Classic Hits

Kansas has canceled two shows following the revelation that their singer, Ronnie Platt, has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Platt, who has been singing with the band since 2014, announced his diagnosis on social media on Feb. 15, assuring fans his cancer “has a 99% survival rate” and that it hasn’t spread.

“It’s contained to my thyroid. I just have to have my thyroid removed. Go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle,” he wrote. “I sincerely appreciate everyone’s positive thoughts and prayers. I have some absolutely amazing people going to bat for me!!”

He added, “this is just a bump in the road and will be behind me very soon! so everyone please CARRY ON!”

Ahead of the announcement the band canceled their Friday show in New Orleans citing “band illness.” They’ve also canceled their March 1 show in Lake Charles, Louisiana, for the same reason.

Kansas is next scheduled to appear on the ’70s Rock & Romance Cruise 2025, departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 15. Their next headlining show is April 4 in Ivins, Utah. A complete list of dates can be found at kansasband.com.

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Queen guitarist Brian May gave a surprise performance Tuesday at the Gibson Garage in London. He performed on the first day of Gibson Garage Fest and helped celebrate the launch of the new Gibson Custom Brian May SJ-200 12 String acoustic guitar.

May took part in a Q&A and performed Queen’s “Love of My Life” on the guitar. He was then joined by singer/songwriter Arielle for a cover of  The Everly Brothers’ tune “So Sad (to Watch Good Love Go Bad)” and his 1992 solo track “Love Token.”

In other May news, the rocker has given fans an update on his health.

May announced in September he had suffered a minor stroke that left his ability to play guitar in doubt, and he’s now sharing with Premiere Guitar just how bad things were. 

“I couldn’t get a fork from the table to my mouth without it all going all over the place,” he says in an interview. “It was scary.”

May was fortunate, though, as his health started improving rather quickly.

“After only a few days, it’s amazing what you can get back,” he says. “By sheer willpower, you just start retraining your muscle.”

May adds that he’s now gotten about 95% of his abilities back, sharing, “The short answer is, I’m good.”

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Purple Rain is coming back to theaters.

Prince’s iconic movie is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion the film will return to theaters for one day only, on March 5. It will be released exclusively to Dolby Cinema at AMC Theatres locations in the U.S. and Dolby Cinema at ODEON locations in the U.K.

In order to maximize the Dolby experience, the film has been completely digitally restored from an 8K scan of the 35mm original camera negative, and the audio has also been restored from the original Dolby Stereo tracks.

“Purple Rain reimagined in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for Dolby Cinema is a celebration of Prince’s genius and enduring legacy,” Jed Harmsen, head of cinema and group entertainment at Dolby, said. “Devoted and new fans alike prepare to be exhilarated by an unforgettable and unparalleled performance from one of music’s greatest of all time.”

Tickets for the screenings are on sale now.

Released in July 1984, Purple Rain starred Prince as The Kid, a talented but troubled musician who escapes his abusive home life through his music. It also followed his budding romance with an aspiring singer, played by Apollonia. The film grossed close to $70 million in the United States.

The soundtrack was Prince’s first #1 and spent 24 weeks on the top of the chart. Singles “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy” both hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the title track peaked at #2 and another single, “I Would Die 4 U,” went to #8.

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On This Day, Feb. 19, 1980 …

Bon Scott, frontman and lyricist for Australian rock band AC/DC, died after a night out at a London club. He was 33.

The coroner’s report said Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning.

Scott was AC/DC’s second lead vocalist, replacing lead singer Dave Evans in 1974. Scott appeared on the band’s first seven albums, his last being 1979’s Highway to Hell.

He was replaced by singer Brian Johnson, whose first album was the band’s iconic Back in Black, which was released as a tribute to Scott.

Scott was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with AC/DC in 2003.

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Photos from Paul McCartney‘s touring photo exhibit, Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm, are coming to Los Angeles, and the exhibition is going to help raise money for those affected by the recent California wildfires.

Select photos will be on display at the Gagosian Beverly Hills art gallery from April 25 to June 21, with McCartney and the gallery offering up small, signed editions of prints for sale. A portion of the proceeds from those sales are being donated to aid recovery and relief efforts in Southern California.

The photos featured in the exhibition were taken by McCartney between November 1963 and February 1964, giving fans insight into his point of view during the height of Beatlemania.

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm debuted in June 2023 at London’s National Portrait Gallery, with the exhibit later moving to Virginia, Brooklyn, Portland, and Osaka, Japan. It will next open at the de Young museum — part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco — on March 1, and run through July 6. The photos have also been collected in a book of the same name.

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A new photo book focused on The Who’s early tours of America is coming in May.

According to the announcement on The Who’s Instagram account, Their Generation: The Who In America 1967-69 features photos from Tom Wright, the band’s official photographer and U.S. tour manager. The book features a foreword by Pete Townshend.

