Prior News

July 31, 2004 War Toad used in X-Games <> Miller Beer contest for Roseland show excludes CA

'War Toad' is the title of a re-mix of 'Peace Frog' which appeared on Robby Krieger's "Cinematix" CD, released in 2000. Numerous friends have written in recent weeks to let me know that a clip of 'War Toad' is the background music playing during commercials for ESPN's "X Games", an 'extreme sports' competition held each summer. (thanks to Howard, Mark, and the others)

The Doors of the 21st Century are scheduled to play New York City's Roseland Ballroom on Friday, September 17th as part of Miller Beer's "Rock Through Time" 2-day concert event. Tickets are not being sold for this event, and can only be won by registering for the promotion on the Miller site. Unfortunately, this contest is NOT open to California residents: "Open only to residents of the 50 United States and D.C. (except CA), who are of legal drinking age or older at time of entry. Employees of Miller Brewing Company ("Sponsor"), SABMiller plc., their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, distributors, advertising and promotional agencies, alcohol beverage retailers, their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are NOT ELIGIBLE. Void in CA and where prohibited by law." If you qualify, go to their site and look for the banner across the top after you get signed in: http://www.millerbeer.com

July 30, 2004 Toronto show is re-scheduled <> revamped official site on-line next Monday <> Montreal show is re-scheduled

The Doors of the 21st Century were scheduled to play Toronto's Molson Amphitheater on Tuesday, August 3rd. It was announced today on RayManzarek.com as well as chartattack.com, that the show has been re-scheduled to Friday, August 6th. Tickets can be refunded at point of purchase, or else honored on the new date three days later. more info

The newly revamped Doors website will be up and running on Monday, August 2nd. There will be a mailing list for sign-up. All announcements will be sent out through that list, so be sure to sign up at www.thedoors.com on or after Monday! (thanks, Dave D.)

The Doors of the 21st Century were scheduled to play Montreal's Bell Centre on Wednesday, August 4th. According to one of the ticket links, that show has been re-scheduled to Saturday, August 7th. more info

The fifth week of the jury trial -- the fourth week of testimony -- is almost over. Messrs. Mandel and Forer representing John Densmore and the Morrison and Courson families, expect to rest their case tomorrow. The defense team of Messrs. Briggs and Lukacs will be calling witnesses and presenting their case next week, unless it can get underway tomorrow afternoon. read about it

July 28, 2004 Manitoba Summerfest preview <> Robby / D21C site is down <> "Boot Yer Butt!" redux

The Doors of the 21st Century will play Manitoba, Canada's "Summerfest" at Grand Beach this Saturday night, July 31st. Ray was interviewed by canoe.net while in Poland recently. read it

www.robbykrieger.com has been off-line for much of the last few days. While it was up yesterday, there was a notice posted that the site would be moving to a new server, and would be down for up to ten days. This includes The Doors of the 21st Century site, Tour Schedule page, and message board. I have no other information. Please don't panic if you cannot get into that site. It's not your computer!

'Boot Yer Butt!' - the 4-CD box set of bootleg recordings released by Robby Krieger in November 2003, is reported to be sold out according to the official site at www.thedoors.com However, my son's friend who works at Collectors Choice says that they still have 290 sets available, and retail stores who are out of stock can still order them through Hepcat. The "sold out" probably means that Rhino Handmade are now out of stock, but there are still sets available in the pipeline ... so if you didn't get yours, don't despair yet (but, hurry!) (thanks, David & Steve)

July 27, 2004 Morrison Hotel on L.A. "best of" list <> Stewart & NYC rock critic testified today

Morrison Hotel is the "Best Place To Hold A Rock Star Seance." So says the Editor's Choice pick in the "Best Of" Downtown 2004 issue of the free Los Angeles Downtown News, July 26, 2004 issue. There were polls in various categories which had Readers' Choice picks, and then there were the Editors' Choice picks. read it

Stewart Copeland and NYC rock journalist and critic Anthony DeCurtis were two of the witnesses for the plaintiffs in today's jury trial proceedings. read more

