Missouri Man Charged With Plotting 'Twilight' Theater Shooting

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2Andrew Cooper/Summit Entertainment

A 20-year-old Missouri man has been arrested and charged with plotting a movie theater shooting this weekend at a screening of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part Two, which opened today, the Springfield News-Leader reports. Blaec Lammers has been charged with first-degree assault, making a terroristic threat and armed criminal action after his mother called authorities with concerns that her son had purchased firearms and was plotting a similar movie theater shooting to the Aurora, Colorado massacre in July during the opening night of The Dark Knight Rises.

Police apprehended Lammers in Bolivar, Missouri, and interviewed him. He admitted to purchasing two assault rifles "for hunting," then said he had bought two tickets to a Sunday showing of Breaking Dawn Part Two and acquired the guns with the intent to shoot people while at the movie.

"Blaec Lammers stated that he had a lot in common with the people that have been involved in those shootings," read the probable cause statement that led to his arrest. "Blaec Lammers stated that he was quiet, kind of a loner, had recently purchased firearms and didn't tell anybody about it, and had homicidal thoughts." Lammers also said he had purchased 400 rounds of ammunition and was "thinking about" shooting people at a local Walmart because the store sells ammunition, making supplies more convenient. He had recently practiced shooting on Tuesday but said he had never before shot a gun and that he was currently off an unspecified medication. The statement also referred to a 2009 incident in which Lammers had admitted he wanted to stab a Walmart employee to death and went to the store to follow an employee before being contacted by police. Bolivar City Administrator Darin Chappell said police believe Lammers was working alone.

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Bruce Springsteen Kicks Off 2012 Tour at New York's Apollo Theater

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band at The Apollo Theater. Kevin Mazur/WireImage for SiriusXM/Courtesy of SiriusXM

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's concert at New York's Apollo Theater was an evening of firsts. It was the first show they've played in support of Springsteen's new LP Wrecking Ball, their first show in well over two years, their first show with a newly assembled five-piece horn section, their first show since adding an extra percussionist to the band and their first show at the legendary soul venue. But one first hovered above all the rest: it was their first ever show without Clarence Clemons. "We're missing a few people tonight," Springsteen said early on. "But if you're here, and we are here, they are here." 

The concert was also the first opportunity for Springsteen fans to check out Clarence's nephew Jake Clemons, who now splits sax duties with Ed Manion. Jake (destined to be known as the Little Big Man) stayed in the back with the horn section during the first two songs, but when the group kicked into "Badlands," he moved his way up to play his uncle's famous solo. It was a big moment, a real passing of the torch, and he absolutely nailed it. 

The concert was held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of SiriusXM satellite radio. Only a fraction of the tickets were distributed to the public, and it was a mob scene outside.  Die-hard fans held up signs desperately seeking tickets, and paparazzi and autograph seekers aggressively chased down the celebrity guests. The lucky few inside took advantage of the open bar and hors d'oeuvres and gawked at Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Elvis Costello, Paul Rudd, John McEnroe, Chad Smith, Steve Earle, Gary "Baba Booey" Dell'Abate and many other big names as they waited for the show (which was broadcast live on SiriusXM) to begin.

The concert started with each member of the E Street Band taking the stage one by one as they touched the famous Apollo Theater tree stump for good luck. They opened up with new tracks "We Take Care Of Our Own" and "Wrecking Ball." The group has been rehearsing in New Jersey for a couple of months, and their hard work has clearly paid off. Nobody sounded rusty, even though this was the first time many of the songs have been played in public.

When Springsteen began calling his backing group the E Street Band in 1974, it consisted of a mere five people. That number has now swelled to sixteen, and at times it sounds like a cross between the old E Street Band, the Seeger Sessions Band and, to a slightly lesser extent, Arcade Fire. This new iteration of the group allows Springsteen to create lush new arrangements of old material, such as the gospel-infused "My City of Ruins" he played early on at this show, or a cover of the Temptations' "The Way You Do The Thing You Do" featuring a chorus of backup singers. Some Springsteen purists may bemoan all the changes, but the last couple of albums have made it quite clear that Bruce has moved far from the sound of his Greetings From Asbury Park days. 

