Elton John Previews New Album at L.A. Listening Party

Elton John performs at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.

"I'm not the sort of artist who'll get played on the radio," Elton John said yesterday in a studio on the west side of Los Angeles, explaining why he was hosting a small listening party for his next album, The Diving Board. While that might sound absurd coming from a man with a staggering 59 Top Forty hits in the United States, the last entry on that ledger was a LeAnn Rimes duet back in 1999. The Diving Board is unlikely to persuade radio program directors to stick him in heavy rotation, but it's John's best work in years: With the encouragement of producer T Bone Burnett, John returned to the piano/bass/drums arrangements of his earliest albums, making a stripped-down record that feels like a CinemaScope western. A beaming John said, "It's got everything I love about American music – gospel, soul, country."

He recorded most of the album in early 2012 and then put it aside for a while, busy with other projects (including the Elton John vs. Pnau remix record, Good Morning to the Night, which topped the British charts last year). Freed of the obligation to make a deadline, he was delighted to revisit the album with fresh ears after nine months. This January, he wrote a few new songs and did a second set of sessions (pushing the release date back to September, and bringing the overall studio time up to a grand total of five days). Stepping away from it meant "being able to put a little sugar on it," John said, "making it Eltonized." (It also meant having time to dither about the title: he went from The Diving Board to Voyeur and then back to The Diving Board.)

100 Greatest Artists: Elton John

Sitting in the control room of that studio, wearing an Adidas tracksuit and Nike sneakers without socks, Sir Elton listened intently to his own record, clasping his fingers, tapping his feet, even conducting with his left hand when one of the songs was garnished with cellos. Highlights included "Oceans Away," a melancholy ballad about dead soldiers; "My Quicksand," a cabaret tale of sliding into decadence ("I went to Paris once/ I thought I had a plan/ I woke up with an accent"), the boogie-woogie "Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candelight)," and especially the title track, about the vertiginous distance between teenage dreams and adult success, which feels like it could stop the world spinning for five minutes.

John's longtime collaborator, Bernie Taupin, wrote the lyrics for 13 songs, showing his usual facility for both evocative couplets ("You're the diner in my rear view/ A cup of coffee getting cold") and overripe verbiage (the song about Oscar Wilde getting out of jail); John also improvised three short instrumentals. "It's the most piano-orientated record I've ever made," John said, sounding mildly astonished. Raphael Saadiq played the bass, Jay Bellerose the drums. Guest musicians included Doyle Bramhall II and Burnett on guitar, and Motown legend Jack Ashford on percussion. "On 'A Town Called Jubilee,' he used the same block he played on 'What's Going On'!" John marveled.

"Home Again" was a yearning ballad that seemed to sum up the album: while piano notes fell down like baptismal waters, John sang about wanting to go back home. What made it more than cheap nostalgia is that The Diving Board did feel like a homecoming. "It's the album I should be making after The Union," John said proudly, referring to his 2010 collaboration with Leon Russell, also produced by Burnett. "It's the most adult record I can make at my age. I'm just heading toward being 80 years old and playing at the Holiday Inn."

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Steve Aoki Revs Up Party Ambulance in 'Emergency' – Premiere

Steve Aoki Revs Up Party Ambulance in 'Emergency' – PremiereLil Jon, Chiddy Bang help to keep the beat flowing in new video $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

Superstar DJ Steve Aoki teamed with rising MC Chiddy Bang and Lil Jon on "Emergency," which appears on his debut studio album Wonderland, released earlier this year. Now you can check out the riotous clip that accompanies perpetually hype track, which finds the motley trio cruising around in an ambulance (Lil Jon's nametag identifies him as a member of the Crunk Response Unit) administering a lot of party juice – stat! – to make sure the dancing never stops.

"This was the most fun and exciting music video I've ever done and working with Chiddy Bang and Lil Jon put it over the top," says Aoki. "We even got to set someone on fire!"

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Zeds Dead Headline Free Block Party in L.A.

Zeds Dead perform at the Mad Decent Block Party in Los Angeles.

Toronto duo Zeds Dead are riding the dubstep wave to sold-out shows, a summer of festival appearances including Lollaplooza and Coachella, and chart-topping tracks on influential dance chart Beatport. But Zach Rapp-Rovan and Dylan Mamid haven't forgotten how they got their start.