July 26, 2004 Ray mentioned in Rolling Stone about political activism <> Athens set list added

Ray Manzarek is mentioned in the August 5th issue of Rolling Stone (cover: Doonesbury cartoon) This comes in a story on page 35 entitled "Musicians Unite to Get the Vote." "...Other artists are stepping up, too. Musicians for Kerry (musiciansforkerry.com) is booking performers including Phil Lesh, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Ray Manzarek of The Doors at fund-raisers...." (thanks, Lorie)

The Doors of the 21st Century played Lycabettus Amphitheatre in Athens, Greece on July 22nd. That show's set list has been added to the Set List page. (thanks, Yannis) set list

July 25, 2004 Doors song parody used for software ad <> John performs at Native American festival <> 'Boot Yer Butt!' is sold out

'Light My Fire' is parodied in a clever on-line flash advertisement for Linspire software by Linux. The tune - called 'Run Linspire' - even includes an abbreviated instrumental section. At its conclusion, it is credited as a Parody of the Doors' "Light My Fire" by Jim Morrison (hello, Robby?) To view this, go to: http://www.linspire.com/RunLinspireFlash.php (thanks, Michael & David)

John Densmore is performing with Keith Secola and Wild Band of Indians at Ganondagan's Native American Dance & Music Festival on July 24 and 25 near Rochester, New York. He was recently interviewed by a Rochester area publication. read interview (thanks, Barb)

'Boot Yer Butt!' - the 4-CD box set of bootleg recordings released by Robby Krieger in November 2003, is now sold out according to www.thedoors.com (thanks, Michael)

The Doors "Live at the Isle of Wight" performance on August 29, 1970 is scheduled to be released on DVD from Eagle Vision on August 24th, according to ICE Magazine, August 2004 (cover: Steve Earle).

Robby Krieger was interviewed by U.K.'s Total Guitar Magazine for their July 2004 issue (cover: Slipknot) just prior to the late April D21C show in Minneapolis. read it

The fourth week of the trial -- the third week of testimony -- is finished. Jim's father, Rear Admiral Morrison, was among the witnesses who took the stand during this past week as the attorneys representing John, the Morrison family, and the Courson family continue to present their case. Robby and Ray wrapped up their European tour with a show in Athens, Greece last night. I imagine they will be in court next week until they have to leave for the tour dates in Canada which begin on July 31st in Manitoba, then on to Toronto and Montreal. read more

Jim Morrison was mentioned in some amazing company in an editorial that appeared in the London Times on July 1, 2004. The subject of it was a story about the state of Utah filing a $14 million suit against the Boy Scouts of America over 14,000 acres of blackened National Park land. Andy Morrison recently returned from a trip to London and Ireland, and found the editorial in the paper. The Morrison family shared the story with me today during a break in court proceedings. The general story has been widely reported, but including Jim is a new twist worth reporting on! I jotted down only the pertinent paragraph from that editorial. (thanks to the Morrison family) read it

July 21, 2004 John & Leslie names are on petition to ban assault weapons <> Doors Europe 1968 DVD

John Densmore and Leslie Neale are among the more than 50 members of the entertainment community who have sent a letter today to President Bush and Congress calling for the federal assault weapons ban to be strengthened and renewed. Without action by the President and Congress, the ban will expire on September 13th, 2004. This information is from a press release dated today from Common Dreams website. To see the entire press release and who else has joined in this effort: go here

The Doors "Live in Europe 1968" DVD from performances in London, Stockholm, and Amsterdam goes on sale next Tuesday, July 27th. more info

July 20, 2004 Austria set list added <> LA Woman DVD in stores <> Paris review <> Glasgow set list

The Doors of the 21st Century played Weisen Jazz Festival in Burgenland, Austria on July 18th. That show's set list has been added to the Set List page. (thanks, Fred) set list

