Beastie Boy Yauch Has Cancer; Group Cancels Dates

Keith Elam of Gang Starr was also celebrated solo artist

(NEWSER) - Keith Elam, who performed as Guru with the high-profile hip-hop duo Gang Starr, died yesterday. He was 43 and had been battling cancer. Although Guru was from Boston and partner DJ Premier from Houston, Gang Starr played a high-profile role on the New York underground rap scene of the '90s. Guru recorded with Gang Starr from its founding in 1987 into the 2000s even as he established a solo career with his Jazzmatazz series of albums, MTV reports. More»

But the Beastie Boys should get in soon; Alice Cooper not so much

(NEWSER) - Five artists enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight—the Hollies, the Stooges, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis, and, no kidding, ABBA—but as always "it seems like whoever gets anointed, or shunned, generates more controversy than the abortion debate and the death penalty combined," writes Jim Farber in the New York Daily News . He looks at the top 40 "bridesmaids at the HOF wedding" and predicts their induction likelihood on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 meaning "should be ushered in relatively soon":

• Beastie Boys, 1: "Voters love" the "innovative hip-hop act."

Big-name acts, up-and-comers see modest rise in attendance

(NEWSER) - Concert tours remained surprisingly strong this year despite the weak economy, with slightly more people heading out to see their favorite acts than in 2008. Gross revenue held steady at $1 billion for the period from May 1 to Sept. 1, matching earnings a year earlier. Big-name acts like Kenny Chesney, the Dave Matthews Band, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, and Coldplay all enjoyed strong tours. More»

Lady Gaga talks new album The Fame Monster and The Monster Ball concerts

(NEWSER) - Lady Gaga's upcoming tour is more than just a series of concerts—it's a pop-electro opera, "a truly artistic experience that is going to take the form of the greatest post-apocalyptic house party that you've ever been to," she tells Rolling Stone. The Monster Ball launches Nov. 27, four days after the release of The Fame Monster, an album she says is "much more personal" than her last. More»

Bono and the boys talk pop stardom, expansive tour with Rolling Stone

(NEWSER) - Rolling Stone goes behind the scenes—and tags along in a private jet—for its cover story on the U2360° Tour (aka “the biggest rock tour of all time”), which is comprised of a 170-ton stage carted around by 200 trucks, 250 speakers, almost 400 employees—and $750,000 a day in overhead costs. The band is eager to “engage and try and do something different,” says Edge. More»