"We started off throwing free parties and it’s always a great vibe," Rapp-Rovan tells Rolling Stone. "I think they should be doing them everywhere, free parties are great as long as there’s good security and people don’t get hurt or something."

Getting back to those roots, Zeds Dead headlined the Mad Decent Block Party yesterday, a free show at L.A. Center Studios that required only an RSVP for entry. During their hour-long closing set, the pair took the opportunity to preview some new material, of which they have a lot coming.

"We’re working on some remixes as well as upcoming EPs and still working on stuff for our upcoming album, which will be out at some point," Rabb-Rovan says. "We’re just in the lab all the time."

Among the upcoming remixes is a Marina and the Diamonds track. That's a good starting point for their future endeavors as they are looking at working with a many different types of vocalists. "We also want to start collaborating with a lot more songwriters, rappers and singers and stuff," Mamid says. "So we have a lot of stuff set aside for that."

They don't want to jinx any possible partnerships, but being a part of EDM movement brings opportunities galore. "People, especially in the hip-hop world, really are interested in the EDM world and want to be involved in some way, whether it be because they actually like it or because their fan base knows it," Mamid says. "EDM’s really taken over right now, a lot of people want to integrate that into their sound."

For the two, who started off in hip-hop, this means they have the chance to go back and potentially work with some of the top names in that field. "I feel that for sure, it seems tangible to work with some people you never would’ve thought you’d be able to before," Mamid says.

They're also dabbling in hip-hop in their own work, as a response to writing on tour. "Sometimes when you’re on the road, you end up writing stuff that’s very catered to the dance floor," Rabb-Rovan says. "But also, after a while, you’re on the road for long enough it goes reverse and you start making chill stuff, which is what we found on our last bus tour. By the end, we were just making like chill hip-hop stuff."

Zeds Dead hope to release the new EP in the fall, and then an album sometime after that. The full album will be the chance for them to show off the chill beats along with the hard-edged dubstep sound their fans have come to know.

"I think absolutely, if and when we do an album, it’s gonna be a lot of mix and even more just completely a listening experience where you’re not gonna find a lot of dancefloor bangers on it," Mamid says.

DJing on a nightly basis, Rabb-Rovan says, "is very [much] like psychology, study of what makes people react." What they're seeing are fans eager for a mix of tempos. "I still love the hard shit, but I think there’s a bit of people stepping back from how dubstep’s been getting extremely hard," he says.

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Premiere: The Weeks Host a Block Party in 'House We Grew Up In'

Premiere: The Weeks Host a Block Party in 'House We Grew Up In'Rockers clown, chill with friends and neighbors $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

In their video for "House We Grew Up In," rowdy, fun-loving rockers the Weeks get down for a good time in their neighborhood, clowning around in restaurants, cruising on skateboards, riding wheelchairs and hosting a block party for their friend and neighbors. Frontman Cyle Barnes triumphantly sings "They can't stop us!" as everyone dances along in high spirits. The clip also cuts to filtered shots of the group messing around town, all in good fun.

"House We Grew Up In" is on the Weeks' upcoming EP Gutter Gaunt Gangster, out September 25th on Kings of Leon's label, Serpents and Snakes.

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Premiere: The Weeks Host a Block Party in 'House We Grew Up In'

Premiere: The Weeks Host a Block Party in 'House We Grew Up In'Rockers clown, chill with friends and neighbors $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

In their video for "House We Grew Up In," rowdy, fun-loving rockers the Weeks get down for a good time in their neighborhood, clowning around in restaurants, cruising on skateboards, riding wheelchairs and hosting a block party for their friend and neighbors. Frontman Cyle Barnes triumphantly sings "They can't stop us!" as everyone dances along in high spirits. The clip also cuts to filtered shots of the group messing around town, all in good fun.

"House We Grew Up In" is on the Weeks' upcoming EP Gutter Gaunt Gangster, out September 25th on Kings of Leon's label, Serpents and Snakes.

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German Rapper Bushido Starts Own Political Party

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Drake's Party Gives Oklahoma City Nightclub Trouble

Drake's Party Gives Oklahoma City Nightclub Trouble

An Oklahoma City nightclub owner wants Drake to pay for damages from a party resulting in at least one arrest and heavy marijuana use, shutting down the club, TMZ reports.

The owner of the Dollhouse Lounge and Burlesque says the Young Money rapper arrived at the club with an entourage for a private party March 1st. Employees noticed marijuana smoke from his VIP area, the owner says.

