Big Star Is Still Doing A Show (And A Panel) At SXSW

In the wake of Alex Chilton's death, the tributes continue to roll in (here's ours), but in at least one respect the show will go on. The Memphis Commercial Appeal's Bob Mehr reports that Big Star's SXSW engagements will be honored, with a few newly announced friends in tow:

Chilton had been scheduled to perform with Big Star on Saturday night, part of a headlining set at Antone's nightclub, and the group was also set to be the subject of a historical panel earlier in the day.

After consulting with Chilton's wife and festival organizers, surviving Big Star members Jody Stephens, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow confirmed that the panel and performance would go on as scheduled, effectively serving as memorials for Chilton.

"It felt like we had to pay tribute in some form," said Auer. "In a strange way, it's amazing that it happened around something like South by Southwest. So many people there are hyper-aware of Chilton and understand what he means musically, so it seems like the perfect place to do something like this."

The Saturday night Big Star set is shaping up to be an all-star tribute. Though the lineup is still coming together, a variety of artists including X's John Doe, R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, indie-folk singer M. Ward, the dB's Chris Stamey, Green on Red veteran Chuck Prophet and Chilton's longtime New Orleans collaborators Doug Garrison and René Coman are among those expected to appear.

That panel is gonna be a hard, hard thing. Could be great, though. The show, definitely.