Backstage Pass

     Now that’s a Duran Duran concert. After being disappointed by the stilted show on Broadway to launch the band’s “Red Carpet Massacre” album, I was a little worried about the Durans, but it’s all worked out fine.
    They ditched the blander bits from the new album and stitched the better songs into their sure-fire set of hits, which made everything sound better. “Falling Down” sounds better after “Planet Earth.” “Skin Divers” sounds slinkier between “Come Undone” and “The Reflex,” especially now that Simon LeBon does the rapping instead of a tape of Timbaland. And the electro mini-set, where they channel Kraftwerk reworking “Last Chance on the Stairway” and “I Don’t Your Love” while pitching in a hot cover of The Normal’s “Warm Leatherette,” is still a thrill – though the expanded “Girls on Film” still beats it.
    For two hours, LeBon, bassist John Taylor and keyboardist Nick Rhodes made a strong argument for why the new romantic pioneers deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year and why Durannies still treat them like it’s 1984 and “The Reflex” is ta-na-na-na-ing out of every radio in sight.

SETLIST: The Valley / Red Carpet Massacre / Nite Runner / Hungry Like the Wolf / Planet Earth / Falling Down / Come Undone / Skin Divers / The Reflex / Save a Prayer / View to a Kill / Last Chance on the Stairway / All She Wants Is / Warm Leatherette / I Don’t Want Your Love / Skin Trade / Tempted / Notorious / Girls on Film (w/Papa Was a Rolling Stone) / Ordinary World / (Reach Up for the) Sunrise / The Wild Boys // ENCORE: Rio

PHOTO: Anna Ross and Simon LeBon at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. 

Rockers, take note. At the height of their careers on the pop charts, Barenaked Ladies and Dan Zanes would never dreamed of doing multiple nights at arenas around the country. But add the power of Disney and lots of lovable, but brainy kids songs and – voila! – they become one of summer’s hottest tickets.

The Disney Music Block Party Tour – which also includes Ralph’s World and host Raven-Symone, as well as play areas from Disney and Playskool and a "petting zoo for musical instruments" sponsored by NAMM – hits Nassau Coliseum on Aug. 22, 23 and 24. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster, 631-888-9000.

PHOTO: Dan Zanes by Gala Narazo for Festival Five Records.

The weirdest thing about David Cook's
sudden smash success after his "American Idol" win isn't that he landed three songs in the iTunes Top 10 -- the coronation song "The Time of My Life" at No. 1, his pick of the original songs "Dream Big" at No. 7 and his cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" at No. 10 -- it's the ones that America has chosen to embrace.

Most would say his take on Collective Soul's "The World I Know" was his best performance, but it is the weakest chart performer of his songs, currently at No. 18. Is that because people realized that they don't really like that song, even if he did do a good job with it?

And can anyone explain the strong showing of "Dream Big," which was an also-ran in the songwriting competition and pretty much as bland as they come as a power-pop anthem? Many of Cook's own pre-"Idol" songs are way better than that.

In related "Idol" news, cast-off Josiah Leming, who really could have given Cook a run for his money, has signed with Warner Bros. and is currently working on his major-label debut. He also calls the show "glorified karaoke."

The new Weezer video for "Pork and Beans" is brilliant on so many levels.

As a collection of pretty much every YouTube star and trend in one place -- from Chris "Leave Britney Alone" Crocker and Tay "Chocolate Rain" Zonday to the "Numa Numa" chair-dancing guy and the Mentos-and-soda people -- it's already amazing.

As marketing, it's just as brainy, released on YouTube by Weezer as an embeddable video (meaning that the band doesn't block that useful-to-bloggers feature to make people go through the charade of copying it and putting it up themselves). And (!) they made it a featured video on the YouTube site, landing them a whole new audience outside the modern-rock-radio crowd who have already embraced the single.

In less than a day, the video has more than a million views.

Rivers Cuomo didn't go to Harvard for nothing, y'know.

