Billboard Bits: Memorial Day, Anastasio, Suede

News on Memorial Day, Anastasio, Suede

Country act Lonestar, soprano Renee Fleming, inspirational singer Yolanda Adams, and the National Symphony Orchestra will appear at the annual National Memorial Day Concert on May 25 in Washington, D.C. The performances on the west lawn of the Capitol building will be broadcast live on PBS TV stations across the country and around the world on the Armed Forces Radio and Television Network beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Last year's event featured the orchestra as well as Charlotte Church and Chicago, and drew more than 300,000 people. This year's program will include a salute to U.S. troops serving in the Persian Gulf.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

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Phish's live downloads site is expanding its offerings and planning to make available all 10 shows from singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio's upcoming tour in support of his recently released live album "Plasma" (Elektra). The site is offering pre-orders of each show for $9.95 as MP3 files or $12.95 as Shorten files, with the option to purchase the entire tour for discounted prices of $79.95 and $109.95, respectively.

Phish is also offering a similar package-discount for downloadable shows from its 12-date winter tour. The entire run is available for the price of 10 individual shows.

As previously reported, the group's next batch of retail releases in its Live Phish series is due May 20. The four shows -- 7/15/98 Portland, Ore.; 5/7/94 Dallas; 7/12/91 Keene, N.H.; and 12/29/94 Providence, R.I. -- were chosen by bassist Mike Gordon, who employed an exhaustive process of reviewing his notes from more than a thousand possible candidates.

-- Troy Carpenter, N.Y.

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U.K. rock outfit Suede has re-entered the recording studio to work on a handful of new tracks for a greatest-hits package slated for a fall release. A new song recently debuted live, "Love the Way You Love," is reportedly being considered as a single from the set.

The band is set to hit the summer European festival circuit -- including seven dates on the multi-city Danish festival GronKoncert -- after it completes work on the new tunes.

Suede's most recent studio album, last year's "A New Morning" (Epic), was not released in the U.S.; it debuted at No. 24 on the U.K. album chart.

Here are Suede's tour dates:

June 25: Athens (Melina Merikari Amphitheater)
June 27: Pilton, U.K. (Glastonbury Festival)
July 11: Esbjerg, Denmark (GronKoncert)
July 12: Odense, Denmark (GronKoncert)
July 13: Arhus, Denmark (GronKoncert)
July 17: Blokhus, Denmark (GronKoncert)
July 18: Borkop, Denmark (GronKoncert)
July 19: Naestved, Denmark (GronKoncert)
July 20: Copenhagen (GronKoncert)
Aug. 10: Benicassim, Spain (Benicassim Festival)

-- Troy Carpenter, N.Y.