Kid Cudi Drops Off Lady Gaga's The Monster Ball Tour

Kid Cudi has left the Monster Ball early, vacating his opening-act slot on Lady Gaga's current tour just five days after punching a fan during a solo performance in Vancouver. According to the official statement posted on Dat New Cudi, the Grammy-nominated rapper took "an early leave of absence from Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour, in order to balance his schedule surrounding the recording of his next album and acting commitments." Cudi will now embark on his own solo trek, which kicked off last night in Reno, Nevada.

In addition to opening for Gaga, Cudi was performing his own shows during off-days and after-hours on the Monster Ball Tour. In fact, Cudi's punching incident at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom on December 12th took place during the "Day N Nite" rapper's fifth show in three days in the British Columbian city, the Vancouver Sun notes, so the heavy schedule may have taken its toll on Cudi. Video of the incident showed Cudi catching a wallet that was thrown at him during the performance and then throwing it back in the crowd. The audience member who caught the wallet wasn't actually the owner, so he threw it back at Cudi, who then lashed out with punches at the concertgoer.

This isn't the first time a rapper has opted out of a tour with Gaga: As Rolling Stone previously reported, the Hot Diva's planned Fame Kills tour with Kanye West was called off at the last minute just days after West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. No word yet regarding who will replace Cudi on the Monster Ball, which continues tonight in Las Vegas.

Kid Cudi's solo tour dates:
Dec. 22 - Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia
Dec. 23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Club Nokia
Dec. 27 - North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
Dec. 31 - Miami Beach, FL @ Wet at the W Hotel
Jan. 5 - Covington, KY @ Madison Theater
Jan. 6 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Jan. 11 - Ann Arbor, MI @ University of Michigan
Jan. 15 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater
Jan. 22 - New York, NY @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza

Related Stories:
• Live Review: Lady Gaga Brings Her Pop Theatricality to Boston in First U.S. "Monster Ball" Show
• Lady Gaga Exclusive: Inside Her Plans for The Monster Ball Tour
• Kanye West and Lady Gaga "Fame Kills" Tour Canceled

• 
  MUSIC The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments
• 
  MOVIES & TV 'Game of Thrones': The Show Vs. the Books
• 
  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Facebook IPO vs. Shareholders
• 
  VIDEOS Exclusive: Garbage Rip Through 'I Think I'm Paranoid'

Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter