Pearl Jam will release a concert DVD called "Immagine in Cornice" (Italian for "Picture in a Frame") on Sept. 25, the band's publicist just announced.

The film, directed by Danny Clinch, includes performance and behind the scenes footage from Italian tour stops in Bologna, Verona, Milan, Torino and Pistoia in 2006.

Here's the track listing:

Severed Hand (Milan)
World Wide Suicide (Featured clips from all Italian show dates)
Life Wasted (Torino)
Corduroy (Verona)
State of Love and Trust (Milan)
Porch (Verona)
Even Flow (Torino)
Better Man (Verona)
Alive (Milan)
Blood (Verona)
Comatose (Pistoia)
Come Back (Pistoia)
Rockin' in the Free World (Pistoia)

Bonus Tracks
A Quick One While He's Away - Eddie Vedder with My Morning Jacket (Torino)
Throw Your Arms Around Me (Pistoia)
Yellow Ledbetter (Milan)

Read more here.

As I'm sure most of you have read by now, late night talk show pioneer Tom Snyder died yesterday. From 1973 to 1982, he followed "The Tonight Show" with his edgier (well, compared to Johnny Carson) "Tomorrow Show." And what some may have forgotten by now is that his show was occasionally a platform for punk and new wave bands.

I recently rented and highly recommend the DVD set "The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder: Punk & New Wave," which features performances and interviews with Joan Jett, Iggy Pop and Elvis Costello, among others. His interview with the always difficult for no reason John Lydon (from his post-Johnny Rotten days in Public Image Limited) is hilarious.

Anyway, RIP Tom.

A while back Toby Keith was pegged, quite unfairly, as some kind of extreme right-wing jingo. And there he was on the White River Amphitheatre stage singing “Love Me If You Can,” a tender ballad about how misunderstood and hurt he'd been in the wake of the “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)” controversy.

“I'm a man of my convictions,” he sang. “Call me wrong, call me right/ But I bring my better angels to every fight.”

Hey, who knew Mr. Boot in Your A-- had such a vulnerable, sensitive side?

“We’ve got a few more ballads, and we’re gonna get these out of the way,” he said with a big, mischievous grin before going on with “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This.”

Well, maybe Mr. Mood Killer isn’t that sensitive. But hell, this is Toby Keith we’re talking about, not Coldplay. A full house hadn’t flocked to Auburn to get all mushy. They’d come to party with the Big Dog. And the main attraction came armed with rich baritone, lots of swagger and some of his funniest songs, more than enough to keep fans riled up for nearly two hours of hits.

A slick and hilarious trailer for a fake superhero flick, “The Adventures of Big Dog Daddy & Possum Boy” heralded the headlining set, with Larry the Cable guy playing Keith’s goofball side kick. It predictably featured a Ford product placement. And an oversized Ford grill was also part of the tiered stage that fans saw once the curtain dropped, with a big bang and a shower of dollar bill shaped confetti.

Backed by his sharp, 10-piece Easy Money Band, Keith set things off with “Big Dog Daddy,” the swinging title track from his new album. (Click here to skip down to the set list.) A Possum Boy look alike cleared confetti off the stage with a leaf blower.

The set was tight, fast-paced and packed with pyro, with Keith tossing out quick if sometimes corny segues between songs. “Ay! Ay! Ay! Me gusta senorita. I’m just talkin’ ‘bout tonight,” he said as the band went from “Stays in Mexico” to, well, you guessed it.

There were lots of the usual favorites – “I Wanna Talk About Me,” “I Love This Bar,” “Who’s Your Daddy?” – with a few surprises that added a lot the show. One was a quirky delivery of Ringo Starr’s '70s hit “The No No Song” (written by fellow Oklahoman, Hoyt Axton.)

And longtime backup singer Mica Roberts – who Keith announced was recently to his Show Dog label – took advantage of a few moments she got to shine. First she climbed down from the stage’s top tier for a duet with Keith on “Thing About You.” Then Keith left the stage for a spell and Roberts sang a soulful lead on Sanford & Townsend's "Smoke from a Distant Fire." (And was it just me, or did the horn section really bring some of those songs home last night?)