Weezer, "Pork and Beans"

Billy Joel spring training kicked off at the Mohegan Sun Arena Friday night, as he prepares to transform his current roadshow into two historic concerts in July that will go down as the final musical performances at Shea Stadium.
    During his 10-show, six-week run at Mohegan Sun, Joel plans to test out some new approaches to his songs for the Shea concerts on July 16 and 18. He will then head to Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Penn., to work on the sound and logistical issues of performing a stadium-sized show.
    Joel readily points out that he’s not the usual stadium act with a big, special-effects-filled show or lots of movement – he is the Piano Man, after all – so to set the Shea shows apart, it will have to be through his music.
    At Friday night’s sold-out concert, Joel’s set already had subtle differences from  his record-setting, sold-out run at Madison Square Garden in 2006, captured in his “12 Gardens” live CD – some changes in phrasing in “My Life,” a more rock-oriented arrangement for “It’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll to Me,” the pairing of “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” and “Allentown,” two songs about working-class struggles.
    Of course, one thing that won’t change is Joel’s onstage banter. “I’m from right across the bay on Long Island,” he told the Connecticut crowd as a matter of introduction, “you probably know us as your barrier beach.”
    And when the mention of his 1974 album “Streetlife Serenade” drew a huge response as Joel introduced the song “Zanzibar,” he rolled with it, saying, “Thank you, that’s more people than ever bought the album.”

SETLIST: Angry Young Man / My Life / The Entertainer / The Downeaster “Alexa” / Allentown / Zanzibar / New York State of Mind / Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) / Keeping the faith / Don’t Ask Me Why / She’s Always a Woman / Captain Jack / River of Dreams / Highway to Hell (sung by Chainsaw) / We Didn’t Start the Fire / It’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll to Me / You May Be Right / ENCORE: Scenes from an Italian Restaurant / Only the Good Die Young

PHOTO: Joel and jersey by James Carbone for Newsday

The recorded version of David Cook's coronation song is up now on AOL's Popeater blog and probably on every pop radio show station by now.

The live version video:

Even though I've had all day to get used to the idea, when David Cook was named this year's "American Idol," it was still a shock.

David Archuleta really did outmaneuver Cook in last night's show. But apparently Cook had built up so much goodwill during the season that his fans stuck by him. And the overwhelming support of Archuleta by the judges last night only served as increased incentive to support their man. That support also probably gave Archuleta's fans a false sense of security, making them feel that his victory was a foregone conclusion.

Cook seems poised for a successful career, his duet with Archuleta on Nickelback's "Hero" shows exactly the direction he's headed. And his take on the coronation song "Time of My Life" is likely to become an insta-hit when it's pushed to radio tomorrow morning.

It's always a surprise when artistry beats out pandering, when the best man -- not the richest, or the most connected -- actually wins. Hopefully David Cook will live up to his potential, making a record that matches the inventiveness of his "Hello" reworking and the passion he conjured up for "Billie Jean." And hopefully David Archuleta will get to discover what kind of artist he really is,   

And the winner is... David Cook.

Wait! What?

It seemed like little David Archuleta and his tailor-made act had the "American Idol" final all-sewn up by picking songwriter John Lennon for his team instead of, um, the Collective Soul guy.

But the generally accurate prediction site DialIdol.com says Cookie had a definitive lead over Archie in votes last night and now it's apparently not a done deal.

Could "Idol" producers have gamed the DialIdol system in order to generate some suspense for tonight's finale? Could "Idol" fans really gotten so weary of Archie and his aw-shucks persona that they went for Cookie just to spite the young one? Or could fans have watched the entire season and picked the better contestant?

Um, yeah, I'm leaning toward the first answer too. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

5. David Cook, “Billie Jean”

Underwhelmed by last night's "American Idol" final? Yeah, me too.

And unless there's some sort of neo-grunge miracle on par with a Kurt Cobain resurrection, David Cook is sunk and David Archuleta will be crowned this year's American Idol tonight. Then he'll sing that terrible "In This Moment" song and we'll move on with our lives.

Of course, we did get cheated out of anything resembling greatness last night, so the timing seemed right to revisit some of the best performances in "Idol" history.

10. Carrie Underwood, “Bless the Broken Road”

Um, is Clive Davis reading the Backstage Pass?

The record industry legend picks U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" for David Cook, something we suggested during Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Week. He did fine, but never really caught fire the way he should.

Davis picked Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" for David Archuleta, who fared only slightly better. His rearranging was minor, but the small changes worked to his advantage.

Still too close to call. On to Round Two. 

For all the talk about interest in "American Idol" slipping this season and what the causes for that are, folks apparently still want to see David & David and the rest of the gang.

Ticket sales for the "American Idol" tour stop at Nassau Coliseum on Aug. 4 went so well this weekend, promoters quickly added another show on Aug. 5. Tickets – between $42.50 and $68.50 -- for that show are on sale now through Ticketmaster, 631-888-9000.