The Doors of the 21st Century "L. A. Woman Live" DVD, recorded in Houston October 2003, hit the stores today. My friend Daphne, who attended that show with me, tells me that she, Dawn, and I all catch some camera time in it! I wrote about the show afterwards; at the time, I was trying to be clever and continue Robby's 'camouflage theme' on my page. (Robby does it better!) DVD info the Houston review

The Doors of the 21st Century played Palais des Congres in Paris, France on July 15th. A fan who was there submitted a review. (thanks, Frédéric) read it

The Doors of the 21st Century played S.E.C.C. in Glasgow, Scotland on July13th. A fan who was there submitted a set list and photos. I'll get to the photos later in the week. (thanks, George) set list

July 19, 2004 John & Tribaljazz will perform free concert <> Wembley set list added

John Densmore and Tribaljazz will perform a free concert at the L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA) as part of their Friday night jazz concert series. The performance will be outdoors on the Times Mirror Central Court, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, August 13th. Tribaljazz is John on drums; Art Ellis on flute and sax; Quinn Johnson on piano; Osama Affiffi on bass; Christina Berio on percussion; and Azziz Faye & Marcel Adjibl on African drums.

The Doors of the 21st Century played Wembley Arena in London on July 10th. That show's set list has been added to the Set List page. (thanks, Dave) go here

July 18, 2004 photos from Bonn, Germany show <> photos from Bospop in Holland <> Ray interview <> July Classic Rock mag <> Bonn set list added

The Doors of the 21st Century played in Bonn, Germany last night. A fan who attended has sent me a link to several pages of some amazing photos; he must have had a terrific seat. A copy of the planned set list is included in those photos. \The fan who sent these indicated that a huge thunderstorm came up when the band hit the stage. As a result, 'Riders On The Storm' was brought forward in the set to follow 'When The Music's Over.' He also said a heavy bolt hit the tent roof of the marquee, "that gave everybody the creeps." There were other changes made to the sequence, but he does not remember the specifics. I expect to get the actual set list later from someone and will post it when available. (thanks, Axel) Bonn photos set list

The Doors of the 21st Century played on July 8th show at Bospop festival in Weert, Holland. Photos from that show have been added to www.raymanzarek.com (thanks, Dave)

Ray Manzarek gave an interview to Glasgow's Evening Times prior to The Doors of the 21st Century show there on July 13th. (thanks, Alec) read it

The U.K.'s Classic Rock Magazine, July 2004 issue (cover: Bon Scott), has finally hit the U.S. newsstands this week. We still have to wait a few weeks before we will see the August issue with Jim Morrison on the cover and a substantial feature inside. The July issue contains several Doors related features: The 100 Greatest Frontmen, including both Ian and Jim, and a Robby Krieger interview. Frontmen story Robby interview

July 17, 2004 official website getting a "makeover" <> Europe set lists added <> photo of New Haven Arena

The official website of The Doors is www.thedoors.com but over the years, it has not been the "go-to" site for fans because it was fairly static and updated infrequently. According to a newsletter earlier this week from www.raymanzarek.com, this is finally going to change! The revamped site is expected to go live within the next few weeks, and will include brand new imagery, streaming Doors audio, integration into iTunes, and much more. (thanks, Dave)

Set lists from Brussels and Paris shows have been added to the Set Lists 2004 page. I was delighted to see -- and sorry that I missed -- the inclusion of The Mosquito in the Paris set, with vocals by Robby. There are many more European set lists being sought to keep the list complete, so if you have any contributions or corrections, please email me at: idadoorsfan@yahoo.com set lists 2004

New Haven Arena was the site of Jim Morrison's infamous onstage arrest on December 9, 1967 after he began to tell the audience about an earlier backstage incident which ended with him getting Maced by a police officer. That building is long gone, but a friend has sent me a photo from a postcard that shows the venue around 1950. (thanks, Chris) go there

July 16, 2004 pictures from last night's Paris show <> D21C has confirmed two shows in August <> trial summary

The Doors of the 21st Century played in Paris, France last night Palais des Congres. Photos from that show have been posted at an on-line site. (thanks, Daphne) go here

The Doors of the 21st Century have confirmed two more shows on their Tour Schedule page. Both of these shows are already on sale. Oneida Casino in Oneida, Wisconsin is on Thursday, August 19th, and DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan is on Saturday, August 21st.

