Loose Ends: Madonna Tour Record, Rock Star: Supernova And Willie Nelson's Drug Bus(t)

Madonna's Confessions world tour, which ends on Thursday night in Tokyo, is the most successful ever by a female artist. Although all of the receipts haven't been tallied, tour producer Arthur Fogel estimates that the controversial tour's 60 shows drew almost 1.2 million people and generated $193.7 million U.S. in sales.

That edges Cher, who took in $192.5 million from 273 shows on her almost endless Farewell tour that lasted from June 2002 to April 2005. Madonna's 2004 Re-Invention tour grossed $125 million and her 2001 Drowned world tour raked in $75 million.

According to the New York Daily News, the Material Girl was provided with a new toilet seat at every venue that she played on this tour. A source told the newspaper that the seat had to be wrapped in plastic upon arrival and removed right after she left to prevent people from trying to sell it on eBay.

Madonna spokesperson Liz Rosenberg confirmed the toilet seat request and said, "I don't know if anyone helps her wipe, but there are probably people who would volunteer."

The members of the band formed on the CBS television series Rock Star: Supernova, who were prevented from using the name Supernova due to a court injunction, have come up with a new moniker. And the powers that be must have wracked their brains pretty hard to think of it: Rock Star: Supernova. The imaginative rock group's debut album will be released on Nov. 21.

Willie Nelson and four members of his crew had a lot of pot and mushrooms on their tour bus when they were pulled over by Louisiana police near Breaux Bridge on Monday, but we suspect that the crafty country singer's knowledge of drug laws allowed them to get away with receiving misdemeanour citations.

The bus was pulled over for a traffic violation, and police said they could detect the strong odour of marijuana emanating from it. The bus was searched and police discovered a pound-and-a-half of weed and more than three ounces of illegal mushrooms.

That was enough to warrant a felony charge of distribution if the drugs had been found in one person's possession, but all five people claimed them as their own and, since they weren't packaged for resale, each person got away with a misdemeanour charge. All of them were released after the citations were issued.

Staying in Louisiana and with Nelson, CTV will air a documentary titled Music Rising that looks at the effect that last summer's Hurricane Katrina had on the thousands of musicians living in New Orleans. The film follows Canadian producer Bob Ezrin, U2's The Edge and Gibson Guitar's Henry Juszkiewicz and their Music Rising initiative that raised money to replace musical instruments that were lost in the hurricane and ensuing floods. It features Nelson and Arlo Guthrie performing "City Of New Orleans" and The Edge sitting in with the Dave Matthews Band. Music Rising airs at 7 p.m. ET on Sept. 23.

Toronto concert announcements:

Sept. 28 The Temptations @ Living Arts Centre
Sept. 29 John Berry @ Hugh's Room
Oct. 5 Down With Webster @ El Mocambo
Oct. 6 Massive Attack @ The Carlu
Oct. 6 Sloan and Yoko Casionos @ Kool Haus
Oct. 7 K'Naan and Zaki Ibrahim @ Harbourfront Centre
Oct. 9 The Sword @ Phoenix
Oct. 10 Brazilian Girls @ Mod Club
Oct. 16 Beck @ Ricoh Coliseum
Oct. 29 Pyramid Culture, The Barmitzvah Brothers and DJ Pankreas @ Sneaky Dee's
Nov. 2 James Cotton Band @ Healey's
Nov. 3 Amos Lee @ Danforth Music Hall
Nov. 4 Elton John @ Air Canada Centre
Nov. 10 Robyn Hitchcock and The Venus 3 @ Mod Club
Nov. 18 Tahiti 80 and Brookville @ Horseshoe Tavern
Nov. 20 Xavier Rudd and Ko Kapches @ Kool Haus
Nov. 21 Plus-44 @ Phoenix
Nov. 29 Trans-Siberian Orchestra @ Air Canada Centre
Dec. 12 The Lemonheads @ Lee's Palace

Vancouver concert announcements:

Oct. 7 Herald Nix, David P. Smith and The Knotty Pines @ Railway Club
Oct. 7 Barney Bentall, Leslie Alexander and John Ellis @ Vancouver East Cultural Centre
Oct. 8 Linda McRae, Jon Wood, Doug Andrew, Andrew Burden, Dylan Thomas, Amy Honey, Rodney DeCroo, David P. Smith and Archie Pateman @ Railway Club
Oct. 13 The Subhumans, Sulturro and Motorama @ Lamplighter
Oct. 13 The Herbaliser, Five Alarm Funk, Sweet Soul Burlesque, U-Tern and The Masses @ Edgewater Stage
Oct. 18 The Elected, Margo and The Nuclear So And So's @ Media Club
Oct. 21 Madlib, Peanut Butter Wolf, J-Rocc, Percee P, Oh No, Dudley Perkins, Roc C, Aloe Blac and Georgia Anne Muldrew @ Richard's On Richards
Oct. 22 Greg Keelor and The Sadies @ Commodore Ballroom
Oct. 27 Bahamadia, Kia Kadiri, Sistahailstorm and Rapsure Risin' @ Vancouver East Cultural Centre
Oct. 28 Saul Williams, Olmeca, Siren's Echo and Carlo Sayo & Anthony Fenton @ Vancouver East Cultural CentreNovember 10 Favourite Sons and The Drones @ Media Club
Nov. 10 Lady Sovereign and Young Love @ Commodore Ballroo
Nov. 16 Southern Culture On The Skids @ Richard's On Richards
Nov. 18 Tony Bennett @ Red Robinson Show Theatre
Nov. 18 Lindsay Buckingham @ Centre In Vancouver For Performing Arts
Nov. 24 Three Days Grace, Theory Of A Deadman, Mobile and Idle Sons @ Centre In Vancouver For Performing Arts
Nov. 25 Loverboy @ Red Robinson Show Theatre
Dec. 4 Wolfmother @ Commodore Ballroom
Dec. 5 Xavier Rudd and Ndidi Onukwulu @ Orpheum Theatre
Dec. 9 America @ Red Robinson Show Theatre
Dec. 15 Eddie Money @ Red Robinson Show Theatre
Dec. 16 Air Supply @ Red Robinson Show Theatre