August 14, 1999 Before an in-store signing in Norridge, Illinois, the nine guys in Slipknot change into their masks and jumpsuits behind a jewelry store, and the cops show up, thinking they're going to rob the place. After they prove they're a theatrical metal band and not a crime ring, the police escort them to the signing.
August 8, 1999 It's a nu-metal moment at the Family Values Tour in Kansas City when Puddle Of Mudd frontman Wes Scantlin sneaks backstage and slips a demo tape to Fred Durst's security guard. The Limp Bizkit leader gives it a listen and signs the band to his label, Flawless Records.
July 29, 1999 The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith opens at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Before boarding, riders get a virtual Aerosmith experience, peeking in on a recording session before a "super‑stretch" limo (the coaster) rushes them to a show. The ride proves very popular and runs until 2026, when it's replaced with a Muppets theme. Remarkably, the band doesn't do anything to run afoul of Disney standards during that time.
July 13, 1999 In support of their acclaimed synth-infused album The Soft Bulletin, The Flaming Lips embark on a "headphones tour" that combines pre-recorded material, provided to the audience through customized headsets, with the live stage show.More
July 10, 1999 Significant Other by Limp Bizkit supplants Millennium by Backstreet Boys at #1 on the US albums chart. The nu metal vs. boy band battles continue unabated on MTV's Total Request Live, as videos from the albums battle it out on the countdown.
June 29, 1999 Slipknot release their self-titled major-label debut album. Metal Hammer magazine calls it the "best debut of the last 25 years."More
June 27, 1999 Coldplay, Muse and David Gray all play the New Bands Tent at the Glastonbury Festival. Main stage acts include Blondie, R.E.M., and Manic Street Preachers.
June 26, 1999 Pearl Jam score their biggest Hot 100 hit when "Last Kiss," a cover of a song from the '60s, reaches #2, held off the top spot by Jennifer Lopez' first single, "If You Had My Love."More
June 15, 1999 Peso Pluma, whose music combines corridos and hip-hop, is born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija in Zapopan, Mexico. His stage name means "featherweight" in English, a reference to his slight build.
June 15, 1999 After a seven-year recording hiatus, Santana release the album Supernatural, which goes to #1 thanks to hit singles like "Smooth," "Maria Maria," and "Put Your Lights On." It's their first chart-topping album in 28 years.More
June 1, 1999 Blink-182 spin immaturity into gold (or should we say, Platinum) with their third album, Enema Of The State, which catapults the pop-punk trio to stardom with hit singles like "What's My Age Again?" and "All The Small Things."More
May 26, 1999 British punk band Manic Street Preachers refuse to play a concert to mark the opening of Wales' parliament because Queen Elizabeth II is present.
May 10, 1999 Shel Silverstein, the prolific author of beloved children's books who was also a top songwriter, dies of a massive heart attack at age 68. He wrote "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash.More
April 29, 1999 Following his reunion with Pamela Anderson Lee, Tommy Lee quits Mötley Crüe to devote time to his new band, Methods of Mayhem, and his family.
April 28, 1999 Members of The Verve release a statement announcing their second breakup (their first was in 1995). The band reunites in 2007, but that only lasts two years.
April 25, 1999 Funk percussionist Larry Troutman (of Zapp), age 54, fatally shoots his brother and bandmate Roger Troutman, age 47, outside a recording studio in Dayton, Ohio, before turning the gun on himself. With no known witnesses, the motive for the murder-suicide is unclear, but family members suggest conflict over finances.
April 9, 1999 Bruce Springsteen begins his first tour with the E Street Band since 1988 with a concert in Barcelona. The European leg ends in June, with the first American show in their home turf of New Jersey on July 15. The tour lasts until July 2000, a total of 132 shows.
March 16, 1999 Stone Temple Pilots play in impromptu gig at the Viper Room in Los Angeles. It's the first time the band has performed in two years.
February 14, 1999 The Deftones, on the final stop of their tour opening for Black Sabbath, find that their truck has been stolen from the parking lot of the Holiday Inn in Dearborn, Michigan. Taken are all of the band's backline equipment and instruments, including several of Chi Chings' Precision Fender Bass guitars, and Stephen Carpenter's custom-made guitars and racks.
January 16, 1999 The inaugural ball for Minnesota Governor (and former professional wrestler) Jesse Ventura goes down at the Target Center in Minneapolis. America play "Ventura Highway," and Warren Zevon does "Werewolves Of London" with Ventura, wearing his trademark bandana and feather boa, howling along on stage.
January 11, 1999 Peter Tork of The Monkees guest stars as a bandleader on the "Best Man" episode of The King of Queens.
December 18, 1998 Alice Cooper's Cooper'stown restaurant opens in Phoenix (try the "Welcome To My Nightmare" chili). To celebrate, Cooper performs with his original bandmates Michael Bruce and Neal Smith - the first time the three have been on stage together in 24 years.
November 19, 1998 Motley Crue fans are able to fulfill all their fashion needs when the band's new retail store, S'Crue, opens at 7201 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles. The store stocks merchandise from the band's worldwide tours, clothing from both the clothing lines by bassist Nikki Sixx and vocalist Vince Neil, and all Motley Crue albums.
November 11, 1998 Madrid band Jarabe De Palo tops the 45th Premios Ondas in Barcelona, winning for Best Album (Depende) and Best Video. Other winners include Alejandro Sanz for Best Song ("Corazon") and Ella Baila Sola, Best Group. The Ondas are organized by media group Prisa through Radio Barcelona.
November 2, 1998 Atlantic Records takes a crack at online video, launching a music video service called Instavid. A partnership with RealNetworks, it doesn't get very far, since end users have limited bandwidth.
November 1, 1998 NBC airs part one of the four-hour miniseries The Temptations based on Otis Williams' autobiography Temptations. Williams, portrayed by Charles Malik Whitfield, is the last surviving member of the group's original line-up, and takes a lot of heat from his former bandmates' families for his version of events.
October 29, 1998 Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra is sued by his bandmates over unpaid royalties. They eventually win the case and gain control of the group's songs and the rights to the name. In 2001, they re-form with a new lead singer replacing Biafra, who never re-unites with the band.
October 23, 1998 The "White Rabbit" case comes to a close when a court supports the superintendent at Fort Zumwalt High School in St. Louis, and his decision that the marching band cannot play the song in their act as it contains drug references.
September 30, 1998 On The Drew Carey Show episode "In Ramada Da Vida," Slash, Lisa Loeb, Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, Dave Mustaine, Jonny Lang, Joey Ramone, Joe Walsh and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen audition for Drew's band, which has a gig at the Ramada Inn. Walsh gets the job.
September 22, 1998 "Iris" hitmakers The Goo Goo Dolls release their smash album Dizzy Up The Girl, a 4-million seller that includes the ubiquitous City Of Angels ballad as well as the Top 20 singles "Slide," "Black Balloon" and "Broadway."More
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