For the first time in memory at an E Street Band show, Springsteen did not perform "Born To Run." In fact, the only real hits he brought out were "Thunder Road," "Badlands" and "The Promised Land." The rest of the show set mixed in new songs ("Jack of All Trades," "Shackled And Drawn") with soul covers ("Hold On, I'm Comin'"), deep cuts (a mind-blowing "E Street Shuffle" and a tender "Mansion On The Hill") and concert staples ("Waiting On A Sunny Day," "The Rising"). For "Rocky Ground," he brought out gospel singer Michelle Moore to reprise her rap from the album. It was a risky move for Springsteen to include such a thing on the disc, but Moore made it work – and it sounded almost better live. 

The MVP of the evening was Jake Clemons. He's filling very, very large shoes, but he didn't seem to have any opening night jitters. He pitched in on back-up vocals during the soul covers, and even played a large drum during "We Are Alive." It'll be interesting to see how his role in the band evolves as the tour goes on – but it's quite clear that Springsteen made a very wise choice in keeping the sax in the Clemons family. 

The second to last song of the night was "10th Avenue Freeze Out." The song is (at least loosely) about the formation of the E Street Band. When it came time for Bruce to sing "the change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band," the music stopped cold. Springsteen held the mic out to the audience and let us sing it, encouraging everyone to yell out Clarence's name over and over. This could have been a very sad moment, but Springsteen made it absolutely exuberant – which is exactly how Clarence would have wanted it.

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Bruce Springsteen Kicks Off 2012 Tour at New York's Apollo Theater

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band at The Apollo Theater. Kevin Mazur/WireImage for SiriusXM/Courtesy of SiriusXM

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's concert at New York's Apollo Theater was an evening of firsts. It was the first show they've played in support of Springsteen's new LP Wrecking Ball, their first show in well over two years, their first show with a newly assembled five-piece horn section, their first show since adding an extra percussionist to the band and their first show at the legendary soul venue. But one first hovered above all the rest: it was their first ever show without Clarence Clemons. "We're missing a few people tonight," Springsteen said early on. "But if you're here, and we are here, they are here." 

The concert was also the first opportunity for Springsteen fans to check out Clarence's nephew Jake Clemons, who now splits sax duties with Ed Manion. Jake (destined to be known as the Little Big Man) stayed in the back with the horn section during the first two songs, but when the group kicked into "Badlands," he moved his way up to play his uncle's famous solo. It was a big moment, a real passing of the torch, and he absolutely nailed it. 

The concert was held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of SiriusXM satellite radio. Only a fraction of the tickets were distributed to the public, and it was a mob scene outside.  Die-hard fans held up signs desperately seeking tickets, and paparazzi and autograph seekers aggressively chased down the celebrity guests. The lucky few inside took advantage of the open bar and hors d'oeuvres and gawked at Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Elvis Costello, Paul Rudd, John McEnroe, Chad Smith, Steve Earle, Gary "Baba Booey" Dell'Abate and many other big names as they waited for the show (which was broadcast live on SiriusXM) to begin.

The concert started with each member of the E Street Band taking the stage one by one as they touched the famous Apollo Theater tree stump for good luck. They opened up with new tracks "We Take Care Of Our Own" and "Wrecking Ball." The group has been rehearsing in New Jersey for a couple of months, and their hard work has clearly paid off. Nobody sounded rusty, even though this was the first time many of the songs have been played in public.