“The Who’s early American tours were pivotal in shaping their legacy,” reads the post. “From 1967 to 1969, they built their US audience with explosive live performances, the release of ‘I Can See for Miles’, and the debut of ‘Tommy’ in Detroit.”

The description notes that Wright’s collection “captures The Who on and off stage, from their raw energy at the Fillmore to quiet moments on the road.”

“Tom Wright’s intimate collection of photography of The Who in the sixties is as passionate and potent as the band itself,” director and former Rolling Stone journalist Cameron Crowe shares on publisher Omnibus Press’ website. “In these images, you can feel all the combustible energy and camaraderie that still make The Who one of the greatest bands… if not THE greatest… ever.”

Their Generation: The Who In America 1967-69 will be released May 1 and is available for preorder now. There will also be special editions signed by Townshend.

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KISS is commemorating the 50th anniversary of their classic track “Strutter” with a set of brand-new precious metal collectibles.

The band has teamed with Precious Sound to release both pure gold and gold-plated editions of the song, both of which feature playable grooves.

Only five copies of the pure gold edition will be available, made of 8 ounces of .999 (24-karat) pure gold and playable on a manual turntable. The A-side features the KISS logo in Swarovski crystal, with each record’s unique edition number engraved in gold, while the B-side features the original Casablanca single label in gold.

It comes in a coffee table display case made with sustainable faux leather and the KISS logo again in Swarovski crystal. It also comes with a book signed by band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the pen used to sign the book, a laser-engraved metal certificate of authenticity and more. It sells for $50,000.

The gold-plated version is also a limited edition, with just 500 copies made, and is also playable on a manual turntable. It comes with a silicon record mat, certificate of authenticity and more, and sells for $2,500.

Both are available for preorder now. The gold edition will ship on July 15, while the gold-plated edition will ship on Feb. 21.

“Strutter” was the opening track and third single off KISS’ 1974 self-titled album, which was the band’s first Gold-certified record.

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Jackson Browne has been added to the 38th annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert, taking place March 3 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer joins a previously announced lineup that includes R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Patti Smith, Orville Peck, Allison Russell, The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Gogol Bordello, with Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson serving as the night’s artistic directors.

Proceeds from the show support Tibet House US, a nonprofit educational institution and cultural embassy founded in 1987 by the Dalai Lama to ensure the survival of the Tibetan civilization.

Over the past three decades Tibet House benefit concerts have featured performances by such artists as David Bowie, Carly Simon, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, R.E.M., Lou Reed, Joan Baez, Annie Lennox and more.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now.

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A new biopic about singer Marianne Faithfull is in the works and actors have now been cast to play the “Tears Go By” singer, as well as her famous ex, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

Variety reports that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes star Freya Allan will play Faithfull, who passed away Jan. 30 at the age of 78, while British actor Jojo Macari, who appeared in Netflix’s Sex Education, will play Jagger.

Finnish director Zaida Bergroth is helming the project, titled Faithfull. According to the description, the movie will “depict Marianne Faithfull’s rollercoaster ride from the brightest lights of the wild 1960s of her youth, to fallen golden girl and then her remarkable phoenix-like rise and resurgence” that “establishes her as one of the great icons and true artists of our time.”

Faithfull was discovered by Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham at a party in 1964. She had her first U.S. hit with “As Tears Go By,” a song written by Loog Oldham, Jagger and Keith Richards that was later a top-10 hit for the Stones. Faithfull released her self-titled debut album in 1965, which was a commercial success, peaking at #12 in the U.S.

Faithfull and Jagger were in a romantic relationship from 1966 to 1970, and she has often been considered one of Jagger’s muses. She reportedly inspired “Sympathy for the Devil,” and she also claimed to have inspired “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Wild Horses.”

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Jimmy Page is sharing his gratitude for the positive reaction from fans who’ve seen the new Led Zeppelin documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin.

“In light of your incredible responses and the demand for the Becoming Led Zeppelin film from those of you that have either viewed it at the IMAX or during its general cinema release, I must say that feedback from fans is just humbling and inspiring,” Page shared on Instagram, alongside the trailer for the film. “Thanks to everyone for your enthusiasm.”

And it turns out, fans are definitely coming out to the theater to see the film.

After a week of exclusive IMAX showings, Becoming Led Zeppelin hit theaters nationwide on Friday. Over the weekend it landed at #10 at the box office, bringing in $2.13 million for the Presidents Day weekend, with a haul of close to $6 million since its initial Feb. 7 opening.

Becoming Led Zeppelin, described as a “hybrid docu-concert film,” is the first officially sanctioned documentary about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group. It features new interviews from Page and his Zeppelin bandmates Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, along with archival interview audio from the late John Bonham, archival live performance footage and more.

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