This month has produced more twists and turns in the saga that is Guns-n-Roses than Joan Rivers has had plastic surgery…

Here’s the article from the LA Times about Front Line Management’s Lawsuit:

Front Line Management is suing Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose for about $1.8 million in management commissions Front Line claims the singer owes for recent performances across Asia, Canada and South America.

Front Line Management is suing Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose for about $1.8 million in management commissions Front Line claims the singer owes for recent performances across Asia, Canada and South America.

Front Line’s suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, states that around August 2008 the company entered into an oral agreement to represent Rose as his personal manager, and that the company has not been paid the 15% commission that Rose agreed to pay stemming from performances that grossed nearly $12.5 million.

Rose could not be reached immediately for comment.

A Front Line spokesman said Thursday that the filing “speaks for itself” and company officials would have no further comment.

Front Line is the heavyweight management firm headed by industry veteran Irving Azoff, who also is executive chairman of Live Nation Entertainment, the new industry giant created by the recent merger of the Ticketmaster ticketing firm and the Live Nation concert promotion and facility management company.

One would think it’s pretty cut and dried… well in the world of Axl Rose, nothing is really cut and dried as this article from TMZ shows:

Rose just filed a counter suit against Azoff — his former manager — claiming Azoff tried to strong-arm Rose into a reunion tour with the original members of GNR. When Rose nixed the idea on the heels of the Chinese Democracy tour last year, Azoff did everything he could to screw Axl … so he claims.

Among other things, Rose claims Azoff tried “devising and implementing a secret plan to set up Rose and the band for failure so that Rose would have no choice but to reunite with the original Guns N’ Roses’ members.”

Rose believes Azoff was so vicious he even used Axl’s childhood name — something that carries heavy emotional baggage — when he filed the initial lawsuit for commissions. Rose says the name William Bailey “carries significant emotional damage from Rose’s childhood” and that Azoff knew it because of numerous personal and confidential conversations.

Rose is countersuing for $5 mil minimum.

UPDATE: The gloves are off! Azoff just took a shot at Axl by releasing the following statement: “On advice of counsel I cannot respond at this time, but will discuss in my upcoming book, ‘My Life with William Bill Bailey.’”

I’d be suing old band mates and manager’s too if my name was Bill Bill Bailey!!!

Well it has been just over a week since the big party and what a week it was.

With the media climbing all over us for “the destruction” of Liberty Memorial.

For the record it looks good out there.

Yes there was mud and some grass was smashed down but that happens every year.

And yes we do fix it every year!

I would say that since we have taken Rockfest back out to Liberty Memorial we have made the park a better place.

Yes it will cost a few bucks to re-seed but I cant imagine a better place to have Rockfest.

Rockfest has always been a show for you and the cash we can give to the Liberty Memorial is just a added bonus.

On a side note if you have never had a chance to go check out the museum there at the Memorial you really should.

I am a bit of a history nerd and would say it is put together really well.

It is one of the best I have been to!

So once again thank you very much for coming out to Rockfest, I hope you have made your full recovery, and are ready to do it again next year!

M

I got this e-mail from someone out at Rockfest.  You silly bastards are always coming up with new ways to make Rockfest more and more fun every year!!!  Check out this video…..

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who came out to Rockfest this year even though the weather didn’t quite want to cooperate (although I think you actually enjoyed that more!!!) A HUGE thanks as always to the folks at Liberty Memorial for opening their grounds and allowing us to have the show there. If you have never been to the museum at the base of the memorial, make it a point to go check it out…it is spectacular!!!

I’m sure you’ve heard the flack that Park and Recreation Commissioner Aggie Stackhaus has said about the conditions of the grounds following the event but, as promised, here is the statement released by Mayor Funkhouser:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2010

Parks are for people, and on a rainy Saturday, Penn Valley Park was used by 55,000 Kansas City area residents and out-of-town visitors.

I think we should celebrate that kind of success, not condemn it. Keeping people out of our parks makes no sense to me.

My office has received a substantial number of calls and emails regarding Parks and Recreation Commissioner Aggie Stackhaus’ comments about last weekend’s Rockfest event. Most of the residents who have contacted us are disappointed in Commissioner Stackhaus’ comments about the participant’s manners, and her statement that the event should not return to Penn Valley Park.

Rockfest is a Kansas City spring institution. Like The Brookside Art Fair and the Zona Rosa Easter Parade, it is something that a significant segment of our residents look forward to every year. Community events give us a sense of place. They give us a reason to call Kansas City home.

I fully support Rockfest as one of those events. I support the young men and women who see Rockfest as an anchor for their community. Kansas City needs more fun and entertaining events.

Crowded parks, mixed with an all-day rain, are bound to cause serious landscaping issues no matter what the event. Those issues went even further due to the exuberance of the crowd. But outside of having some fun in the mud, the crowd is reported to have been very peaceful.

The bottom line is that grass will grow again. But residents driven away by overzealous comments may not return.

It is my understanding that AEG-Live has the responsibility to fix the issues caused last weekend, and that they already are moving in that direction and plan to have new seed or sod down soon. I will make sure that the city holds them to that commitment.

I, for one, hope that Rockfest continues to grace the Liberty Memorial and Penn Valley Park for years to come. And to show my support, I have joined the Facebook Petition to Keep Rockfest at Liberty Memorial.

Mayor Funkhouser, we thank you for your support!!

Since my mind’s cleared up a bit and my body isn’t nearly as sore and mangled as I’ve been the last couple days, a few days after Rockfest, I decided to share with you a couple few of my favorite memories from this year “Party in the Park”.