The third week of the trial -- but only the second week of testimony, is finished. The attorneys representing John, the Morrison family, and the Courson family, are still presenting their case and expect to do so until approximately July 28th. read more

Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum has had a wonderful exhibit of Jim's childhood artifacts on display for quite some time, and I was able to see it last summer when I visited that city. Recently someone told me the exhibit was gone. A fan friend in Cleveland followed up on this for me, and learned that the Museum confirmed the exhibit is not on display right now, and John Lennon artifacts are there instead. The Museum says that they take some exhibits out of rotation because it is not good to be constantly exposed to the light, and return them to their vaults. However, eventually the exhibit will be returned to display. (thanks, Jackie)

July 14, 2004 A&E has upcoming Doors program <> music licensing <> unconfirmed show at Clarkston, MI <> Jim's family at trial

'Breakfast With the Arts' is a program on A&E Channel scheduled on Sunday, 7/25 at 5:00 a.m. (west coast time). According to TiVo, this is a 2-hour program called: The Doors: Soundstage Performances (2003). The blurb says: Surviving members of rock band The Doors reminisce; early performances. www.aetv.com

The Doors have officially licensed a remix of 'Peace Frog' (remixed by Robby Krieger) to X-Games, according to information just posted on an official site. Other licenses coming up are "Break On Through" in the new 'Tony Hawk Underground (THUG)' videogame, and Snoop Dogg is doing a remake of "Riders On The Storm" for the new 'Need For Speed 2' videogame coming out. (thanks, Dave D.)

The Doors of the 21st Century will return to Clarkston, Michigan's DTE Energy Music Theatre on Saturday, August 21st, according to that venue's website. Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 16th at 10:00 a.m. It's interesting that the band will return to this venue. This is where at last summer's show there were hundreds of fans onstage during the finale, and a few managed to make off with some of the band's equipment in all the confusion. (thanks, Lorie) more info

Jim Morrison's parents and sister have been frequent attendees at the ongoing jury trial in L.A. County Superior Court. I was honored to have the chance to speak with them today. I took the opportunity to tell Mrs. Morrison and Anne about my visit to Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum last summer, where I was able to see the wonderful display of personal items from Jim's youth. I recently heard that the exhibit is no longer there, and would like to find out if it has been re-located to elsewhere in the museum, or removed altogether. I thanked the Morrison family for making those items available for fans to view, and told them I had done a write-up about the display for this site. read it

July 13, 2004 50 best rock intros <> worst songs of great rockers <> Jim birthday event in Hollywood

Light My Fire has rightfully made it onto a list of 50 Best Rock Intros according to a Palm Beach story. We know it should've been higher, but there is a lot of righteous competition. (thanks, David my son) read it

Win some, lose some. Another Doors song was included in their list of Worst Songs of Great Rockers. (thanks, David my son) read it

Hollywood's Erotic Museum celebrates Jim's birthday with a 'program of sexually charged spoken word recordings, music, images and more from the Museum's permanent collection. Silly me, I didn't even know Hollywood had an Erotic Museum!! The event site says: details to come. (thanks, David my son) more info

July 12, 2004 Manchester set list added <> trial enters its third week <> Manchester show review

The Doors of the 21st Century played England's Manchester News Arena last night. From a report sent to me, someone threw a rubber lizard onstage. Ian picked it up and placed it on Robby's monitor, then Robby put it on his head and threw it out into the audience! The set list has been added to the Set List page. (thanks, Ian and Richard)

Testimony continues in the trial of John Densmore, the Morrison family, and the Courson family -vs- Ray and Robby, et al. The first week was spent entirely on jury selection, so this is only the second week of actual testimony. Witnesses expected this week include the band's former business manager and former attorney, among others. read more

Manchester Online ran a review of The Doors of the 21st Century Sunday night show at Manchester Evening News Arena. read it

July 11, 2004 Jim bumped from cover of Rolling Stone <> another Adapt show this week <> Bospop set list and photos

Jim Morrison was supposed to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine's July 8-22, 2004 issue, the same issue that included the excerpt from the new Stephen Davis book entitled: "Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend." The lead story became a tribute to Ray Charles after his death on June 10th, and the planned Morrison cover got bumped to become a Ray Charles cover.

