Tuesday Rock Roundup

Rush have announced the 2008 leg of their Snakes and Arrows tour. It will start with their first ever appearance in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 11th and will hit over 45 cities throughout the US and Canada. Included on this tour are Moline IL on May 20th, Chicago on June 9th (ahem), and Noblesville IN on June 25th (ahem ahem) just three days after my (ahem ahem ahem) birthday. A Snakes and Arrows live C-D will be released in April, continuing their elder-statesmen habit of putting out live product after every album now. Which is fine with me, because I like eventually having seventy versions of Tom Sawyer...

The rumors about Bob Seger touring this summer are true. Grand Funk Railroad drummer Don Brewer, who was on Seger's 2006-2007 Face the Promise tour, tells us he was asked if he would be available for a summer tour, but he had to take a pass because he is on tour with Grand Funk. And some new Seger music may make it to stores this year, but nothing has been confirmed.

Wolfie's gonna miss some more school. Van Halen starts the second leg of their reunion tour with David Lee Roth tonight in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with dates through April 4th in Milwaukee. The first leg ran from September through the end of December with 36 shows in 30 cities. This time out they are scheduled to do 34 shows in 32 cities, with repeat visits to three cities from the first leg, including Chicago. Given that they did the same show every night on the first leg, one would hope they would change it up in the towns where they've already played. But the good news is, yes, they're coming back to Chicago, April 3rd.

Def Leppard has set March 18th as the release date for their new album, Songs From the Sparkle Lounge. The first single is "Nine Lives," featuring a guest appearance by country singer Tim McGraw. The acts first got together in 2006 when McGraw joined Leppard on stage in Los Angeles.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have just announced that they'll play an August 30th show at the Roadhouse at the Lakefront in Milwaukee to help Harley Davidson celebrate its 105th anniversary. Springsteen's a Harley Rider. The band will make 60-thousand general admission seats available for this show. Other acts at the four-day event -- which runs August 28th through the 31st -- include Z-Z Top, the Black Crowes, Buddy Guy and Foghat.

Meat Loaf, who was forced to cancel his European shows last November due to a cyst on his vocal cords, briefly took to the stage at this past weekend's Bob Hope P-G-A golf tournament in Palm Springs, California. Rock and a Hard Place, the game show Meat Loaf is hosting on Direct T-V, premieres tomorrow.

U2 was in Park City, Utah Saturday for the premiere of a new concert film, U2 3D, at the Sundance Film Festival. Bono admitted that "It's kind of horrific" to see the band in 3-D. "It's bad enough on a small screen. Now you get to see the lard arse 40-foot tall." The film was shot in South America during their 2005-2006 Vertigo tour. It will open in theaters in 30 cities Wednesday.

Ringo Starr will be making quite a few T-V appearances this week to promote his new album, Liverpool 8. Last Night he was on Letterman, this morning he'll be on Regis and Kelly, and on Thursday he'll be back on CBS to do four songs on the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, which Letterman produces. In addition to the title track, he'll also do "Photograph," and from The Beatles he'll play "Boys" and "With a Little Help From My Friends." He'll be joined by Dave Stewart, who co-wrote "Liverpool 8." Ringo will, by the way, hit the road this summer with another All-Starr Band. He hasn't announced who'll be in the group, but he always puts together a great lineup. His last All-Starr Band tour was in 2006.

Paul McCartney has been in the news a lot lately -- for everything from his impending divorce to allegedly having heart surgery. He's decided to set the record straight about his health in a post on his website. He writes, "There is one report that is causing concern amongst many friends of mine, which was a recent report about a heart operation that I was supposed to have had... What happened was, over a year ago during a routine medical examination, there was a minor irregularity which I needed to have tests for and which I have now been assured is completely fine. The media have only just recently reported an exaggerated version of this and that is why people have been asking me if I am okay... As usual the media have completely distorted the story, calling it an angioplasty, which is entirely untrue... I feel great and I have passed my most recent medical with flying colors."

Bob Dylan will tour Central and South America starting on February 26th in Mexico City, with dates through March 20th in Uruguay. They won't have any idea what he's saying for TWO reasons...

Triumph will reunite in June for the Sweden Rock Festival. This will be the first performance of the original line-up -- Rik Emmett, Gil Moore, and Mike Levine -- since 1988.

NEW IN STORES TODAY:

Robin Trower/Jack Bruce Seven Moons CD
Reissue of Emerson Lake And Palmer's Works Vol. I & II
The Game Plan DVD starring The Rock
Saw IV DVD
Sydney White DVD starring Amanda Bynes for the kids
Hawaii Five-O - The Third Season DVD
Thunderbirds - Anniversary Collector's Edition Megaset