WBUL 1620am

Guns N' Roses' latest sweet album o’ mine will soon be on shelves. The long-anticipated Chinese Democracy is set to be released on November 23rd, 2008. This is their first album since 1991's Use Your Illusion I and II.

There is a lot of pressure for the band's 6th studio offering to live up to high standards set by eager fans. Frontman Axl Rose has been producing Chinese Democracy in the San Fernando Valley for more than a decade with a lineup that few fans of classic Guns N' Roses are likely to recognize.

On Friday night, Maroon 5 and Counting Crows descended upon the Ford Amphitheatre for a night of spectacle and feel-good music. After opening band Augustana performed a short, yet polished set that peaked with their crowd favorite “Boston,” Maroon 5 took to the stage and offered up Adam Levine’s raspy vocals, raw energy and sex appeal. Strutting the stage in tight black jeans and a white T, Adam fired the crowd up by belting out the lyrics to the groups hit “Harder to Breathe.” A psychedelic light show played behind the band and spiraling lasers danced upon the ceiling of the amphitheatre as Adam switched manically between pacing enthusiastically around the stage and manning the guitar.

Tickets for STP's Friday show at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa read "Rain or Shine" in bold print. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the band. The 7pm show was officially cancelled around 10:15pm due to "inclement weather," though many fans expressed their doubts about the validity of that claim. It seemed all too convenient for a band fronted by Scott Weiland, famous for his personal demons & substance abuse, to miss a show and blame it on light rain.

Dave Matthews Band rolled into the Ford Amphitheater Wednesday night and played in front of their typical sold out crowd. The thunderstorm surrounding the stage seemed to give the band and the fans a boost of energy when the band opened up with "Don't Drink the Water." The band then proceeded to play some newer, less-familiar songs. They were songs that just didn't really land well for me or for the audience, who seemed restless.

WBUL had the privilege to be guests at OneRepublic's Orlando stop of the Dreaming Out Loud Tour. The band is riding a huge wave of success from their debut album and has been touring non stop for the past 9 months. Monday's show was a rescheduled performance because the band was performing on the finale of American Idol. Up and coming Jason Reeves opened the show with a very solid set. OneRepublic began their set just before 10:00 PM in front of 1,700 screaming fans. They played a few songs including radio hit Stop and Stare and then lead singer Ryan Tedder spoke to the crowd. He explained that his noticeable lack of mobility was die to an Achilles injury which had him in a large plastic cast. He still managed to make due and the band rolled through a 90 minute set. They covered all their hits including Apologize, All We Are. and Mercy. They even threw in a few covers of some oldies.