“Runnin’ Block” was also a big hit, a number Keith introduced as “a guy song” – a tale of taking one for the team after your buddy sets you up on a bad double blind date. “I tried to drink her skinny, but she was still about 415,” Keith sang, amending the original lyrics.

But even the most predictable material seemed reinvigorated, i.e. a traditional delivery of “Weed With Willie” – a tale of getting stoned out of his gourd with legend Willie Nelson – that turned into a huge sing-along. And fans were fully charged by the time Keith wound down with the potent threesome of “Beer for My Horses,” “How Do You Like Me Now?” and “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action.”

But something was missing. Hmmm. What was that thing he forgot to do? What could he have saved for the encore?

Oh yeah! The patriotic songs. The encore consisted of – what else? – “American Soldier” and “Angry American,” songs enhanced by footage of troops in action and red, white and blue confetti. All in all, it was probably the most fun Toby Keith performance I’ve seen.

Southern rock band Flynnville Train was a fun opener, especially when lead singer Brian Flynn put on a washboard bib and started to get funky with it. But as good as all of the above were, I enjoyed rising star Miranda Lambert more. And stop it! Stop it! Not for that reason. Though I do think I have just a little crush on the former “Nashville Star” contestant at this point.

Lambert kicked off her set with a rockin’ verse of “American Woman” before segueing into the title track from her new album, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” (Random detail: Her bass player sported a huge Mohawk of the variety most people would never expect to see at a country show.)

“You better wake up, Washington!” the blonde spitfire demanded following a rockin’ delivery of “Gunpower & Lead.”

And why shouldn’t Lambert demand that the crowd show some love? She left everything she had on the stage as she stomped and headbanged her way through set closing hit “Kerosene.”

That girl is a rock star, and you should expect to see her headlining the Tacoma Dome or KeyArena within the next couple of years. Maybe she'll bring beau Blake Shelton along and they'll do a Tim McGraw/Faith Hill kind of thing.

Toby Keith’s Big Dog Daddy show wound down just a little while ago at the White River Amphitheatre. He was a blast. Opening act Miranda Lambert was even better. Check back later and I’ll have a more detailed report posted. Meanwhile, here’s what Mr. Red, White & Blue played:

Toby Keith
White River Amphitheatre
July 27, 2007

Big Dog Daddy
Honky Tonky U
Stays in Mexico
I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight
High Maintenance Woman
Get Drunk and Be Somebody
The No No Song (Hoyt Axton)
Whiskey Girl
I Wanna Talk About Me
Thing About You (duet with Mica Roberts)
Smoke From a Distant Fire (Sanford & Townsend, performed by the Easy Money Band without Toby)
Love Me If You Can
You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This
Who’s Your Daddy?
As Good As I Once Was
Should’ve Been a Cowboy
Weed With Willie
Runnin’ Block
Beer for My Horses
How Do You Like Me Now?
A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action

Encore:
American Soldier
Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)

Opening Acts: Miranda Lambert, Flynnville Train

Miranda Lambert will take the White River Amphitheatre stage in just a few hours when she opens for Toby Keith. And last week I caught up with the up-and-coming country star to talk about ...

... "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" confessions.

... does boyfriend Blake Shelton have anything to worry about?

... the hectic process of recording her hit album.

Hate nu metal all you want. (Stupid Fred Durst!) And say what you will about Linkin Park. But the kings of rap rock came back strong in 2007, first with the best first week record sales of the year (more than 623,000 copies of “Minutes to Midnight”) and now with what’s sure to be one of the biggest tours of the summer, Projekt Revolution.

Linkin Park’s answer to Ozzfest kicked off Wednesday at Auburn’s White River Amphitheatre, with My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Placebo, HIM, Mindless Self Indulgence and more adding support. And while the show didn’t seem especially packed at first – about half the seats were empty during some main stage sets – a few thousand fans streamed in from the beer garden (or wherever they were hiding) in time for the main attraction to kick things off with its breakout hit “One Step Closer.” (Click here to jump straight to the set list.)

