Classic Hits

Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde has paid tribute to songwriter Billy Steinberg, who, along with his songwriting partner Tom Kelly, co-wrote the band’s classic tune “I’ll Stand By You.”

Steinberg died Monday in Los Angeles at the age of 75.

“Very sad to hear of the passing of my dear friend Billy Steinberg,” Hynde wrote on social media. “Billy and I, along with his songwriting partner Tom Kelly, enjoyed hours of mirth writing songs together in LA and London.”

“It was with Billy and Tom that I learned to collaborate with other songwriters…. and we wrote some crackers, including I’ll Stand By You,” she added. “Billy, a gentle soul and great talent will be greatly missed.”

“I’ll Stand By You,” a top-20 hit for the Pretenders, appeared on their 1994 album, Last of the Independents, which featured several other songs co-written by Hynde, Steinberg and Kelly. Hynde helped induct Steinberg and Kelly into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.

Steinberg and Kelly also wrote such iconic tunes as Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” Heart’s “Alone” and The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame.”

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The movie version of The Who’s rock opera Tommy is returning to theaters.

In celebration of the film’s 50th anniversary, Tommy is getting an exclusive two-day run in IMAX theaters, March 17 and 18.

Originally released in March 1975, Tommy, written and directed by Ken Russell, was based on The Who’s 1969 album of the same name.

The film follows a young boy named Tommy, who, after witnessing his father murder his mother’s lover, becomes deaf, dumb and blind. Despite this, he becomes an unlikely celebrity due to his pinball-playing skills and eventually inspires a cult following.

All members of The Who appeared in the film, with Roger Daltrey playing the title role. The cast also included Elton John, Eric Clapton, Ann-Margaret, Jack Nicholson, Oliver Reed and Tina Turner.

The film earned Ann-Margaret an Oscar nomination for best actress, while The Who’s Pete Townshend earned a nod for the score.

Tickets for the IMAX screenings are on sale now.

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Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have announced a string of 2026 tour dates.

The 20-date Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour will launch March 31 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, with The Boss playing arenas in such cities as New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and more. The tour will wrap with an outdoor show on May 27 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

“We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times, but do not despair — the cavalry is coming! Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be taking the stage this spring from Minneapolis to California to Texas to Washington, D.C. for the Land of Hope And Dreams American Tour,” Springsteen says in a video posted to social media. “We will be rocking your town in celebration and in defense of America — American democracy, American freedom, our American Constitution and our sacred American dream — all of which are under attack by our wannabe king and his rogue government in Washington, D.C.”

He adds, “Everyone, regardless of where you stand or what you believe in, is welcome — so come on out and join the United Free Republic of E Street Nation for an American spring of Rock ‘n’ Rebellion! I’ll see you there!”

A full list of dates and ticket information can be found at Springsteen.net.

The tour comes just weeks after Springsteen released the protest song “Streets of Minneapolis,” which he wrote in response to what’s been happening in Minnesota, including the fatal shootings of two protesters, Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

The tour will mark Springsteen’s first North American tour since 2024. His last tour, in 2025, brought him and The E Street Band to Europe and the U.K.

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R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe made a cameo on Sunday’s episode of The Simpsons.

The rocker sang a parody of the band’s classic Automatic For the People track “Everybody Hurts,” changed to “Everybody Kirks Sometimes.”

The animated Stipe, in a black suit and hat, turns up as the character Kirk Van Houten. Kirk has bipolar disorder and deals with a bout of depression following a manic episode.

“I was super flattered to be invited back into The Simpsons universe,” Stipe wrote on Instagram, “and particularly with this grand message of great hope.”

This is the second time Stipe has appeared on an episode of the long-running Fox animated hit. He previously appeared with the rest of his R.E.M. bandmates during the 13th season’s “Homer the Moe” episode.

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Santana and The Doobie Brothers are teaming up for a new leg of Santana’s Oneness tour.

The artists will hit the road together starting June 13 in Chicago. The tour will hit such cities as New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin and more, before wrapping Aug. 27 in Shakopee, Minnesota.

Prior to the joint dates, Santana will headline two nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on May 27 and 28.

A Citi presale for tickets will begin Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, followed by an artist presale that starts Tuesday at 2 p.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

This isn’t the first time the two artists have toured together. In 2019, The Doobie Brothers were the special guest on Carlos Santana’s Supernatural Now tour, which celebrated the 20th anniversary of his album Supernatural as well as the 50th anniversary of his Woodstock performance.

Before hitting the road with The Doobie Brothers, Santana will launch the first leg of his 2026 Oneness Tour on March 28 in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

A complete list of dates can be found at Santana.com and TheDoobieBrothers.com.

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On This Day, Feb. 17, 1973 …

The rock band Free played their final show ever in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The band, made up of Paul Rodgers, Paul Kossoff, Andy Fraser and Simon Kirke, formed in London in 1968. Their biggest hit was the iconic tune “All Right Now,” which was a top-5 hit in the U.S.

