Despite it being the most ambitious stage set of any band's world tour, topping the likes of Madonna and The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads frontman David Byrne was not impressed. He slammed the band on his blog and said their world tour costs were "excessive", considering their stance on world hunger. He wrote: "$40 million to build the stage and, having done the math, we estimate 200 semi trucks crisscrossing Europe for the duration. It could be professional envy speaking here, but it sure looks like, well, overkill, and just a wee bit out of balance given all the starving people in Africa and all."
When asked whether the Irish rock veterans were stung by the criticism they received, The Edge told BBC 6 Music's Julie Cullen, "I think anybody that's touring is going to have a carbon footprint. I think it's probably unfair to single out rock 'n' roll. There's many other things that are in the same category but as it happens we have a programme to offset whatever carbon footprint we have."
Goodbye and thanks for all the Riffs - Les Paul, whose pioneering electric guitars have been used by a legion of rock stars, has died at the age of 94. He is credited with developing one of the first solid-body electric guitars, which went on sale in 1952 and contributed to the birth of rock. He also developed other influential recording innovations such as multi-track recording and overdubbing. And he was credited with inventing the eight-track tape recorder.
Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Guns N' Roses star Slash and The Who's Pete Townshend are among those closely associated with the Les Paul sound. Slash described him as "an exceptionally brilliant man". He said: "Les Paul was a shining example of how full one's life can be. He was so vibrant and full of positive energy. I'm honoured and humbled to have known and played with him over the years." Gibson president Dave Berryman said: "As the 'father of the electric guitar', he was not only one of the world's greatest innovators but a legend who created, inspired and contributed to the success of musicians around the world."
Les Paul began as a country and jazz musician, playing with such acts as Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole. Unhappy with acoustic guitars, he had begun experimenting with guitar amplification at the age of 13 by placing a telephone receiver under the strings. He created his first solid-body electric guitar, dubbed "the log", in 1941. "I went into a nightclub and played it. Of course, everybody had me labelled as a nut," he later said. It did not go on sale for another 11 years, by which time Leo Fender's rival Telecaster model was already on the market.
Return of The Gold Rush - Arctic Monkeys have hidden 'golden tickets' to this year's Reading And Leeds Festivals inside two copies of their new single. Shoppers picking up vinyl versions of Crying Lightning from Oxfam could see the band headline the festivals. 40 signed copies of the seven-inch single will also be distributed throughout Oxfam's 700 shops in the UK. Arctic Monkeys will headline the festivals alongside Radiohead and Kings Of Leon on 29 and 30 August. It is the first time since Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? in 1984, that Oxfam shops have sold a new release single. David McCullough, Oxfam's director of trading, said, "Oxfam shops have always been one of the best places on the high street to pick up a musical bargain
