Rock News Two: The week in pop

SPRINGSTEEN PLAYS TODAY SHOW

Bruce Springsteen celebrated the release of "The Rising" with a mini-concert at Asbury Park's Convention Hall Tuesday in front of 2,500 fans. A crowd of 10,000 more, including New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey, watched outside along the boardwalk and beach on giant monitor screens. Millions more saw the live televised broadcast of the show on NBC's "Today Show." The show kicked off Springsteen's tour to promote "The Rising," his first studio recording with the E Street Band since 1984. Several of the songs were inspired by the Sept. 11 attacks, including the title track and "My City of Ruins," which Springsteen played last fall in the "America: A Tribute to Heroes" benefit concert.

GRATEFUL DEAD SURVIVORS TO TOUR

The surviving members of the Grateful Dead are following their "Terrapin Station" reunion concerts this weekend with a tour of 13 cities. "The dates are conditional upon a safe and positive outcome of Alpine Valley," the band cautioned its fans in an e-mail message. "What this means is that the request for only people with tickets to come to the show has to be strictly adhered to. Failure to comply with this simple request will put this tour dates in serious jeopardy. As always your cooperation is appreciated." The scheduled tour begins Nov. 14 in Roanoke, Va., and concludes Dec. 2 in Chicago. Tour dates: Roanoke on Nov. 14, Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15, Albany, N.Y., on Nov. 16, Boston Nov. 18-19, East Rutherford, N.J., on Nov. 20, Hartford, Conn., on Nov. 22, Philadelphia Nov. 23-24, New York City Nov. 25, Cleveland, Ohio, on Nov. 27, Pittsburgh on Nov. 29, Detroit on Nov. 30, Indianapolis on Dec. 1 and Chicago again on Dec. 2.

DYLAN REVISITS NEWPORT

It has been 37 years since then-folkie Bob Dylan took the stage at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island and went electric, strapping on a Stratocaster guitar and changing the shape of the event ... and his own music. Dylan returned to the Newport Folk Festival for the first time since that historic appearance, with his current acoustic/electric band. Thanks to Dylan, tickets for the 10,000-capacity venue sold out for his Saturday show faster than any day in the festival's 43-year history.

TOBY KEITH TOPS BILLBOARD CHART

Toby Keith's "Unleashed" (Dream Works) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 with sales of 338,000 albums, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Five albums in the top 10 spots on the chart were debuts. The compilation album, "Now 10," by Epic checked in at No. 2. "500 Degreez" by Lil Wayne was No. 6, "Mario" checked in at No. 9 and "Full Circle" by Boyz II Men was No. 10. "The Lonely Position of Neutral" by TRUST Company debuted at No. 11. Nelly's "Nellyville" continued its strong run, hanging in at No. 3, but "Busted Stuff" by the Dave Mathews Band dropped to the four slot after debuting at No. 1 last week. Eminem's "The Eminem Show" fell to the fifth spot. Keith should enjoy his stay at the top while he can, because the super-hyped Bruce Springsteen album "The Rising" is sure to debut at No. 1 when its opening week numbers are tallied.

BLACK SABBATH BACK AGAIN

Black Sabbath will issue the only live album recorded by the classic lineup, "Past Lives," on Sanctuary records. The two-compact disc album, set for an Aug. 20 release, features the "original" Sabbath -- vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bass guitarist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. The British quartet never issued a live album in America during its peak years with the original lineup. The first disc was released in England in 1980 as "Live at Last," but the band was unhappy with the sound quality and did not authorize it. The new version has been remastered to the band's satisfaction and a second disc of previously unissued tracks is included. Disc one includes "Tomorrow's Dream," "Sweet Leaf," "Killing Yourself to Live," "Cornucopia," "Snowblind," "Children of the Grave," "War Pigs," "Wicked World" and "Paranoid." Disc two features "Hand of Doom," "Hole in the Sky," "Symptom of the Universe," "Megalomania," "Iron Man," "Black Sabbath," "N.I.B.," "Behind the Wall of Sleep" and "Fairies Wear Boots."

CAJUN KIDS ON THE RISE

The newest stars of Cajun music are Feufollet, an outstanding band of Louisiana teenagers raised on the traditional music of the Acadian culture who mix those ancestral sounds with an electric beat. The band, all aged 16 to 18, was nominated for a fistful of CSMA awards, the Cajun Grammy. "Belle Louisiane," their second album, was nominated for Album of the Year, and the title track, written by Cajun legend Zachary Richard, Song of the Year. The group itself was nominated for Band of the Year and two of its singers for Vocalist of the Year. "I met Feufollet several years ago," Richard says, "and remember thinking at the time that, via their commitment and enthusiasm, the culture would survive for at least another generation."

SUMMER OF LOVE 35

The lineup for "Summer of Love... 35 Years Later," slated for Labor Day weekend, has been finalized. Headliners are the Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band that recreates an entire Grateful Dead show at each performance. Other bands scheduled for the weekend event at Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown, W.Va., include The Wailers, Steve Kimock Band, Victor Wooten, The Derek Trucks Band, Ray's Music Exchange, The Alison Brown Quartet, Kelly Bell Band, Catfish Hodge Band, Psychedelic Breakfast, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Gordon Stone Band, ulu, Dr. Didg, Moon Boot Lover, The Bomb Squad, Jabali Afrika, The Bridge and Keith & Joan Pitzer.

