Avoid spoilers and take yesterday's quiz here.

The concert year in review quiz

1. What country superstar made national headlines after nearly decking a fan that allegedly caused a ruckus during his or her performance in Auburn?

C. Tim McGraw

2. Which of the following acts didn’t headline the main stage at Bumbershoot this year?

D. Wu-Tang Clan

3. Speaking of Death Cab, they were hella busy in ‘08. They played all of the following venues except for …

C. Paramount Theatre in Seattle

4. That Sanjaya guy was pretty quiet this year until he showed up for a concert cameo with …

D. Stevie Wonder

5. The second coming of “Don’t Stop Believin’” was so out of control that the ‘80s hit even showed up on ____’s set list this year.

B. Kanye West (no, really)

=> Read more!

At least, that's what Rolling Stone and Us are reporting. Sorry, single indie-rock chicks.

This week’s useless trivia challenge will likely be a tough one for you unless you (A) spent a whole lot of ducats on live music this year or (B) you kept up with all the shows you missed through this little ol’ blog. Hmmm? Anyway, you guessed it. This week’s quiz tests your knowledge of the concert year in review. Give it a shot, and see how much of a music junkie you were in ’08. Hit the Read More link to see the full list.

The concert year in review quiz

1. What country superstar made national headlines after nearly decking a fan that allegedly caused a ruckus during his or her performance in Auburn?

A. Alan Jackson
B. Toby Keith
C. Tim McGraw
D. Ashton Shepherd

2. Which of the following acts didn’t headline the main stage at Bumbershoot this year?

A. Beck
B. Stone Temple Pilots
C. Death Cab for Cutie
D. Wu-Tang Clan

3. Speaking of Death Cab, they were hella busy in ‘08. They played all of the following venues except for …

A. The Gorge Amphitheatre in George
B. The Admiral Theater in Bremerton
C. Paramount Theatre in Seattle
D. Memorial Stadium in Seattle

=> Read more!

EMP/SFM just sent out the lineup for Sound Off, it's annual battle of the bands for groups whose members are 21 and younger. That would be the contest that's been a launching pad for the likes of Schoolyard Heroes, Idiot Pilot and Natalie Portman's Shaved Head in recent years, in case you're not up to speed. So mark your calendars for a chance to see tomorrow's homegrown buzz band, and click the link below for the schedule.

=> Read more!

Did I cover all my holiday bases? Anyway, have fun and try not to slide off the road whatever you're celebrating this week.

Was just talking to New Frontier Lounge owner Neil Harris, who's also got the space over at 1022 S. J St. that housed the Monsoon Room until recently. And he said he expected to re-open that cozy little joint under a different name in early 2009.

"I would think we would hopefully be able to get something going over the next two or three months," Harris said. He hasn't come up with a new name yet. But with a pre-existing bar setup already in place, he figured opening a new night spot would go a lot quicker than the New Frontier, the music venue he opened in the Dome district in October -- with recently departed partner, George Reed-Harmon of local band Mono in VCF -- after about a year and a half of work.

But the questions remains. Will Harris and company still make a mean Sazerac like Monsoon owner Laura Malone and her crew? Stay tuned.

A few months ago, you might have read my grumbling about Lil Wayne being overrated. But I gotta admit, the guy's grown on me these last few months. I've even had "Dr. Carter," "Phone Home" and "La La" from his latest album, "Tha Carter III," in super heavy rotation on my iPod this week. And now we all have another chance to check him out live again, on Jan. 25 at KeyArena. And this time let's hope his plane/tour bus shows up hours before the concert, and not after it kicks off, like at this year's Summer Jam. For realz!

On the 25th, Weezy will have support from the king of the Auto-Tune effect, T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson. Tickets are set for $39.75 to $125.75, with a special pre-sale for KUBE 93 click members starting at on Friday (Dec. 26) before they become available to the general public, at 10 a.m. Saturday. Find more important info here.

More of what I liked in '08 ...

Ten more of my favorite songs from '08 ...

