Foo Fighters Performing at BlizzCon

FOO FIGHTERS HEADLINING BLIZZCON
So you thought Kanye West performing at the Call of Duty XP was a little off? Well, BlizzCon just pulled out its piéce de résistance by announcing Foo Fighters will headline the closing event of the two-day convention. BlizzCon, held Oct. 21 and 22 at the Anaheim Convention Center, is already sold out, but megafans can watch the whole thing at home by ordering a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, which features live coverage of the event (including Foo Fighters' performance) over the Internet and on DIRECTV® here in the United States. True to form, front man Dave Grohl had something cheeky to say: "We're pretty sure that in the future, music historians will look back at BlizzCon 2011 as the unquestionable pinnacle of Foo Fighters' long and illustrious career." A BlizzCon Virtual Ticket is available for $39.99 via www.blizzcon.com/live-stream. From a Sept. 29 Heard Mentality blog post.

WORLD FAMOUS WORLD FAMOUS VIP RECORDS TO CLOSE
In mid-September, Kelvin Anderson, owner of the World Famous VIP Records in Long Beach, announced the end of an era. He said that the store, made famous by Snoop Dogg and considered a landmark of the famed West Coast rap sound in the '90s, will fold by the end of October if an alternate business plan can't be developed. Since his Sept. 14 announcement, Anderson has launched a petition to get VIP recognized as a historic landmark, but he has also said the store may just go in a different (i.e., non-musical) direction after the outpouring of support for the brick-and-mortar location. In a story by thePress-Telegram, Anderson cites the store's debt as the reason for its impending closure. His physical record store could not compete with the Internet, he says. "I knew this day was coming. . . . It's been real tough for the past few years, maintaining, but we are way too far behind financially now to come back selling CDs." For followers of Southern California hip-hop, the news is heartbreaking—especially after Nate Dogg's death in March. VIP was a hub for many artists throughout its history; Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg, known as 213, got their start at VIP and recorded their first album there. From a Sept. 29 post.