One of New York's longest standing clubs, Irving Plaza, will be renamed The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza on April 11. The 1000-person club is the latest in a series of Live Nation venues to take on the Fillmore name. The room will also take on a variety of the original Fillmore's trademark amenities. Upon entry, fans will be offered fresh apples and a greeter will inform patrons about upcoming shows. The walls will be painted a deep red hue and the refurbished chandeliers will shine light on vintage posters, pictures and newspaper articles recounting past performances. At select shows a collectible poster commemorating the evening will be made available. The refurbished club will also boast new improved sightlines in its upstairs balcony area and new flat-screen televisions. The bathroom facilities will also see an upgrade this summer and the club will install a new lighting system. Live Nation currently oversees Fillmore venues in San Francisco and Denver and has confirmed that it will open a Fillmore in Philadelphia later this year. The media mogul plans to open a series of additional Fillmore rooms, similar to the House of Blues chain it recently acquired. Lily Allen will open The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza on April 11.

The Greyboy Allstars, Stephen Marley, and Martin Sexton have been added to RatDog’s previously confirmed Green Apple performance at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on April 22. The multi-band bill is part of Green Apple’s tri-city Earth Day celebration, which includes a similar free show at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo featuring Umphrey’s McGee, the Disco Biscuits, Todd Park Mohr, and Mad Professor, among others. Noted children’s artist Laurie Berkner will also perform a free Earth Day show at New York’s The Great Hill in Central Park on April 22. After wrapping up their Golden Gate Park shows, Stephen Marley and the Greyboy Allstars will perform club shows at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium and the Independent, respectively.  The recently reunited Greyboy Allstars will release their next studio album, What Happened to TV?, on April 17.

Devon Allman is currently in New York for a series of dates with his band, Honeytribe, timed with his father’s residency at the Beacon Theater. While in town, the younger Allman also performed with another guitar legend, Les Paul. On Monday Devon Allman stopped by Paul’s weekly residency at New York’s Iridium and sang and played guitar on the song "Red House." He isn't the first child of an Allman Brother to sit-in with Paul. A few years back, Derek Trucks' son Charlie sat on Paul's lap while his father played with him at the Iridium. “He’s got the same band he formed in high school and they just hit it,” Gregg Allman says of his son. “They got tired of playing what they were playing and started playing this great blues-oriented rock and roll. It's great, foot-stomping, thumping rock and roll and I just love it to death.” Honeytribe will perform this Friday at New York’s BB King Blues Club and Devon Allman will do an acoustic show at the Beacon Theatre Saturday afternoon to benefit Hittin' the Note publisher Bill Ector.

 Photo Credit:  Jim Eigo

The Smashing Pumpkins will end its six-and-a-half year road hiatus on May 22. The veteran alternative-rock group will debut its new lineup and a series of new songs at the intimate Paris club Grand Rex. Tickets will go on sale April 11. This performance marks the Smashing Pumpkins’ first live date since December 2, 2000. 

 Longtime Smashing Pumpkins members Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin are currently finishing work on the Smashing Pumpkins sixth album, Zeitgeist, the group's first since 2000's Machina/The Machines of God and the free, digital-only release Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music.  The album is being produced by Corgan and Chamberlin, with additional production work from Roy Thomas Baker and Terry Date. Longtime Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, and touring keyboardist Mike Garson are not expected to be part of the Smashing Pumpkins new lineup.

 After the Paris show, The Smashing Pumpkins will headline major European festivals from May 28 at Hollands Pinkpop festival through June 17 at Switzerlands Greenfield Festival, returning to England August 24 (Leeds Festival) and August 26 (Reading Festival).  Stay tuned for more information about North American tour dates beyond the V Festivals confirmed in Washington, DC (August 5) and Toronto, ONT (September 8).