As mentioned in today's column, I'm starting a new tradition of re-examining my favorite albums list, a year removed. And there aren't the same sorts of glaring discs that I missed like in '06, when I totally slept on The Hold Steady's "Boys & Girls in America," C.S.S.'s wildly fun "Cansei de Ser Sexy" and Meshuggah's "Catch Thirty-Three." Notably, Brandi Carlile's sophomore effort really grew on me, jumping several spots, as did John Vanderslice's "Emerald City" album, which cracked the top 10 as my appreciation for "Central Booking" and other cuts from disc grew.

Amended favorite albums of 2007

1. “Back to Black” Amy Winehouse
2. “The Story” Brandi Carlile
3. “In Rainbows” Radiohead
4. “Armchair Apocrypha” Andrew Bird
5. “Widow City” The Fiery Furnaces
6. “Kala” M.I.A.
7. “Wincing the Night Away” The Shins
8. “Year Zero” Nine Inch Nails
9. “Emerald City” John Vanderslice
10. “The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams” Me’Shell Ndegeocello

The year's coming to a close. And for '08, I thought I'd be ambitious and post the biggest installments of Critic’s iPod ever, featuring 50 of my favorite songs from this year, from 50 different artists. I'll post 10 a day for the next five days, and here's the first batch.

“Business Time” Flight of the Conchords

“Oxford Comma” Vampire Weekend

“Let’s Reggae All Night” CSS

“Halfway Home” TV on the Radio

“Say Aha” Santogold

“Twinkle” Erykah Badu

“Like the Rest of Us” Atmosphere

“Rock N’ Roll Train” AC/DC

“The 3rd World” Immortal Technique

“Murder We” The Bug featuring Ricky Ranking

Just got word of another rock show for early '09. Disturbed will headline Comcast Arena at the Everett Events Center on Jan. 23, organizers announced today. They'll get support from opening acts Sevendust and Skindred. Tickets go on sale at noon on Friday, Dec. 19. And you'll find more details here.

Buckcherry and Avenged Sevenfold will co-headline a Feb. 7 show at the Tacoma Dome, organizers at the Dome announced today. The show is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start and will also feature guests Papa Roach and Saving Abel. (Maybe you caught half of that lineup in August when Motley Crue's Crue Fest brought Buckcherry and Papa Roach to Auburn's White River Amphitheatre.)

Tickets are set at $39.75, and will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through Ticketmaster.

The Dave Matthews Band will return with its first studio album in four years on April 14, the band's publicist announced today. The as yet untitled follow-up to 2005's "Stand Up" will be produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance), according to a related press release.

The band will also take the new songs on the road next spring. The band -- Matthews, drummer Carter Beauford, bassist Stefan Lessard, and violinist Boyd Tinsley -- will have support on the road from Tim Reynolds on guitar, Rashawn Ross on trumpet and Jeff Coffin, filling on saxophone for the late LeRoi Moore, who died last summer.

Here are the tour dates, with no local ones to speak of yet. But, hmmmm, wonder where the DMB will be spend next Labor Day Weekend? Haven't the foggiest.

Dave Matthews spring 2008 tour

April 14: New York (Madison Square Garden) with Roots
April 15: East Rutherford, New Jersey (Izod Center) with the Roots
April 17: Charlottesville, Virginia (John Paul Jones Arena) with Old Crow Medicine Show
April 18: Charlottesville, Virginia (John Paul Jones Arena) with Old Crow Medicine Show
April 20: Pelham, Alabama (Verizon Wireless Music Center) with Old Crow Medicine Show
April 22: Raleigh, North Carolina (Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion) with the Avett Brothers
April 24: Raleigh, North Carolina (Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion) with the Avett Brothers
April 25: Nashville, Tennessee (Vanderbilt Stadium) support to TBA
April 26: New Orleans, Louisiana (New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival)
April 28: Alpharetta, Georgia (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre At Encore Park) with the Avett Brothers
April 29: Alpharetta, Georgia (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre At Encore Park) with the Avett Brothers
May 1: The Woodlands, Texas (The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion) with the Avett Brothers
May 2: Dallas, Texas (Superpages.com Center) with the Avett Brothers
May 5: Albuquerque, New Mexico (Journal Pavilion) with the Avett Brothers
May 6: Phoenix, Arizona (Cricket Wireless Pavilion) with the Avett Brothers
May 8: Las Vegas, Nevada (MGM Grand Garden Arena) with Jason Mraz
May 9: Las Vegas, Nevada (MGM Grand Garden Arena) with Jason Mraz

Keep posted here.