It was pretty easy to see why these guys are still playing large venues while most of their rap rock brethren have been demoted to the club circuit. Singer-guitarist Chester Bennington (sporting a Mohawk) and rapper, multi-intrumentalist Mike Shinoda are a potent one-two combo. And songs like “Papercut,” “Somewhere I Belong” and “Don’t Stay” are bursting at the seams with catchy hooks. Sure, those songs bear all the hallmarks of nu metal – rapped vocals, a DJ you can barely hear, electronic beats, color-by-numbers angst – the LP guys somehow put those elements together in a way that feels compelling and organic.

Of course, the new material wasn’t quite as strong. “Given Up” started out as a Ministry rip-off and descended into generic nu metal theatrics -- not to mention Bennington's same old tortured sensitive guy routine. “Bleed It Out,” the band’s next single, is closer to generic rap rock than most of the band’s catalog. And the break-beat infused power ballad “Shadow of the Day” just sounded plain whimpy sandwiched between the heavier guitar tracks, “Crawling” and “In the End.”

The Bush-bashing "No More Sorrow" had more kick. But the most effective new song was “The Little Things Give You Away” on which Bennington laments the botched rescue efforts that followed Hurricane Katrina. “All you've ever wanted was someone to truly look up to you/ And six feet under water I do,” cooed the singer. Hey, who knew these guys were so good at topical material?

And a band that writes songs like that has to have a cause celebre, right? “Carbon neutral” has been the buzz word on the tour circuit this year. And late in the set, Shinoda announced that the tour was running on bio-diesel, and that a buck from every ticket sale would go towards and environmental cause (didn’t catch which one with the cheering) thus negating 350 tons of carbon dioxide production.

“That’s like 400,000 miles un-driven,” added Bennington. Not sure where he grabbed that bit of data. But it’s a step in the right direction, right?

Just got back from the Projekt Revolution tour launch in Auburn. Check in later and I'll post a few notes. Meanwhile, check out the headliner's set list.

Linkin Park set list
July 25, 2007
White River Amphitheatre

One Step Closer
Lying From You
Somewhere I Belong
No More Sorrow
Papercut
Points of Authority
Wake/Given Up
Don't Stay
From the Inside
Leave Out All the Rest
Numb
Pushing Me Away
Breaking the Habit
Crawling
Shadow of the Day
In the End
Bleed It Out

Encore:
The Little Things Give You Away
What I've Done
Faint

Opening acts: My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, HIM, Placebo, Julien-K, Mindless Self Indulgence, Saosin, Styles of Beyond, The Bled, Medina Lake

This just faxed in from Riverside Ford: Apparently, Bothell "American Idol" contestant, Blake Lewis, will show up at the Sumner dealership at 1 p.m. on Friday to pick up the 2007 Ford Mustang he won for being on the show. You know, just in case you're wondering about all the screaming girls and traffic in that area Friday afternoon.

After my last Club Vertigo post, an alert reader noticed that this logo is eerily reminiscent of this one. Hmmmm. Coincidence?

Ah, maybe the designer lives part time in Costa Rica. Wink, wink.

I've learned more about Club Vertigo since last Thursday's post. Assuming no delays in construction, licenses and inspections, organizers say the rock club will open on Aug. 10.

One of those organizers is the Show Media's Joey Gingerella, who booked bands for the 54, the club that occuped Club Vertigo's space (5402 South Tacoma Way) until the club unexpectedly shut down in May.

Gingerella said the club space has been given a significant makeover that has included moving the stage, adding a permanent beer garden and significantly increasing capacity. “We redid the inside to make it more like a nightclub you would find in LA or Las Vegas,” he said, comparing the new look to a House of Blues-style club. “It looks like a martini lounge slash rock club.”

The venue will also serve breakfast from 2 to 4 a.m. for all your rock fans who have munchies, he said..

Check out British pop star Lily Allen's harsh (and perhaps tasteless) dis of Courtney Love on the Rolling Stone site. And read some of the hilarious responses. Seems that even Courtney Love haters don't take kindly to seeing the late Kurt Cobain's name uttered in vain.