Police shut down the party and arrested the club manager after finding a partially burnt marijuana cigarette in the VIP section. The Dollhouse's owner is asking for compensation totaling several thousand dollars. Drake's representatives were unavailable for comment.

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Drake's Party Gives Oklahoma City Nightclub Trouble

Drake's Party Gives Oklahoma City Nightclub Trouble

An Oklahoma City nightclub owner wants Drake to pay for damages from a party resulting in at least one arrest and heavy marijuana use, shutting down the club, TMZ reports.

The owner of the Dollhouse Lounge and Burlesque says the Young Money rapper arrived at the club with an entourage for a private party March 1st. Employees noticed marijuana smoke from his VIP area, the owner says.

Police shut down the party and arrested the club manager after finding a partially burnt marijuana cigarette in the VIP section. The Dollhouse's owner is asking for compensation totaling several thousand dollars. Drake's representatives were unavailable for comment.

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Skrillex, Porter Robinson and M Machine Throw OWSLA Dance Party

Porter Robinson and Skrillex perform during a showcase at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Skrillex  may be the boss when it comes to his DJ/Producer-heavy label OWSLA – the label is named for a military caste of rabbits in the legendarily intense 1970s children’s fantasy novel Watership Down – but on Thursday the deafening bass pioneer showed he's also just one of the DJs during the label's first SXSW showcase. Launched only this past August, the label has nine EDM artists to its credit, including up-and-coming DJ acts Nick Thayer, Zedd, Kill the Noise, Alvin Risk, Child in Disguise, the mysterious M Machine and 19-year-old DJ phenom Porter Robinson, the latter two who played otherworldly DJ sets Thursday night.

"It's cool. We're just having a party," Skrillex told the sweaty crowd during a pseudo DJ battle with Robinson that was more about hugs than trying to one up each other. The two switched off between tracks during their back-to-back set. The bass was turned up to full blast, hitting the fans like wind blowing from the house speakers. "Drink cold beer…and water," Skrillex yelled to the crowd.

"OWSLA is a community of the youngest, most excitable kids who consume the most aggressive, crazy music of all time," M Machine's Ben Swardlick tells Rolling Stone. The San Francisco-based indie electronic outfit met Skrillex in November 2010, after the now-Grammy winner played a show in Santa Cruz behind his breakout EP Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, and needed a place to crash. There wasn't a label then but they kept in touch. "He was really into 'Trafalgar,' Swardlick says of the free track M Machine initially released. M Machine's set soared with laser beam sythns that would drop any moment and comeback to automatic fist pumps and cheers from the audience.

It's obvious that the OWSLA family's main objective Thursday night was to have a good time. The bass-heavy dubstep with which Skrillex and his clan have become synonymous has often been called the new heavy metal – that held true last night with the dance party looking every bit like a dance-fueled moshpit.

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Skrillex, Porter Robinson and M Machine Throw OWSLA Dance Party

Porter Robinson and Skrillex perform during a showcase at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Skrillex  may be the boss when it comes to his DJ/Producer-heavy label OWSLA – the label is named for a military caste of rabbits in the legendarily intense 1970s children’s fantasy novel Watership Down – but on Thursday the deafening bass pioneer showed he's also just one of the DJs during the label's first SXSW showcase. Launched only this past August, the label has nine EDM artists to its credit, including up-and-coming DJ acts Nick Thayer, Zedd, Kill the Noise, Alvin Risk, Child in Disguise, the mysterious M Machine and 19-year-old DJ phenom Porter Robinson, the latter two who played otherworldly DJ sets Thursday night.

"It's cool. We're just having a party," Skrillex told the sweaty crowd during a pseudo DJ battle with Robinson that was more about hugs than trying to one up each other. The two switched off between tracks during their back-to-back set. The bass was turned up to full blast, hitting the fans like wind blowing from the house speakers. "Drink cold beer…and water," Skrillex yelled to the crowd.

"OWSLA is a community of the youngest, most excitable kids who consume the most aggressive, crazy music of all time," M Machine's Ben Swardlick tells Rolling Stone. The San Francisco-based indie electronic outfit met Skrillex in November 2010, after the now-Grammy winner played a show in Santa Cruz behind his breakout EP Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, and needed a place to crash. There wasn't a label then but they kept in touch. "He was really into 'Trafalgar,' Swardlick says of the free track M Machine initially released. M Machine's set soared with laser beam sythns that would drop any moment and comeback to automatic fist pumps and cheers from the audience.