‘Twas a few nights before Christmas, when all through Grit City
Were Santas pub crawling, the sight was not pretty …

After a hard day's work, perhaps you decided to unwind with a relaxing happy hour at your favorite local watering hole last Friday. Then, suddenly, your peaceful ale-sipping experience was demolished by the cacophony of dozens of rowdy Santas whooping it up as they invaded your establishment of choice. They came, they saw, they made people go, "What that heck was that?" And then, just as suddenly as they showed up, they departed with the rallying cry of, "Hey hey, ho ho! Santa's got to go!"

It’s understandable if you were hesitant to approach any of these Santa hooligans to ask what in the world was going on. By 10 p.m., many probably looked an adult beverage or two away from committing some type of illegal act or other. (Fortunately, they were all taking the Santa bus and not driving.)

But now you can learn, from the safety of your computer screen exactly what you witnessed. That was Santarchy, a nationwide phenomenon I first learned about five years ago when I went down to Portland to interview "Fight Club" author Chuck Palahniuk about his then new novel “Choke.” He's done it, though I think he called it SantaCon. He described an army of Saint Nick's invading a started wedding reception, or something along those lines. You can read about where the whole thing originated here. Friday’s Grit City invasion was the second annual Tacoma Santarchy. Here are a few scenes:

Scenes from Santarchy 2008, which invaded the Swiss Pub, the Harmon, New Frontier Lounge, Magoo's Annex, Top of Tacoma, O'Malley's and Hell's Kitchen last Friday night. And Hell's Kitchen's door guy, Jason, made no exceptions when it came to checking I.D.'s.
ERNEST A. JASMIN

Just in case eggnog and spending yourself into debut don't get you in the Christmas spirit, KPLU-FM (88.5) just released it's Christmas and Christmas Eve lineup, with a Hanukkah special thrown in for good measure, too. Here's the lineup they sent over today:

KPLU holiday schedule

Christmas Eve

8 to 9 p.m.: 12th Annual KPLU Christmas Jam live concert (re-broadcast) featuring jazz vocalist Sara Gazarek and Pacific Lutheran University’s Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Dr. David Joyner. You can also watch the concert at www.kplu.org.

Christmas

9 to 10 a.m.: “Tinsel Tales: NPR Christmas Favorites” hosted by NPR’s Lynn Neary. Hear stories that touch on the meaning of Christmas from NPR commentators which include David Sedaris (Santa Land Diaries), Bailey White, and John Henry Faulk.

10 to 11 a.m.: “Jonathan Winters’ A Christmas Carol.” A KPLU tradition. Comedian Jonathan Winters presents a distinctive reading of Dickens’ holiday classic. Winters voices all of the characters.

11 a.m. to noon: “Jazz Piano Christmas,” live from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Enjoy original and unique jazz interpretations of holiday favorites performed by Brazilian pianist and singer Elaine Elias, Afro-Cuban jazz pianist Arturo O’Farrill, and New Orlean’s own Ellis Marsalis.

Noon to 1 p.m.: KPLU Christmas Jam (re-broadcast).

1 to 2 p.m.: “Happy Joyous Hanukkah,” featuring a concert from the Grammy Award-winning band, the Klezmatics. The band’s music has been described as wild, spiritual, and ecstatically danceable.

2 to 2:30 p.m.: “A Car Talk Christmas Carol Redux” starring Tom and Ray Magliozzi and a cast of public radio personalities including Robert Siegel, Ira Glass, Daniel Pinkwater, and Carl Kasell.