So is this a feud in the making or what? And wasn't Lily Allen already busy hating on Amy Winehouse?

And while we're on the topic of Ms. Allen, I also mentioned her in a post a few days ago about artists whose influences are showing. And it seems the elements that Allen lifted from Professor Longhair's "Big Chief" are just the tip of the iceberg. Check out what the authors of the online article "Alright, Steal" have to say.

Before David Beckham, the Arctic Monkeys were the most overly hyped British export of the moment – a band that, we were told last year, was the best thing since the Libertines. Who were, of course, the best thing since Oasis. Who were ...

Well, you get the picture. Bollocks, I say! But don't blame those lads for the vicious hype cycle they inspired after breaking all manner of British sales records. Just enjoy them for what they are on Sept. 29 when they headline Seattle's WaMu Theater: Cheeky, funny and kinda cool – just not that cool.

Tickets are set at $25 and go on sale 10 a.m. Saturday.

Forget what those Green Day guys say. You probably do want to be an American Idiot if you're in a local band that needs exposure. And Seattle's KISW-FM (99.9) just sent me details on its American Idiot contest for Northwest rock bands.

Interested bands should e-mail americanidiot@kisw.com or check the station's Web site for further details. The top nine will be interviewed on the BJ Shea Morning Experience (which airs from 5 to 10 a.m. weekdays) between Aug. 6 to 24. And KISW listeners will vote for their favorites from Aug. 27 to Sept. 5, with the champion crowned at the American Idiot finale show, Sept. 7 at Seattle's Studio 7.

This just in: Alice in Chains finally has a date in this market. The Seattle metal mavericks (with roots in Spanaway) will open for Velvet Revolver on Sept. 8 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Live Nation announced this morning. I can't wait since the last time I saw those guys was when they unveiled William DuVall as the new lead singer in May of '06 at the Moore.

And just as close is the Sept. 9 show at the Clark County Amphitheatre in Ridgefield – you know, if you want to go kick it in Portland afterward.

Tickets for the Gorge show will go on sale at 9 a.m. this Saturday. Fan club pre-sale on both events begins Wednesday, according to Alice in Chains' e-newsletter.

Barsuk recording artist Rocky Votolato is among a handful of up-and-coming Seattle singer-songwriters that usually get filed under "alt-country." You can hear him play songs from his excellent new album, "The Brag & Cuss" later today at Hell's Kitchen. But earlier this week, I called him when he was still in Reno and asked if he thought there was an alt-country scene developing around these parts. And
here's what he had to say.

My column for Friday’s GO was inspired by Avrilgate – you know, recent accusations that Avril Lavigne ripped off the Rubinoos and Tony "Mickey, you're so fine" Basil for her single “Girlfriend.”

In the column, I also mention a few other songs I've heard in recent years that inspire a sense of deja vu. None of us (presumably) were there when the songs below were written. So I'll let you be the judge regarding whether they're intentional ripoffs, examples of the artists' influences being just a little too transparent or just -- um -- total coincidence. There are only so many notes that you can play, right?

For starters, Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” sounds kind of like a mashup of ...

... The Rubinoos “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” and Toni Basil’s “Mickey.”

And maybe you also noticed that Fergie's corny club hit “Fergalicious” is eerily reminiscent of ...

... JJ Fad’s “Supersonic.”

If you picked up Link Park's new album "Minutes to Midnight," snippets of “Given Up” ...

... may have reminded you of Ministry’s “N.W.O.”

I love Lily Allen’s “Knock ‘Em Out.” But it wasn't until I heard a clip of ...

... Professor Longhair's “Big Chief” on a TV commercial that Lily's source material became evident.

Last year's "Girlfriend" was the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California,” which -- as many a writer pointed out -- sounds a lot like ...

... “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty.

Not that Petty gets off the hook himself, since “Saving Grace,” a track from his most recent album, is a dead ringer for ...

... ZZ Top’s “La Grange.”

Meanwhile, the riff from Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” recalls ...