When Springsteen began calling his backing group the E Street Band in 1974, it consisted of a mere five people. That number has now swelled to sixteen, and at times it sounds like a cross between the old E Street Band, the Seeger Sessions Band and, to a slightly lesser extent, Arcade Fire. This new iteration of the group allows Springsteen to create lush new arrangements of old material, such as the gospel-infused "My City of Ruins" he played early on at this show, or a cover of the Temptations' "The Way You Do The Thing You Do" featuring a chorus of backup singers. Some Springsteen purists may bemoan all the changes, but the last couple of albums have made it quite clear that Bruce has moved far from the sound of his Greetings From Asbury Park days. 

For the first time in memory at an E Street Band show, Springsteen did not perform "Born To Run." In fact, the only real hits he brought out were "Thunder Road," "Badlands" and "The Promised Land." The rest of the show set mixed in new songs ("Jack of All Trades," "Shackled And Drawn") with soul covers ("Hold On, I'm Comin'"), deep cuts (a mind-blowing "E Street Shuffle" and a tender "Mansion On The Hill") and concert staples ("Waiting On A Sunny Day," "The Rising"). For "Rocky Ground," he brought out gospel singer Michelle Moore to reprise her rap from the album. It was a risky move for Springsteen to include such a thing on the disc, but Moore made it work – and it sounded almost better live. 

The MVP of the evening was Jake Clemons. He's filling very, very large shoes, but he didn't seem to have any opening night jitters. He pitched in on back-up vocals during the soul covers, and even played a large drum during "We Are Alive." It'll be interesting to see how his role in the band evolves as the tour goes on – but it's quite clear that Springsteen made a very wise choice in keeping the sax in the Clemons family. 

The second to last song of the night was "10th Avenue Freeze Out." The song is (at least loosely) about the formation of the E Street Band. When it came time for Bruce to sing "the change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band," the music stopped cold. Springsteen held the mic out to the audience and let us sing it, encouraging everyone to yell out Clarence's name over and over. This could have been a very sad moment, but Springsteen made it absolutely exuberant – which is exactly how Clarence would have wanted it.

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Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band to Play Apollo Theater

Bruce Springsteen performs during the Light of Day concert series at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform a special concert at New York's Apollo Theater on March 9th to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of satellite radio. The show, which is being held just three days after the release of Springsteen's new album, Wrecking Ball, will air live on SiriusXM's all-Springsteen channel E Street Radio. According to a press release, SiriusXM subscribers will have the opportunity to win tickets to the event through email and on-air promotions. 

"We are proud and excited to celebrate ten years of satellite radio with one of the most enduring superstars of popular music, and true friends of SiriusXM, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band," said President and Chief Content Officer Scott Greenstein in a statement. "Bruce's music, now more than ever, reflects the attitudes and controversies, and the personal and national conversations of our time." The Apollo show, he said, offers subscribers a unique opportunity to hear Springsteen and his band "in one of the most intimate and historic settings in the world."

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kick off a world tour March 18th in Atlanta, Georgia. Springsteen has yet to announce how the group will deal with the absence of the late Clarence Clemons, though Bruce's longtime friend Southside Johnny recently dropped a pretty big hint. "He’s stealing my saxophone players to replace Clarence," Southside recently told The Record. "We steal from each other’s bands occasionally.” 

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Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band to Play Apollo Theater

Bruce Springsteen performs during the Light of Day concert series at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform a special concert at New York's Apollo Theater on March 9th to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of satellite radio. The show, which is being held just three days after the release of Springsteen's new album, Wrecking Ball, will air live on SiriusXM's all-Springsteen channel E Street Radio. According to a press release, SiriusXM subscribers will have the opportunity to win tickets to the event through email and on-air promotions. 

"We are proud and excited to celebrate ten years of satellite radio with one of the most enduring superstars of popular music, and true friends of SiriusXM, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band," said President and Chief Content Officer Scott Greenstein in a statement. "Bruce's music, now more than ever, reflects the attitudes and controversies, and the personal and national conversations of our time." The Apollo show, he said, offers subscribers a unique opportunity to hear Springsteen and his band "in one of the most intimate and historic settings in the world."

