Classic Hits – Page 16

U2 releases surprise EP, ‘U2 – Days of Ash’

February 18, 2026 by WDNY Radio

U2 has surprised fans with some new music.

The Irish rockers just released a new six-track EP, U2 – Days of Ash. It features five new songs and a poem, with a guest appearance by Ed Sheeran and Ukrainian musician-turned-soldier Taras Topolia.

The EP is described in a press release as “an immediate response to current events and inspired by the many extraordinary and courageous people fighting on the frontlines of freedom.” It comes ahead of a new U2 record, expected in late 2026.

“It’s been a thrill having the four of us back together in the studio over the last year … the songs on Days of Ash are very different in mood and theme to the ones we’re going to put on our album later in the year,” Bono said in a statement. “These EP tracks couldn’t wait; these songs were impatient to be out in the world. They are songs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation.”

“I believe these new songs stand up to our best work,” Larry Mullen Jr. added, with Adam Clayton offering, “I’m excited about these new songs, it feels like they’re arriving at the right time.”

Songs on the EP include “American Obituary,” written in response to the death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good at the hands of federal agents, and “Yours Eternally,” which features Sheeran and Topolia. The latter song will be accompanied by a documentary, directed by Ukrainian cinematographer and filmmaker Ilya Mikhaylus. It will be released Feb. 24 to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

U2 – Days of Ash is available now via digital outlets, with lyric videos for all the songs on YouTube. Here is the track list:
“American Obituary”
“The Tears of Things”
“Song of the Future”
“Wildpeace” – by Yehuda Amichai, read by Adeola, with music by U2 and Jacknife Lee
“One Life At a Time”
“Yours Eternally” (ft. Ed Sheeran & Taras Topolia)

Joan Jett, Cheap Trick & more to play Kentucky’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival

February 18, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Cheap Trick and Squeeze are among the artists set to play the 2026 Bourbon and Beyond Festival.

The festival, which will feature over 100 artists on five stages, will be held Sept. 24-27 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

Festival headliners include Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Mumford & Sons, Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton, The Red Clay Strays, Dave Matthews Band and Hootie & the Blowfish.

Other artists on the bill include Counting Crows, 4 Non Blondes, Adam Ant, Violent Femmes, Better Than Ezra, Joan Osbourne, The Fray and Lisa Loeb.

Tickets for the four-day festival are on sale now. More info, including the complete lineup, can be found at BourbonandBeyond.com.

Paul McCartney and Wings exhibit to open at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

February 18, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Paul McCartney and Wings will be the subject of a new exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

The exhibit, opening May 15, is described in a press release as “the first major museum exhibit” to explore McCartney’s post-Beatles band, which released its self-titled debut in 1970 and broke up in 1981.

Simply titled Paul McCartney and Wings, the exhibit will feature the largest collection of artifacts from McCartney’s personal archives, including instruments played during recording sessions and concert performances, handwritten lyrics, clothing worn by the band, tour memorabilia and previously unseen photography, plus archival video and audio.

In addition to the exhibit, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is set to host an early screening of the new Paul McCartney and Wings documentary, Man on the Run, on Feb. 21. The documentary, directed by award-winning director Morgan Neville, will hit theaters for one night only on Feb. 19 and debut on Prime Video Feb. 27.

More info on the exhibit and screening can be found at RockHall.com.

‘Rolling Stone’ pays tribute to Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir with special issue

February 18, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The life and career of Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, who passed away Jan. 10, is celebrated in a new tribute issue of Rolling Stone.

The magazine’s March issue includes exclusive tributes to Weir from bandmates Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. There’s also an interview with Dead & Company’s John Mayer, intimate photos of Weir taken by his daughter, photographer Chloe Weir, and more.

“The Grateful Dead, for Bob, was freedom. It was a place for him to be Bob — his home,” Hart said of his bandmate. “He had a tough time in his early life, but in the Grateful Dead everyone could be what they wanted to be, and that was freedom. It’s everything.”

“Bob wasn’t one to talk a lot, but this was the way for all of us to fly,” he continued. “We all gave each other space, and at the same time, we all were supporting each other, and the music just started to flow. We all believed in the magic.”

Kreutzmann reflected on the surviving members of the band accepting that it was OK to continue playing Grateful Dead music following the 1995 death of Jerry Garcia.

“It took me a few years to figure that out, but I think it took Bob about five minutes — he played a show in New Hampshire the very night Jerry died,” Kruetzmann told Rolling Stone. “That was also his way of processing it.”

And Mayer told the mag about the connection he felt with Weir.

“We were aligned. Bobby and I both had the same clock — where he knew what I was going to do, and he knew I’d give it back and go, ‘All yours,'” he said. “There were times where Bobby started singing as a way of letting me know, ‘That’s the end of your solo, son.”’

Billy Idol documentary ‘Billy Idol Should Be Dead’ sets theatrical release

February 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The Billy Idol documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead is finally hitting theaters in the U.S. on Feb. 26.

Ahead of the opening, the film will get two special premieres, Feb. 23 in Los Angeles at the TCL Chinese Theatre and Feb. 25 in New York at the Regal Union Square. Both screenings will feature an acoustic performance by Idol, and his longtime guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens.

Billy Idol Should Be Dead, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June 2025. The film explores the rock star’s career and personal life, and features never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with Idol, as seen in a just-released teaser for the flick. It also includes interviews with Idol’s family, peers and collaborators.

The film features the new song “Dying to Live,” which Idol wrote with Academy Award-nominated songwriter J. Ralph.

Info on screenings and tickets can be found at billyidolshouldbedead.com.

Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde pays tribute to ‘I’ll Stand By You’ co-writer Billy Steinberg

February 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

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.”

The Who’s ‘Tommy’ to be rereleased in IMAX theaters

February 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

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.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band announce spring 2026 tour

February 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

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.

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe makes cameo on ‘The Simpsons’

February 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

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.

Santana & The Doobie Brothers announce dates for the 2026 Oneness Tour

February 17, 2026 by WDNY Radio

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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