... a sped up version of Iggy Pop's “Lust for Life.”

And when My Chemical Romance was writing their concept album "The Black Parade," which includes the track “The End” ...

... I wonder if they used “In the Flesh,” Pink Floyd's intro from "The Wall," as a template.

And last but not least, there's the one that Pearl Jam haters are quick to point to. I happen to like those guys. But you've gotta admit that the vocal melody from “Given to Fly” ...

... is a lot like Robert Plant's singing on Led Zeppelin's "Going to California."

Think of any good ones I forgot? Leave your own examples in the comments section.

It appears that Club Vertigo is one step closer to opening at 5402 S. Tacoma Way, the former location of restaurant and metal hot spot, the 54.

The company Club Vertigo LLC applied for a liquor license earlier this month, a company owned by James Foss and wife Janine Ploegman. [Correction to earlier version of this entry: The Washington State Liquor Control Board listed the couple as being part of Spinden & Associates, the group that owned 54. But Foss said he did not know the previous owners and that he bought the business recently.]

The Show Media's Joey Gingerella will books bands. He also booked acts for 54, which closed suddenly in May.

There are a couple of new live music options I've been meaning to check out.

The first is Cans which opened downtown in the former Taboo space a few weeks ago. I ventured down there for an ale opening weekend before their musical lineup had shaped up. But I missed the Boss Martians a couple of weekends ago. So I had catching New Mexico's Soular on Saturday on my to do list.

And decks are always a big attraction during the hot summer months. And Masa has upped the ante by adding music to the mix with its Songwriters at Sunset series, which takes place Sundays on the restaurant's upstairs deck. Next up is the Senate. And upcoming performances include Vicci Martinez (July 29); Danny Godinez and James Whiton (Aug. 5); Gypsy Soul (Aug. 12); Handful of Luvin’ (Aug. 19); and Grammy-winning new age act Tingstad & Rumbel (Aug. 26).

Anyone checked out a show at either of these spots and have first impressions to share?

The Rubinoos recently sued Avril Lavigne, claiming the pop princess ripped off their late '70s track "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" for her hit "Girlfriend."

Avril Lavigne's music derivative? I know, I know. Say it ain't so! But the bright side of that scandal is that it gives me something fun to write about. My column in this Friday's GO focuses on popular musicians whose "muses" should probably demand back royalties.

And as I researched my topic, wondering how painfully obvious it was to everyone else that Lavigne likely lifted a hook from Toni Basil, too, I came across this awesome mash-up on You Tube. Enjoy:

Could the new Radiohead album be out by year's end? Maybe, according to a story I just read on the NME site site.

More firm is the September release of PJ Harvey's latest, which will be called "White Chalk." Two of the best bits of news I've read all summer.

Pollstar just released its mid-year report with a ranking of the highest grossing tours of the year so far. And here's the top 10:

Highest grossing tours of 2007:

1. Rod Stewart ($48.1 million)

2. Justin Timberlake ($42.3 million)

3. The Police ($41.9 million)

4. Celine Dion ($41.8 million)

5. Kenny Chesney ($33.2 million)

6. Roger Waters ($30.9 million)

7. Christina Aguilera ($30.6 million)

8. Cirque du Soleil - "Delirium" ($30 million)

9. Eric Clapton ($25.8 million)

10. Josh Groban ($24.4 million)

Check this out.

No, it’s not some backwards satanic message from an '80s metal album. It’s audio from my interview with 3 Inches of Blood guitarist Justin Hagberg at Ozzfest yesterday. I checked it as I was writing a story about what it was like behind the scenes at 3IB's first Ozzfest. And that’s how it sounded. Honestly, I did not doctor the audio at all.

Freaky! Maybe Ozzy is the Prince of @#%@@ Darkness. But seriously, I don’t have Bill Nye the Science Guy on speed dial. So could one of you more scientifically inclined readers explain how it turned out like that? I'm kind of creeped out.

