Pixies play Canada
While fans await U.S. dates for the band’s Doolittle anniversary trek, the Pixies today announced their first North American concert in four years: a slot on the bill of the Virgin Festival Ontario next month.
The fest — Aug. 29 and 30 at Burls Creek Park in Barrie, Ontario — will be headlined by Nine Inch Nails and Ben Harper & Relentless7, and features a bill that also includes Pet Shop Boys, Franz Ferdinand, Grizzly Bear and more.
Tickets go on sale Saturday.
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Morrissey statement on Rimini cancellations
Morrissey fan site True to You today posted a statement purportedly from the Mozzer himself regarding this week’s cancellation of two more Tour of Refusal dates, this time in Rimini, Italy.
The statement, in part, reads:
The two Rimini concerts were canceled for production reasons. Put simply, the venue could not accommodate our PA system or lights, etc. The concerts are not canceled due to health problems. I understand that another venue is being sought, but as yet I know no more than that.
Morrissey’s tour resumes Saturday in London.
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The Specials add Irish concerts
Reunited 2 Tone ska legends The Specials have added two more concerts to the “final” leg of their 30th anniversary tour, with a pair of Irish stops now planned in Dublin on Nov. 15 and Belfast on Nov. 16
The Specials — minus founding songwriter/keyboardist Jerry Dammers — performed together for the first time since 1981 when they appeared on the U.K.’s “Later with Jools Holland” in April (see video here), before embarking on a sold-out run of British dates.
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Dinosaur Jr covers The Cure for Playboy
Playboy.com has launched a new performance-video series called “Uncovered” that debuts with a great clip of Dinosaur Jr doing an unplugged version of their cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”
The clip is here, and is worth sitting through the obnoxious advertising to hear the preface, in which Murph and J Mascis argue about whether Robert Smith was wearing a bear suit or just a fuzzy sweater when they met him back in the day.
