What’s on my mind this week? The 2017 Grammys, Marilyn Manson not meeting expectations, Metallica on tour, and more. Check it out on this week’s On the Radar.
The Grammys actually didn’t suck this year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8zBw8Cdp1M
Back in the day when Nsync and Backstreet Boys ruled pop music, I was an avid award show watcher. VMAs, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and The Grammys were events I always looked forward to. Now, I barely watch them, but I always check out the Grammys even if I just tune in for a few minutes. They’ve been pretty shitty over the last few years, especially with their unexpected collaborations trend. But surprisingly, they weren’t terrible this year.
Adele was stunning with her performances of “Hello” and “Fast Love,” a tearful tribute to George Michael. Though people are upset she took home the night’s biggest award, you can’t deny how amazing 25 is. Bruno Mars tore up the stage with his sultry rendition of “That’s What I Like” and his unforgettable tribute to the late Prince. The Grammys didn’t pull any punches, wanting to avoid any more tribute snafus (I.e. Lady Gaga as Bowie). He absolutely killed it with his cover of “Let’s Go Crazy” decked out in ruffles, purple blazers, and eye liner. If that wasn’t enough, Morris Day and the motherfuckin’ Time opened up the tribute with “Jungle Love” and “The Bird.” It has to be one of the best Prince tributes since his passing.
A Tribe Called Quest, Anderson.Pak, Consequence and Busta Rhymes made their voices heard with “Award Tour,” “Movin’ Backwards,” and “We the People.” In one of the most politically charged moments of the night, Busta called out “Agent Orange” and welcomed people of all races, creeds, religions, and gender on stage to stand their ground. They also gave a loving shout out to Phife Dog, who died last year. In a not so great moment, Lady Gaga gyrated as a faux metalhead alongside Metallica, who had major sound issues. Why didn’t they let the metal giants play by themselves? We got enough of Gaga at the Superbowl. Metallica didn’t need her star power for a great performance, which they were robbed of.
The most talked about moment remains Beyonce’s graceful performance of “Love Drought” and “Sandcastle” while proudly sporting her pregnant belly. She didn’t take home the most coveted award but she did win Best Urban Contemporary Album. And finally, Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper had a big night at the Grammys. He took home three awards, including Best New Artist and Best Rap Album. As always, he gave the city some major love and remained ever humble. Later in the night, he took everyone to church with his uplifting performance of “How Great” and “All We Got.” We couldn’t be prouder of Chicago’s own.
Congrats to all the night’s big winners! Which Grammy moment was your favorite?
Wednesday 13 announces new album Condolences
Rob Zombie isn’t the only rocker obsessed with horror movies. Horrorpunk rocker Wednesday 13 is practically a walking b-horror movie with his style and attitude. The typical Wednesday 13 song features references to the supernatural, dead girls, and other things that go bump in the night. I first got into him during his stint with the Murderdolls, but since the band seems to be on the outs, 13 is focused on his successful solo career. We’ll soon be getting new music from the rocker as he announced his seventh album, Condolences, last week. The LP, which is his first with new record label Nuclear Blast, comes out June 2. So far, details are sparse.
“We’re so excited to finally announce that we have signed with Nuclear Blast Entertainment! It’s an honor for us to be on the roster among so many other great bands and friends,” says 13. “Thanks to Nuclear Blast for giving us the opportunity and our fans for your undying support. We’re looking forward to many more years of this with all of you.” Hopefully, it won’t be long til we hear a new single.
13’s 2015 album, Monsters of the Universe: Come Out and Plague, followed his typical format: borderline cheesy lyrics, hard rocking music, and supernatural based lyrics. It’s pretty much his shtick but made for a forgettable album. Hopefully, his new effort will find him taking on some new territory.
Metallica announce major tour
Putting Metallica’s Grammys mishap aside, they took the metal world by storm with their new album Hardwired…to Self-Destruct last year. Now, they’re ready to bring the fire to North America. Only days after their Grammys appearance, the band announced a massive US tour. Coming along for the ride is Avenged Sevenfold, Volbeat, and Goijra on select dates. Shows kick off May 10 in Baltimore, MD and wrap up August 16 in Edmonton, Alberta. They’ll play Chicago’s Soldier Field June 18.
Tickets are on sale now. Good luck getting them and let’s hope they all don’t go to scalpers. For a full list of dates, visit their website. Say what you want about Metallica, but they put on a kick ass show. You don’t want to miss your chance to see classics like “Master of Puppets” and “Enter Sandman” live. Let’s just hope they don’t bring out Lady Gaga again. I think we got enough of that.
Long live Siouxsie and the Banshees
It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with Siouxsie and the Banshees. After hearing albums like Juju and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse early in college, I was hooked. I love the mysterious, dark, provocative music and Siouxsie Sioux’s don’t-give-a-shit attitude. By the time I became a fan, the band had already broken up in 1996. There hasn’t been much new with them ever since. They’ve only been on my mind lately since their songs keep popping up on shuffle. It makes me think back to when I first heard Sioux’s haunting voice on “Cities In Dust” making me wonder who the gorgeous vamp was.
The band had a string of re-releases celebrating their career over the past three years. Last year, saw the release of massive boxset Classic Album Selection, Vol.1. The collection has their first six albums remastered by Kevin Metcalfe. This was followed by Classic Album Selection, Vol 2 featuring their last six albums later that year.
Frontwoman Siouxsie Sioux launched a solo career in 2007, but only dropped one album. She finally released “Love Crime” in 2015, marking her first new material in eight years. Since then, Sioux and former bandmates have been quiet. Drummer Budgie recently gave an interview with Music Radar, but little else. There’s probably no chance of a reunion and I’m not going to hope for one. I’m happy that I can soak up all the stellar albums the band made throughout their career. Though it wouldn’t hurt if they got a Rock N Roll Hall of Fame nomination.
Marilyn Manson fails to deliver
Last year, during the Alternative Press Music Awards, Manson made a surprise announcement about his new album, Say10. Details were sparse, but he said on several occasions the album will be out Valentine’s time 2017. Well, the Hallmark holiday came and went. No new Manson. This happens sometimes in music. Things don’t work out as planned and things get delayed; there’s no problem with that. What is a problem is not addressing it and failing to give your fans any updates. Manson fans flocked to his Facebook page to express their anger with the rocker. Most of them just wanted to know what was going on. And that’s the least Manson could do.
This isn’t the first time he’s let fans down. In September 2016, he spoke of a remastered, anniversary box set for his groundbreaking album Antichrist Superstar. The album never came and Manson still hasn’t said anything about it. Manson is known for not keeping his word on proposed projects. Fans are still waiting for the Phantasmagoria movie and the Holy Wood book.
It seems Manson likes the idea of releasing something on V-Day to be provocative, but for one reason or never it didn’t work out. Again, shit happens, but you can’t keep your fans in the dark. They deserve to know what’s happening with new music you previously announced. Generally, they’ll be understanding of any delays or setbacks that may happen. They just want to know what the hell is going on. We can hope Manson won’t keep us in the dark for too long. Any sort of update on Say10 would be great. For now, it’s just a big disappointment.