What’s going on this week? Looking back at the Manchester tragedy, Ministry’s new LP, Linkin Park’s outrage, and more. Check it out On the Radar.
Ariana Grande concert in Manchester ends in tragedy
A night that was supposed to be filled with fun and music ended with tragic deaths. After an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England on Monday (May 22) an explosion went off killing 22 people and dozens injured. The crowd was predominately filled with teenagers and young kids. It was revealed early the next morning several children were killed in the explosion.
According to witnesses, a bang was heard at 10:33 PM, London time, after Grande performed her last song and people began leaving the venue. Grande later tweeted she was “Broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry.” At this time, she has currently suspended her international Dangerous Woman tour.
The bomber was later identified as 22-year old British man Salman Abedi. He carried out the deadly attack with a homemade explosive responsible for the deaths of 22 people. The New York Times reported police found Abedi’s ID at the scene of the bombing. Islamic State released a statement claiming responsibility for the terrorist attack.
After the tragic event, people all over the world, including various celebrities, began showing support for Manchester and the victims in the attack. Katy Perry spoke about the tragic event during a radio interview saying “I think the greatest thing we can do now is unite as people, as fan bases, all of it,” Perry said. “Whatever we say behind people’s backs, the Internet can be a little bit ruthless as far as fan bases go but I think that the greatest thing we can do is just unite and love on each other. No barriers, no borders, we all just need to co-exist.”
We here at Chicago Music want to express our support and love for Manchester and the victims lost in the senseless attack. Our thoughts and prayers are with Manchester during this difficult time.
Linkin Park Can’t Take the Heat
In case you haven’t heard Linkin Park are getting a lot of flak for their new album, One More Light. This time around the band geared towards a pop-centric sound and not everyone is happy about it. Plenty of fans are unhappy with the new direction and some have even called them “sellouts.” Linkin Park aren’t exactly taking the criticism well. First, frontman Chester Bennington suggested people “move the fuck on” from Hybrid Theory, which is hailed as their best album.
Now, he has some choice words for anyone who insists on calling them sell outs. Speaking to UK’s Kerrang, Bennington said “if you’re gonna be the person who says like, ‘They made a marketing decision to make this kind of record to make money,’ you can f–king meet me outside and I will punch you in your f–king mouth because that is the wrong f–king answer.” He added ““Because guess what, calling us a sell out for that purpose is… selling out on your f–king excuse as to why you don’t like it. You’re a f–king pussy.”
He’s clearly not happy with the accusations thrown their way and it’s understandable; no artist wants to think of themselves as a sellout. But was this the proper response? Probably not. Threatening people to put up their dukes just because they said something you don’t like makes Bennington come off as immature. Linkin Park have been around for 20 years, you’d think they’d be used to this kind of criticism. This is just making them look like jerks. It’s fine if he wanted to stand up to these accusations, but how is name calling solving anything?
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor has the right idea when he told Bennington to be thankful for what you have. And Bennington has cooled down since his original comments. He admits sometimes he takes things “too personally” and apologized for his threats. Good thing he did too; threatening to punch fans just because they don’t like your music is pretty pitiful.
Watch the first trailer for Turn it Around: The Story of East Bay Punk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owzANIqcbHI
Explore the history of California punk rock with the upcoming documentary Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk. The film looks at the 30 plus year history of California’s punk scene with a focus on the infamous 924 Gilman Street. The premiere trailer features a star studded cast: Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Metallica’s Kirk Hammet, Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill, and Noodles from Offspring to name a few.
Narrated by Iggy Pop, the film makes it premiere May 31 at the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival. After that there will be screenings across the US in tandem with Green Day’s Revolution Radio Tour. There will also be screenings in New York in late July, followed by showings in Los Angeles in September. Judging from the trailer, it’s going to be filled with wild stories, vivid history, and lots of great music.
Upcoming Shows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSdTa9kaiQ
Irish punks Flogging Molly hit up the Aragon Ballroom with special guest The White Buffalo on June 2. Finds tickets here.
As part of his Nobody Safe Tour, Future plays Tinley Park’s Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre June 2. Coming along with him for the ride are Migos, Tory Lanez, Kodak Black, and Zoey Dollaz. Get tickets while you still can.
Catch Bono and co. as U2 hits up Chicago for two nights on their Joshua Tree tour. The band will play June 3 and 4 at Soldier Field with special guest The Lumineers. You can still grab tickets here.
Rock out with Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Revocation, and Withered at the Metro on June 3. Find tickets here.
Chicago Artist Spotlight: Ministry
Surprise, surprise Ministry are back. Al Jourgensen, who started the band in Chicago, revealed they are working on a new album. Titled AmeriKKKant, the album doesn’t have an exact release date but is slated to drop this Fall. Jourgensen revealed special guests who appear on the LP, including Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell, former N.W.A. member Arabian Prince, DJ Swamp, and Lord of the Cello.
We don’t know much about the album, but Jourgensen gives a taste on their PledgeMusic page with a teaser trailer. It sounds like the band is getting back to their heavy roots with a similar vibe as The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste.
You can pre-order the album over at PledgeMusic and choose from various goodies, including a signed lyric sheet, signed guitar, a vinyl test pressing, and various other merch.
The news come as a surprise since Jourgensen said Ministry wouldn’t record another album after their 2013 release, From Beer to Eternity. Then again, this is the third time he’s “broken up” the band.