The David Cook Interview

 

"We played in St. Louis the other night, and while I was walking to the stage, I got three ass grabs in a row..." CRAVE MORE ASS GRAB? GRAB ONTO THIS INTERVIEW!

Questions for David Cook?

 

American Idol champ David Cook is coming to St. Pete's illustrious Mahaffey Theater on Nov. 27. (TICKETS) I'll be there with a swollen post-Thanksgiving belly, trying to make pretty word magic. But before all that, I get to chat with Cook this Thursday. I've already been berated by coworkers hoping to get close to the 26-year-old singer, who is admittedly one cool dude under pressure. If you're also a fan, let's hear it:

QUESTIONS FOR DAVID COOK?
 

Taylor Swift to play St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa on March 4, 2010

 

Taylor Swift -- the sly Nashville siren who has the uncanny ability to make smart men do dumbass things (see West, Kanye and Schnitt, Todd "MJ") -- is bringing her superpowers to Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum on March 4, 2010. She'll be joined by BFF Kellie Pickler and Gloriana. Tickets go on sale Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. Go to ticketmaster.com for more info. In related Swift news, she'll host Saturday Night Live on Nov. 7. I'll bet you a fat wad of cash they get Kanye to appear, too. Oh, the hijinks that will ensue...

Questions for...C-3P0?

The Stuck in the '80s team of Daly and Spears will be chatting up Anthony Daniels aka C-3PO on Thursday. How cool is that? Eat it up, nerds!

On Nov. 1, at the St. Pete Times Forum, a multimedia 'splosion called "Star Wars: In Concert" will combine an 86-piece symphony, a three-story hi-def video screen showing "the saga" plus narration by Daniels. For tickets and a totally dorktastic preview, go to http://starwarsinconcert.com/.

So...WHO HAS QUESTIONS FOR C-3P0?  

Metalhead Mama to meet Metallica tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa

Hey gang, Metallica's reps at Warner Bros. confirmed yesterday that James Hetfield and the boys would like to meet-and-greet 85-year-old fan Margaret Priebe -- aka the Internet's newest viral sensation! -- backstage tonight. How cool is that? Hopefully, I can sneak backstage too and watch the whole thing go down. Here's the latest update...

DALY TV: A sneak peek of my KISS interview

Despite the fact that (1) I'm swinging my arms like an orangutan in a suit and (2) I refuse to SHUT THE [BLEEP] UP, here's a quick look at my KISS interview. The full segment will run a little later. In my defense, this was my first "satellite" interview for TV and I obviously have a lot to learn. But jeez, I have the posture and body control of Rodney Dangerfield! When I eventually finish my wheezy 8-minute question, Paul Stanley has a pretty good answer as to why kids today are enamored with classic rock. WATCH THIS.

KISS plays the St. Pete Times Forum on Oct. 21. (TICKETS.) The band's first new album in 11 years, the retro-rocking Sonic Boom, comes out Oct. 6. Here's first single Modern Day Delilah. 

Tampa Bay's Must-See Fall Concerts: Shooter Jennings, U2, Metallica & more

Who will make your ears bleed faster: Metallica or Miley Cyrus? Who will wear more makeup: KISS or the Killers? Who will be happier: people who see David Foster & Friends or people who get a root canal? There are myriad questions looming over this stuffed fall concert season. (For instance, will Shooter Jennings, above, ever send me another bottle of Wild Turkey?) But there are five things we know for sure, and that’s the must-see shows coming to Tampa Bay. READ ON.

Beach Boys' Mike Love remembers 'Warmth of the Sun' (band plays Trop on Saturday)

Somewhere along history's fault lines -- or at least between the sheets of Brian Wilson's troubled bed -- the Beach Boys went from progenitors of pop music to mothball-scented nostalgists creaking up the corndog circuit. Much of the blame goes to Mike Love, the sole original member still touring under the shingle. A conference call with the controversial Love didn't exactly change my mind on this; but he did shake loose the Beach Boys from a negative place in my head. (Wouldn't It Be Nice = perfection.) The band plays the postgame show at Tropicana Field on Saturday. (TICKETS) As a preview of that, HERE'S A COLUMN on my recent chat with Love.

Questions for Nils Lofgren?

The Boss & Co. are coming to Tampa's Ford Amp on Saturday, Sept. 12. (TICKETS) And although Bruce isn't knocking on my office door, his E Streeters are. The last time the tour blew through town (well, not counting their halftime shenanigans at the Super Bowl), I interviewed the Big Man Clarence Clemons. This time, I have my tape recorder aimed at Nils Lofgren, who just might be the best musician in the band. (When I saw the show in 2008 -- the first show after the death of Danny Federici -- Lofgren's solo on Because the Night was flat-out incendiary, maybe the best guitar theatrics I've ever seen live.) Anyway, I know I have a lot of Backstreeters out there in Pop Life Land, so here's your chance:

QUESTIONS FOR NILS LOFGREN?

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

Hit Man David Foster brings Peter Cetera, Michael Johns, Philip Bailey to Tampa Oct. 30

If you hate Celine Dion -- or Josh Groban or Michael Buble or the latter work of one Babs Streisand -- you might as well hate David Foster, too. After all, he's their producer of choice. When it comes to entertaining my Aunt Shirley, the 15-time Grammy winner is a genius. I, however, am a little more critical of the ubiquitous Canadian schmaltzmaster, a guy who could shoehorn a synthetic string section into a Metallica tune. Maybe I'm just mad because his hair is somehow better than mine. Or maybe I'm just surly because Foster was the producer who took Whitney Houston and a sweet old song by Dolly Parton -- and turned the gentle, nuanced I Will Always Love You into a bombastic pop-cultural caterwaul.

Foster is brining his weepy chops to Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum on Oct. 30. (TICKETS) Because he's better at producing and composing than singing, he'll be joined by Chicago's Peter Cetera, American Idol's Michael Johns and the great Philip Bailey from Earth, Wind & Fire. You'll get all the Celine Dion hits Foster has produced -- performed, that is, by someone else (although they are promising "surprises" at every stop, and this guy has a ton of bold-faced pals, so you never know). I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy anything by Foster. So to make Aunt Shirley love me again, here are...

5 DAVID FOSTER SONGS THAT DON'T TOTALLY BLOW 
1. After the Love Has Gone, Earth Wind & Fire
2. Hard to Say I'm Sorry, Chicago
(Okay, it gets a little dicey from here on in...)
3. Love Theme From St. Elmo's Fire, David Foster
4. The Best of Me, Olivia Newton-John & David Foster
5. Love Me Tomorrow, Chicago