--Metallica Among 2013 Rock In Rio Headliners

It seems Metallica is turning into a Rock in Rio regular.  The group is set to headline the festival for a sixth time next year, alongside Iron Maiden and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.  The Metallica guys said in an online post that they're "super psyched" to be returning to the Rio de Janeiro event -- even if it is almost a year away.  They'll take the stage on September 19th, 2013, with international tickets set to go on sale in April.  But Metallica will be visiting another festival much sooner than that.  They're on board to play this year's Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans on Saturday, October 27th.


--Flea Celebrates 50th With RHCP Concert/Fundraiser In Backyard

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea got one of today's biggest rock bands to play his 50th birthday party -- the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  The rockers put on an intimate show in Flea's backyard on Tuesday.  But the event also served as a fundraiser for the Silver Lake Conservatory, which is the Los Angeles music school he founded more than a decade ago.  Flea told "Rolling Stone" before the gig that the chance to build support for the school on the same day he turned 50 was "the best gift [he] could ever hope to receive."  In addition to the Peppers, Rancid played a 30-minute set as the opening act.  The punk band's frontman, Tim Armstrong, attended the Silver Lake Conservatory as a student, and Flea says he's continued to "walk the walk" and support the school monetarily.

When the Chili Peppers took the stage at the end of the night, they broke out a variety of hits ranging from "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" to "Give It Away," plus a cover of Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere."  Flea told the crowd it was "an overwhelming experience," and said it felt "really meaningful and poignant to have everybody come out and support."


--Wolfgang Van Halen Slams One Direction On Twitter

Eddie Van Halen's son is using a few choice words to describe his recent run-in with the members of One Direction.  Wolfgang Van Halen let loose on Twitter Tuesday night, saying the U.K. boy band was rude to him when they bumped into each other at a hotel lobby in Birmingham, England.  "Wolfie," who plays bass in his dad's band, dropped a few colorful phrases to paint his encounter with the One Direction guys, joking that "they must call themselves that because all of their hair points in 'one direction'."  He isn't getting off easy with his remarks.  One Direction's fan base pounced on Van Halen immediately after the tweet.  The band has yet to respond on their own.  For now their fans are doing all the talking.


--Vines Singer Craig Nicholls Bailed On Assault Charge

The Vines frontman Craig Nicholls is out on bail after appearing in court Tuesday following his alleged assault on his parents at his home near Sydney, Australia, this past weekend.  The singer is accused of punching his mother twice in the head, and getting into a violent struggle with police that resulted in one officer being taken to the hospital for cuts and bruises.  According to "The Daily Telegraph," the restraining order Nicholls' parents took out was continued in Sutherland Local Court Tuesday, but the judge relaxed some of the conditions.  The rocker doesn't have to report to police anymore, and he is no longer banned from Connells Point, the suburb where the alleged attack took place. Nicholls -- who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in 2004 -- is due back in court on November 14th.


--Gene Simmons Voicing Support For Mitt Romney

KISS' Gene Simmons hasn't been pleased with the Obama presidency.  The bassist voted for Obama in 2008, but tells AOL's "Noisecreep" he's "very disappointed" with the job Obama has done and calls him "a piss-poor president."  Simmons admits there are things he doesn't like about Republican nominee Mitt Romney as well, but says he thinks the former Massachusetts governor is "much more qualified" to be president.  He cites Romney's success as a businesman, and says Romney "knows how to create jobs."  Meanwhile, Gene praises Obama as "a wonderful family man," but says with him "that's about where the resume stops."


--Trent Reznor Working On "Interesting" Projects With Beats By Dre

Trent Reznor says he's been cooking up something "very interesting" with audio equipment makers Beats by Dre.  The Nine Inch Nails frontman posted a message on his Facebook page this week explaining that he's spent the past year or so working with Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine and other members of the Beats crew on a number of projects that will start to "emerge" next year.  Reznor says he was looking for a chance to experiment and focus his energy and creativity in different directions, and Beats "afforded [him] that very opportunity."  The rocker adds that the process has been both "challenging and fascinating."  And while Reznor says he can't share the things they've "dreamed up" just yet, he does reveal that it's, quote, "probably not what you're expecting."


--Aerosmith Launching Track By Track Online Preview Of New Album

Aerosmith is offering fans a preview of their upcoming album, "Music From Another Dimension."  The group will debut the tracks over the coming weeks via RollingStone.com.  The first preview is the album's lead-off track, "LUV XXX." The song features the late John Lennon's son Julian Lennon.  Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler says when he and Julian recorded the vocals, they shared a microphone just like John and Paul McCartney did in The Beatles.  He also praises Julian as a talented singer who has "such a character to his voice," adding that it's "very Beatle-y."  Aerosmith's "Music From Another Dimension" will be in stores on November 6th.


--Today's Birthdays

Chuck Berry is 86.
Stealers Wheel's Joe Egan is 66.
Former REO Speedwagon guitarist Gary Richrath is 63.
The Cardigans guitarist Peter Svensson is 38.


--Today in Rock History

In 1957
Paul McCartney made his first public appearance as a member of the Quarrymen at the New Clubmoor Hall in Liverpool, England.

In 1966
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played its first concert.  The show was at the Olympic Theatre in Paris.

In 1968
Police found cannabis resin at John Lennon and Yoko Ono's London apartment.  They were arrested and subsequently fined for marijuana possession, which became the public reason why the U.S. government had tried to have Lennon deported in the 1970s.

In 1985
Iron Maiden released the album "Life After Death."

In 1989
Axl Rose threatened to quit Guns N' Roses.

In 1994
New releases included Bon Jovi's album "Crossroad" and the video "Woodstock 1994."

In 1997
Former Alice Cooper guitarist Glen Buxton died of complications from pneumonia.  He was 49.

In 2002
Queen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2004
Guitarist Dante DeCaro left the group Hot Hot Heat.

In 2006
The funeral mass for the late Freddy Fender took place at Queen of the Universe Catholic Church in San Benito, Texas.  Fender died four days earlier after a battle with lung cancer.  He was 69.

In 2007
Aerosmith fans in Maui launched a class-action lawsuit against the group over a cancelled concert.  Ticketholders accused the band of breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation, and alleged island fans lost up to three-million-dollars in travel expenses and other non-refundable costs.