It's obvious that the OWSLA family's main objective Thursday night was to have a good time. The bass-heavy dubstep with which Skrillex and his clan have become synonymous has often been called the new heavy metal – that held true last night with the dance party looking every bit like a dance-fueled moshpit.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Tom Morello Plans 'Flash Mob Dance Party' For Occupy SXSW

Tom Morello performs during Occupy Wall Street in New York.Griffin Lotz for RollingStone.com

Tom Morello is teaming up with the Occupy Austin movement for a special SXSW showcase this Friday night at the Swan Dive in Austin, Texas. "SXSW has a lot of specialty shows – record companies, vodka companies, promoters and things like that," Morello tells Rolling Stone. "I thought it was important that at a music gathering of that size, to have a place where the rebels, revolutionaries, rockers, rappers and the 99 percent could gather and have a mighty SXSW throw down."

Occupy SXSW came about when Morello reached out to the Occupy Austin people about doing a show during the festival. "With all things Occupy, it is a democratic process," says Morello. "I basically said 'What do y'all want to do, how can I best serve?' and so they made a wish list of things and I was able to say yes to, ironically, about 99 percent of them."

"Their intention is to have this flash mob dance party that's going to arrive at the venue," Morello explains. "Due to the fact that it's an official SXSW show, a lot of the space inside is reserved for badge holders, but there will certainly be a healthy Occupy presence in the venue, and also a contingent outside the venue. I promise you, they will all be served musically."

Morello will perform with his band, the Freedom Fighter Orchestra, for the main set, and Wayne Kramer and friends will play a show in support of Jail Guitar Doors, a nonprofit organization that works to bring instruments into prisons for rehabilitation purposes, earlier on the bill.

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Tom Morello Plans 'Flash Mob Dance Party' For Occupy SXSW

Tom Morello performs during Occupy Wall Street in New York.Griffin Lotz for RollingStone.com

Tom Morello is teaming up with the Occupy Austin movement for a special SXSW showcase this Friday night at the Swan Dive in Austin, Texas. "SXSW has a lot of specialty shows – record companies, vodka companies, promoters and things like that," Morello tells Rolling Stone. "I thought it was important that at a music gathering of that size, to have a place where the rebels, revolutionaries, rockers, rappers and the 99 percent could gather and have a mighty SXSW throw down."

Occupy SXSW came about when Morello reached out to the Occupy Austin people about doing a show during the festival. "With all things Occupy, it is a democratic process," says Morello. "I basically said 'What do y'all want to do, how can I best serve?' and so they made a wish list of things and I was able to say yes to, ironically, about 99 percent of them."

"Their intention is to have this flash mob dance party that's going to arrive at the venue," Morello explains. "Due to the fact that it's an official SXSW show, a lot of the space inside is reserved for badge holders, but there will certainly be a healthy Occupy presence in the venue, and also a contingent outside the venue. I promise you, they will all be served musically."

Morello will perform with his band, the Freedom Fighter Orchestra, for the main set, and Wayne Kramer and friends will play a show in support of Jail Guitar Doors, a nonprofit organization that works to bring instruments into prisons for rehabilitation purposes, earlier on the bill.

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Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party Goes on in Memory of Whitney Houston

Alicia Keys embraces Clive Davis at the 'Clive Davis and The Recording Academy's Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons'.

Even more than the Grammy Awards themselves, Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party was the event most closely associated with the late Whitney Houston. The singer's close relationship with the man who helped launch her career made her a staple at the party, where she had several memorable performances over the years.

As Davis himself said from the stage Saturday night, "She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. She loved music, and she loved this night that celebrates music."

Photos: Whitney Houston Through the Years

That Davis was in attendance on this night was one of the many questions that surrounded the affair. The first speculation was that upon the news of Houston's sudden and tragic passing just hours before the party was scheduled to start, the gala would be canceled altogether.

Inside the Beverly Hilton hotel, where security was beefed up, news crews filmed live updates and police could still be seen walking all throughout the lobby level of the hotel, most people were a little surprised the celebration went on. Several artists said they expected it to be scuttled. But once word got out that the party would go on, stars came out in droves, with Dr. Dre, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Tom Hanks,  Britney Spears, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, Skrillex, Slash and many more on hand. Some, like Slash, said they came to support Davis, a sentiment echoed by Diddy in his remarks from the stage, where he spoke of Davis' generosity.