So for the record which David do I think will be victorious tomorrow night? Well, my heart is with Cook, but my head says Archuleta. And barring some sort of breakdown from "Gaspy," I foresee young Master Archuleta taking the prize and singing "A Moment Like This, My Now, Proud, Proud, Heaven, Proud, Love You Dad" as confetti rains down. I also foresee Cook's album outselling Archie's 2-to-1.

PHOTO: Americanidol.com 

Yeah, Kenny Chesney won the big Entertainer of the Year award. And yeah, last night's Academy of Country Music Awards were pretty much all about Garth Brooks geting the first Crystal Milestone award. But Miranda Lambert's performance of "Gunpowder and Lead" nearly stole the show -- and her excellent "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" album snuck in and won album of the year.

Miranda Lambert, "Gunpowder and Lead"

SEE MORE ZOOTOPIA PHOTOS  

If Zootopia has always been hits radio powerhouse Z100's snapshot of where pop music stands at a given time, this year’s edition was a high school yearbook photo.

Bookended by Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, the four-hour revue was all about teen pop – either building it, as the Disney stars currently are, reliving it, as the reunited New Kids on the Block did, or graduating from it, like Jesse McCartney.

Cyrus, as her recent Vanity Fair photo flap suggested, is in the midst of a transition, just like the 15-year-old megastar’s teenage fans, and that extends to her music. Nearly half of her 30-minute set was a sneak preview of her forthcoming “Breakout” album, due out on July 22, and it showed how she was shedding the girlish pop of her “Hannah Montana” show and moving into more standard pop fare.

On “Fly on the Wall,” she pulled in some new wave influence, rocking like Blondie and using layered vocals that sounded sorta like Missing Persons. More impressive was “7 Things,” which mixed jangly pop verses with a raucous rock chorus, resulting in a weird, but entertaining hybrid of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” and No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.” And “Breakout”’s title track was revved-up power pop, like “Since U Been Gone” on a sugar high.

After hearing those songs, it gets tough to hear Cyrus go back to all the pop cliches of “G.N.O. (Girls Night Out),” but it’s a balancing act that she will have to continue since “Hannah Montana” songs are still the ones her fans know most.

SETLIST: Start All Over / Good and Broken / Right Here / Fly on the Wall / 7 Things / G.N.O. (Girls Night Out)) / Breakout / See You Again 

So far, it’s a problem her pals the Jonas Brothers haven’t had to tackle yet, their half-hour set of power pop still gives their fans exactly what they want, especially with their recent crossover hit “S.O.S.,” and more noticeably the power ballad “When You Look Me in the Eyes.”

Jesse McCartney, however, has decided to stretch, adding a bit of R&B and rock to his style. The way he worked the irresistible hit “Leavin’” and “How Do You Sleep,” likely the next hit from his new “Departure” album out tomorrow, McCartney seems set to move into Justin Timberlake territory – both in style and sales.

The reunited New Kids on the Block seemed like they hope to stretch as well. For their first concert appearance in 15 years, the guys reprised their “Today” show performance – only completely in key and with crisper dance moves this time. Their medley of hits, which included a reggaeton-tinged version of “The Right Stuff,” suggested broader ambitions, but weren’t quite ready to reveal them all yet, offering their new single “Summertime” and a drawn-out “Tonight” instead.

With a new tour coming up, the New Kids know better than to give up all their plans at a radio show. With age, you see, comes wisdom.

Yeah, there were a whole bunch of possible problems for the New Kids on the Block reunion debut on today's Today show -- the rain-soaked stage, a probable lack of monitors and, well, some bad sound.

But that doesn't necessarily explain all the awkwardness and off-key harmonies, now does it? I'll get to see for myself tomorrow when NKOTB hits Zootopia and, of course, report back here Sunday morning.

In the meantime, here's the video to judge for yourselves:

Fantasia, "Bore Me (Live)"

Forget David vs. David. The most talked-about moment from last night's "Idol" show was apparently Fantasia's amazing performance of "Bore Me." Sure, it wasn't great singing exactly, but it was definitely memorable, given the kinda-predictable shows recently. Will it boost sales of her underappreciated "Fantasia" album from 2006? Hopefully, though maybe "Bump What Ya Friends Say" would have resulted in a less split verdict.

It's the battle we've been expecting since the finals began: David Archuleta vs. David Cook. But the stakes will actually be higher than expected -- not because the difference between winning "American Idol" and coming in second is all that important, but because the winner may determine the show's future.