Dec. 28
1 to 2 p.m. Jazz Northwest – Jim Wilke will play selections from Duke Ellington’s “Sacred Concert” performed by the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.

New Year’s Eve

8 p.m. to 12 midnight
Join KPLU for a swinging New Year’s Eve as we travel coast to coast for live jazz celebrations. The party features:

• The fiery sounds of the Mingus Big Band from New York
• Swingin’ New Orleans clarinetist Evan Christopher from the Crescent City
• The stylish and eclectic Pink Martini from Los Angeles

You’ve seen Bill Engvall on “The Blue Collar Comedy Tour” and “The Bill Engvall Show.” And Saturday, the Texas-bred funny man will headline the Tacoma Dome with a set of homespun humor. Recently, I caught up with the guy for a phone interview, and here are a few clips:

Part 1: Getting in trouble for jokes about his family, his ties to Grit City

Part 2: His new material, empty nesting

Part 3: The complex he developed from Blue Collar Comedy

Get 'er dooooone! Wait, wrong Blue Collar dude.
STEPHEN CHERNIN/GETTY IMAGES

The other day, I posted an earlier version of my story on the Tacoma Police Department and Pantages Theater getting sued over that E-40 concert in today's paper. And it didn't have this info from South Sound about the Tacoma Hip-Hop Coalition and Broadway Center's hip-hop outreach forums. Thought a few of you might be interested:

Local hip-hop fans picketed Broadway Center in the immediate aftermath of the E-40 show being called off, saying they were unfairly profiled and stereotyped by police and local venue owners.

In response, Broadway Center has hosted a series of hip-hop outreach forums, seeking ideas on how to best include hip-hop at their venues and alleviate safety concerns.

“They have been among the most positive and enthusiastic community dialogues that we have had,” Fischer said. “The very diverse group of people that we’re working with is really excited about where we’re going and how we’re working with them. And it’s been just incredibly positive.”

Those meetings lead to the Tacoma Hip-Hop Coalition, an independent group of local hip-hop performers, entrepreneurs and fans. The group has been organizing a local hip-hop showcase that is scheduled to take place at Broadway Center next June, Fischer said.

“We’re really letting this coalition of people who have gathered follow their own enthusiasm,” Fischer said. “And this is the direction they want to go. And so we’re trying to bring our skills and abilities forward to support them in doing that.”

“Hopefully this will be a groundbreaking event,” Tacoma Hip-Hop Coalition spokeswoman Tiffany Sanders said.

The Coalition’s next meeting will be held at 8 a.m. on Saturday at the D.A.S.H. Center for the Arts, 1504 Martin Luther King Jr. Way; 253-306-6615 for more details.

Saliva had to pull out of the headlining slot for KISW's Deep Fried Double Wide Holiday Hangover Ball after singer Josey Scott was hospitalized for an irregular heartbeat and will be replaced by Queensryche Friday night at Seattle's Showbox SoDo, according to a press release sent out by event organizer KISW-FM (99.9).

The release included this statement from Saliva's management:

We're regretful to announce that Saliva will not be able to perform at KISW's 2008 Holiday Hangover due to an unexpected health scare of lead singer Josey Scott. He was hospitalized Monday evening due to an irregular heartbeat.

The band was scheduled to depart for the nationally syndicated radio show Rockline when Scott noticed a fluttering in his heart that didn't seem right. The paramedics were called and he was taken to a local hospital where he spent the next four nights. His diagnosis was cardiac arrhythmia, which in some cases can be life threatening. His heartbeat was stabilized Wednesday afternoon and is under doctor's orders for several days of no travel and rest.

The band prides themselves to be a hard working act who has rarely ever missed a performance. They apologize to the fans in the Seattle area for this unfortunate situation. There will definitely be a make up show in 2009.

Queensryche will perform a rare acoustic set at Friday night's event, which will also include performances by Duff MacKagan’s Loaded and Jet Black Stare.

