Metallica's James Hetfield covers The Beatles' 'In My Life' at acoustic fundraiser - watch

May 16, 2014 19:16

The show also saw the frontman playing stripped back versions of two classic Metallica tracks

Metallica's James Hetfield covered The Beatles' 'ln My Life' at an acoustic fundraising event in San Francisco last night (May 15).

The frontman sang the track at the Acoustic-4-a-Cure event at The Fillmore for the Pediatric Cancer Program at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, reports Rolling Stone.

Click above to watch fan-shot footage of the performance. Hetfield also sang stripped back versions of Metallica songs 'Nothing Else Matters' and 'Until It Sleeps' as well as appearing with Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and Joe Satriani to play Green Day's 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' and Bob Seger's 'Turn the Page', which you can see below.

Hetfield also played an acoustic set with the rest of Metallica in Los Angeles earlier this week in tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at a charity gig for the MusiCares MAP Fund, which helps musicians recover from addiction. The four-song show at Club Nokia began with Hetfield playing 'Stairway To Heaven' followed by Rare Earth's 1971 hit 'I Just Want to Celebrate'. The band's set also included Deep's 'When a Blind Man Cries' as well as The Beatles' 'In My Life'. They closed the set with a reading of Ozzy Osbourne's 'Diary Of A Madman'.

Metallica will headline next month's Glastonbury Festival.

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Bruce Springsteen covers Lorde's 'Royals' at New Zealand concert - watch

March 1, 2014 17:58

The Boss takes on 17-year-old star's hit, calls himself 'King B'

Bruce Springsteen covered Lorde's 'Royals' during a concert in New Zealand.

The Boss was performing at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on Saturday (March 1), home of the Vodafone Warriors and Auckland Football Federation, when he broke into the song, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica. You can watch fan-filmed footage of the performance below.

It was a largely faithful cover, although he did tweak a few of the original lyrics and refer to himself at "King B" in the chorus. Naturally, being Lorde's home country, there was an ecstatic response from the crowd when they realised what he was playing.

She's not the first artist from Down Under to be honoured by Springsteen in this way. While touring Australia last month, he covered a number of songs by Aussie artists including 'Highway To Hell' AC/DC, for which he brought on stage Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, 'Stayin' Alive' by The Bee Gees, 'Friday On My Mind' by The Easybeats and INXS' 'Don't Change'. Last year, he covered 'Just Like Fire Would' by Australian band The Saints, a studio version of which features on his most-recent album, 'High Hopes'.

The performance in Auckland was only Springsteen's second-ever show in the country, and his first there in 11 years. He plays one more show in the country before returning to the US, where he'll perform a five-week run of shows.

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The 10 Best 'Call Me Maybe' Covers

After months of covers, flashmobs and radio play, Carly Rae Jepsen has finally dethroned Gotye to take the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her hit single is as catchy as it is popular, and even celebs have gotten in on the "Call Me Maybe" action, recording covers and viral video interpretations of the song.

Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe' Hits No. 1 on the Hot 100

In honor of Jepsen reaching the No. 1 spot, we bring you the 10 best YouTube versions of her hit songs, from Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez's video -- the one that launched "Call Me Maybe" mania -- to clips by Katy Perry, Donald Trump, the Harvard baseball team, and even President Barack Obama.

Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez & Ashley Tisdale

Few cover videos ever beat the original, that is until Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez get involved. Carly Rae Jepsen might not have climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 if it weren't for The Biebs and Co. endorsing her catchy single. Their video, which sparked the "Call Me" craze, raked in a million views during the first 24 hours. The power couple of pop danced with fake mustaches and banana telephones alongside pals Ashley Tisdale, Big Time Rush, Boys Like Girls and more.

Katy Perry & Friends

Inflatable monkeys, iPhones and mixed drinks are all heavily featured in Katy Perry and friends' version of "Call Me Maybe." No stranger to being goofy, a purple-haired Perry bounces across the screen while lip-syncing, then plays director, shouting out stage directions to her pals. Shot during Coachella weekend, the video was a response to the Biebs' version, with Perry giving him a shout-out at the end.

Jimmy Fallon, the Roots & Carly Rae

Jimmy Fallon and the Roots can do no wrong, and when the Carly Rae herself is thrown into the mix -- with a rainbow-bright xylophone -- the "Late Night" crew gets even better. Plus, Carly plays the triangle, while Jimmy tackles the tambourine and lends some impressive background vocals. And the icing on the catchy pop tune cake: Questlove brought out a kazoo at the end. What's not to love?

The Harvard Baseball Team

Harvard guys can have fun too, as evidenced by the baseball team's choreographed, back-of-the-van lip sync. How's that for a curveball? They could spice up their dance moves a bit -- especially the napping player out in left field -- but all in all we'd say this one was a home run. The entertaining video spawned dozens of replies from university sports teams across the country. Road trip, anyone?

Fun.

