Philadelphia’s 4th of July Jam is going global this year, thanks to VH1 and Palladia. The city’s Independence Day concert will be broadcast on both networks and will be streamed live on VH1.com.
Last Lap: Is Justin’s New Album Tanking On The Charts?
Plus, what’s John Mayer going to be getting up to this summer? Is Avril Lavigne really back to her old tricks? And who is next on Michael Buble‘s dream duet list? All this in today’s Last Lap.
Katy Perry & John Mayer Break Up Over St. Patrick’s Day Weekend — Just Like His Song?
It would appear that Katy Perry and John Mayer have called it quits. People reports that even though they just spent a romantic getaway in Montana earlier this month, the two are living separate lives. No one knows the direct cause of the split, but over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Perry took to twitter to air out her feelings via Daughter‘s song “Landslide”–which contains the lyrics “I want you so much, but I hate your guts I hate you.” But given the timing of the break up, we’d like to offer that maybe John Mayer’s own song, “St. Patrick’s Day”, is the couple’s perfect break up tune.
In Repair: John Mayer Sings Live For The First Time In Nearly Two Years
We’ve seen John Mayer cavorting on both coasts with Katy Perry and lingering in the darkness at 30 Rock in recent months, but we haven’t heard much from his infamous mouth. Over the last two years, Mayer has struggled with a granuloma that stalled his live act completely, forcing him to cancel last year’s SXSW appearance and ultimately scrap his tour. Mayer first experienced trouble in April 2011 and underwent surgery in September before a doctor-recommended “indefinite” hiatus led to the release of Born and Raised with no live support. After several ups and downs he’s been making a slow return to the stage, playing guitar in support of his “bro” Frank Ocean during SNL‘s season premiere in September, as well as hitting November’s Stand Up for Heroes benefit in New York this fall.
2013 appears to be the start of some better news (on the music front at least; we wish you all the best with KP), however, with Mayer making the final push towards being tour-ready once and for all. Yes, we no longer have to survive on guitar faces, gossip columns and his contributions to the accessories department at Bloomie’s: the voice is back! Getting there, at least. Read more…
Rolling Stones Close Out Their 50th Anniversary Tour With Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen And Gary Clark Jr.
Over the weekend, the Rolling Stones celebrated the end of their 50th Anniversary Tour, ending the memorable 2012 run with a blown out and star-studded show at the Prudential Center in New Jersey that included cameos from Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen and our You Oughta Know star Gary Clark Jr. If this really is “The Last Time,” at least the Stones made sure to go out in unforgettable style.
Lady Gaga made a grand and unforgettable appearance halfway through “Gimme Shelter.” Unlike the onstage-chemistry he shared with Florence Welch a few weeks back, Jagger seemed a little unsure what to do with the unusual pop star, who spent most of her turn skittering about in her trademark towering heels and wailing with great bursts of energy about how “it’s just a shout away!” It’s really hard to look away, and that she could throw a rock star so seasoned as Jagger off his game is probably a testament to just how good her weirdo pop-star game is. This is really fun to watch.
The 9 Most Unexpectedly Delightful Musical Collaborations Of 2012
The year is running down, and like everyone else, we are bundling up our most memorable musical moments from the year into a slew of Best Of’s. Before we get to the more obvious lists — the best albums, the best songs — we thought we would have a little fun. First up: 9 delightful collaborations, made all the more so for their unexpectedness. We aren’t talking Watch The Throne-style of-course-they-would team-ups, we’re talking collaborations that we couldn’t in our wildest dreams have imagined or that we thought we would never see, like — well, these nine:
9. Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars, “Safe & Sound”
Barton Hollow is totally “an indie record much cooler than mine,” but more careful observer might have predicted this unlikely but delightful collaboration, as Swift began yammering about her fellow Nashville transplants The Civil Wars on twitter long before this was even a possibility. We, however, were left breathless upon learning that one of the day’s biggest pop stars had teamed-up with one of our favorite You Oughta Know acts — and for a song for such a pivotal moment in the Hunger Games movie, no less! Joy Williams harmonizing turns Taylor’s girlish coo haunting, and John Paul White‘s patient guitar plucking gets the whole thing swirling. See also: “The Last Time,” Taylor’s distressed duet with Gary Lightbody of Northern Ireland’s mostly absent as of late folk rock set Snow Patrol. Taylor is a slick machine when it comes to her music, and it was a surprise to see her reaching out of bounds for this one.
8. Ke$ha and Iggy Pop, “Dirty Pop”
Hard to believe as it may be given the boom box beats and all the sing-rapping that resulted, Warrior is allegedly a tribute to the genre Ke$ha loves the most: rock and roll. If you really strain your ears, you may hear some of that “old hippie rock” in the breakdown of “Die Young.” You won’t have to try so hard with “Dirty Pop,” which features Iggy Pop, a true and blue rock star and someone Ke$ha has spent a lot of time talking about through the years. The joy she must have felt the first time she heard him call her “Wild Child” on her own song is evident. See also: “2012,” K$’s duet with fellow weirdos The Flaming Lips.
