As goodbyes go, Nine Inch Nails' farewell-to-touring concert on Thursday night at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles was an aural bear hug. Followed by a firm handshake, a high five and a rap on the cheek — the kind of prolonged, reluctant send-off you get from a man's man.

Perez Hilton helped put Lady Gaga and Mika on the map by featuring them in the "Listen to This" section of his popular site Perezhilton.com. So it was only a matter of time before America's celebrity blog princess became a de facto A&R man with his own label and a national tour.

Jay-Z is helping out the NYFD and NYPD on September 11 by hosting a benefit concert at Madison Square Garden. But Wednesday night at a rare free gig at Manhattan's 600-person capacity Gramercy Theatre, the roles were switched when the city's finest, in full gear with oxygen tanks, interrupted Jay's set to investigate a fire alarm call.

"Thanks very much for coming. We appreciate it."

Seven years after Layne Staley's death from a drug overdose in 2002, Alice in Chains began its first major headlining tour Friday night without the iconic singer. The quartet's upcoming album -- Black Gives Way to Blue, due Sept. 29 -- includes songs inspired by the late frontman.

So, Julian Casablancas has finally decided to take after most of his fellow Strokes and go it alone.

Favorites of indie-rock bookworms everywhere, Harvey Danger went out where they came in, wrapping up their career with a three-hour, 29-song "final finale" Saturday night at the Crocodile Cafe in the group's hometown of Seattle. In the words of frontman Sean Nelson, the show was a "funmotional" end to the band's 17-year run.

"You've done a lot of things, but you've never rocked a bookstore, have you?" Billy Corgan asked Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro.

Despite the infighting and drama shadowing Aussie rockers Wolfmother in recent years, the band's fiery spirit is burning brightly again -- at least if Wednesday night's roar through the Roxy Theatre on Hollywood's Sunset Strip is any indication.

Let's start with the stats: On their second of two nights at Chicago's United Center Monday, Pearl Jam played 29 songs versus the previous night's 27, and repeated just eight.