Michael Jackson’s run of shows at the O2 Arena was today extended to 50 dates, and into next year.

But there has already been a backlash about the sale of the tickets by touts with some seats being offered for four-figure sums, despite face values of between
£50 and £75.

The shows will now run From July to September with a second series of performances taking place in January and February 2010.

More than 360,000 tickets were sold in the pre-sale period to fans who had pre-registered and tickets will be available to the general public from 7am tomorrow.

The ‘This is It’ dates have been billed as Jacko’s final appearances in London.

Randy Phillips, president of promoter AEG Live, said: “Not only are these concerts unparalleled, these records will never be broken! We knew this was show business history, but this is a cultural phenomenon. ”

The string of shows outstrip the 21-date span of gigs performed by Prince in 2007.

You can buy tickets by visiting Q’s ticketing shop Aloud.com

Source qthemusic

The Pixies are reuniting once again as the warm-up act for Neil Young at this year's Isle Of Wight Festival, it was announced today.

The band, which dissolved in the early 1990s, will play at the event on June 14 immediately prior to Young's headline slot. The band previously reformed five years ago for a number of shows and a limited amount of recording.

But - true to form - the band split again with bass player Kim Deal telling Q Radio last year that she would never record with frontman Black Francis again: "Absolutely not. I’d rather record with my mother than record one with him."

Isle Of Wight festival organiser John Giddings said: "It was hard to think of someone capable of complementing the musical talent of Neil Young. But once I had the idea it was blindly obvious and it will surely be a legendary day on the Isle of Wight."

Also performing are Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, The Ting Tings and Stereophonics. The Festival takes place from 12-14 June.

Source qthemusic

Guitarist David Williams, whose recording and touring credits include Michael Jackson, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations among countless others, died last Friday at age 58.

Williams, a native of Newport News, Virginia, was admitted to the Sentara Hospital in nearby Hampton after he suffered a stroke on 2 March. He fell into a coma and later died of cardiac arrest.

Although probably nobody outside the music industry knew his name, practically everybody on the planet heard his work thanks to his in-the-pocket playing on Michael Jackson's smash Billie Jean. Williams contributed the clean, funky strummed solo that was integral to the sound of the song,

Became a go-to LA guitarist

Having started his career at the age of 18 with The Dells, Williams went on to play with The Temptations. Real success proved elusive until he hooked up with producer Quincy Jones, who heard something in Williams' understated rhythm playing. After Jones utilized Williams' signature sound on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall and Thriller albums, Williams became one of the most in-demand LA session guitarists in the '80s and '90s.

This journalist had the pleasure of knowing Williams. As a person, he was gentle and easy-going, loved to laugh, adored pasta with mussels, and never once boasted about his success. He always referred to his guitar playing as "a little bit of secret spice. You don't need much of it, but the right amount gets the job done."

Williams is survived by four children with his ex-wife Deborah. He will be missed.

Source musicradar

Fleetwood Mac have performed the first of show of their Greatest Hits tour with a few surprises throw in and out of the set.

For starters, Lindsay gets a solo slash at his 1984 album Go Insane with the title track showcasing at track 6.

Stevie gets to throw her solo ‘Stand Back’ in towards the end of the set.

What was surprising was that the band totally ignores its last album ‘Say You Will’ from 2002. The oldest song in the set is ‘Big Love’ from the 1987 album Tango In The Night.

Here is the Fleetwood Mac setlist from their current tour:

Monday Morning (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
The Chain (from Rumours, 1977)
Dreams (from Rumours, 1977)
I Know I'm Not Wrong (from Tusk, 1979)
Gypsy (from Mirage, 1982)
Go Insane (from Lindsay’s Go Insane, 1984)
Rhiannon (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
Second Hand News (from Rumours, 1977)
Tusk (from Tusk, 1979)
Sara (from Tusk, 1979)
Big Love (from Tango In The Night, 1987)
Landslide (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
Never Going Back Again News (from Rumours, 1977)
Storms (from Tusk, 1979)
Say You Love Me (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
Gold Dust Woman (from Rumours, 1977)
Oh Well (from Then Play On , 1969)
I'm So Afraid (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
Stand Back (from Stevie’s The Wild Heart, 1983)
Go Your Own Way (from Rumours, 1977)

World Turning (from Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
Don't Stop (from Rumours, 1977)
Silver Springs (Rumours outtake)

Source undercover.com.au

VANILLA ICE has said sorry for his single Ice Ice Baby.

The former rapper has reportedly released a statement on YouTube apologising for his 1990 number one song.

Vanilla Ice, 41, real name Robert Van Winkle, was rocketed to stardom with the single, which sold over 40million copies worldwide.

But he was hit by legal issues for sampling the Queen & David Bowie song 'Under Pressure' on the track without permission.

On the video statement, he said: "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the hairdos, the baggy pants, the scandals, the lies, the gangs, and I'm sorry about the music. I was young, manipulated and I was a puppet."

Source music-news

Crosby, Stills and Nash, the trio who once formed a supergroup with Neil Young, will be joining their former bandmate at Glastonbury this summer. The band's website lists a performance for the 27 June 2009, though the exact date of Young's appearance has not been confirmed.

Young, who joined forces with Dave Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash in the late 1960s to form the group, was announced as the third headlining act for Glastonbury 2009 earlier this week.

Crosby, Nash and Stills formed when members of the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and the Hollies left their original groups to pursue other projects. Young joined them after their eponymous 1969 debut and was one of the driving forces behind their seminal album Deja Vu. Though Young's participation in the group has been inconsistent, particularly as he went on to record albums with his band Crazy Horse, CSN have continued to perform, both with and without their fourth member.

Notably, the quartet reformed in 2006 for the politically charged Freedom of Speech tour of North America, which was documented on the film Deja Vu.

Young had long been rumoured to play Glastonbury, alongside fellow headliners Blur and Bruce Springsteen, but the festival only confirmed it earlier this week. Making the announcement, organiser Michael Eavis said: "Neil Young to play this year is a dream come true for me personally. He is one of my all-time favourites and we have always wanted him to play."

The Guardian is the official media sponsor of Glastonbury. This year's festival takes place in Pilton, Somerset, between 24-28 June 2009.

Source guardian.co.uk