Recording Academy President Neil Portnow addressed rumors about the party having been close to being canceled, saying that was never a consideration. And Davis gave a reason why they soldiered on in his heartfelt opening remarks, "Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on, and her family asked that we carry on."

And so the music did, starting around 9:15. Tony Bennett kicked the musical portion of the night off with a moving interpretation of "How Do You Keep The Music Playing." He was followed by Diana Krall, another excellent choice, as both lent a solemn note of elegance to the proceedings.

Photos: Whitney Houston's NJ Hometown Pays Tribute

Many of the performances were planned and booked months ago, so they had little to do with Houston, such as the tribute to Ray Davies and the Kinks. Davies, joined by Jackson Browne and Elvis Costello, brought power and a bit of the old snarl to classics like "All Day And All Of The Night, "Lola" and "Waterloo Sunset." Musically, it was the high point of the night. The set was still very much appreciated by the crowd, who gave Davies his due, even if the earlier portions of the night were subdued.

Many people didn't seem to know how to react, given Houston had died only a few hours earlier in the very same hotel. Once inside the ballroom – where there was a heavy mixture of artists, industry and press – the subject was rarely brought up, with a clear, if unspoken, understanding it was just too soon and too raw.

Those that took to the stage, however, did speak of Houston, with both Bennett and Diddy referring to her as one of the "greatest voices" ever. Aside from Davis, the most moving tribute came from Alicia Keys, who eloquently described the genesis of what she called her unexpected friendship with Houston. After recalling Houston coming to visit in some remote location, "I don't even know where," and congratulating Keys on her then-unannounced pregnancy, Keys summed up her sentiments by calling the late singer "my sister."

It was a sentiment shared by many in the room where Houston had so many triumphs. Monica and Brandy – who were promoting "It All Belongs to Me," their first song together since the 1998 smash "The Boy Is Mine " – were in the words of Davis, "too grief-stricken to perform." Brandy's brother Ray J had dated Houston in the past, and there were rumors the couple had recently reunited. 

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party Goes on in Memory of Whitney Houston

Alicia Keys embraces Clive Davis at the 'Clive Davis and The Recording Academy's Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons'.

Even more than the Grammy Awards themselves, Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party was the event most closely associated with the late Whitney Houston. The singer's close relationship with the man who helped launch her career made her a staple at the party, where she had several memorable performances over the years.

As Davis himself said from the stage Saturday night, "She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. She loved music, and she loved this night that celebrates music."

Photos: Whitney Houston Through the Years

That Davis was in attendance on this night was one of the many questions that surrounded the affair. The first speculation was that upon the news of Houston's sudden and tragic passing just hours before the party was scheduled to start, the gala would be canceled altogether.

Inside the Beverly Hilton hotel, where security was beefed up, news crews filmed live updates and police could still be seen walking all throughout the lobby level of the hotel, most people were a little surprised the celebration went on. Several artists said they expected it to be scuttled. But once word got out that the party would go on, stars came out in droves, with Dr. Dre, Diddy, Mary J. Blige, Tom Hanks,  Britney Spears, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, Skrillex, Slash and many more on hand. Some, like Slash, said they came to support Davis, a sentiment echoed by Diddy in his remarks from the stage, where he spoke of Davis' generosity.

Recording Academy President Neil Portnow addressed rumors about the party having been close to being canceled, saying that was never a consideration. And Davis gave a reason why they soldiered on in his heartfelt opening remarks, "Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on, and her family asked that we carry on."

And so the music did, starting around 9:15. Tony Bennett kicked the musical portion of the night off with a moving interpretation of "How Do You Keep The Music Playing." He was followed by Diana Krall, another excellent choice, as both lent a solemn note of elegance to the proceedings.

Photos: Whitney Houston's NJ Hometown Pays Tribute

Many of the performances were planned and booked months ago, so they had little to do with Houston, such as the tribute to Ray Davies and the Kinks. Davies, joined by Jackson Browne and Elvis Costello, brought power and a bit of the old snarl to classics like "All Day And All Of The Night, "Lola" and "Waterloo Sunset." Musically, it was the high point of the night. The set was still very much appreciated by the crowd, who gave Davies his due, even if the earlier portions of the night were subdued.

