Buoyed by the hoopla surrounding their three reunion shows over the past two months, Minneapolis' cult-loved barroom rockers the Replacements made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominations list for the first time Wednesday. They joined Nirvana, Yes, Hall & Oates, Linda Ronstadt, Link Wray, the Zombies and Peter Gabriel on the list of other new nominees.
Unlike the shoo-in Nirvana, whose first single "Love Buzz" came out in 1988, the Replacements and the rest of the first-time nominees have been eligible in prior years, per the hall's cutoff point (25 years after an acts' first release). The other acts up for the 2014 inductions have all been nominated before: Kiss, Chic, Deep Purple, N.W.A., the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Meters, LL Cool J and Cat Stevens. Some 600 hall voters make the nominations before whittling down the list for the induction ceremony in April. Two of the Replacements' three surviving original members, singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson, performed for the first time in 22 years with new members in Toronto, Chicago and Denver in recent weeks. They're reportedly weighing plans for more shows.
Prince sends out invite to weekend jam
Prince didn't quite fulfill the comment he made during his Paisley Park concert two weekends ago to "do this again next weekend," but he came close. The king of late-night jams and last-minute announcements offered another surprise Wednesday, inviting fans out to his studio complex in Chanhassen this weekend for his "Breakfast Experience Pajama Dance Party." Doors won't open until 2 a.m. Saturday (after midnight Friday). It's unclear if he's going to perform, but the $50 charge at the door suggests he should. The party is tied to his latest single, "Breakfast Can Wait," whose flapjack-filled video was released last week. A poster for the event notes that fans can "party 'til the sun comes up" and asks that they "dress 2 impress" and "keep it classy." See-through negligees from the old Prince days are out, in other words.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
