Jesse Helms, The US Senate's most outspoken proponent of artistic censorship, reportedly attended a U2 concert as a special guest of Bono in Washington DC with his grandchildren according to ArrowFM.com. Helms said of the show "It was filled to the gills, and people were moving back and forth like corn in the breeze. They had the crowd going wild. When Bono shook his hips, that crowd shook their hips."

Pop-Punk icon Billy Idol is set to start a summer tour in support of his Greatest Hits and upcoming studio album. VH1.com reports that Idol will feature acoustic versions of many familiar tunes as well as fired up renditions of the biggest Idol hits like "Rebel Yell," "Dancing With Myself" and "Eyes Without A Face." For those who just can't get enough of the spikey haired rocker, Idol shot a VH1 "Storytellers" episode in which he and flamboyant guitarist Steve Stevens restyled many of the better Idol songs. The VH1 show is set to air sometime this summer. Steve Stevens has a 5.1 DVD-Audio disc released by DTS and that will be reviewed here on AudioRevolution.com in the coming month.

Guitar Icon Eric Clapton announced in a Rolling Stone interview that his world tour for his latest album, Reptile, will be his last. Clapton has two more records left on his deal with Warner Brothers and has said that he will continue recording and playing "the odd theater."

Touring in support of their Platinum album White Pony, Maverick Recording artist Deftones are hitting the road this summer for an eight-week U.S. tour co-headlining with Godsmack. The tour kicks off in mid-July up in the Pacific Northwest, and will have Deftones playing some forty-two dates at outdoor amphitheatres across America before they wrap up just after Labor Day. Dubbed one of the hardest-touring bands in the music business, Deftones have already logged some 150 dates since last summer’s release of the album.

Blues Traveler has made a few lineup changes and their sound may be a bit different now, but expect to hear some of their patented extended jam sessions on their 2001 spring tour. The tour is to support their forthcoming album Bridge. This record chronicles the rebirth of a band that some people might have assumed was on the verge of fading away just a year ago. Bridge was produced by Matt Wallace and hits store shelves Tuesday, May 8, 2001.