Saliva fans should hold onto their tickets afterward, because they will also be good for Saliva's return to Seattle, once Scott's health permits, according to the KISW release.

I was checkin' out all the bigshots' birthdays on our A2 page this morning, and noticed that the Seattle boy turned hair metal hero is 50 today. Congrats are due since many wouldn't have predicted that a guy who's been legally dead twice would make it that many years, as chronicled in the guy's memoir "The Heroin Diaries."

By the way, you can click here to listen to him talk about his Seattle days, the book and gettin' clean and other stuff from the last time I interviewed him.

The esteemed Mr. Sixx turns 50 today.
DONALD BOWERS/GETTY IMAGES

Remember that controversial E-40 concert that got called off at the Pantages Theater back in March, and the picketing that followed? Well, on Thursday a lawsuit will be filed on behalf of Rottweiler Records' Kyle Nephew and Tracy Miller, the couple behind said show, seeking an unspecified damages from the Pantages and the Tacoma Police Department, according to the couple's lawyer, Thaddeus Martin.

In case you’re not up to speed, Nephew and Miller booked popular rapper E-40 to headline the Pantages in March. The couple said they paid for extra security for the event, hiring 19 off-duty police officers and 25 security guards, a force they felt excessive for an even that would have drawn about 1,000 fans. But Broadway Center pulled the plug just days before the show would have taken place anyway, citing Tacoma police concerns about safety and possible gang-related imagery in ads and on performers' MySpace pages.

Miller said she and her husband lost around $40,000 altogether, and the fiasco has left them in financial shambles.

“Kyle and I have been pretty much been ruined and haven’t done a show,” Miller said today. “We couldn’t get a venue (for E-40.) My credit is just ruined. We’re probably filing for bankruptcy. We’re pretty much barely hangin’ onto a roof over our heads.”

Martin supplied the News Tribune with a copy of the lawsuit he planned to file in Washington Superior Court, which seeks unspecified damages for “emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, pain and suffering, personal indignity, embarrassment, fear, anxiety and anguish, economic loss, damage to career and other general and special damages which will be proven at the time of trial.”

A claim asking for $400,000 in damages was filed on the couple's behalf on Aug. 18, according to the City Clerk's office.

Broadway Center has taken steps to warm up to the local hip-hop community since the March incident and subsequent protests, beginning with a series of hip-hop summits aimed at alleviating safety concerns and figuring out the best way to include hip-hop at their venues.

The Tacoma Hip-Hop Coalition came out of those meetings. The group is looking for performers and financial backers for a local hip-hop gala it plans to host at Broadway Center in 2009.

“Hopefully this will be a groundbreaking event,” group spokeswoman Tiffany Sanders said.
The group’s next meeting starts at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Dash Center for the Arts, 1504 Martin Luther King Jr. Way; 253-306-6615 for more details.

I've put in calls to the city attorney's office and also plan to follow up with Broadway Center. I'll post more details as I learn 'em.

Today, Pearl Jam announced a forthcoming reissue of its smash 1991 debut, "Ten," to be released on March 24, 2009. The reissue will include the original recording, a remastered version of the album, remixes by producer Brendan O'Brien and demo versions of "Alive," "Once" and "Footsteps" from a long-lost cassette called "Momma-Son."

“The band loved the original mix of Ten, bu were also interested in what it would sound like if I were to deconstruct and remix it,” said O’Brien, quoted in a related press release. “The original Ten sound is what millions of people bought, dug and loved, so I was initially hesitant to mess around with that. After years of persistent nudging from the band, I was able to wrap my head around the idea of offering it as a companion piece to the original – giving a fresh take on it, a more direct sound.”

