As Jay-Z and Kanye West‘s Watch The Throne tour kicks off this week, there’s really not all that much else to talk about. Between set lists, leather outfits, copious bling and “OMG WILL PREGONCÉ OR FRANK OCEAN OR BOTH MAKE AN APPEARANCE?”, it’s a truly immersive experience, permeating all facets of daily life and conversation. So while we wait very impatiently for our turn to Watch The Throne, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite collaboration albums of all-time.
Tom Selleck may have been the top-billed guest yesterday on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, but make no mistake: it was the Pearl Jam show. Early in the show, Eddie Vedder assisted Jimmy Fallon with a reprise of parody/BP protest song “Balls In Your Mouth”, and the night’s other guests was director Cameron Crowe, talking about his Pearl Jam documentary, due out later this month.
So when the band took the stage, the crowd was ready—or so they thought, until the band launched into not one of their many hits, or even their numerous B-sides, but a brand new song that they hadn’t even played at their festival this past weekend. “Olé” is a fun, hard-charging rocker, and the band turned out a great performance. Can’t wait to hear a studio version? It’s already available for free download from the band’s website. Wish the band would play more? They’ll be on Fallon again tomorrow night. Any more questions?
Elsewhere on late night…
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Twenty years ago last month, Pearl Jam‘s Ten was released, and its slow-burn first single “Alive” (not to mention members’ pedigrees from Mother Love Bone and Temple Of The Dog) built the band’s buzz until they exploded with “Even Flow” and “Jeremy.” The rest is history—but certainly worth celebrating, no? Cameron Crowe thinks so: he’s made PJ20, a documentary about the band from inception to present; it hits theaters in two weeks.
Pearl Jam thinks so too. To celebrate the anniversary, Pearl Jam hosted a two-day concert this weekend outside Milwaukee, WI. (It’s not Seattle, but as tickets and lodging go, it beats a cruise!) Each of the bands who participated (including The Strokes, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Mudhoney) played two sets—one each day—and many musicians guested during other bands’ sets. For example, Eddie Vedder turned up during Glen Hansard‘s set to sing the female vocals on the Once duet “Falling Slowly”:
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As the Red Hot Chili Peppers release their tenth studio album this week, we can’t help but daydream ruminate about how much of a sex symbol frontman Anthony Kiedis was—who could forget the sock?!—and still is. Time has been kind to Mr. Suck My Kiss, and he is definitely not alone in that regard; there’s an entire legion of men in music whose good looks and sex appeal have fermented in the manner of a perfectly-mature wine.
Whether you grew up with one of their faces taped to your Trapper Keeper or you’re old enough to be their mom, there’s a hunk on this list for you. From rock to hip hop, songwriters to bass players, we’ve got Arena Gods, men who are Good With Their Hands, Smooth Operators, International Flavors, and like the Chili Peppers’ singer, Spicy Sex Symbols. Keeping it simple, we’re celebrating the 45 to 70-year-old vintages by exhibiting their physical evolution through their respective careers. You’ll be taking in images from when they got their start, their “middle years,” and how they look in the present. Take a moment to step into the wine cellar and relish in each man’s beauty of the past and, at the end,toast to their continued maturing in the future by weighing in on who you think has aged best. Apologies in advance for the ladyboners!
Not near a television? You should be, as Rock Honors: The Who is going down right now, featuring every rock stars’ rock star. Don’t worry though — we’ve got some highlights from the show below. Check it out and tell us which one is your favorite!
It’s not until you hear them play a Who song that you realize Pearl Jam take so much from the band– and on “Love Reign O’er Me,” they give it back. The track’s a frequent cover in the grunge godfathers’ set, and its obvious why: Vedder wails through the song, pleading, as the rest of the band shreds to keep up.
It wouldn’t be a party if Boy in the Bubble and Flaming Lips frontmanWayne Coyne didn’t roll around in the audience in his big inflatable ball for a while, getting the crowd appropriately amped as they play the beginnings of “See Me, Feel Me” (which Wayne told us before the show was a personal favorite) before launching into a searing medley from Tommythat includes “Pinball Wizard.” To find out what else the Oklahoma psych-rockers played, check the clip above.
For Tenacious D frontman Jack Black to call the Who “the greatest band of all time” is a pretty big deal, as that’s usually a title he saves for his own band. Watch the merry pranksters strum through a fun version of “Squeezebox” in the clip above.
The gentlemen from Pearl Jam had an excellent time worshiping at the alter of the Who on Saturday night when we taped this year’s Rock Honors, but don’t take our word for it. In the clip above, watch the grunge godfathers tear it up when they play “The Real Me” (and check out the typically scowling Eddie Vedder’s huge grin at the end).
Can’t wait for tomorrow night’s show? Check out live performances from the Who and the Foo Fighters on-stage, and read our behind-the-scenes coverage of the event. Want to hit next year’s in the flesh? Enter to win, and you just may end up there.
This year’s Rock Honors taped this weekend, and we had The Office‘s Rainn Wilson sneak backstage to get the scoop from this year’s performers (Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters) and the main event (the Who). Watch Rainn diss Pearl Jam and talk Rock Band with Pete Townsend in the above clips, and be sure to tune in Thursday at 9/8c to watch what went down on-stage. We’ll also have more backstage reports all week, so check back!
Want to head to next year’s Rock Honors? Enter here to win tickets to 2009′s event.
Our man on the scene, Steve Pavlopoulos, was delivering up-to-the-minute reports from Rock Honors: The Who (which taped this weekend) on what you’ll see this Thursday, July 17th at 9 pm on VH1. Check out his behind-the-scenes look at what went down on rock’s front lines. The above shot is from Saturday night’s festivities — check out more shots for a sneak peek at the show. Can’t wait to see Pearl Jam on Thursday? Watch them rock right now.
These events do this to me every time: I look forward to them before they come up, but when they actually happen, I am completely blown away by what I consider a once-in-a-lifetime live music experience. I walked out of the Pavilion at the beginning of Pearl Jam’s soundcheck and had to stop to look back in awe. (No kidding – and probably the first time I’ve ever been seen rocking out while carrying a $3,000 tripod.) From the first chord, you could tell that they meant business. They know (and love) this music, as the Who is in their lifeblood. Expect their set to be filled with songs from Quadrophenia, with the help of a string and horn section. The best thing about this venue is that when you exit the Pavilion, you can still hear the music pouring out and enveloping a good portion of the UCLA campus in glorious rock.
Rockers like Foo Fighters‘ Dave Grohl and the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne payed tribute to The Who this weekend along with reality TV stars like Lauren Conrad and Kim Kardashian. Below, check pics from Rock Honors’ red carpet and Intermix’s 3rd Annual VH1 Rock Honors VIP Party. Tune in Thursday, July 17 to watch the big show.
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Rock Honors 2008 Web site
Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters jumped in early. Then the Flaming Lips said hell, yeah. Now Incubus has been added to this year’s Rock Honors festivities. So prepare to be overwhelmed on July 17. The alt-metal juggernaut that features Brandon Boyd up front is skilled at mowing down everything in its path, much like the Who themselves. See if they bring a metal slant to some of the band’s classics.
Here’s an songlist of their best videos. Crank it up and get psyched for their Rock Honors performance.
