Classic Hits

The 50th anniversary of NBC’s Saturday Night Live is being celebrated with a all-star concert in New York City.

SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, will take place Feb. 14 at Radio City Music Hall, with the announcement noting it “will bring together legendary Saturday Night Live hall-of-famers and surprise special guests.”

Artists confirmed for the concert include Bonnie Raitt, Talking Heads’ David Byrne, The B-52s, and DEVO, along with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Mumford & Sons, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Brandi Carlile, Backstreet Boys, Brittany Howard, Bad Bunny, Arcade Fire, Post Malone, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Robyn and The Roots, with more performers expected to be announced.

And folks will be able to enjoy the concert at home. It will stream live on Peacock, starting at 8 p.m. It will also screen in select IMAX theaters at Regal Cinemas in California, Pennsylvania, Texas, New York and Florida.

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Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen will be the subject of a new auction, happening in February.

Julien’s’ Auctions will host Celebrating Leonard Cohen: The Collections of Aviva Layton, Anjani Thomas & More, featuring over 150 items belonging to the “Hallelujah” singer/songwriter. It’s described as  “the largest group of privately held collections of the legendary poet, singer and songwriter’s archival material and personal effects ever to come to auction.”

Items on the auction block include never before seen manuscripts, unpublished poetry, vintage photographs, and letters, as well as personal effects, including Cohen’s black “magic writing” Greek fisherman cap, a green Apica notebook, dated January 21, 2007, with handwritten notes, poems, and lyric drafts, the key to his house in Hydra Greece, religious mementos and more.

There’s even locket that features a lock of Cohen’s actual hair inside. It’s estimated to sell for between $400 and $600.

The auction will take place Feb. 28 online and at Julien’s Studios in Los Angeles. Information about the auction and registration can be found at juliensauctions.com.

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British actress and singer Marianne Faithfull, known for her association with The Rolling Stones, passed away Thursday at the age of 78, her rep confirmed to ABC Audio.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull,” read the statement. “Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. She will be dearly missed.”

Faithfull was discovered by Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham at a party in 1964, and she had her first U.S. hit with “As Tears Go By,” a song written by Loog Oldham, Mick 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.” 

During the ’60s and ’70s, Faithfull battled substance abuse issues that, along with a severe case of laryngitis, changed her voice, giving it a permanently raspy sound. After years away from recording, she had a comeback in 1979 with the release of her seventh studio album, Broken English. The critically acclaimed album earned Faithfull a Grammy for best female rock vocal performance.

She released her most recent album, She Walks In Beauty, in 2021, which she began recording following a serious battle with COVID-19.

Faithfull also had a longstanding acting career, appearing in movies, TV and on stage. Her resume includes such films as 1968’s The Girl on a Motorcycle and 1969’s Hamlet. She infamously played God in two episodes of the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, and she recently lent her distinctive voice to a character in the 2021 film Dune.

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The Who has added some more shows to their 2025 schedule.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are set to headline two concerts in Italy this summer: July 20 in Padua and July 22 in Milan.

With the new additions, The Who now have four shows on the books. They previously announced they’ll headline two Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, March 27 and March 30.

Tickets for the Italy shows go on sale Wednesday at 12 p.m.

So far The Who hasn’t announced any plans to tour the U.S. this year.

In addition to the four Who shows, frontman Roger Daltrey is set to kick off a U.K. solo tour on April 20 in Brighton, England. The Alive and Kicking…And Having Fun tour promises “Who hits, rarities, solo hits and stories.” 

And he just added a new show to the trek, happening Aug. 1 on the grounds of Audley End House and Gardens in Saffron Walden, Essex.

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Patti Smith is setting the record straight about her health after she reportedly collapsed onstage during a show in Brazil.

Reports on social media claimed that during her concert in São Paulo with the Soundwalk Collective, Patti fell backward, was unconscious and was taken out in a wheelchair. Video shows her later returning to the stage in a wheelchair to perform.

But Patti says in a post on social media that the reports of the incident are being overblown.

“This is letting everyone know that I am fine. A grossly exaggerated account is being spread by the press and social media,” the 78-year-old writes on Instagram. “I had some post migraine dizziness. Had a small incident, left the stage, and returned 10 minutes later and talked to the people, told them I was fine and sang them Wing and Because the night.”

She adds, “I was checked out by an excellent Doctor and was absolutely fine. Please do not accept any other story. With all the strife in the world, this explainable incident does not merit so much attention. Thank you everyone for your concern. Trust me I am fine.”

Smith is supposed to perform in São Paulo again on Thursday.

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Roger Waters is revisiting his updated take on Pink Floyd’s classic album The Dark Side of the Moon.

The rocker just announced he’s releasing a super deluxe edition of 2023’s The Dark Side of the Moon Redux on March 14, featuring the album on gold vinyl, CD and Blu-ray, with Dolby Atmos audio. The set will also include a live version of the album, recorded at his two shows at the London Palladium on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, 2023.