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kick off a world tour March 18th in Atlanta, Georgia. Springsteen has yet to announce how the group will deal with the absence of the late Clarence Clemons, though Bruce's longtime friend Southside Johnny recently dropped a pretty big hint. "He’s stealing my saxophone players to replace Clarence," Southside recently told The Record. "We steal from each other’s bands occasionally.” 

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

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A Star Is Bawse: Rick Ross at the Nokia Theater

Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes & Eric Bellinger In Concert at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Depending on the circumstance or song, William Roberts II thinks he’s Rick Ross, Big Meech, Larry Hoover or MC Hammer. The rotund 36-year old rapper also claims that he’s not a star – arguably his most brazen delusion of the bunch. After all, empirical evidence exists to the contrary, with 5,000-plus fans cramming into Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre on Friday night to chant "Rozay" and mimic the Miamian’s trademark "Huhh" grunt.

Since transcending his short-lived 2009 feud with 50 Cent, Ross has become rap’s most popular artist outside of the Watch the Throne duo and the Young Money millionaires. Credit his ability to parlay a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man-sized persona (and build), gruff but nimble baritone and absurdist boasting into a 24-hour bacchanalia of Bugattis, Maybachs, Louis Vuitton luggage and lavish crustacean-filled feasts.

Meet the Bawse, the bizarro Springsteen, who identifies with the common man through his singular strain of South Beach surrealism. On "9 Piece," he boomed about selling dope on his iPhone. On "Aston Martin Music," he visualized a world of automatic weapons, sweet wine, and luxury goods only accessible to the 0.01 %. His gift is to make those aspirational ideals accessible; he is the avuncular villain inviting his fans to be "rich forever" and to "have a night they’ll remember for the rest of their lives."

A Rick Ross show in 2012 is part P.T. Barnum, part Biggie Smalls, part Scarface as directed by Brett Ratner. Clad in a USC letterman jacket, black jeans and Louis Vuitton sunglasses, the Bon Iver-bearded and barrel-chested rapper ran through an hour-long litany of his greatest hits amassed over the last six years. The bell-ringing braggadocio of "BMF" allowed even the most strait-laced squares to temporarily identify with the Black Mafia Life crime ring, while "Hustlin" had the first four rows so rowdy that you would have thought Ross had stage-dived.

Yet Ross leaves the rollicking live presence for the hip-house crowd. He barely moves onstage and his banter is minimal. In between songs and smoke breaks, he sticks to a few catch phrases: hooting out "Let’s blow some money," "Rozay!" and "Maybach Music" like a pull-string talking doll.

So white-hot is Ross’ star that he’s the rare rapper able to earn regular airplay amidst the R&B and pop-heavy numbers that dominate the top 40. His songs are slow-moving haymakers equipped with the power of a late-period George Foreman punch. And in a subtle nod to his current ubiquity, he opened with "Holy Ghost," a track released on last week’s free mixtape, Rich Forever.  A less confident artist might have opted for something more battle-tested, but Rawse is the anomalous artist capable of turning every verse into an event. Accordingly, his acolytes had memorized every word. Even if the audience has never spoken to the Holy Ghost in their Bugattis, these lean times allow everyone to empathize with Rozay’s claim that "being broke is the root of all evil."

Whereas Ross’ star was Betelgeuse-big enough to command his set with minor assistance, opener Busta Rhymes opted for aid in passing the Courvoisier. During his 40-minute set, the veteran New Yorker enlisted Chris Brown for "Look Me At Me Now," Snoop Dogg for "Drop It Like It’s Hot," and Swizz Beatz for "It’s Me Bitches."

Rapping with supernatural speed, the cameo killer ran through his estimable catalogue: "Whoo-Ha (Got You All In Check)," "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See," and his guest verses on "Scenario" and the "Ante Up Remix." In any other scenario, he would have stolen the show. But so centripetal is Ross’ pull and so strong is his gravity that he consumes all the oxygen in the room. After all, what other rapper could get more than 5,000 people to hang with the “Bawse” after the workweek is over?

