In a statement Festival Republic told BBC's Newsbeat, "(We) are informed by GN'R management that Guns N' Roses have NOT cancelled their performances at Reading & Leeds and that Axl Rose's Twitter account was hacked into and all claims of dates being cancelled are unfounded." That means that the band's recently announced UK arena tour - their first in four years - will still go ahead. The band are lined up to play London, Birmingham and Manchester in October, as well as other shows across Europe over the next three months.
Opera News - New York's Metropolitan Opera has established a record for its box office opening day, selling more than $2.6m (£1.6m) million worth of single tickets for the new season. More than 24,000 tickets were sold on Sunday when the box office began business, beating last year's total of $2.5m (£1.5m). In recent years The Met has been experiencing financial struggles because of the recession. The new season begins next month. A new production of Wagner's Das Rheingold, directed by Robert Lepage and starring Bryn Terfel and Stephanie Blythe, will open the season. Last year the Met's general manager, Peter Gelb, said that funds for the venue had substantially dropped and he was looking at ways to cut costs. He revealed that staff would face pay cuts and principal singers would be asked to perform for reduced fees.
Flood Relief - Pakistani-born rock star Salman Ahmad is penning a new song to raise funds for the country's flood disaster. Khwab - the Urdu word for dream - is due to be ready in a couple of weeks' time and Ahmad hopes to record it with Pakistani and Western artists. He told the BBC it was important to let young Pakistanis know the world cared for them in their hour of need. The official UN aid appeal launched last week has raised only a quarter of its target of $459m (£290m).
Charitable Status - Veteran rock band Status Quo are releasing a new version of their hit In The Army Now to raise funds for armed forces charities. The song, a number two hit in 1986, has been lyrically reworked and has backing vocals from the Corps of Army Music. "We want people to celebrate what they do, say thank you and also support these vital charities," said the band's Francis Rossi. The track, re-recorded in recent weeks, is due to be released on 26 September. All proceeds from the song will be donated to the Help For Heroes and British Forces Foundation charities.
(Jim Evans)
