1. "Dimebag" Darrell Abbot Killed Former Pantera and recent Damageplan guitarist was shot dead during a performance in Columbus, Ohio. A crazed fan eluded security, or the lack of, and made his way to the stage where he shot and killed four individuals, including Abbot. You don't have to be a fan of the heavy-metal guitarist to comprehend the implications of these events and his influence on heavy-metal music. Since the tragedy, concert security has been heightened across the country in efforts to deter a repeat happening.
2. The Grey Album Rising from obscurity to international stardom, DJ Dangermouse made a name for himself with his mashup of The Beatles' The White Album and Jay-Z's The Black Album. But the controversy doesn't stem from his selections in music, but rather his un-authorized sampling of The Beatles' tracks in coincidence with various beats from Jay-Z's album. Even with production of the album ceased, its distribution could not be stopped. It is the most heavily downloaded album in history, over a million downloads and still counting. Who needs Napster anyways?
3. Nirvana Boxset Released Better late than never; that is the old saying. With the Lights Out, is a collection of rare studio sessions, b-sides, covers, and home recordings that was originally compiled for a release to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Nevermind. But rather than give fans something that they desired, Courtney Love blocked its release and offered us a super awesome greatest hits album. Just what we wanted, a collection of songs we already own ... idiot. (Note: One rare outtake doesn't offset the lameness of the 'greatest hits' collection.)
4. Ashlee Simpson's SNL Blunder There are two types of pop music. There is pop music created by bands that write their own music and lyrics. These bands I may not like, but I can respect. Then there are the pop acts that have others write both music and lyrics for them. These people I detest with a passion. Ashlee Simpson, younger sister of spoiled-rotten TV star (notice I didn't say actress), is the latter. During her October 23rd appearance on Saturday Night Live, Simpson attempted to perform her second song of the night but engineers accidentally piped in the music and lead vocals to her first song. Needless to say, that was the funniest episode of SNL since Norm McDonald was forced to leave the cast.
5. Vote for Change Tour Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, REM, Bright Eyes and more took part in 34 shows in 28 cities in the "swing states" in an attempt to unseat President George W. Bush in this past year's election. And while they were unsuccessful in their effort to keep Bush from being re-elected, they brought an increased awareness of the influence of musicians and the importance of the youth vote. At least Bush can't get re-elected again, though he could declare himself dictator.
-Michael
Next: Top 5 Under the Radar!