Many people didn't seem to know how to react, given Houston had died only a few hours earlier in the very same hotel. Once inside the ballroom – where there was a heavy mixture of artists, industry and press – the subject was rarely brought up, with a clear, if unspoken, understanding it was just too soon and too raw.

Those that took to the stage, however, did speak of Houston, with both Bennett and Diddy referring to her as one of the "greatest voices" ever. Aside from Davis, the most moving tribute came from Alicia Keys, who eloquently described the genesis of what she called her unexpected friendship with Houston. After recalling Houston coming to visit in some remote location, "I don't even know where," and congratulating Keys on her then-unannounced pregnancy, Keys summed up her sentiments by calling the late singer "my sister."

It was a sentiment shared by many in the room where Houston had so many triumphs. Monica and Brandy – who were promoting "It All Belongs to Me," their first song together since the 1998 smash "The Boy Is Mine " – were in the words of Davis, "too grief-stricken to perform." Brandy's brother Ray J had dated Houston in the past, and there were rumors the couple had recently reunited. 

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The B-52's Celebrate 35 Years With Hometown Party

The B-52's Celebrate 35 Years With Hometown Party in Athens, Georgia.

They didn't really know what they were doing – didn't even totally know how to play their instruments, if they were being honest. But back in 1977, a couple of the band's friends were holding a Valentine's Day house party at a place on Milledge Ave. in Athens, Ga., just across the street from where the Dunkin' Donuts sits today. The B-52's – a band that would christen itself after the beehive hairdo that bore an aesthetic similarity to a Boeing-designed strategic bomber – were playing for 25 or so people, who were dancing like crazy. The band set up in the foyer, the audience was in the living room. It was cramped, but there was a keg. Someone was taking photographs of hands, feet, dresses, legs. The floor was about to cave in.

"We weren't really a band at the time," Keith Strickland tells Rolling Stone. "But Fred [Schneider, B-52's frontman] said we were, so then we had to be one, and we had to shore up some songs. I think we [ended up] with about six, which were 'Rock Lobster,' 'Planet Claire,' 'Lava,' 'Killer Bees' and 'Strobe Light.'"

Last night, just about a mile and a half from that house, and 35 years nearly to the day of that very first, awkward, performance-art of a performance, the B-52's played the Classic Center in downtown Athens. But it felt less like a couple thousand people housed within a fancy venue and more like a gathering of old friends – ones who came bedecked in pinstriped blazers with leopard-print lapels, colored wigs, and lights draped or attached all over their bodies, but old friends nonetheless.

Unsurprisingly, it was also a tribute night of sorts to Athens itself. From local upstarts Tunabunny, who were recommended as an opener to Schneider by the folks at legendary local record store Wuxtry, to the local Terrapin Beer Company brews flowing in and out of flimsy plastic cups, to the "sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name" vibe of the crowd itself. The whole event practically screamed "quintessential college town."

For their part, the B-52's brought the party. Schneider's speaksinging delivery, one of the most recognizable in all of pop music, still sounds great. Kate Pierson's pipes are stunning despite three-and-a-half decades of wear, and Wilson and Strickland strut like it's the Seventies. Songs like "Hot Corner" and "Roam" earned massive responses, thanks in no small part to their Classic City connections, and the latter was especially emotionally resonant, pairing the group's globe-hopping past with its homecoming present. They played a handful of tracks from 2008's Funplex, and those songs went over fine, but it was clear on both sides that this was going to be a hits showcase.

Then there's that moment when "Love Shack," a ubiquitous cultural force, karaoke hall-of-famer, wedding dance-floor igniter and grocery-store staple, comes to life in front of a group of people and the group goes completely bonkers. Even the most steadfast of the crowd's non-dancing throng seemed moved to stand up and shake it, if only just a little bit. The security guards even lost it.

With the recent disbanding of R.E.M., the B-52's became the last remaining vestige of Athens' college-rock origins, the final band from that first wave of talent that gave the town its first real musical presence, opening the metaphorical door for future bands as varied as Neutral Milk Hotel, Widespread Panic, Of Montreal and Drive-By Truckers. That history is not lost, it seems, even in one of Athens' latest buzzy acts, Tunabunny, who opened the show with its noisy, art-damaged pop, receiving welcoming and rapturous applause in return for its unhinged music.

"Athens is a great place for music, and it's not always perfect," Tunabunny singer/guitarist Brigette Herron said as a precursor to the final song of the band's set. "We have the B-52's to thank for that."

