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The Beck Stops Here MGD Blind Date winners catch a special performance at the Warfield By Sarah Quelland MY TELEPHONE RANG at about two minutes to midnight last Thursday (Oct. 26); all I could hear at the other end of the line was Beck's "Devil's Haircut." Thinking it was a friend calling from some rowdy exotic locale, I tried to talk over the club noise. It took me a few moments to catch on. Beck was the mystery guest at the MGD Blind Date held Oct. 26 at the Warfield in San Francisco. My suspicion that the event would feature a Bridge School Benefit band was confirmed. The mole who called me from inside the club informed me that "Foo Fighters opened" before hanging up. Both Beck and Foo Fighters, along with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tegan and Sara and Neil Young, went on to perform last Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 28-29) at Shoreline Amphitheatre at the annual acoustic benefit. According to my source, the Warfield was only about half-full, because Miller beer limited the number of contest winners who were flown in from all over the country. The concert started around 9pm, and both performances lasted almost exactly an hour with no encores. Apparently, Foo Fighters had just flown in from a taping of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno . MTV and Roadrunner Records release MTV's Return of the Rock, Volume 2 this Tuesday (Nov. 7). It's encouraging to see that MTV included (hed)pe's blazing "Waiting to Die" from its new album, Broke. "Bartender" should be only the start for this high-quality SoCal band. ... LIVE 105's second Local Lounge disc is also on the way, and MIX 106.5 has just released Today's Best Mix, Volume 2, which features songs by big names like Smash Mouth and Third Eye Blind, and one track by local hopefuls the Recruits. The album is available at South Bay Wherehouse stores, and proceeds benefit the Children's Shelter of Santa Clara County. KFOG releases its Live From the Archives 7 Nov. 14 with live tracks by Ben Harper, Old 97s, John Popper, Tori Amos, Phish and others. It will also be available at the Wherehouse and proceeds benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. Papa Roach has been confirmed to participate in the third annual Rock in Rio festival, which takes place in mid-January. The band joins Beck, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silverchair, Iron Maiden, N*SYNC, Britney Spears, Foo Fighters, Five, Dave Matthews Band and, most significantly, the new Guns 'n' Roses. Reports say the new lineup features original member Axl Rose, bassist Tommy Stinson, guitarists Paul Tobias and Buckethead (guitarist Robin Finck could also put in an appearance), keyboardist Dizzy Reed and former Primus drummer Brain. There's still no word on when the band's exhaustive work-in-progress, Chinese Democracy, might be released. Locally, Papa Roach takes the stage at the San Jose Arena Nov. 19 with Limp Bizkit, Eminem and Xzibit. The Gaslighter Theater in Campbell is holding a battle of the bands Thursday-Saturday (Nov. 2-4). Thursday's competition features regional bands Luxt, Breach, Adverse Side-FX, Fighting Jacks, Infernal Rage, Built, Kalis, Autumn and Fleshole, while Friday's event finds Aftermage, Lords of the Manor, Sol Ascending, Downside, Arcana-Dei, Breed of Mind, Neverland, Willow and Eugene duking it out. On Saturday, the top three finalists will compete for prizes. All shows are all-ages and start at 7pm. Tickets are $8. Penfifteen (that's PEN15), featuring former Myopia guitarist J.C., will perform tonight (Nov. 2) at the Cactus Club with Vincent's Ear, FreakbomB and Zero Theory. ... Jazz fusion, funk and salsa aficionados may want to take a closer look at Agenda Lounge. The club is starting to book a more diverse array of bands. Upcoming shows include Safari (Nov. 3), Funkernamicon (Nov. 4), Felonious (Nov. 11), Sabor Latino (Nov. 15) and Orquesta Gitano Salsa (Nov. 22). Next Thursday (Nov. 9), Metro and Fuel bring Cuban dance bands Bamboleo and David Calzado & La Charanga Habanera to the Usual. Tickets are $16 and available at 510.601.TWEB or www.ticketweb.com. PLAN AHEAD: Triple Seven, Nov. 2 at the Usual; the Supersuckers, the Amazing Crowns and Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, Nov. 3 at the Cactus; the Red Elvises and Chicken Coupe DeVille, Nov. 4 at the Cactus; SPiSHAK, Ellis, the Others and Under a Dying Sun, Nov. 4 at the Fishbowl in Sunnyvale; Reverend Horton Heat and Los Infernos, Nov. 5 at the Usual; Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack and Disturbed, Nov. 6 at the SJSU Event Center. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]