MUSIC NEWS: THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015
U2'S TOUR MANAGER DIES
Bono says Dennis Sheehan was more than a tour manager -- he was a member of the U2 family. The band is mourning the loss of their longtime aide. Sheehan died yesterday morning at a hotel in West Hollywood, California. Authorities responded to a call for a man whose heart had stopped beating -- and Sheehan was pronounced dead at the scene. Sheehan has managed U2's tours for more than three decades. His death came hours after the band performed at The Forum in Inglewood, California. It was the first of what were five scheduled shows in the L-A area.
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U2 TOUR WOES
Even before yesterday's sudden death of U2's longtime tour manager, there have been problems affecting the band. Last year, frontman Bono (BAHN'-oh) was seriously injured in a bike crash in New York's Central Park. He had a number of injuries, including fractures to his left eye socket, shoulder blade and left elbow -- and required surgery to repair some of the damage. At an earlier stop on the tour, The Edge fell off a stage during a show in Canada. That tumble was much less serious -- and later the guitarist joked about it. And last year, the band was criticized for releasing its album "Songs of Innocence" for free through iTunes.
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B.B. KING PROCESSIONAL
One Memphis native called it "a great tribute to a wonderful contributor to the world of music." Thousands turned out for a farewell to B-B King yesterday. A Dixieland jazz band walked ahead of a slow-moving black hearse carrying the body of the blues legend -- and thousands of people marched behind. A musician carried one of King's signature guitars, which he affectionately called "Lucille." The procession made its way down Beale Street -- and eventually on to a road named for King. Next his body will be taken to Indianola, Mississippi, which King considered his hometown, for his funeral on Saturday. King died two weeks ago today.
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SNOOP DOGG: THE DOGG-GRANDFATHER?
Admit it. If you were around for the first part of Snoop Dogg's career, it would be hard to imagine that him growing old and becoming a grandfather. But that's what happened -- and Snoop says he's loving it. He says now that he's older, he looks forward to playing with his grands and doing other "boring" stuff with the youngsters -- stuff he says they won't appreciate until they're older. Snoop just became a granddad in January.
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AC/DC-ROGER FEDERER
Tennis star Roger Federer has twice seen AC/DC in concert. And now a member of the rock group has returned the "serve." Guitarist Angus Young sat in the presidential box at the French Open in Paris. The crowd cheered Young -- and he responded with a wave to the audience and to the tennis star. Federer had a star appearance of his own, winning his second-round match yesterday. Federer says it was "a real pleasure" to have Young on hand.
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