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A Star Is Bawse: Rick Ross at the Nokia Theater

Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes & Eric Bellinger In Concert at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Depending on the circumstance or song, William Roberts II thinks he’s Rick Ross, Big Meech, Larry Hoover or MC Hammer. The rotund 36-year old rapper also claims that he’s not a star – arguably his most brazen delusion of the bunch. After all, empirical evidence exists to the contrary, with 5,000-plus fans cramming into Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre on Friday night to chant "Rozay" and mimic the Miamian’s trademark "Huhh" grunt.

Since transcending his short-lived 2009 feud with 50 Cent, Ross has become rap’s most popular artist outside of the Watch the Throne duo and the Young Money millionaires. Credit his ability to parlay a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man-sized persona (and build), gruff but nimble baritone and absurdist boasting into a 24-hour bacchanalia of Bugattis, Maybachs, Louis Vuitton luggage and lavish crustacean-filled feasts.

Meet the Bawse, the bizarro Springsteen, who identifies with the common man through his singular strain of South Beach surrealism. On "9 Piece," he boomed about selling dope on his iPhone. On "Aston Martin Music," he visualized a world of automatic weapons, sweet wine, and luxury goods only accessible to the 0.01 %. His gift is to make those aspirational ideals accessible; he is the avuncular villain inviting his fans to be "rich forever" and to "have a night they’ll remember for the rest of their lives."

A Rick Ross show in 2012 is part P.T. Barnum, part Biggie Smalls, part Scarface as directed by Brett Ratner. Clad in a USC letterman jacket, black jeans and Louis Vuitton sunglasses, the Bon Iver-bearded and barrel-chested rapper ran through an hour-long litany of his greatest hits amassed over the last six years. The bell-ringing braggadocio of "BMF" allowed even the most strait-laced squares to temporarily identify with the Black Mafia Life crime ring, while "Hustlin" had the first four rows so rowdy that you would have thought Ross had stage-dived.

Yet Ross leaves the rollicking live presence for the hip-house crowd. He barely moves onstage and his banter is minimal. In between songs and smoke breaks, he sticks to a few catch phrases: hooting out "Let’s blow some money," "Rozay!" and "Maybach Music" like a pull-string talking doll.

So white-hot is Ross’ star that he’s the rare rapper able to earn regular airplay amidst the R&B and pop-heavy numbers that dominate the top 40. His songs are slow-moving haymakers equipped with the power of a late-period George Foreman punch. And in a subtle nod to his current ubiquity, he opened with "Holy Ghost," a track released on last week’s free mixtape, Rich Forever.  A less confident artist might have opted for something more battle-tested, but Rawse is the anomalous artist capable of turning every verse into an event. Accordingly, his acolytes had memorized every word. Even if the audience has never spoken to the Holy Ghost in their Bugattis, these lean times allow everyone to empathize with Rozay’s claim that "being broke is the root of all evil."

Whereas Ross’ star was Betelgeuse-big enough to command his set with minor assistance, opener Busta Rhymes opted for aid in passing the Courvoisier. During his 40-minute set, the veteran New Yorker enlisted Chris Brown for "Look Me At Me Now," Snoop Dogg for "Drop It Like It’s Hot," and Swizz Beatz for "It’s Me Bitches."

Rapping with supernatural speed, the cameo killer ran through his estimable catalogue: "Whoo-Ha (Got You All In Check)," "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See," and his guest verses on "Scenario" and the "Ante Up Remix." In any other scenario, he would have stolen the show. But so centripetal is Ross’ pull and so strong is his gravity that he consumes all the oxygen in the room. After all, what other rapper could get more than 5,000 people to hang with the “Bawse” after the workweek is over?

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