Her sentiment echoed that of  Strickland earlier in the day, sitting behind the stage on which she spoke those words. "I remember listening to that Patti Smith song,'" Strickland said. "She had this lyric, 'Dip into the sea of possibilities.' That was my mantra in those early days. Anything can happen. You can do it."

Set List
"Eyes Wide Open"
"Mesopotamia"
"Private Idaho"
"Lava"
"Give Me Back My Man"
"Funplex"
"Topaz"
"Roam"
"52 Girls"
"Love in the Year 3000"
"Too Much to Think About"
"Hot Corner"
"Pump"
"Whammy Kiss"
"Love Shack"

"Planet Claire"
"Party Out of Bounds"
"Rock Lobster"

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The B-52's Celebrate 35 Years With Hometown Party

The B-52's Celebrate 35 Years With Hometown Party in Athens, Georgia.

They didn't really know what they were doing – didn't even totally know how to play their instruments, if they were being honest. But back in 1977, a couple of the band's friends were holding a Valentine's Day house party at a place on Milledge Ave. in Athens, Ga., just across the street from where the Dunkin' Donuts sits today. The B-52's – a band that would christen itself after the beehive hairdo that bore an aesthetic similarity to a Boeing-designed strategic bomber – were playing for 25 or so people, who were dancing like crazy. The band set up in the foyer, the audience was in the living room. It was cramped, but there was a keg. Someone was taking photographs of hands, feet, dresses, legs. The floor was about to cave in.

"We weren't really a band at the time," Keith Strickland tells Rolling Stone. "But Fred [Schneider, B-52's frontman] said we were, so then we had to be one, and we had to shore up some songs. I think we [ended up] with about six, which were 'Rock Lobster,' 'Planet Claire,' 'Lava,' 'Killer Bees' and 'Strobe Light.'"

Last night, just about a mile and a half from that house, and 35 years nearly to the day of that very first, awkward, performance-art of a performance, the B-52's played the Classic Center in downtown Athens. But it felt less like a couple thousand people housed within a fancy venue and more like a gathering of old friends – ones who came bedecked in pinstriped blazers with leopard-print lapels, colored wigs, and lights draped or attached all over their bodies, but old friends nonetheless.

Unsurprisingly, it was also a tribute night of sorts to Athens itself. From local upstarts Tunabunny, who were recommended as an opener to Schneider by the folks at legendary local record store Wuxtry, to the local Terrapin Beer Company brews flowing in and out of flimsy plastic cups, to the "sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name" vibe of the crowd itself. The whole event practically screamed "quintessential college town."

For their part, the B-52's brought the party. Schneider's speaksinging delivery, one of the most recognizable in all of pop music, still sounds great. Kate Pierson's pipes are stunning despite three-and-a-half decades of wear, and Wilson and Strickland strut like it's the Seventies. Songs like "Hot Corner" and "Roam" earned massive responses, thanks in no small part to their Classic City connections, and the latter was especially emotionally resonant, pairing the group's globe-hopping past with its homecoming present. They played a handful of tracks from 2008's Funplex, and those songs went over fine, but it was clear on both sides that this was going to be a hits showcase.

Then there's that moment when "Love Shack," a ubiquitous cultural force, karaoke hall-of-famer, wedding dance-floor igniter and grocery-store staple, comes to life in front of a group of people and the group goes completely bonkers. Even the most steadfast of the crowd's non-dancing throng seemed moved to stand up and shake it, if only just a little bit. The security guards even lost it.

With the recent disbanding of R.E.M., the B-52's became the last remaining vestige of Athens' college-rock origins, the final band from that first wave of talent that gave the town its first real musical presence, opening the metaphorical door for future bands as varied as Neutral Milk Hotel, Widespread Panic, Of Montreal and Drive-By Truckers. That history is not lost, it seems, even in one of Athens' latest buzzy acts, Tunabunny, who opened the show with its noisy, art-damaged pop, receiving welcoming and rapturous applause in return for its unhinged music.

"Athens is a great place for music, and it's not always perfect," Tunabunny singer/guitarist Brigette Herron said as a precursor to the final song of the band's set. "We have the B-52's to thank for that."

Her sentiment echoed that of  Strickland earlier in the day, sitting behind the stage on which she spoke those words. "I remember listening to that Patti Smith song,'" Strickland said. "She had this lyric, 'Dip into the sea of possibilities.' That was my mantra in those early days. Anything can happen. You can do it."

