Classic Hits

A bevy of veteran music artists are part of the lineup of CNN’s The Fourth in America special, which will air on the cable network on Independence Day from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. ET.

The Beach Boys, Foreigner, Chicago, Sammy Hagar & The Circle, REO Speedwagon, Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs and Kool & the Gang are among the many performers that appear on the show, which will also will feature live footage of fireworks displays in cities across the U.S.

The Beach Boys will be joined by their longtime honorary member, actor John Stamos.

Meanwhile, Hagar tells ABC Audio that his performance with The Circle was filmed during a series of recent concerts that he and the band played in Florida, which were some of their first shows since the start of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“Woo, it was awesome,” Sammy gushes about the gig. “[CNN] filmed a lot of our songs. And we were really having a good night…I felt so good about that night, ’cause the band was so up to play. It was about our fourth show, so we were getting our wings back, and the audiences [were] just nuts.”

Other artists who will perform on The Fourth in America include Blues Traveler, Bebe Rexha, Billy Ray Cyrus, Black Eyed Peas, Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood and many more.

The special will stream live on CNN.com, and also will be viewable on Apple and Android mobile devices via CNN apps for those with a login to a cable provider. The program also can be viewed on CNNgo.

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Sammy Hagar‘s recently announced four-date Las Vegas residency taking place at The STRAT Theater on October 29-30 and November 5-6 is completely sold out, so the Red Rocker has lined up two additional shows at the venue, on November 12-13.

Tickets for the newly added concerts will go on sale to the general public this Saturday, July 3, at 10 a.m. PT via TheStrat.com. Members of Hagar’s fan club and The STRAT resort’s True Rewards program will be able to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning Friday, July 2, at 10 a.m. PT.

Hagar also has confirmed that more Vegas shows will be scheduled soon in 2022.

“Adding these shows so quickly makes me happier than anyone for the fans that didn’t get tickets the first time,” Sammy says. “This is exciting, we’re going to be doing this for a while.”

As previously reported, Hagar’s Las Vegas show, which has been dubbed Sammy Hagar & Friends, will feature the Red Rocker performing with a rotating cast of his musical pals, similar to the annual birthday bashes he’s known for throwing at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The first two concerts will feature Hagar playing with his current group The Circle, which also includes founding Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, acclaimed rock drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Vic Johnson of Sammy’s longtime backing band, The Wabos. Anthony and Johnson also are confirmed to perform with Hagar on November 5, 6, 12 and 13. Other special guests will be announced at a later date.

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Janet Jackson is one of 395 individuals who’ve been invited this year to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — the folks who hand out the Oscars. If she accepts, she’ll get to vote on who wins them in the future.

The invitees have “distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures,” the Academy notes, and are divided into different groups, such as actors, cinematographers, directors, makeup artists and hairstylists, and, in Janet’s case, music.

On the list of invitees, Janet is noted for two of her movies: Poetic Justice and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?  Janet starred in the latter and recorded the song “Nothing” for its soundtrack. She also starred in Poetic Justice and her hit “Again” was used as the film’s closing song.  It received a Best Original Song nomination at the 1994 Oscar ceremony.

Among the other musicians invited to become Academy members this year is singer/songwriter H.E.R., who just won the Best Original Song Oscar this year for “Fight for You,” from Judas and the Black Messiah.  The list also includes singer/songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello, Leslie Odom Jr. and Jon Batiste, who wrote the score to the animated film Soul.

In an attempt to make its membership more diverse, the Academy notes that 46% of this year’s invitees are women, and 39% are from “underrepresented ethnic/racial communities.”

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As previously reported, Jimmy Buffett is among the artists taking part in the 2021 edition of PBS’ A Capitol Fourth television special.  Now comes word about what the lauded singer/songwriter will be performing on the show.

Buffett will be singing folk legend Woody Guthrie‘s classic Americana tune “This Land Is Your Land” in a segment that was taped at a Southern California location overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The performance also features two members of Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band — keyboardist Mike Utley and steel-drum player Robert Greenidge — and will be intercut with scenes of various American landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon.

Written in 1940 and first recorded by Guthrie in 1944, “This Land is Your Land” was chosen in 2002 to be added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

The 41st annual edition of the A Capitol Fourth special will be broadcast this Sunday, July 4, at 8 p.m. ET on PBS. The program also will stream on Facebook and YouTube as well as PBS’ website.

The special’s performance lineup also includes Gladys Knight, Train, Cynthia Erivo, Kermit the Frog, Alan Jackson, Pentatonix, Renée Fleming and many more.

Vanessa Williams will host the festivities but due to the pandemic, A Capitol Fourth will feature pre-recorded performances from stages all across the country, in lieu of the traditional concert on the U.S. Capitol’s West Lawn.

The show also will feature a live fireworks display over the D.C. skyline, as well as tributes to the men and women of the military and their families, and a salute to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams ahead of this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has confirmed the news reported Wednesday by Page Six, that Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Jennifer Hudson will be among the headliners of a huge concert held August 21 in the city’s Central Park to celebrate the post-COVID-19 reopening of the Big Apple.

Speaking about the event, apparently called the Central Park Homecoming Concert, at a press conference Thursday, de Blasio declared, “[I]t’s gonna be a great moment for the city marking our rebirth, marking our comeback, and it’s gonna be one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history.”

In revealing Springsteen’s participation in the show, the mayor noted, “He just did something amazing by bringing back his show on Broadway, and starting the Broadway rebirth. He is beloved in New York City in an extraordinary way, even though he happens to come from New Jersey — no one’s perfect — he is amazing, and I’ve loved his music from the first moment I heard it, and I know so many others have as well.”

Regarding Simon, de Blasio mentioned that the folk-rock legend played two previous historic concerts in Central Park, in 1981 — with Art Garfunkel —  and 1991.

De Blasio promised that a full lineup and a lot more details about the show will be announced soon, adding “get ready for a concert for the ages and a big part of the rebirth of New York City and the summer of New York City.”

As previously reported, the massive concert is being organized by famed music mogul Clive Davis.

4th of July in New York City is BACK! Join me at City Hall as we get ready for this weekend’s celebrations.

https://t.co/WTOv8IQzYL

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 1, 2021

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