SPEARS WASHED OUT IN TOUR FINALE

Britney Spears offered full refunds to the Mexico City fans who sat through thunderstorms only to hear a four-song set washed out by the rain last week on the last date of her tour. "I'm sorry I couldn't finish the show for my fans," Spears apologized. "The Mexican fans are one of the best audiences to play for. We decided we had no choice but to cancel the show after the storm and lightning showed no signs of clearing up." Spears started the show at Foro Del Sol during a lull between two storms. Spears was on stage for little more than a half hour when the show was called off during the middle of "Stronger." After the show Spears told reporters she will "take six months off and just have Britney time and just do what Britney wants to do." Fans can receive a full refund for their tickets from the point of purchase.

DISCO BISCUITS BALL

Fans of trance rock band Disco Biscuits will gather on Aug. 23 and 24 at Salansky Farms in Union Dale, Pa. for "Camp Bisco III: Senor Boombox," a rave and improvisational music festival. "It's off the beaten path and just minutes from I-81, and it has plenty of space for Camp Bisco III," said promoter Tim Walther. "The rolling, grassy hills offer natural amphitheater-type surroundings, which are ideal for sound quality. And the panoramic view of mountains will greatly enhance the Camp Bisco experience." Other acts on the bill include Alex Paterson of The Orb, the immensely popular U.K. ambient house music aggregation; Canadian live house/electro band The New Deal; Project Logic turntable dean DJ Logic; Baltimore's Lake Trout; Boston deep trance-jungle turntablist Seishi; Boston downtempo hip-hop outfit Moonraker; Indianapolis jam band Umphrey's McGee; Southern California live house band Particle; didgeridoo maestro Dr. Didg; and, Philly space rockers Brothers Past. "Camp Bisco is what it's all about," said The Disco Biscuits bass player Marc Brownstein. "It was the dream from the start -- full moon, two nights of two sets of Biscuits, international DJs, no musical curfew. You know, all the things that you wished the other festivals had."

BLUESIN' BLAST ADDS RADIATORS

One of the biggest blues parties in history will kick off Feb. 4-8 as part of the "Bluesin' Blast" floating blues festival, the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Roger Naber, whose Grand Emporium in Kansas City is one of the world's best blues clubs, revived LR&BC earlier this year and already had booked a seven-day blues cruise Feb. 8-15 when he decided to add a four-day leg starring the Radiators along with Taj Mahal, Koko Taylor, Chubby Carrier, Lonnie Brooks, Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers, Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, Bernard Allison, Curtis Salgado and Kelley Hunt. The cruise leaves from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and hits Port Lucaya in the Bahamas. After a day at sea, the next stop is Key West, Fla. "We're breaking new water here," Naber said. "The Radiators played on our 1998 cruise, but this is a bigger ship with a much better performance area. We were 95 percent booked on the seven-day cruise. We gave people the option of extending it to an 11-day cruise with a one-third discount on the four-day package. We've already gotten 260 people, which is about 100 more than I thought we'd have at this point."

POISON IN THE PIT

Poison vocalist Bret Michaels and bassist Bobby Dall took a break from their Hollyweird tour Sunday to work in the pit crew for NASCAR driver Derrike Cope's team. Daytona 500 winner Cope was competing in the Pennsylvania Pocono 500 NASCAR race. Poison is featured as the hood design and paint scheme on the Quest Motor Racing #37 Ford driven by Cope and sponsored by MNR Productions. The car actually has been on tour with Poison for the past couple of weeks and fans have gotten a chance to sit in it and have pictures taken. "This is truly a dream come true, and anyone who has seen my MTV 'Cribs' special will understand, as I have a mini sprint car track and moto-cross track on my property and love NASCAR races," Michaels said.

ED SULLIVAN'S ROCK 'N' ROLL CLASSICS

Rhino Home Video unleashes the most influential musical performances ever to appear on television with the Sept. 24 release of "Ed Sullivan's Rock 'n' Roll Classics. This nine-volume set of groundbreaking live music, modern history, pop culture and nostalgia contains 144 career-defining performances from some of the most important musical artists of the 20th century. Acts include The Beatles, Elvis, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, The Jackson 5, The Mamas & The Papas, The Supremes, The Animals and The Temptations. Special features on the DVD set include an interview with Ed Sullivan Show director John Moffit plus rare footage of Ed Sullivan and his wife Sylvia. The set includes The Beatles' first U.S. appearance, seen by an estimated 73 million people -- 60 percent of television viewers -- and the controversial performance of "Light My Fire" by The Doors that got them banned from the show.

'LITTLE' JIMMY KING: 1965-2002

Manuel Gales, known to the music world as "Little" Jimmy King, passed away in his home Friday, July 21, 2002. King's scorching style of playing echoed the work of what he called his personal trinity: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, and his mentor and adopted grandfather, the late Albert King. Gales was known best on the Memphis scene for his live performances at B.B. King's Blues Club on Beale Street, where the Rolling Stones once joined him on stage late in the night, after a local arena concert.