Friday Face-Off: Taylor Swift Then vs. Taylor Swift Now
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Taylor Swift is up against herself for Friday Music Video Face-Off this week. I mean, she broke a 10-year-old sales record for fastest selling album with Red (1.21 milli, y’all!). It just wouldn’t be fair otherwise. Besides, we’ve watched T-Swift’s songs mature from a 16-year-old pining over Romeo to penning platinum-selling hits about her real-life breakups (as if dating John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhaal in the same calendar year is reality). The woman clearly has a lot of material to contrast. So, which Taylor do you favor: country siren Swift of “Picture To Burn“ or pop tart Taylor from “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together?” Vote in our poll today then catch VH1 Storytellers: Taylor Swift premiering Sunday, Nov. 11 at 11 p.m.
Team Pop Taylor: Felicia Daniels, Associate Producer, VH1.com Music (@fdot415)
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” - When Taylor Swift is over you, she really, really means it. Screw burning pictures. The woman puts some poor sap on blast by re-enacting his late night booty calls for the world to watch and replay in this video! Read More & Vote: Classic Taylor or Dubstepping T-Swift?
One Of Our Five Favorite Gifs From Frank Ocean’s “Pyramids” Does Indeed Include A Stripper
One of examples of Frank Ocean‘s superb songwriting/storytelling skills is his imagination. Pyramids are usually automatically associated with Egypt by default, but Frank being anything but ordinary turned “Pyramids” into the place where strippers dwell. A day after kicking off Saturday Night Live‘s 15th season with a live performance accompanied by John Mayer, the visual to his wildly popular “Pyramids” hit the ‘net. And as expected, alas, there are strippers. Directed by Nabil, the eight minute video owes its aesthetic appeal to the numerous special effects. The bending lamp posts, the multiple Frank Oceans, the blinking fluorescent lights, they are all somewhat mesmerizing. John Mayer’s guitar performance in the middle of the desert is easily one of the highlights. Although the strippers are the focal point of the song, they serve as merely a backdrop in the video, despite their obvious presence. Now that we’ve seen the women “working at the pyramids tonight” the mystique is gone, for now. Until the next time you watch the video. Have a look at some of the awesome gifs from the video. Read more…
Frank Ocean Plays “Pyramids” With John Mayer And Vintage Video Games On Saturday Night Live
Frank Ocean kicked off Saturday Night Live‘s 15th season with two stellar showings. As predicted, he performed a stripped down and extra-soulful “Thinkin Bout You” and then the second half of his stripper anthem “Pyramids,” his “bro” John Mayer accompanying on the guitar for both and a full vintage arcade set up behind him. Ocean still seems a little timid when he performs, and sort of like he did in that oddly straight-faced promo, he fidgeted nervously through the first verse of “Thinkin Bout You.” He’s good, though, and so as soon as he loosened up he was able to turn song’s difficult high notes sweet.
Already warmed up, he showed off a little more swag during “Pyramids,” showing some teeth and pulling a few dance moves. And when Mayer went in on his loopy solo (extra guitar face so you know it’s real), Ocean made use of the time to fiddle with some of those vintage arcade games before giving the crowd one last smile and calling it a night.
Watch “Thinkin Bout You” above, and “Pyramids” and the video game playing below.
Frank Ocean Is Bringing His “Bro” John Mayer To Saturday Night Live
Those turning into opening night of Saturday Night Live‘s this weekend will be treated to a performance from scheduled musical guest Frank Ocean, and today Ocean shares that he’s bringing a guest of his own with him: his “bro” John Mayer. Mayer is supposed to be taking it easy after throat surgery, but has already forgone the doctor’s orders to play with Walk The Moon pre-VMAs, and we are happy to see him doing it again to help Ocean kick-off this 38th season of SNL.
Ocean tweeted the good news this morning, writing “SNL this weekend. Me and the bro John Mayer.” And though nothing has been officially confirmed, he’s got the internet alight with possibilities. Maybe Ocean and his “bro” will do something with “White,” that smooth grooving Channel Orange interlude. Perhaps more likely, the two will perform Ocean’s 10-minute ode to strippers, “Pyramids,” which ends with an uncredited Mayer guitar solo. Otherwise, Mayer could probably do some good to “Thinking About You,” which Ocean played acoustic at VMAs; or maybe he could bring his maybe-girlfriend Katy Perry along for the “Sweet Life”/”California Gurls” medley that we just realized we need. Because — not sugar-free — mango, peaches and whipped cream bras, wouldn’t that be something?
Frank Ocean to perform with John Mayer of Saturday Night Live [COS]
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