Adapt plays another show this Tuesday night, July 13th at The Larchmont, 5657 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. For more info, call (323) 467-4068. Adapt has Waylon Krieger on guitar & lead vocals, James Beasley on drums, and Julian Plascencia on bass & vocals. For more info or to sign up to receive band updates, visit their website at www.adaptband.com

The Doors of the 21st Century played Bospop in Weert, Holland on Thursday, July 8th. Although the skies opened and the rain poured down during Riders On The Storm, apparently the show was not a wash-out! I have been sent the set list, a show review, and some photos that are included on review page.. (thanks, Sven and Fred)

Miller Brewing Company's big concert celebration scheduled for NYC's Roseland Ballroom in mid-September, was detailed in a press release issued a few weeks ago. As mentioned in the July 8th news item below, The Doors of the 21st Century are listed as one of the bands who will perform. As always, this performance cannot be considered as "firm" until contracts are signed and the information is first posted on The Doors of the 21st Century Tour Schedule page on Robby Krieger's website, at http://robbykrieger.com/doors/tour.htm. (thanks, Dave) read it

July 9, 2004 first week of trial testimony <> reports from Europe on D21C shows

Week One of testimony in the trial of John Densmore, the Morrison family, and the Courson family -vs- Ray and Robby, et al, is concluded. John spent about three full days in the witness chair going through direct examination by the attorneys for the plaintiffs, and then cross-examination by the attorney for the defendants. read more

The Doors of the 21st Century have completed the first two performances of their July tour of Europe, now in progress. I understand that the show suffered heavy rain at Bospop in Weert -- which coincided with a performance of Riders On The Storm. I have received some photos and reviews, and will sort it out and get caught up this weekend. Next stop: a return to Wembley Arena in London on Saturday night, July 10th.

July 8, 2004 D21C show at NYC's Roseland <> Classic Rock mag has Jim on cover <> John testified today <> Scottish story about D21C controversy

The Doors of the 21st Century are among the many acts confirmed to perform at Miller Brewing Company's star-studded "Rock Through Time" concert this fall in New York, according to Billboard.com. The event will be held Sept. 17-18 at the city's Roseland Ballroom, and will also feature performances from Velvet Revolver, The Darkness, Lenny Kravitz, James Brown, and Cheap Trick, among others. No tickets will be sold to the general public for the event, with the audience expected to be dominated by contest winners. Miller itself is giving away 1,000 tickets in addition to a sweepstakes for a trip to New York to see the concert. While this show is likely, it is not "firm" until contracts are signed and the information is first posted on The Doors of the 21st Century Tour Schedule page on Robby Krieger's website, at http://robbykrieger.com/doors/tour.htm This story came from www.blabbermouth.net (thanks, Daphne)

U.K.'s Classic Rock Magazine's August issue has an approximately 12-page feature on Jim in its "rock excess" feature issue. Jim is on the cover and there are some rare photos included in the story, which revolves around the new Stephen Davis biography of Jim. I'm always glad to see Jim or the band get publicity, but the book itself has gotten thumbs down from those who have read it. The consensus is that the author has cobbled together stories from all the other books, and thrown in some new innuendos for interest. (thanks, Alex)

John Densmore spent the entire day in the witness chair giving testimony today at the jury trial in progress. Check the following link later this evening for today's re-cap: Diary of a Doors Drama

The Scotsman, an on-line news service, runs a story today about band reunions and specifically mentions next week's upcoming show by The Doors of the 21st Century in Glasgow, and offers the writer's opinion on the tour and lawsuit. read it