Also in the set is Waters’ track-by-track video commentary, along with 4-by-10-inch vinyl singles for “Money,” “Time,” “Speak To Me/Breathe” and “Us and Them.” Plus, there will be a 40-page commemorative book and select orders made through Waters’ official store will include a print signed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.

“All that is gone, all that’s to come? Looking back or looking forward, Dark Side of the Moon offers you choice,” says Waters. “The choice is yours. Darkness or the Light.”

Waters released The Dark Side of the Moon Redux in October 2023 to coincide with the original album’s 50th anniversary. It features reworkings of all the tracks on the original album.

The Dark Side of the Moon Redux (Super Deluxe Edition) is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, Jan. 30, 1969 …

The Beatles gave their final public performance on Apple Records’ rooftop in London. The band, who was joined by guest keyboardist Billy Preston, did nine takes of five songs — “Get Back,” “Don’t Let Me Down,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “One After 909” and “Dig A Pony.” The police pulled the plug after 42 minutes.

The concert took place while The Beatles were recording what would become their album Let It Be. It was released May 8, 1970, almost a month after the band’s breakup.

Footage from the concert was used in the 1970 documentary Let It Be. A remastered version of the doc debuted on Disney+ in 2024.

In 2021, the entire rooftop performance was featured in the eight-hour Disney+ docuseries The Beatles: Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson. The full rooftop concert was then released to streaming services as a standalone album, Get Back – The Rooftop Performance, in January 2022.

The Beatles: Get Back went on to win five Emmys, including best limited documentary series.

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Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler has teamed with Los Angeles high-end supermarket chain Erewhon to introduce two new soft serve sundaes named after Aerosmith tunes, with proceeds going to charity.

The Dream On sundae features an organic coconut soft serve base, with organic banana and cinnamon, raw granola and superfood almond drizzle, which is made with maple, almond butter, coconut cream, Lion’s Mane and cordyceps mushrooms and more.

There’s also the Sweet Emotion, which also starts out with an organic coconut soft serve base and adds organic blueberries, raw blueberry compote, raw granola and the superfood almond drizzle.

According to the announcement, the collaboration was “inspired by Steven’s love for Erewhon and his commitment to making a difference.”

Both sundaes sell for $13. Proceeds from the sales are going to Tyler’s Janie’s Fund, which helps girls who’ve been abused or neglected, as well as the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation in the wake of the devastation caused by the California wildfires.

Tyler is set to host the sixth annual Jam for Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party on Sunday, featuring a reunion of the members of Aerosmith, along with an all-star jam with Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton, Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Linda Perry, former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.

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Former Yes lead singer Jon Anderson and his backing band The Band Geeks are releasing a new live CD/DVD in March and they’ve just given fans a preview of what to expect.

Anderson released a performance video of the Yes classic “Your Move – I’ve Seen All Good People,” which appears on Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks Live – Perpetual Change, a recording of their concert at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois, which took place during their 2023 summer tour.

This is the second performance video they’ve shared from the release. They previously posted a video for the Yes classic “And You And I.”

Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks Live – Perpetual Change will be released March 14 as a two-CD/DVD package and as a three-LP set. They are both available for preorder now.

Anderson and The Band Geeks are getting ready to hit the road on a new U.S. tour this spring. The 18-show trek kicks off April 1 in Tucson, Arizona, and wraps May 18 in Carteret, New Jersey.

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Babygirl star Harris Dickinson is once again talking about the possibility of playing John Lennon in Sam Mendes’ upcoming biopics on The Beatles, although it sounds like he really doesn’t want to.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dickinson reportedly groaned when he thought the interviewer was about to ask about the Lennon role and said, “Don’t ask me about that,” although the journalist writes that he was actually going to ask Dickinson if he was going to be on the YouTube series Hot Ones.

But during a follow-up interview, Dickinson did eventually offer up a few words on the possibility of playing Lennon, although he still didn’t confirm or deny he has the role.

“Okay, my comment is that I think it would be a brilliant opportunity to play John Lennon, and to work with Sam and everyone else mentioned,” he said. “Yeah, I don’t know. It would be splendid.”

Dickinson previously commented about playing Lennon back in December, telling Variety, “It would be amazing to do that. I think the idea of Sam teaming up to do something like that would be incredibly exciting. Obviously, John Lennon is a very complex role, a pretty formidable force to try to do. It would be cool.”

Mendes’ Beatles project was announced back in February, with the director revealing he planned to make four separate films, one for each member of the group — Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.

Previous reports have claimed that Paul Mescal will be playing McCartney, Barry Keoghan has been cast as Ringo and Joseph Quinn will be playing Harrison, although so far there’s been no official word on casting.

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