The deluxe versions of the band's debut will be available in four packages, and are part of a planned 20th anniversary reissue series. Descriptions of the four packages available for pre-order through the band's web site, taken from the press release:

THE FOUR EDITIONS OF TEN: ALBUM EXTRAS PER PACKAGE

1. Legacy Edition (2-disc set in mini-LP style slipcase):
• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)
• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”
• Re-designed packaging

2. Deluxe Edition (2-disc set plus DVD specially designed hardbound package):
• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)
• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”
• DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 MTV Unplugged performance including never before seen bonus performance of “Oceans” with 5.1 surround sound audio remix

3. Vinyl Collection (2-LP set)
• LP 1: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl
• LP 2: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl and remixed by Brendan O’Brien
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4. Super Deluxe Edition (2-disc set plus DVD, 4 LPs and replica cassette in linen-covered, slip-cased clamshell box):
• Disc 1: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered (original mix)
• Disc 2: original Ten tracklisting digitally remastered and remixed by Brendan O’Brien, plus six bonus tracks: “Brother,” “Just a Girl,” “State of Love and Trust,” “Breath and a Scream,” “2,000 Mile Blues” and “Evil Little Goat”
• DVD of Pearl Jam’s previously unreleased 1992 MTV Unplugged performance including never before seen bonus performance of “Oceans” with 5.1 surround sound audio remix
• LP 1: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl
• LP 2: original Ten tracklisting remastered for vinyl and remixed by Brendan O’Brien
• LP 3 & 4: Drop in the Park – Live at Magnuson Park in Seattle on September 20, 1992 (audio mixed by Brendan O’Brien)
• Cassette: replica of original “Momma-Son” Pearl Jam demo cassette featuring “Alive,” “Once” and “Footsteps”

• Package also includes an Eddie Vedder-style composition notebook filled with replica personal notes, images and mementos from the collections of Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament, a vellum envelope with replicated era-specific ephemera from Pearl Jam’s early work and a two-sided print commemorating the Drop in the Par concert.

As many of you know by now, Death Cab for Cutie is among the main attractions coming to WaMu Theatre for The End's Deck the Hall Ball Tuesday. I’ve already posted a related clip of Death Cab bassist Nick Harmer – the band’s lone South Sounder, from Puyallup -- talking about his band’s forthcoming EP. (Click here if you missed it.) And now you can click on the link below to hear the guy talk about Barsuk Record’s 10th anniversary reissue of Death Cab's debut album, “Something About Airplanes,” the included live recording of the band's first Seattle show and tentative plans to do a proper, headlining Seattle show before this tour cycle ends. Weird to think they haven't done their own headlining show in Seattle this year considering how many times they've played close to home, huh. And in between Nick's bits are clips of familiar song from that live CD, which was recorded at the currently defunct but soon to re-open Crocodile Cafe.

It's the time of year that critics start putting out all their best of lists. I'm gonna have a tougher time than usual sorting mine out this year, especially with all the great shows I've been to lately. But forget what I think. What do the people think? What are some of your favorite albums and concerts of '08?

There's exciting news for Death Cab for Cutie fans. This morning, I called up bassist Nick Harmer just before he headed to sound check in Baton Rouge, La. And Harmer, who hails from Puyallup, gave me the skinny on a forthcoming E.P. of “Narrow Stairs” session outtakes that he said will likely be released in Spring 2009.

The just finished and as yet unnamed EP consists of songs that just didn’t quite fit the musical arc the band wanted to create on its last full-length album, Harmer said. “We still wanted them to have a home, and we still wanted them to come out during this album cycle because they are part of this batch of songs,” he said.

Harmer said the EP will feature five to six new cuts, including two called “Diamond in a Tether” and “Loyal Lover” that he named off the top of his head, and a demo of "Narrow Stairs" cut “Talking Bird,” featuring front man Ben Gibbard playing ukulele.

Sadly, none of those songs will be on the set list next Tuesday when Death Cab plays The End’s Deck the Hall Ball at WaMu Theatre. But fans should expect a couple of old school cuts from the band’s Bellingham days to celebrate Barsuk Records’ 10th anniversary reissue of debut album “Something About Airplanes.”

Check back in the next couple of days, and I’ll have some more audio and details posted.