Set List
"Eyes Wide Open"
"Mesopotamia"
"Private Idaho"
"Lava"
"Give Me Back My Man"
"Funplex"
"Topaz"
"Roam"
"52 Girls"
"Love in the Year 3000"
"Too Much to Think About"
"Hot Corner"
"Pump"
"Whammy Kiss"
"Love Shack"

"Planet Claire"
"Party Out of Bounds"
"Rock Lobster"

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Rock and Sports Mingle at Rolling Stone's Super Bowl Party

Gym Class Heroes arrive at Rolling Stone's Bacardi Bash: 150 Years of Rocking The Party at The Crane Bay in Indianapolis.Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Rolling Stone's Bacardi Bash

Toward the end of the Gym Class Heroes set in Indianapolis Saturday night, lead singer Travie McCoy led the crowd in a singalong of the chorus from his hit single "Billionaire." The wish-fulfillment anthem went over well with the packed house at the brand new Crane Bay venue. It seemed that for a time, more than a few in attendance might have been living out a fantasy as well.

 Co-sponsored by Bacardi, whose 150th anniversary fell on the date of the event, Rolling Stone’s Super Bowl party brought the worlds of sports and music together with film and television stars for a one-of-a-kind, high-energy party. Mad Men star John Hamm could be spotted sauntering through the crowd, while Green Bay Packers quarterback and freshly minted NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers mingled in the VIP section with R&B star B.O.B., Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, and Scary Movie ingenue Anna Faris.

Between high-energy sets from Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, Lupe Fiasco and LMFAO, guest DJ Taryn Manning lowered from the ceiling in a specially constructed scaffolding, bringing her eye-level with a crystal chandelier featuring several dangling electric guitars. Below, hundreds of attendees sipped Bacardi mojitos and puffed on complimentary hand-rolled La Gloria Cubana cigars in the recently converted warehouse less than a football field away from the towering Lucas Oil Stadium.

Though a football game brought everyone together, sports seemed to be the last thing on most attendees’ minds. "Who’s playing tomorrow?" asked Lupe Fiasco halfway through his fiery set. After confirming his hometown Chicago Bears hadn’t made the trip to Indy, he launched into his hit single devoted to what he called "my favorite sport": the funky skateboarding anthem "Kick, Push." The first half of Fiasco’s set pummeled through songs like "State Run Radio" and "I Don’t Want to Care Right Now" with punk-rock force, though by the time they launched into the 2007 hit "Superstar," the packed venue felt much more like a dance club.

The bash raged well into the early hours of Sunday morning, with party-rockers LMFAO taking the stage around 2am to an ovation from the still-packed crowd. Though SkyBlu, one-half of the chart-topping Los Angeles duo, was absent, RedFoo and a rotating cast of vigorous dancers more than made up for his absence. Taking the stage bathed in lime-green lasers and wearing what appeared to be Day-Glo Tronsuits, they launched into "Get Crazy," "Put That Ass to Work," and "I’m In Miami, Bitch," as the crowd jumped along. Add several costume changes, an appearance from the hilariously fake robot from the group’s videos, and a massive inflatable zebra, and the group’s neon-coated spring break-style hedonism made for the perfect ending to a star-studded February evening in Indianapolis.

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Jane's Addiction, the Roots Playing Rolling Stone Super Bowl Tailgate Party

Dave Navarro and Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction perform during KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas in Universal City, California.

Rolling Stone has put together an all-star talent roster for the Volkswagen Rock & Roll Fan Tailgate Party just before the Super Bowl on February 5th in Indianapolis, with performances by Jane's Addiction and the Roots. Joining them on the bill as guest DJ will be ex-Fall Out Boy and current Black Cards member Pete Wentz.

The Tailgate Party follows the previous night's Rolling Stone concert with LMFAO, Gym Class Heroes, Lupe Fiasco and Cobra Starship.

Beloved for their parties – frontman Perry farrell founded Lollapalooza – their artistic sense and their showmanship, Jane's Addiction have turned their live show into performance art. At the core, though, is a band of exceptional musicianship, as seen on their critically acclaimed release of last year, The Great Escape Artist.

Just as Jane's are hailed in the alternative field, the Roots have been widely regarded for years as arguably the greatest live hip-hop band on the planet. Together, the two bands promise to dazzle Indy.

For further information and tickets go to www.rollingstonerockweekend.com.

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