Sad but true. My friend in Paris has confirmed the news about the permanent barricades now erected around Jim's grave. Photographer Michelle Campbell indicated that these are the same metal type barriers that were there last December, only they take up a larger area and there is no way to enter. It is still possible to get close in one corner, but it is not possible to stand in front of the grave or behind it for pictures, as before. Fans cannot even get close enough now to lay offerings on the grave, and can only fling them. Over this past weekend, fans put photos, offerings, candles, etc. on the other side of the barricade, and a very nice cemetery guard would climb over and lay them on the grave when he could. As Michelle stayed after closing for her traditional last photo of the day, she saw him very respectfully take fan offerings and place them on the grave, light the candles, and arrange the flowers. This barrier has been there since April 1st and is permanent. Mon dieu!!! (thanks, Michelle)

Morrison Hotel was part of a friend's annual July 3rd tour of significant sites. He noted that a satellite dish company was parked outside by the store next to the hotel, where the album cover window once was. Two "dish" workmen came out of the hotel, got a dish out of the hotel and carried it inside!!! Looks like Morrison Hotel is movin' on up to keep up with the neighborhood. Two blocks away at the corner of Pico and Figueroa is a new upscale apartment building, where a unit on the Pico side gives a view of the Morrison Hotel from the balcony. Also, several months ago he saw an ad in the paper for penthouse lofts on Flower Street, one block from the Morrison Hotel, going for $995,000. That neighborhood is definitely going 'uptown' and it's undoubtedly just a matter of time before it's "taps" for Morrison Hotel. as we know it. (thanks, Mark).

The Doors of the 21st Century played Loopfest at Tweeter Center in Tinley Park (Chicago), Illinois last night. Although ZZ Top were the headliners, from all reports they were blown off the stage by D21C's set. To see last night's set list, go here. (thanks, Dave)

July 4, 2004 barricades at Jim's grave <> Adapt played the Whisky <> report on 'Cheri Amour' grand opening

Jim's grave at Pere LaChaise in Paris, France is getting permanent barriers, according to a report from a Paris-based friend. It is not uncommon for temporary barriers to be put into place for crowd control on the dates surrounding July 3rd and December 8th. Permanent barriers will be something altogether new! I'm trying to get more information on this.

Adapt, the band featuring Waylon Krieger on guitar and vocals, James Beasley on drums, and Julian Plascencia on bass and vocals, played their fourth-ever show on Thursday night at the Whisky on Sunset Strip. Among those in attendance were Robby & Lynn Krieger, and D21C Manager Tom Vitorino. Keep checking the Adapt website for more show announcements, and sign up to their mailing list for news and updates.

Cheri Amour is the new name of the Norton Avenue apartment building which was the last residence of Jim and Pam before leaving for Paris in early 1971. The building's owner is attempting to make it a destination for Doors fans. Yesterday, on the 33rd anniversary of Jim's death, the site was opened to the public for a 'dedication ceremony.' read about it

July 3, 2004 London Times music critic will be a trial witness <> Ray disputes that Jim was bisexual <> Jim was mentioned in Marlon Brando story

A London UK music critic will be one of the witnesses called to testify in the jury trial, now underway. read it Daily summaries will be provided on this link: Diary of a Doors Drama Monday is a court holiday, so proceedings resume on Tuesday, July 6th.

Ray Manzarek disputes claims of Jim Morrison's bisexuality as alleged in Stephen Davis's new book. According to Ireland on-line: The Doors keyboard player Ray Manzarek has rubbished claims in a new book that the band's late frontman Jim Morrisson was bisexual. Manzarek has slammed author Stephen Davis for allegations in his book Jim Morrisson: Life, Death that Morrisson enjoyed intimate relationships with both men and women. He says: "I saw him with lots of girls but no men. If Jim was bisexual, he did a brilliant job of hiding it. "I never had sex with Jim and to the best of my knowledge neither did anyone else in the band."

Jim Morrison was referenced in a Village Voice story about the death of Marlon Brando. (thanks, Kyle) read it