Meant to post this announcement the other day. Jeez! Bet you never started thinking about Bumbershoot this early before. This is from the e-press release:

Seattle, WA - The 39th annual Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival announces the special holiday (and economically advantageous!) “Insider Deal”: a limited edition 3-day pass to the 2009 Festival for only $60. This specially priced ticket is available in time for holiday shopping, while supplies last, exclusively to BumberFan club members; membership is free and available online at bumbershoot.org/bumberfan.

Sigh! I miss the days when you could just show up and pay something like $15 a day anyway. Then you could drive up to Canada the next day and a car for, like, $20 with the exchange rate. Life was good then.

"Hey, it's Paul Brogan coming live from Tacoma, Washington."

It's a familiar intro if you ever check out those hilarious sports raps from MySpace's super fan, a guy who allegedly resides here in Grit City. But I started to get suspicious when the guy claimed, in one clip, that his favorite players are Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant. Huhn? Whazzupwitdat? Didn't he say he was a Sonics fan?

So I did some cyber-sleuthing and came across this site, with contact info for hiring musical comedy duo Ben & Eric, who appear to be based in So Cal. The guy on that page, doing a "Barack, Paper, Scissors" routing, looks eerily like "Paul's" cooler twin brother, minus the specs and headband. Scandalous, I say! But still pretty durn funny. And, hey, maybe I'm just being cynical. Maybe the guy, located in Bakersfield in one of the clips below, moved up here. Any of you know 'em or seen him at your favorite local haunts?

I was prepping for a Shiny Toy Guns phoner when I learned that they'd done this. Well, not as dorky as R.E.M.'s appearance on "Sesame Street," I guess.

Hey, check this Guns N' Roses news out. Really? That's what you're goin with, Axl? Oh, brother. Then again, what's up with all of us not gettin' free sodas, yo?!?

This gal? Coming to Tacoma.
PETER KRAMER/AP

That Britney Spears comeback you've been reading and hearing about? Well, it's coming to Tacoma. The pop star's first arena tour in five years, dubbed the Circus Starring Britney Spears, will drop in on the Tacoma Dome on April 9, Dome organizers announced this morning. The tour will be in support of her long-awaited studio album, "Circus," and Pussycat Dolls will add support. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. this Saturday (Dec. 6).

Last night’s Metallica show was my first KeyArena concert since 53-year-old Seattle busker Ed McMichael, aka the Tuba Guy, was beaten to death by some jackasses he had the misfortune of running into near Seattle Center. I didn’t know the guy but, like thousands of concertgoers, grew accustomed to seeing him outside the venue before and after just about every concert. Some friends and fans left this memorial for him, which reminded me what a shame it was as I left last night's show.

Just got back from Metallica's big show at KeyArena. And for the record, the sound and set list were a bit better Nov. 1 in Portland. James Hetfield's vocals tended to get lost in the sound mix at times; and among my favorite classic tracks missing from the Seattle set were "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "And Justice for All." But whaddayagonnado? The band's got 25 years of tunes to choose from, and "Blackened" was a nice add, besides.

Speaking of the set list, I think I may be leaving one out that I can't recall, as I decipher my sloppy, in-the-dark handwriting. But this is most of what them Metallica boys played in Seattle, at any rate.

Metallica set list
KeyArena, Seattle
Dec. 1, 2008

That Was Just Your Life
The End of the Line
Creeping Death
Harvester of Sorrow
One
Broken, Beaten & Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Wherever I May Roam
The Day That Never Comes
Master of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter: Sandman

Encore:
Die Die, My Darling (Misfits)
Seek & Destroy

Opening acts: Lamb of God, The Sword

First AC/DC reminded us how to rock last night at the Tacoma Dome. And in four hours our classic rock weekend gets extended when the mighty, mighty Metallica invades KeyArena. The band is using an in-the-round format again, with the stage in the middle of the arena floor for great sight lines. And there's a big laser and pyrotechnics show. Towering flames will singe your eyelashes 20 rows back during "One." And diehard fans will be most excited about a set list that focuses on material from 1992 and earlier, with the best songs from the new "Death Magnetic" album thrown in to keep it fresh. In Portland, Metallica even dug into the "Garage Days" material with their killer cover of the Misfits' "Last Caress." I posted a photo of the set list here on Nov. 2 in case you missed it. And here's how it looked when those guys rocked Stumptown a month ago.