See, if Archuleta wins, which seems likely at this point, it will reveal why the future of "Idol" is in trouble. It will show that the people who presumably pick the next big music star don't actually buy music. It means that the star-making machinery doesn't actually make stars. Nothing against him -- or his tween and Grandma voting block -- but a victory for him will solidify the idea that "Idol" is no longer cool and that changes need to be made.

If Cook wins, "Idol" can point to how it still turns nobodies into somebodies. Then, if Cook goes on to live out his Daughtry-esque hit-making destiny, "Idol" can shake off the problematic sales records of Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard. And though he's not exactly edgy, he is compared to Archuleta.

So which David will win? Time will tell. 

Uh oh. The coronation of David Archuleta – who some blogs have started to call “Gaspy,” which I admit is kind of funny ‘cause it’s true – has hit a snag. No, it’s not because David Cook is actually a better singer and musician, even though he is.

It’s because Archuleta basically struck out this week. Not only did he not sell the Grandma-friendly ballads he’s known for very well, but he tried to sing an age-appropriate song and failed with that as well. His leaden version of Chris Brown’s “With You” prompted Simon Cowell to say it was “like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger,” which was true, though it was Paula Abdul who nailed the problem, saying he was dragging out the notes, which he was.

Cook, on the other hand, handled everything the judges and producers threw at him, including “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which, let’s face it, could have sunk Archuleta or Syesha Mercado (who was, once again, passable, but not quite great), but Cook took it in stride. And he saved his best performance for the end, hitting “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing” out of the park, closing out the show with a memory of his dominance.

He may still end up losing to Archuleta, but that will be because of “American Idol” demographics, not because of actual skills. And that, more than anything, will explain this year’s ratings fall-off and problems for the show going forward.

THE RANKINGS

David Cook, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
David Cook, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
David Cook, “Dare You to Move”
David Archuleta, “And So It Goes”
Syesha Mercado, “If I Ain’t Got You”
Syesha Mercado, “Hit Me Up”
David Archuleta, “Longer”
Syesha Mercado, “Fever”
David Archuleta, “With You”

WILL BE CUT: Syesha
SHOULD BE CUT: Syesha
ACTUALLY CUT: ???

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Blondie, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough “Parallel Lines” album, kick off this summer’s concerts at the Brookhaven Amphitheatre in Farmingville on June 18.

Fellow new wavers Squeeze arrive on Aug. 24 with The Smithereens. Brookhaven will also host a heavy dose of ‘80s metal, with Extreme, Living Colour and Kings X on Aug. 1 and Cinderella, Warrant and Lynch Mob on Aug. 3, as well as a night of country rock with Little River Band, Poco, Pure Prarie League and Firefall on Sept. 7.

The amphitheatre will also pay tribute to Long Island’s rock roots on Sept. 6 with Orleans, Barnaby Bye, Frank Carillo and the Bandoleros, Stanton Anderson, Wes Houston, Kerry Kearney & the Jim Small Band, who will all receive Long Island Sound awards from the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

Other shows set for Farmingville: The LI Philharmonic taking on the music of Led Zeppelin (July 26) and the music of The Eagles (Aug. 23) and the Dave Brubeck Quartet (Aug. 22).

Blondie, One Way or Another

     The next chapter in the ever-evolving saga of Taking Back Sunday started with a bang Friday night, as the band made its Madison Square Garden debut.
    Though the Rockville Centre-based band's 45-minute set was shorter than usual and the sound was a bit muddy, it did offer some clues about TBS’ next move, especially since the addition of guitarist/singer Matt Fazzi who replaced Fred Mascherino in February.
    Opening with “Error Operator” and “Liar,” which showcase the heavy-hitting guitarwork of Ed Reyes and Fazzi, the band is concentrating on the hard rock end of their catalog and making those songs sound more aggressive than their original versions. (They even look more aggressive as bassist Matt Rubano bounded around  the stage and Mark O'Connell pounded the drums.) Even the one still-untitled new song they unveiled, with lines like “I’m ready to begin again,” has more in common with Queens of the Stone Age than the emo-pioneering sounds of their debut “Tell All Your Friends.”
    That doesn’t mean the band is ready to abandon its past, though, giving the early hit “Cute Without the ‘E’” a prime spot in the set and featuring singer Adam Lazzara scream, “Louder!” as the crowd sang along. But they do seem set on changing it, as a smiling Fazzi gave the backing vocals a poppier sound than the original, or as Lazzara busted out Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” in the middle of “A Decade Under the Influence.”
    Though TBS is currently working on a new album in Brooklyn, they jumped at the chance to play The Garden, even unveiling a new backdrop (and t-shirt) that uses graffiti to change the iconic “I” in the “I (Heart) NY” logo to “TBS.”
    “[My Chemical Romance] gave us a call and said, 'Hey, do you guys wanna play Madison Square Garden?'  Lazzara told the crowd.  And we said, 'That's not funny, man. That's a mean joke.' But they were serious.
    The night also closed a chapter for My Chemical Romance, whose two-year tour supporting the great album “The Black Parade” ended Friday in grand style, headlining the venue where the band’s brothers Gerard and Mikey Way first developed their arena rock dreams at a Smashing Pumpkins concert.
    In front of family and friends, as well as a capacity crowd, My Chem made the most of the memory with powerful versions of “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “I Don’t Love You” and a dramatic take on “Helena” that left the crowd wanting more.

