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Pearl Jam cancels tour, citing "pressure'

 
Published June 27, 1995|Updated Oct. 4, 2005

The on-again, off-again Pearl Jam tour is off again. After performing only four full concerts, the Seattle band has announced it will not finish the much-ballyhooed Ticketmaster-less tour it began June 16 in Casper, Wyo. Ten dates remained on the group's 15-concert itinerary. The official reason: the "pressure" of trying to pull together a tour that utilized alternative venues and ticketing. The announcement Sunday came a day after singer Eddie Vedder, suffering from severe stomach flu, walked off stage at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park after seven songs. Neil Young, 49, who teamed with Pearl Jam to record his new solo album, Mirror Ball (due out today), took Vedder's place and performed with the band for nearly 90 minutes. Late Monday afternoon, there were indications that Pearl Jam might change its mind yet again. According to the Los Angeles Times, an insider backstage in San Francisco on Sunday said the band felt that the stress of mounting an alternative tour "would ultimately destroy the band if not dealt with."

Culkin caught between feuding parents

Child star Macaulay Culkin will remain in the joint custody of both of his parents until a full court hearing in September determines the fate of Macaulay and five of his siblings, a judge ruled Monday. Culkin's mother, Patricia Brentrup, was given temporary custody of the children last week, after telling New York Supreme Court Justice David B. Saxe that the children's father had threatened to destroy their movie careers. But lawyers for the father, Christopher "Kit" Culkin, Monday assured the judge that the children's movie deals were being honored, and Saxe restored joint custody. The custody hearing, scheduled for Sept. 14, comes after the bitter breakup of the 20-year relationship between Culkin and Brentrup, who had seven children together but never married.

In other news . . .

The Hampton (Va.) Jazz Festival ended on a surprise, and angry for many, note Sunday when R&B singer Barry White canceled his appearance at the last minute. After the 5 p.m. announcement, made more than two hours into the last day of the festival, the normally sedate audience erupted in a thunderous chorus of "boos." Hundreds rushed from their seats to line up at the box office for refunds. For his part, White complained of an exhaustive tour schedule and was feeling ill. Through a spokesman, he apologized and said it was the first time he had canceled on the day of a performance. According to a spokeswoman for White's record company, A&M, plans still are on for him to perform Thursday night at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa.

Michael Jackson's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I album may not have set sales history, but the two-disc package appears to have done robust business during its first week in the stores. Estimates from various retailers Monday suggest the album sold at least 375,000 and possibly as much as 470,000. Exact figures won't be known until they are released Wednesday by SoundScan, which monitors U.S. record sales.

David Letterman will be invading Jay Leno's home turf again when the Broadway-based late-night host moves his CBS Late Show to Los Angeles for a week's worth of broadcasts in November, a sweeps month (used by stations to set ad rates).

The 10th anniversary of Live Aid is July 13. Music network VH1 will rebroadcast the entire concert on July 15.

Fox Broadcasting has picked up the action-adventure series Sliders as a mid-season replacement. After a run this spring, it returned to Fox in reruns on Sunday. The network also will return The Great Defender with original episodes starting July 10.

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