Scenes from Metallica's Nov. 1 show at the Rosegarden: (From top) growly front man James Hetfield; Lars Ulrich gets the guys in the photo below him riled up; bassist Robert Trujillo works up a sweat; Trujillo, Hetfield and Kirk Hammett synchronize their shredding.
ERNEST A. JASMIN

So what exactly did you expect from AC/DC’s first stop at the Tacoma Dome in seven years? That the band would unveil the new ambient electronic sound it’s been working on with Brian Eno? That it would try out new world beat-influenced arrangements, featuring sitar and didgeridoo? A melancholy acoustic set with Brian Johnson sharing a few existential reflections?

No, no and hell to the no. AC/DC isn't about to pull any arty surprises on their fans -- you know, like those Who guys. And Sunday night at the Tacoma Dome, it was as if the band had been frozen in carbonite these last few years and thawed out in time to record a solid but not exactly revolutionary new album. The songs the band played from this year's “Black Ice” disc were, of course, the only firm indicators that 21,000 fans hadn't been warped back to the show they did in 2001 --or all the way back to some performance in 1983, for that matter.)

Many set staples and gimmicks were familiar to anyone who has seen Australia's mightiest rock export live: Brian Johnson, he of the sandpaper howl, ringing in “Hell’s Bells” with that big bell they travel with; guitarist Angus Young stompin’ and chompin’ his way through the set, and of course, clad in proper schoolboy-clad attire; a sweaty Mr. Young eventually shedding his most of his trademark gear in a striptease moment, eventually flopping around on a raised platform during his "Let There Be Rock" solo. And most satisfying was the thunder of cannons during the bombastic finale, “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).”

Fans' devil horn headgear blinked in the arena's darkness throughout. Heavy handed double-entendres were also involved. And, Oh, I almost forgot the big, honkin’ props. A massive locomotive -- emblazoned with the band's logo and representing the new album's lead single, "Rock N' Roll Train -- provided a fun backdrop for Angus and company's antics. Eventually, said train was straddled by an even more ridiculous prop, an lewd, inflated woman that was pumped up in all the right places, if you know what I mean. This is apparently what the namesake of “Whole Lotta Rosie” looked like, assuming she's a real person.

Such arrested development would be a shortcoming for lesser bands. But this is AC/DC, people, possibly the partiest heartiest crew in all of human history. OK, Motley Crue might dispute that; the point being that part of AC/DC's appeal is that they still act like hormonal 15-year-olds trapped in AARP-eligible bodies. And you can be a Rhodes scholar, but their massively infectious sound makes you want to get in touch with our sophomoric side, too.

These guys definitely still rock, and for that we salute them.

Scenes from last night's AC/DC show: Front man Brian Johnson let's loose with his vocal chord-shredding howl; with drummer Phil Rudd, guitarist Angus Young and bassist Cliff Williams (Malcolm Young not pictured); Johnson, shown here doing some kind of monkey dance, seemed to pick up steam as the night went along; diabolical anime Angus, courtesy of a raunchy "Rock N' Roll Train" intro video. You can find a set list here, by the way, if you missed it earlier this morning.
ERNEST A. JASMIN

That ain't noise pollution, sucka! That's AC/DC rockin' the Tacoma Dome Sunday night.
ERNEST A. JASMIN

You know the routine by now. I've got a set list from AC/DC's stop at the T-Dome. Check back later this morning for more highlights and a few photos. Cheers.

AC/DC set list
Nov. 30, 2008
Tacoma Dome

Rock N’ Roll Train
Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be
Back in Black
Big Jack
Dirt Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hell’s Bells
Shoot to Thrill
War Machine
Anything Goes
You Shook Me All Night Long
TNT
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock

Encore:
Highway to Hell
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

Opening act: The Answer