Music Notes: All-Star New Zealand Jam
April 6, 2001 -- They're not your average doo-wop girls, but members of Radiohead and Pearl Jam have been spotted in New Zealand as backup singers in an all-star jam.
The alternative rock gurus have been teaming up with Crowded House vet Neil Finn to sold out crowds at a small club in Auckland.
"The concept for the show is to invite friends whose music I admire to collaborate with me in presenting a weeklong musical extravaganza," Finn said on the Web site ChannelV.com, which broadcast one of the gigs.
The New Zealand native is out with his second solo album, One Nil, although he let his friends play some of their music at the five concerts.
The makeshift band was made up of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien of Radiohead, former Smiths member Johnny Marr and Soul Coughing's Paul Kelly and Sebastian Steinberg. They ran through songs from Pearl Jam, The Smiths and Finn's earlier band, Split Enz.
Finn will next tour the United Kingdom on his own in support of his new album and is expected to add dates in the United States.
Mobypalooza
Tired of the same old lineups on the summer concert circuit?
That's how techno wiz Moby feels, so he's put together his own traveling festival for the summer, called Area: One.
"There is a lot of music in the world that I love that does not always get the appropriate exposure," said Moby.
Billboard.com reports the tour will hit 16 cities with an eclectic lineup, including rockers Incubus, hip-hop act The Roots, Outkast, and DJ Paul Oakenfold. The event will also include the return of the British synth-pop band New Order.
The outdoor concerts will be held at amphitheaters and some nontraditional venues. Since it will be during the summer, there will also be an air-conditioned tent for DJ performances. More details are expected at the end of the month.
Backstreet Boy Leads Easter Parade
The Easter Bunny may be upstaged in Florida, thanks to one high-profile attendee in a holiday parade.
Backstreet Boy Howie D will serve as grand marshal of the Orlando Easter Parade. The teen heartthrob will be joined on a float by his sister Pollyanna to sing a tribute to their late sister Caroline, who died of lupus.
Pollyanna will later give a fund-raising concert for a foundation Howie D has established in memory of their sister.
Moreover
The Wallflowers and Third Eye Blind have a treat for their fans. The pop bands will sign autographs and chat with their admirers as part of the May 6 Fan Nation festival in California. The first-time event also includes The Go-Gos, Eve 6 and Counting Crows. … You may not have his swiveling hips, but you can own a pair of Ricky Martin's leather pants. They're going for over $1,000 in an online auction to benefit the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund. The fund also has items from U2 and Shania Twain going on the block at swagauction.org.
ABCNEWS Radio and ABCNEWS.com's Buck Wolf and Nancy Chandross contributed to this report.