Maybe they'll actually get to see his face as part of the deal, as AC/DC has tapped the top-hatted Slash -- along with his band, Slash's Snakepit -- to open their late summer North American tour. The former Guns N' Roses guitarist will be supporting a new album, Ain't Life Grand, scheduled to come out Oct. 10. on Koch Records (it was originally recorded for Interscope, but was never released). The tour kicks off Aug. 1 in Grand Rapids, Mich., and wraps up Sept. 23 in San Jose, Calif. . . .

Britney Spears canceled her Denver concert that was scheduled or July 26, twelve days before the date, despite the fact that tickets for the show went on sale back in February. No, the pop princess wasn't feeling poorly. According to the venue, the singer thought her production was too big for the stage at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Never mind that Pearl Jam , the Beatles, Phish and countless other top name acts thought the venue was not only fine, but breathtaking in its natural beauty. "We did everything possible to prevent the show from canceling," lamented promoter Chuck Morris, who now has to process refunds for the 9,000 tickets that sold-out in less than an hour when they first went on sale . . .

Insane Clown Posse are wrapping up their upcoming double album, Bizzar Bizaar, this week. The album, which the group recorded in its Detroit studio, will stress the rap side of the group's hybrid sound. This follow-up to last year's The Amazing Jeckel Brothers is set for release on Halloween. The duo's longtime friend and producer Mike E. Clark is producing . . .

Moby is in the process of nailing down dates, venues and a supporting act for an upcoming North American tour, which should kick off in early September and extend through November. Though no band is yet confirmed, Moby is considering Sterelab, Moloko, Magnetic Fields and Grandaddy as potential openers. Moby's currently slated to tour Australia and Europe through the rest of the summer, wrapping up that tour Aug. 26 in Dublin, Ireland . . .

Dr. Dre has made good on his threat to pull Detroit into court. After the city coerced the rapper to pull some video clips from the Up in Smoke tour, Dre cited First Amendment violations. Howard King, the rapper's attorney, filed a $25 million suit against the city of Detroit Friday, claiming that a spokesman for the mayor and several police officers threatened concert staff with arrest on July 6 if the video aired. According to the mayor's office, the clips (which contained sexual and violent material) would contribute to the delinquency of a minor. Following the Detroit stop, the tour has continued to air the video without incident . . .

Two and a half years after the death of Michael Hutchence, INXS announced that they will return with former Noise Works singer Jon Stevens at the mike. The Australian band played two May shows with Stevens in Melbourne that went so well that they immediately started talking about putting the fractured band back together. The band will play two warm-up shows in Jindabyne, a town in New South Wales, on Aug. 16 and 17, followed by a short club tour in New Zealand that kicks off on Aug. 20. An Australian tour may follow later this year. "We've got to get on with our lives and we feel that the best way to honor Michael's death, in a sense, is getting on with it," INXS guitarist Tim Farriss told CNN last week. "Whatever we choose to do, it will always be with him in mind" . . .

An electric company worker has accused James Brown of pulling a knife on him and holding him against his will. South Carolina Electric and Gas employee Russell Eubanks filed a report Friday with regards to the July 3 incident. Eubanks reportedly responded to a call claiming the power was out at Brown's Beech Island, S.C. home near Augusta, Ga. Upon entering an open security gate and ringing the doorbell, Eubanks claims he was told by Brown to wait. Brown allegedly returned with a suit on a hanger and told the electrician that he was a government agent and could incarcerate him for trespassing. Eubanks claims that Brown then began swinging a steak knife at him. No arrest has been made at this time, though according to local reports, the Aiken County Sherriff's Office plans to interview Brown about the allegations . . .

ANDREW DANSBY, GABRIELLE SCHAFER, JAAN UHELSZKI, JENNIFER VINEYARD
(July 18, 2000)