And on a different note, Ozzy’s intro video was hilarious! (More appealing than the actual performance, really, since the man has seen better days, God bless ‘im.) For those who missed it, Ozzy appeared on a whole slew of popular movies and TV shows through the miracle of CGI. He bit the head off of a parrot as Capt. Jack Sparrow. (Cliché, yeah, but still funny.) He ripped Heather Mills’ leg off on “Dancing with the Stars.” And in “The Queen” he – uh – he ...

Well, I can’t describe all of the NC-17 punchlines. But I hereby declare it the best concert intro video of all time. Is there an award show for that? Discuss.

Just got some info on a Flaming Lips show, which is set for 8 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Paramount. Ticketmaster will have tickets beginning 11 a.m. Saturday.

And I don't know about you all, I just want Wayne Coyne to bring back that giant hamster ball he took on the road last year. Wheeeeeeee!!!

OK, I worked out the technical issues I was having. That is, I quit using my work laptop for a couple of days and it magically quit crashing. Good enough for me.

And that also means I could finish editing clips from my interview with Ozzy Osbourne. (Blogger stops typing for a sec to throw up obligatory devil horn salute.) I plucked some choice sound bites from my interview to help everyone get ready for the first U.S. stops of Ozzfest, which are Thursday at White River Amphitheatre and Saturday at the Gorge.

And just a warning for sensitive ears: The man drops as many f-bombs on the phone as he did on his popular reality show – with a few s-bombs thrown in just to mix it up. But if a few cuss words don't bother you, listen to what the godfather of metal said about …

… free Ozzfest.

... performing in Washington.

... retirement.

... his new album and the "@#@%@@ ruthless" TV biz.

... getting back in touch with his "War Pigs" side and being "addicted to fear."

... being remembered for more than biting the heads off of critters.

There you have it. And if you want to get even more in the Ozzfest mood, you can go back and listen to past interviews I’ve done with 3 Inches of Blood and Lamb of God.

About a month ago, I reported that Rocket Records was closing. Well, scratch that. After a long search, owner Martin Krussel has apparently found a buyer. Here's what he posted today on My Space:

I have great news!
Rocket Records in Tacoma will remain open after all!

Steve Gaydich will officially take over the shop on September 1st. 2007.
Steve has been around music & records a long time.

It will remain pretty much the same but will probably not have new releases.
It will pretty much be a used store. He will still take special orders and buy your unwanted CD'S, LP's, DVD's & collectables!

Stop in and say hello!

Enjoy the summer!
Martin

Fergie, John Legend, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, +44 and Tokyo Police Club were among the acts added to Bumbershoot 2007's final lineup, organizers at One Reel announced this morning. There's more here.

And that's on a day when ticket info is coming out on a ton of hot shows, including the Cure (Oct. 8, KeyArena), Brandi Carlile (Nov. 2, the Paramount) and Tony Bennett (Sept. 14, also at the Paramount.) All of the above will go on sale through Ticketmaster on Saturday.

Click here to go straight to my report from Kenny Chesney's Summer Flip Flop Tour's Saturday at Qwest Field.

Click here to go straight to my report from Kenny Chesney's Summer Flip Flop Tour's Saturday at Qwest Field.

Click here to go straight to my report from Kenny Chesney's Summer Flip Flop Tour's Saturday at Qwest Field.

Click here to go straight to my report from Kenny Chesney's Summer Flip Flop Tour's Saturday at Qwest Field.

Well, Kenny Chesney did it again. He drew an estimated 43,000 to 45,000 to Qwest Field Saturday, the year after he drew similar numbers to the Seattle venue. And this time he doesn’t have to worry about those pesky Rolling Stones stealing his thunder with their own stadium tour.

Ol’ Kenny has dubbed summer’s biggest country package tour – which included opening sets by Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Sara Evans and Pat Green - the Flip Flop Summer Tour. (And I ain’t bitter about him ignoring perfectly good advice from my review last year, that he should go with Chezfest. No, really.)

In his headlining role, Chesney more or less stuck to the script of previous Flip Flop shows. He started out with “Beer in Mexico,” performing on a satellite stage located in the middle of the field. A team of handlers kept him from getting mobbed as he made his way to the main stage where he joined his band for an early set that included formulaic, feel-good numbers “Keg in the Closet,” “Summertime,” “Big Star” and “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems.”

