Hop On The Bus Gus:

For the third consecutive year, U2 conquered American touring sales via Billboard‘s annual recording of such sales, grossing $293,281,487 with their record-breaking 360-degree Tour. Comparatively, runner-up Bon Jovi raked in about a million less with 24 more dates than the Irish balladeers, at 68. Let’s brake this down, for how much these dudes make in a night on average. U2, with 44 sold-out shows, raked in $6,665,488.34 per gig. There are a lot of people to pay out, of course, like the creators of the band’s giant claw thing. But still, let this be another reminder that record sales mean nothing. Mind you, these figures are just for America.

 

 

Get Back In The Van Halen:

The original glam-metal rockers in all their original David Lee Roth reunion glory have posted a cheeky video on their website announcing a 2012 tour, with tickets available starting January 10th. This marks the first tour since the band’s re-appropriation of Roth in 2007. But more importantly, on the heels of a deal with Interscope this past year, possibly the first live statements of a new Van Halen record with Roth since 1984. All of this boiling down to another reason to jump, dear Van Halen fans.

 

 

Stand & Deliver:

Late 70s post-punk warrior Adam Ant, from such anthemic Kinks-meets-Sex Pistols cuts as “Stand & Deliver” and “Prince Charming,” is back after a 15-year hiatus, readying solo effort Adam Ant is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter, reports NME, seeding additional recording deets about collaborations with longtime songwriting partner Marco Pirroni, and a quote from Ant dubbing the record a “kind of concept. It’s a very old fashioned, old school, step-by-step album.” Scoop a 40-second tease of a crunchy demo “Hard Men, Tough Blokes” from the project on Ant’s website.

 

 

LMFAO: 

Team SPIN put together an infectious roundup of viral music vids this year, from the mashup of the already viral Thom Yorke “Lotus Flower” seizure-dance that some crafty ‘puter-slinger threaded Beyonce‘s “Single Ladies” with, to the head-banging geniusry of Vegan Black Metal Chef, teaching for those about to eat things like, “First it starts with sugar/A whole fuuuuuckinggg loooottt!” And of course, how could we forget Rebecca Black’s love affair with “Friday.” Like and share, like and share. Fun, fun, fun, fun.

 

 

Lyricapsule:

Motown starlets The Supremes hit the The Ed Sullivan Show on this winter’s day in 1964, performing sweetheart finger-snapper “Come See About Me.” Who sees about people anymore? Diana Ross still does, of which she’ll coincidentally be honored at the 2012 Grammy Awards for, receiving a Lifetime Achievement nod. But more importantly, dig on her head-bobble here. It should be trademarked, trailing a wide-eyed “See about your baby.”