Newsbites: Fan dies in Wacken tragedy

Tragedy: Wacken Open Air has just completed its 23rd edition

A metal fan has died of carbon monoxide poisoning at Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival, organisers have said. The as-yet unnamed person fell asleep under a tarpaulin on a truck and breathed in the poison gas pumped out by a generator, which was also under the tarpaulin. A statement says: “Friends of the deceased discovered the body under the canvas. Emergency services couldn’t successfully resuscitate the person.”

Meanwhile, the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago was evacuated for three hours at the weekend due to a powerful thunderstorm. Several bands’ sets were cancelled in the delay, but authorities allowed the event’s curfew to be extended so headline act the Red Hot Chili Peppers could play. Organisers say: “We made the decision to evacuate in response to warnings from the National Weather Service. More than 60,000 festival-goers and nearly 3000 staff, artists and vendors were safely evacuated in 38 minutes.”

Troubled Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante was blown away when Rush counterpart Neil Peart said he knew about the thrash band’s plans to cover the Canadians’ track Anthem. Guitarist Scott Ian reports: “Neil said to Charlie: ‘That’s so cool. We put the clip of you playing drums up on our website.’ Charlie, I swear to God, the glow that was coming off him – I’d never seen anything quite like it.” It’s thought a number of covers will be included in a re-release of recent Anthrax album Worship Music. [Artisan]

Van Halen have pulled out of plans to tour Australia for the second time in recent months. Promoter Patrick Prendergast says: “They have passed on playing this year, which is a shame.” Last year they withdrew from the country’s touring Soundwave festival in order to complete comeback album A Different Kind of Truth.

The Dan Reed Network will reunite for a one-off show on New Year’s Eve in their home town of Portland, Oregon. Frontman Reed says: “It will honour the 25th anniversary of the band and celebrate the energy shift in December 2012. It will be a true joy sharing the stage with the guys again.” The show will be filmed for a DVD release by guitarist Dan Pred.

Machine Head bassist Adam Duce has revealed he spent just four months with his parents between the ages of 11 and 18. He says: “I went from one reform school to the next, to a mental hospital for an overdose, then a juvenile hall to a drug rehab, back to juvenile hall. I found out they will try to break you – they will try to make you think what they want you to. You have an inherent truth inside of you. I knew my truth and I knew if I held onto it, I would get through all this shit and come out the other side. And that’s what I did.” [FaceCulture]

Drummer Herman Rarebell says he left the Scorpions in 1995 because he didn’t think the band’s material was strong enough. He explains: “One of the reasons I left was the album Pure Instinct. That was a really bad album, followed by an even worse record, Eye II Eye. I kept saying to stop experimentation and write songs that Scorpions fans would expect.” But he adds: “The last one, Sting in the Tail, is really good.” Rarebell is currently a member of Michael Schenker’s touring band.

Blink 182 guitarist Tom DeLonge says he learned a lot from a conversation with Joe Strummer. “I asked him what it was like being in the Clash,” he reports. “He said, ‘We used to walk around saying, ‘Fuck you, we’re in the Clash. But now I look back, Talking Heads were pretty cool. Don’t close your mind and think you’re the only one out there.’” [MusicRadar]

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has thanked fans for buying his WhoCares charity single and album, made in conjunction with Ian Gillan and others. As a result of fundraising efforts a new school will commence construction in Armenia on August 15. Iommi says: “This is just the beginning, so please continue to support us. The album will be available in the US at the end of August.”