Notably, though, Chesney performed "Never Wanted Nothin' More," a new song from his next album, which he said will be in stores in September. It’s an upbeat number with light bluegrass flavor.

Chesney called Kix Brooks back out for a duet on Brooks & Dunn’s hit “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” remarking that the song had inspired him early in his career. It was only kind of a duet, actually, as Chesney mostly stood out of the way and let Brooks do his thing. Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles also made a cameo to help Chesney on “When the Sun Goes Down,” his best Jimmy Buffet impression to date.

Speaking of Nettles, she was easily the most charismatic performer to take the stage. And Sugarland’s was the evening’s most enjoyable set. The duo (also guitarist and mandolin player Kristian Bush) is already big. But expect it to be country’s biggest act by the time album No. 3 drops next year.

The duo and it’s backing band hooked fans with the first notes of “Settlin’,” raised a few eyebrows with a bluegrass send-up of Beyonce’s pop hit “Irreplaceable” and turned the heat all the way up with the formidable one-two punch of “Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good)” and Bon Jovi’s “Who Said You Can’t Go Home?”

Nettles drew the biggest cheers, though, when she threw on a Shawn Alexander jersey before Sugarland’s finale, “Something More.” (The shameless but effective pandering would reach a new high as Chesney performed “Back Where I’m From,” backed by video of the Space Needle, Safeco Field and new Sonic Kevin Durant’s jersey, among other local images. Hey, it works.)

For their part, Brooks & Dunn, made up for last year’s lackluster set at the Tacoma Dome (which also included an opening set by Sugarland.) Sure, it contained many stock B&D elements – Brooks plucking a little girl out of the crowd to dance during “Boot Scootin’ Boogie; Ronnie Dunn playing cowbell and tossing drumsticks into the crowd during “Rock My World (Little Country Girl”); troops and red, white and blue streamers during “Only in America.” But the duo didn’t seem to be going through the motions like last year. Their enthusiasm was palpable, and Ronnie Dunn really nailed the ballad “Believe” during the encore, prompting fans to throw their hands up in affirmation of the song’s spiritual message.

Anyway, enough of what stood out to me. If you went, leave your take on what worked and what didn't work for you. And also check back later. I snapped a few hundred photos while I was up there. And once I sift through them (and maybe get a little shut-eye) I’ll post a few later this morning.

I just saw Interpol at the Sasquatch festival a few weeks ago. (Click here and scroll down a bit to check out the band's makeover from its dark suit days.) And the new CD "Our Love to Admire" has hardly left my car's CD player since I got my hands on it a few days ago. So I was pretty stoked to learn they'll be coming back for another Washington show, this time set for Oct. 18 at the WaMu Theatre.

Yeah, I know. The story in this morning's GO section promised audio from my interview with Ozzy. But my crashing hard drive - you know, the one with the software I use to edit - had something else to say about that. But stay tuned. After a visit to our I.T. guy, I'll have it up and running.

You know your band has made it when "Good Morning America" chooses one of its songs for theme music. And while Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush could easily rest on their laurels, considering the runaway success of newest album "Enjoy the Ride" (which includes the aforementioned "Everyday America" song), they're already plotting disc No. 3.

The duo will appear at Qwest Field Saturday with Kenny Chesney. And last month Nettles – who seems as bubbly and engaging on the phone as she does on stage – described some of the songs she and Bush are working on.

We also talked about other fun stuff, like …

… what she remembers from her past few trips to Pierce County.

… what Sugarland has in common with Pearl Jam and Beyonce.

Punk band MDC's moniker has alternately stood for Millions of Dead Cops, Millions of Damn Christians and Multi-Death Corporation – which should give you some inkling of how they feel about "the Man."

And I just found out the veteran hardcore outfit – best known for such cult hits as "John Wayne Was a Nazi" and "Violent Rednecks" – is headed to Hell's Kitchen for two shows (one of them all-ages) on Aug. 24. Here for more details.