SETLIST : Error Operator / Liar / Set Phasers to Stun / One-Eighty by Summer / (untitled new song) / Cute Without the ‘E’ / Spin / A Decade Under the Influence / What It Feels Like To Be A Ghost / MakeDamnSure

PHOTO: Matt Fazzi at Madison Square Garden by Charles Eckert for Newsday. 

Madonna will kick off the North American leg of her Sticky and Sweet Tour at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 3, followed by shows at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 6 and 7.
    The tour supports her “Hard Candy” album, which debuted at No. 1 this week on sales of 280,000, featuring the hit “4 Minutes” with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Tickets for the North American tour go on sale on May 19 through Ticketmaster, with prices ranging from $55 to $350. Citi Cards holders will have access to tickets at a pre-sale that starts at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
    Madonna’s tour, directed by Jamie King, will start in the stadiums of Europe in August and run through November, ending at Dolphins Stadium in Miami.

PHOTO: Madonna by Steven Klein for Warner Bros.
 

Tina Turner will return to touring this fall, announcing plans for her first North American tour in eight years, including a stop at Nassau Coliseum on Dec. 3, for her only New York-area appearance.

“After performing with Beyonce at The Grammy Awards, the response was overwhelming,” said Turner. “Everywhere I went people were asking me when I was going back on tour. So after a lot of thought and planning, I can answer the only way I know how: See you in Kansas City where we'll kick the tour off ”

Tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster on May 19.

PHOTO: TinaTurnerLive.com 

Jason Castro clearly wanted to go home.

It seemed "American Idol" had stopped being fun for him and, let's face it, he wasn't going to win. He didn't really apply himself for a few weeks, no longer trying to come up with ways to showcase his talent as he did with "Hallelujah" or "Over the Rainbow."

So America gave him his wish.  They voted for someone else -- apparently Syesha Mercado, since Ryan Seacrest said that only a million votes separated the Top 3.

There's a growing anti-Davids movement, but an Archuleta vs. Cook showdown seems inevitable, no matter what happens next week.

Will Castro have a great post-Idol career? Hard to say. The Jack Johnson model may look laid back, but it really does involve a lot of work. At this point, it's not clear that Castro wants to put in all that work.

Madonna lands her seventh No. 1 album this week, as "Hard Candy" (Warner Bros.) debuts with sales of 280,000 copies. Among all female performers, only Barbra Streisand has more chart-topping albums now, with eight.

"Hard Candy" pushes Mariah Carey's "E=MC2" down to No. 2, with sales of 95,000, and Leona Lewis' "Spirit" to No. 3, with sales of 84,000, making it all about girl power this week.

Lyfe Jennings' "Lyfe Change" debuts at No. 4 and Def Leppard's "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge" debuts at No. 5.

PHOTO: Madonna by Steven Klein for Warner Bros. 

The pics on the left are from Mariah Carey's new video "Bye Bye," shot in March and reportedly the first time she met Nick Cannon. The pic on the right is from this week's People magazine, in stores on Friday, where she confirms to the magazine that the couple got married at her Bahamian home on April 30. Wow.

Now I'm the first to admit that I thought this was some weird, elaborate practical joke/publicity stunt to drum up interest in "Bye Bye," which, frankly, didn't need it. It just seemed out of character for the driven, methodical Mariah to do something so impulsive -- and in the middle of her album rollout, no less. And yet she did it. "I never felt a love like this was in the cards for me," she tells People.

Mimi must really be emancipated now. Good for her.

Check out the "Bye Bye" video, which could pretty much double for their wedding video anyway, below.