Fraser left the band in 1972. Kossoff was replaced for the 1973 tour, which was in support of the band’s sixth and final studio album, Heartbreaker.

Following the breakup of the band, Rodgers and Kirke would go on to form Bad Company with Mott The Hoople’s Mick Ralphs and King Crimson’s Boz Burrell. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.

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Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, where regular folks get to meet, be mentored by and perform with rock superstars, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. That’s certainly quite a milestone, considering founder David Fishof wasn’t sure he’d get any rockers to sign on when he came up with the idea.

“In the beginning, I had a lot of rock stars who said no,” he tells ABC Audio. “But I did have a bunch that said yes,” noting some of first to participate included The Beach Boys’ Mike Love, Poison’s Bret Michaels, and E Street Band members Clarence Clemons and Nils Lofgren.

Upcoming 30th anniversary camps will feature The Police’s Stewart Copeland, The Who’s Roger Daltrey, Bad Company’s Simon Kirke, and Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee and John 5. 

Fishof says he’s excited to have Daltrey back for the 30th anniversary, noting he also took part in their 10th anniversary and participated in about eight camps over the years. As for why Daltrey keeps returning, Fishof says, “It reminds him what it was like when he first started.”

But even with all the big names he’s landed over the years, there are still some rock stars Fishof would love to enlist for the camp.

“My dream is Paul McCartney and/or Mick Jagger,” he says. “I have to say they’re two of my favorites.”

Of course, the camps aren’t only about the rock stars — they’re about the campers, as well, with Fishof noting they usually walk away better musicians after performing with their favorite artists.

He says, “I’ve learned over the 30 years, if you play with someone that’s better than you, you’re gonna become better.” 

More info on Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp can be found at RockCamp.com.

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Billy Steinberg, the songwriter who, with musical partner Tom Kelly, penned pop classics such as Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” died Feb. 16 in Los Angeles, his attorney Laurie Soriano confirmed to ABC News. He was 75.

With Steinberg usually writing the lyrics and Kelly most often writing the music, the duo scored an impressive string of hits through the ’80s and ’90s, including Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional,” The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand By You,” Heart’s “Alone” and The Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself.” 

After Kelly retired, Steinberg continued writing with other partners, penning hits like “Falling Into You” by Celine Dion and “Too Little Too Late” by JoJo.

Other artists who recorded Steinberg’s songs include Linda Ronstadt, Pat Benatar, Tina Turner, Belinda Carlisle, Taylor Dayne, Bette Midler, Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon.

Steinberg and Kelly were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.

On Instagram, Lauper, who also recorded Steinberg and Kelly’s song “I Drove All Night,” wrote, “I’m so sorry to hear that my friend Billy Steinberg has passed away. He was such a nice guy and very supportive. My thoughts are with his family, loved ones, and Tom during this sad time.”

Heart’s Nancy Wilson wrote in the comments, “He was a wonderful spirit.”

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Sammy Hagar has a suggestion on how his fans should celebrate Valentine’s Day.

The rocker took to Instagram to share his idea, which includes staying at home Saturday to watch the director’s cut of his Best of All Worlds concert film, shot live at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas.

“All you love birds out there, I don’t know what you plan on doing for Valentine’s Day but you better have something planned,” he said in his video post. He then discussed how hard it is to get into his favorite restaurants on the romantic holiday, so he offered up another idea.

“So, what you do is you cook something nice for your honey, mix up some cocktails … and you check out Veeps,” he said. “Take ‘em to a Sammy Hagar concert right in your own home … and you don’t have to get dressed up.”

The Best of All Worlds director’s cut includes never-before-seen interviews with Sammy and enhanced audio. It will be available Saturday at Veeps.com.

Hagar will return to the Park MGM for a new set of Best of All Worlds Tour Residency dates March 11. He will then launch a new U.S. leg of the Best of All Worlds tour on June 13 in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by a U.K. leg starting July 4 in Manchester.

A complete list of dates can be found at RedRocker.com.

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Paul McCartney has released a new video for the classic Wings track “Let ‘Em In,” which appeared on their 1976 album, Wings at the Speed of Sound.

The visualizer video features archival footage of McCartney and the band, along with drawings and animation.

A new Wings anthology, simply titled Wings, was released in November. The set, personally overseen by McCartney, featured a remastered version of “Let ‘Em In,” as well as such Wings classics as “Band on the Run,” “Live and Let Die,” “Jet” and “Silly Love Songs.”

That same month, McCartney also released a new book about his Wings era, Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run.

And next up, McCartney’s post-Beatles career, including his time with Wings, will be the subject of a new documentary. Man on the Run will hit theaters for one day only on Feb. 19 and will debut on Prime Video Feb. 27. The movie’s soundtrack, Man on the Run – Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack, will be released the same day.

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