartney told a BBC Radio interviewer that when he visited Harrison two weeks before the Beatles lead guitarist died, he "spent a couple of hours ... laughing and joking and holding his hand." It was only after the visit, said McCartney, that he realized that in all the time they'd known each other, he had never held Harrison's hand. "He was rubbing his thumb up and down my hand," said McCartney, "and it was very nice."

NIRVANA

The members of Nirvana who are suing Courtney Love for control of the company that manages the business affairs of her late husband and former Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain are accusing Love of being motivated by "self-interest" and an "obsessive need for publicity and attention."

Cobain committed suicide in 1994, following a long struggle with substance abuse and depression. His former band mates, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, filed suit against Love last week. They also released an open letter to Nirvana fans blaming Love for holding up the release of a Nirvana boxed-set to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the release of the band's first big hit album, "Nevermind."

"This project had been in the works for nearly five years," they wrote. "But this collection never came out. And there is only one reason: Courtney Love."

Love sued Novoselic and Grohl earlier this year to gain sole control of Nirvana LLC -- saying she should control the company because Cobain had been the sole artistic force of Nirvana.

(The above two items thanks to UPI Feature Reporter Dennis Daily)