Breaking News! The performances at Isle of Wight festival are being recorded by instant music specialists Concert Live and turned into exclusive live CDs. This means that just moments after the band belt out their final notes, exclusive CDs of his gig will be available to take away.

CDs retail at £20.00 and, if you weren’t lucky enough to be there, CDs can be ordered at www.concertlive.co.uk and delivered directly to your door.

Don’t miss out on these fantastic collector’s items. Get yours now!

Check out this new Chrysler Commercial featuring, contemporary high-fashion menswear designer, John Varvatos. The music, The Stooges, “No Fun”. John’s Sirius XM radio show did a live broadcast of the Ron Asheton tribute show last April at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.

Join the Ron Asheton Foundation as a sponsor and The Humane Society of Huron Valley’s for a great time in the park with your favorite canine pal. The 32nd Annual Walk & Wag day includes a 1-mile walk, fun-filled performances, interactive games, contests, food, vendors, kids activities and more! All proceeds support HSHV programs and services for homeless animals in our community. Remember, it’s a short walk that goes miles and miles for our animals.

Iggy and the Stooges recently announced the following concerts:

10 September 2011
US, Las Vegas, The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

12 September 2011
US, San Francisco, The Warfield

13 September 2011
US, San Francisco, The Warfield

For a list of all concerts please see http://www.centraleuro.org/

Iggy and the Stooges recently announced the following concerts:

Date: August 26, 2011

France, Charleville Meziers, Eco Festival

http://www.cabaretvert.com/accueil.php

Date: September 7, 2011

US, Los Angeles, Hollywood Palladium

http://www.livenation.com/Iggy-and-the-Stooges-tickets/artist/1110389

Iggy & The Stooges – Raw Power Live: In The Hands Of The Fans 180 Gram Vinyl 12″ release. Now available in stores, or Buy online and also available on Itunes.

Vinyl document of the reformed Stooges’ (Iggy Pop, Scott Asheton, James Williamson, Steve Mackay, Mike Watt) “Raw Power” performance at All Tomorrow’s Parties in September 2010. A mind-blowing night for sure. Iggy and the band sound flawless as they rip through the archetype riffage of “Search and Destroy,” “Raw Power,” “Gimme Danger” and more. Punk rock, no doubt.

“Getting this top-notch performance of the entire Raw Power album by The Stooges realized a life long dream This shit really sizzles and we are so obviously a crack band in a class of our own.” – Iggy Pop

Look for the full concert release on DVD and Digital video later this year.  INTHEHANDSOFTHEFANS.COM

To get a free download of “Search & Destroy” MP3 plus 5 pictures from the concert here, go to
www.inthehandsofthefans.com and enter your email address to receive your MP3 and images.

This article was originally posted on MetroTimes.com. Apr 19, 2011, by: Brett Callwood.

Iggy Pop

That’s why he ignored convention and had a band from Ann Arbor teen center the Neutral Zone, amusingly called the Space-Age Toasters, open up the event with a short set of Stooges songs and that’s why he had Henry Rollins emcee the evening’s proceedings. No “regular” opening band would have been appropriate under the circumstances. The people were here in Ron Asheton’s home town to honor the great man by enjoying his music. The teen band didn’t let him down either, visibly enjoying every second and getting a standing ovation for their troubles. Surely they’ll be the coolest kids in class tomorrow, though Rollins was quick to point out that they’re on a road “upwards or to jail from here – scarred for life”.

Rollins did a great job too, summarizing Ron’s impact on the Stooges and rock ’n’ roll music in general with respect, enthusiasm, humor and a lot of emotion. Obviously nervous at first, the former Black Flag man warmed to his task as he went on and, by the time he arrived at the tale of introducing the Stooges’ music to a Sri Lankan teen, he was in full stride. There were a few teary eyes in the house when Scott Asheton, unaccustomed to public speaking, said a few words of thanks, notably to Iggy for making his brothers’ and his own dreams come true. “Have a good time and get naked,” he said, before having second thoughts and adding, “actually, the church lady might be here so that might not be a good idea.”

When the Stooges eventually appeared on stage it was without Iggy, and Rollins sang “I Got A Right” with James Williamson, Mike Watt and Scott Asheton. As Iggy said in that same interview last week, Rollins has been affectionately trying to blow him off stage for years and, though he was pumped up and did a great job, he really only managed to motivate Ig to the point that, when our man arrived on stage (with sax player Steve Mackay) for “Raw Power”, he was spinning like a Tasmanian devil.

The Stooges set that followed is something that won’t leave the memory in a hurry for those lucky enough to have been there. “Search And Destroy”, “Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell”, “Shake Appeal”, “Loose”, “Fun House”, “TV Eye”, “1969”, “Real Cool Time”, “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, a rarely aired “Open Up and Bleed” and a closing “No Fun” (and more) all fly by at lightning speed, with Radio Birdman guitarist Deniz Tek and a fucking orchestra joining the band from time to time.