I can't be the only guy who has ever thought it would be funny if the Wailers (Tacoma garage rock legends, aka the Fabulous Wailers) played a double bill with those other Wailers (Bob Marley's backing band and recent Pantages headliner.)

Well, that scenario just got a little less likely. I've obtained a copy of a trademark infringement lawsuit filed on June 20 on behalf of Buck Ormsby and Kent Morrill of the Tacoma Wailers against the reggae Wailers.

“It’s been causing a lot of confusion in the market place among fans of my client,” said Michael J. Boyle of Seattle law firm Carpelaw PLLC, which is representing the Tacoma Wailers. “And it wasn’t confusing when they were Bob Marley’s band, because they were Bob Marley & the Wailers.”

Tacoma's Wailers formed in 1958 and are widely considered to be America's first garage rock band. The outfit is best known for poutting their spin on the R&B song "Louie Louie" and inspiring other bands, most notably Portland's the Kingsmen, to record their own versions; hence, their LouieFest, event, which is scheduled for Aug. 18 and 19 at Sprinker Recreation Center.

The first incarnation of the Jamaican Wailers was formed in Kingston, Jamaica in 1963, presumably with little or no knowledge of the Washington rock group. With lineup changes and the emergence of Bob Marley as the star, the band became known as Bob Marley & the Wailers.

Marley died in 1981, but his backing band has maintained the Wailers moniker.

The Tacoma Wailers' lawsuit also accuses the reggae Wailers of trademark dilution, unfair competition, cybersquatting.

But back to the matter of confusion: Are normally laid back reggae fans showing up and becoming enraged by the sounds of "Louie Louie?" Are garage rock fans showing up at other shows with a thirst for "Tall Cool One," only to "get up, stand up" and leave at the sounds of Bob Marley? More details as I learn them.

The Experience Music Project announced Tuesday that its Jimi Hendrix exhibition will be taken down this summer. It has been installed since the museum opened in 2000, and it will run through Aug. 5.

EMP also announced that it will open a new temporary, 5,000-square-foot space that will give the museum more flexibility with what it displays. The first exhibit to be installed there will be "American Sabor: Latinos in the U.S. Popular Music," which will open on Oct. 13.

KNDD-FM (The End, 107.7) confirmed that Smashing Pumpkins will, indeed, headline Endfest 16, which will kick off at noon on Sept. 22 in the north lot of Qwest Field, 800 Occidental Ave., Seattle. The lineup also includes Social Distortion, Bright Eyes, Satellite Party, the Used, Hot Hot Heat, Shiny Toy Guns, Stray Light Run, Paramore, Against Me!, Minus the Bear, Moneta and End-A-Roke. Those acts will be divided between three stages.

Tickets will go on sale in just a few minutes through Ticketmaster.

First the good news: Alice in Chains just announced another round of tour dates with Velvet Revolver today through the band's e-newsletter, Dirt.

And now, the bad news: The closest date is a Sept. 8 stop at Vancouver, BC's Pacific Coliseum. But that got me wondering: Could those guys be planning another another surprise gig in Seattle like the May 2006 warm-up show where they unveiled new singer William Duvall? Hmmm. Here's hoping.

The word all over the street (and by "street" I mean Internet) is that the semi-reunited Smashing Pumpkins (featuring leader Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain from the pre-breakup lineup) will headline KNDD-FM's annual summer gala, Endfest.

The Seattle alt-rock station won't officially announce the lineup and location for My Super Sweet Endfest 16 until 10 a.m. Wednesday. But according to the folks at Ticketmaster, the event will be held on Sept. 22 at Seattle's Qwest Field.

Endmail subscribers will get first crack at tickets before they go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Thursday.

The new Smashing Pumpkins album "Zeitgeist" is due in stores on July 10.

On Friday, KEXP announced that it will air a 10-part series of short punk documentary spots. "Punk Evolution" will air at 3 p.m. on Thursdays beginning July 12. And even if the station abandoned its terrestrial, South Sound broadcast (not that we're bitter about it) you can still listen here.