If you want a little indie in your "Call Me Maybe," look no further than Fun. These guys slowed their cover down a teeny bit, focusing on the acoustic guitar and orchestral sounds from the keyboards. Lead singer Nate Ruess' vocals seem to catch a desperation in the lyrics not found in the poppy, catchy original. It's hard to beat Jepsen's version, but these guys sure come close.

NEXT: Donald Trump, Cheerleaders, 'Chocolate Rain' and More

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Usher Covers Foster the People's 'Pumped Up Kicks'

by Hannah Gilman, N.Y.  |   June 14, 2012 3:35 EDT

Usher seems to be shaking things up and genuinely enjoying himself in London as he promotes the release of his seventh studio album, "Looking 4 Myself," which dropped Tuesday (June 12). The sexy "Climax" singer, decked in all black and an indie rock-appropriate cutoff denim vest, stopped by BBC's Radio 1 on Wednesday (June 13) to perform a live cover of "Pumped Up Kicks."

Usher Dances Below Floating Women in 'Scream' Video

Shades in place, Usher took to the microphone and addressed the crowd, saying "This is one of my favorites, and it goes a little something like this," before playing the beloved bass line of Foster the People's indie pop hit. It's no secret that Usher can dance, sing, and even play the piano, but the bass guitar was a surprise. Is there anything that man can't do? The only downside is that it left less room for his impressive dance moves.

Usher's smooth R&B voice meshes with upbeat background vocals and distortion of the guitars in the video for an impressive blending of genres. The superstar's crew seems to be having a good time, too, as they "run, baby, run" to the beat.

He opened the six-song Live Lounge set with his second single, "Scream," which currently sits at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, before breaking into the unexpected cover. Usher is set to return to London in the fall as a headliner for the 2012 iTunes Festival.

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'Glee' Covers One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful': Watch

by Sarah Maloy, N.Y.  |   May 04, 2012 7:15 EDT

This time last year, the "Glee" cast covered Rebecca Black's viral sensation "Friday" for their junior prom, and now that they're wrapping up senior year, the Fox crew has taken on the latest song to sweep the nation: One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful."

In the video above, Artie (Kevin McHale), Sam (Chord Overstreet), Mike (Harry Shum, Jr.), Joseph (Samuel Larsen) and Rory (Damian McGinty) take the stage at McKinley High's prom, performing the British boy band's hit. Screaming girls and choreographed boy band moves are, of course, in no short supply. The tuxedoed quintet dances on stage while their peers celebrate senior prom, barely changing the sound or style of the original version.

The dinosaur-themed "Prom-asaurus" episode will also feature Selena Gomez's "Love You Like a Love Song," Ke$ha's "Dinosaur," Berlin's "Take My Breath Away," and Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry."

After the prom episode airs on Tuesday, May 8, only two episodes of "Glee" season three remain; the two-hour "Props/Nationals" episode airs on May 15, with the finale, "Goodbye," airing May 22. With several cast members graduating, it's still unclear what the future of "Glee" -- which has been renewed for a fourth season -- will hold.

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Scratching an itch: Jojo covers Drake

Singer JoJo arrives at the Teen Choice 2009 Awards taping in Los Angeles, California August 9, 2009.

Credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser

By Erika Ramirez

Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:51pm EDT

NEW YORK (Billboard) - A week after hip-hop artist Drake released the emotional track "Marvin's Room" on his October's Very Own website, singer/songwriter JoJo whipped out a female version, titled "Marvin's Room (Can't Do Better)."

"I was drawn by the boldness and honesty of Drake's lyrics," JoJo said. "If something speaks to me, I get the itch to take a stab at it.

"This latest itch also signals a rebirth for Joanna "JoJo" Levesque. When her third album, "Jumping Trains," arrives this fall, fans will encounter a more mature JoJo-both sonically and lyrically-than when she launched her career seven years ago. It's a style JoJo sums up as "pop with an anger management problem."

JoJo had been fighting for a musical makeover behind the scenes during the last few years. When then-label Blackground Records refused to release her from a seven-album contract, the 20-year-old expressed her frustration on YouTube. On October 12, 2009, JoJo finally reached a deal with Blackground to have "Jumping Trains" distributed by Interscope.

Then, in 2010, JoJo took matters into her own hands and released the mixtape "Can't Take That Away From Me." Her friskier voice turned heads, specifically on the sensational track "In the Dark."

JoJo recalled, "I got feedback that said, 'Wow, she's taking it too far. I hope JoJo doesn't follow the path exploit their sexuality or curse.' But that's not my intention. My intention is to be transparent and truthful. Art imitates life, and that's what I allow it to do."

For "Jumping Trains," JoJo collaborated with well-established producers like Danja and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and such newcomers as the Messengers and Da Internz.

"With this album, I've taken what's been going on in my life and dropped that into each song," JoJo says. "I want people to feel, because that's what we all want. It's quite transparent for what I was going through."

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

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