(Karen Pace is on vacation this week. Aaron Brophy will be attempting to fill her combat boots...)
GREEN DAY SPARES HMV IN TORONTO
Toronto's flagship downtown HMV store was spared the fate of a New York City Tower Records which was trashed by Green Day and their fans last week. The Toronto store avoided a trashing by thousands of rabid teenage fans yesterday afternoon by sticking the band in an alley behind the store for a 35-minute showcase. Fans were packed crazy tight into the long, thin alleyway. The official estimate of the crowd in attendance was 2,000, however, D.A.M.N correspondent Jeff Haas says the number may have been closer to 3,000 or 4,000 (Check out Jeff's photos of the show on Chart Attack's front page). The crowd was so dense, moshers couldn't even find the room to get in the air to crowd surf. Young girls near the stage front, cameras in hand, were all but crushed, says Haas. "For 12 and 13-year-olds it was pretty violent," he said. Likely a coy product protection technique, an autograph session which was to occur after the concert was canceled. HMV staff were reportedly yelling the session had been canceled but fans continued to hang around the store, hoping this information wasn't true. Later that evening Green Day went on to play a very sold out gig at the 1,100 capacity Phoenix Concert Theatre (It sold out in six minutes). One highlight of the fast-paced 75-minute show included letting a fan from the crowd play guitar.
MOIST CONCERT ONLINE
Moist will be playing live tonight on (www.virtuallycanadian.com). The online presentation will feature interviews and live songs starting at 9 p.m. In addition, Pulsars will be performing live on Jam TV at 9:30 p.m. That show was recorded at the Metro in Chicago on May 6, 1997.
GARY GLITTER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HAVING CHILD PORN ON HIS COMPUTER
NME Online is reporting '70s glam-rock man of spandex, Gary Glitter (real name Paul Gadd), has been arrested and questioned by Bristol police because pornographic pictures of children were allegedly found on the hard drive of a computer Glitter had taken into a repair shop. Staff at PC World notified police on Tuesday when they found the images. Police then took Glitter to a police station where he remained overnight. Who owned the computer and how the images got there hasn't been confirmed, however, police did say, "We can confirm that a 54-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography." Glitter still has a small but loyal fan base. He scored a series of U.K. hits in the early '70s.
BARENAKED LADIES JOINING FORCES WITH ANNE MURRAY
Toronto's Barenaked Ladies are going appear with snowbird Anne Murray for Anne Murray's Classic Christmas, a one-hour holiday special which will appear on TNN on Dec. 17. Other guests for the special will include Roch Voisine, Elvis Stojko and Murray's family.
DARN. RUMOURS OF AQUA SINGER'S DEATH PREMATURE
Jim Slotek of The Toronto Sun reported yesterday Lene Nystrom, lead singer for dance-pop act Aqua, is very much alive "cute, vivacious, charming and quirky." Unfounded rumours had been circulating the singer had died of a heroin overdose. The gossipy whispers began some time after Nystrom collapsed in September from "exhaustion" while in New York. Aqua's insidiously catchy "Barbie Girl" single has been monopolizing dance charts for a couple months. Aqua will be performing new single "Lollipop" on Electric Circus Dec. 5.
ATTACK OF BROADWAY ON TV
Those wonderful singing and dancing troupes of the stage highlight tonight's television viewing. On Letterman (11:35 p.m. CBS) the cast of gushing-reviewed The Lion King will be making an appearance and Keenan Ivory Wayans will be having the cast of Rent. Rosie O'Donnell has Sheryl Crow but you know she'll bust out a half-dozen showtunes to compensate. Check out the repeat of Tribal Gathering '97 on Muchmusic at 9 p.m. It features Sneaker Pimps, Orbital, Fluke and a heap 'o other techno-tinged acts. For the ultimate guide to music on television, go to Rock On TV
TODAY'S TEE-HEE
Children speak to god, part six: Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. - Joyce
D.A.M.N. is compiled by Karen Pace.
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Karen Pace is a retired teacher (fer real!) who started working in this crazy music industry on-air at ICRT Radio in Taipei, Taiwan. From freelance writing to voice-overs to music reviewer on E Now! on BBS, she runs at a break-neck clip, investigating all the news you should know. In between breaths, she finds time to be the world's best aunt to her niece and nephew.