YOUR RECOMMENDED DAILY ALLOWANCE OF MUSICAL TIDBITS

Rock band U2 said Monday (5/22) it will broadcast its PopMart concert for three weeks starting June 8 using Burst.com's new broadband delivery technology. Many rock fans remember the PopMart World Tour—which promoted the band's eighth studio album, "Pop"—from its round-the-globe circuit back in 1997-98. "The band purposely waited to premiere PopMart on the Net until there was technology available that could match the tour's cutting-edge visual staging and audio dynamic," rationalized U2 guitarist (and Pizza Hut pizza) The Edge. "Did you notice how I worked my own name into that quote?" The postage stamp-sized image most people will see on their home computers will accurately approximate the PopMart experience, making the viewer feel like he is there, in the stadium with U2, in the upper level, only 500-750 yards from the stage. The concert will be available free for a few weeks at http://www.U2.burst.com… Third time'sthe charm, apparently, for Oasis lead guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher, who has left the band—his third walkout—on the eve of a four-date stint through France. The elder Gallagher has said that he won't perform at any of the 24 remaining European dates. Guitarist Matt Deighton (who has performed with Paul Weller) will be worked in for the remainder of the tour. Deighton's first gig with the band will be a May 30 show in Milan, Italy. All of the band's gigs until that time have been canceled. Word on the street is that Noel is sick of touring and even sicker of younger brother Liam's excessive drinking. Some sources have put Noel's walkout as him quitting the band, but a statement posted on Oasis' official Web site says Gallagher "intends to perform with the band for the scheduled U.K. dates later this summer." With two guys as reliable as the Gallaghers, our advice is not to put your money on this horse making it back Stateside… Because it's far too hard to figure out what's good and what's bad all by yourself, there's now a Web site that can help you with that arduous task. As of today, Like.com will provide and online opinions guide filled with the "likes" of famous recording artists such as LFO, Bloodhound Gang and M2M. "You can discover a new book, music CD or film that you may not have been aware of, and it's hand-picked by an artist or celebrity you like," said Like.com CEO Josh Warner. "As a fan, finding out what your favorite celebrity likes has a real value. Otherwise, you'll never be able to perfect your stalking gig."… Father Ron Funke officially became the 10,000^th person to become a member of Paul Allen's Experience Music Project—Seattle's answer to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Father Funke (whose last name is pronounced "funk") said his passion for music and love of Frank O. Gehry architecture inspired him to buy the membership. The 140,000-sq. ft. museum was designed by Gehry. For buying the milestone membership, Father Funke will receive ten free tickets—ironically enough—to the June 25 EMP "Funk Blast," featuring the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Father Funke, meet Godfather Soul. Rumors that WWF sensation The Rock would also be in attendance went unconfirmed at presstime… In the second year of their three-year partnership, TBA Entertainment Corp. and Hard Rock Cafe announced the lineup of the 2000 Hard Rock Cafe Rockfest presented by Oldsmobile Alero. The event which will be held July 22 at the Chicago Motor Speedway will feature Metallica, Kid Rock, Stone Temple Pilots, Third Eye Blind, The Tragically Hip, Veruca Salt, Tonic and Barenaked Ladies, among others. Other sponsors of the event include Discover Card, Entertainment Weekly, Motorola, Pepsi, Sam Goody and Sony PlayStation. TBA CEO/ President Thomas Jackson described the event in this way: "Our goal is for Hard Rock Cafe Rockfest to be a vertically integrated, comprehensive initiative." See, corporate guys can make even rock& roll sound sterile and dull. Someone order us a roast pig sandwich.