First, for me, even before the rain and mud is the fact I worked this year’s party. If you recall I had been downsized prior to last year’s Rockfest due to corporate wide budget cuts that went down across the country. To be part of this years, working, felt soooo good!!!

The mud and rain were ridiculous, no doubt. What amazed me and always amazes me about you guys is how well all get along. Not to say that when you get 55,000 people together you won’t get a some people who don’t care much for each other. But the reality is that everyone gets along and knows why they’re their… TO ROCK!

Laughed my ass off when Taddy Porter’s front man said, “Wanna give a shout out to Ninety Eight Point Six!” Yeah… the natives did not like that and I was for certain were about to riot. He quickly realized the error of his way and corrected himself. The fans took note and didn’t pillage the stage.

How about 7 mosh pits during Drowning Pool’s Bodies!!

Of all the interviews I did my favorite was with Rev Theory. We had a blast and I’m certain Ty saved our asses in the studio by hitting the dump button when Matty dropped an F bomb!

My interview with Sully and Shannon, from Godsmack, was hysterical in the fact that Sully clearly didn’t wanna be there. I understand. You’re tired and it’s raining and your iPhone is obviously more exciting than I! But what I loved most about it was asking him point blank, with my final question while sporting my NY ball cap, “How does it feel to know you were just interviewed by a Yankee fan?” Sully looked up at me and said, “I can’t look at you bro! That’s why I’m not even talking to you!” Then he took off his headphones and got up from the table. Needless to say, we didn’t take a photo together. (If ya don’t know, Sully’s a Boston Fan. Ha!!)

I’d hoped to watch the fireworks from my rooftop loft, but didn’t make it home in time and had to catch them while standing in front of the doors to Union Station.

Again, thanks sooo much to all of you who came, saw, conquered and ROCKED!

See ya again next year!

Latest news from the Mayor’s Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2010

Parks are for people, and on a rainy Saturday, Penn Valley Park was used by 55,000 Kansas City area residents and out-of-town visitors.

I think we should celebrate that kind of success, not condemn it. Keeping people out of our parks makes no sense to me.

My office has received a substantial number of calls and emails regarding Parks and Recreation Commissioner Aggie Stackhaus’ comments about last weekend’s Rockfest event. Most of the residents who have contacted us are disappointed in Commissioner Stackhaus’ comments about the participant’s manners, and her statement that the event should not return to Penn Valley Park.

Rockfest is a Kansas City spring institution. Like The Brookside Art Fair and the Zona Rosa Easter Parade, it is something that a significant segment of our residents look forward to every year. Community events give us a sense of place. They give us a reason to call Kansas City home.

I fully support Rockfest as one of those events. I support the young men and women who see Rockfest as an anchor for their community. Kansas City needs more fun and entertaining events.

Crowded parks, mixed with an all-day rain, are bound to cause serious landscaping issues no matter what the event. Those issues went even further due to the exuberance of the crowd. But outside of having some fun in the mud, the crowd is reported to have been very peaceful.

The bottom line is that grass will grow again. But residents driven away by overzealous comments may not return.

It is my understanding that AEG-Live has the responsibility to fix the issues caused last weekend, and that they already are moving in that direction and plan to have new seed or sod down soon. I will make sure that the city holds them to that commitment.

I, for one, hope that Rockfest continues to grace the Liberty Memorial and Penn Valley Park for years to come. And to show my support, I have joined the Facebook Petition to Keep Rockfest at Liberty Memorial. http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=122660207754171&ref=mf

For more information contact Kendrick Blackwood in Mayor Funkhouser’s office: 816-513-3513, kendrick_blackwood@kcmo.org.

Well Saturday started out kind of sketchy.

It was raining fairly hard and the temp was not what I would consider warm to say the least.

But we did it!
Rockfest 2010 is now in the books and I had a blast.

I was cold, muddy, and soaked to the bone but I really think I had more fun at this one than any other Rockfest to date.

I love it all.

The mudslides and wrestling!

I did see at one point a guy in the pit accidentally drop his pants because of all the mud and then  he himself hit the ground.

Everyone stopped for a second picked up the guy and helped him get his pants back up then got back to the mosh! (lets face it you really don’t want to slam into a guy with his pants down around his ankles)

And the bands were killer.

From Taddy Porter to Godsmack!
There were a few stand out moments for me.

Lizzy coming on stage with Seether to do “Broken” the drum solo during Godsmack, the look on the lead singers face of Taddy Porter as he came out to open the show and saw all of you there (priceless).

The list goes on and on but I will not bore you with a bunch of words.

You were there!
Thank you so much!
Lets do it again!
M

So this weekend was a blast.

A friend of mine who is a film maker invited me to be in his new zombie flick called Final Stand.

After about a fourth of a second thinking on it I seaid HELL YEAH!
I had never been in a movie before and from the actual shooting to the make up it was a blast!

Not to give away too much of the story but I was a zombie!
And I think a damn good one at that!

I have one scene where I am pinned by a truck and it was insane to shoot!
Cant wait to see it when it is all put together!
Not sure on the when it will be done editing but will let you know when I do!
We will grab some popcorn and a few brains and check it out!
Till next time!

M

Twelve days from now we will be tearing it up at Rockfest.

I just hope that you are as ready as I am.

Rockfest to me has really become a lot like Christmas to me.

It seems that I start looking for hints and clues around the first of the year.

Now here it is just days away.

Lots of questions coming in as far as times for the bands on stage and at the autograph booth.

Jump over to the Rockfest page for all of those details.

Talked to Bob this morning and found out that the hotel packages are SOLD OUT and that the tickets are getting close.

I don’t need to tell you this but get your tickets as soon as you can.

All of your friends are going to be there and it just would not be the same if you did not make it!

Till next time!
See you in twelve days!
M