Iggy and Ron weren’t the closest friends, but Iggy obviously held his band mate in the highest regard. When he and Williamson sat at the stage’s edge to play an acoustic song called “Ron’s Tune”, it was perhaps the most poignant moment of the evening, because it was visibly difficult for the singer. Williamson’s slide playing on that song, by the way, was absolutely beautiful.

This evening was all about celebrating Ron Asheton and the incredible music that he gifted us with. One suspects that Iggy’s claims of “just a gig” were fueled by the pressure of honoring his band mate in front of the guitarist’s friends and family. But thanks to Iggy and his Stooges (notably Williamson, whose playing was flawless all night), Rollins, Tek, the orchestra, the teen band, Kathy Asheton and the organizers, plus one enthusiastic crowd, this is a show for the history books.

all photos by David Dominick.

This article was originally posted on AnnArbor.com. Apr 20, 2011, by: Roger LeLievre.

From the looks of things, Ann Arbor and the Michigan Theater survived the punk rock bombast of genre pioneers Iggy and The Stooges Tuesday night in fine shape.

The group, fronted by former local Iggy Pop (known here during his high school days by his given name, James Osterberg Jr.) was in town to play a tribute concert for their former bandmate/Ann Arborite guitarist Ron Asheton, who died in 2009.

© Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Around 1,700 were on hand — a full house, according the Michigan Theater’s Executive Director Russ Collins, who said three times that many tickets could have been sold, demand was so high. “There’s definitely been a feeling of celebration for doing something good for a buddy that has passed on,” Collins added. The show was a benefit for local music and animal charities, including the Humane Society of Huron Valley.

The mood at the Michigan was definitely upbeat. The audience appeared to run the gamut of ages, from those obviously too young to know firsthand about the early days of punk to folks who clearly were there and wanted to relive some of the mayhem. There was plenty of black leather, though not so much else in the way of punk fashion. At times it looked a bit like a reunion; there was plenty of hugging and handshaking out in the lobby before the show began. If punk was meant to be angry, this crowd was the absolute opposite.

After the opening act, the outstanding, Stooges-inspired rock band Space Age Toasters, from Ann Arbor’s Neutral Zone teen center, Ron Asheton’s brother and bandmate Scott Asheton offered a few remarks, as did host Henry Rollins, who also has his roots in early punk rock. “Have fun, get naked if you want … God loves The Stooges,” Scott Asheton said. Rollins, his comments a mix of prose and poetry, called Ron Asheton “a young visionary” with a “pulverizing, fuzzed-out blues attack. Who knows where he got it, but he knew he was going somewhere with it.”

As expected, the shirtless Pop, poring sweat and guzzling from bottles of water, flung himself about the stage like a madman, writhed on the floor, threw open bottles of water out into the audience and dove off the stage (thankfully someone caught him) all with an impish grin that seemed to say, “Hey, I know what’s expected of me, and I love it!”

“Fifty felt like 20 tonight,” said clearly elated fan Elaine Roman. “This was like the old days.”

“The crowd was sincere and loving every minute of it,” Roman said, adding that she could feel the love in the room for Ron Asheton. “Without Ron, there wouldn’t have been The Stooges and I think Iggy knows that.”

Her friend Amy Garber agreed. “Iggy stage-dove, for God’s sake,” she said. “I thought it was wonderful. … (The show) was beyond expectations.”

“I thought (the show) was wonderful,” said Rob Utterback, a harpsichordist from Ann Arbor, who admitted to being unsure about what a harpsichordist sees in punk rock. “When I figure that out, I’ll tell you,” he finally allowed. “(I like) either 16th century music or some band with the word ‘puke’ in it.”

Security must have had a collective coronary when Pop invited the crowd to “get on stage and dance with The Stooges.” What looked like a couple of hundred people took advantage of the opportunity and rushed up front. It was a mob scene where pure anarchy seemed to reign, and it took a few minutes to clear the stage after that was done.

The show was LOUD. There were some 30 speakers aimed at the crowd, not including the onstage monitors. Raw power indeed.

Cameras were everywhere, thanks to a documentary being filmed on Iggy and The Stooges (director Jim Jarmusch was reportedly in the house), and the concert was broadcast live on XM satellite radio.

Just before the show ended, Pop sat down on the edge of the stage and reminisced about Asheton as he and guitarist James Williamson performed a special acoustic tribute song.

“I have to thank Ron for Iggy,” he said. “When I wanted to start a band, Ron was the first guy who would get behind me. … He had a gift, sort of a charm — his compositions were very simple but very memorable.”

Pop also expressed his appreciation to the audience, and Stooges’ fans in general. “Thanks for showing up … thanks for giving me a life,” he added.

The evening’s most surreal moment came when each of the band members was presented with a key to the city of Ann Arbor, an awfully establishment gesture aimed at a group that has prided itself on being anything but establishment. Iggy treated it with the gravity it deserved, grinning cheerfully as he mimed an obscene gesture with his microphone.

An after-party at the Necto nightclub, organized by Pop’s management, was attended by around 50 invited guests. One notable no-show: Iggy Pop.