Classic Hits

Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the Ramones‘ first-ever show at the legendary New York rock club CBGBs and the city is celebrating.

On Friday and Saturday, the New York City Ferry will be running specially curated Ramones-themed commutes to Rockaway Beach, the area of Queens made famous in the band’s song of the same name.

The rides will take off from Wall Street/Pier 11, with stops in Sunset Park and Rockaway. The Ramones will be taking over the ferry’s on-board digital screens and “Rockaway Beach” will play as the ferry departs Wall Street/Pier 11. Riders will receive 50 Years of Ramones stickers (while supplies last), along with free samples of Rockaway Soda. There will also be a raffle, courtesy of Rhino Records.

In addition, Rockaway Beach Bakery has created some Ramones-themed treats for the occasion, including limited-edition Ra-scones and Now I Wanna Sip Some (Cold) Brew.

More info can be found at ferry-nyc.com.

Formed in Forest Hills, New York, in 1974, the Ramones are considered by many to be one of the most influential punk rock bands of all time. The band — co-founded by Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone — was known for such hits as “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “Rockaway Beach,” “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” and more. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

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The Who‘s Pete Townshend has dropped another live video from his 1985 concert at the Brixton Academy in London.

The latest is a performance of “The Sea Refuses No River,” a track from Pete’s 1982 solo album, All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes.

This is the second video Townshend has released from the concert, following a performance of “After the Fire.” Both feature Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour on guitar.

The Brixton Academy concert, Deep End Live at Brixton Academy in London, is part of Townshend’s recent release Pete Townshend Live > In Concert 1985-2001, a 14-CD box set, which included newly remastered versions of his live solo recordings, seven of which have long been out of print.

In addition to the Brixton show, it features concerts recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1993, San Francisco’s The Filmore in 1996, London’s Shepherds Bush Empire in 1998 and the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California, in 2001. There’s also a recording of two nights at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the only time Pete ever attempted a full Life House show.

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Rocker Greg Kihn, best known for hits like “Jeopardy” and “The Breakup Song,” passed away Aug. 13 at the age of 75.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Greg Kihn, an iconic figure in the realm of rock music,” reads a post on his official website. “Greg lost his battle with Alzheimer’s disease on 8/13/24 at the age of 75.” 

“Known for his magnetic stage presence and unique storytelling that captivated audiences around the globe. He was not merely a musician but a cultural phenomenon whose influence will resonate for generations to come,” it continues.

Born July 10, 1949, in Baltimore, Maryland, Kihn released his self-titled debut album in 1976, later releasing records under the name The Greg Kihn Band.

They had their first hit with 1981’s “The Breakup Song,” which appeared on their sixth studio album, RockKihnRoll, and peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their biggest hit was the 1983 release “Jeopardy,” from the band’s album Kihnspiracy. The tune went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later parodied by “Weird Al” Yankovic in “I Lost on Jeopardy,” with Kihn making a cameo appearance in the video.

Kihn was also an author, publishing six novels, including 1996’s Horror Show, and sequels Rock Beat and Mojo Hand.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made in Kihn’s name to The Alzheimer’s Association.

“Rest in peace, dear Greg,” the statement concludes. “Your music, your voice, your stories, your spirit and your passion will forever echo in our hearts and inspire countless souls.”
 

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Paul McCartney’s photography exhibit is headed to California.

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm is set to debut at the de Young museum, part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, on March 1 and will run until July 6. 

“In Eyes of the Storm, recently unearthed photographs by Paul McCartney provide a rare time capsule of The Beatles‘ world at the moment of their extraordinary rise to fame,” Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, shares. “We’re honored to present this exhibition here in San Francisco, where The Beatles left an indelible mark on our city’s musical and cultural history.”

Eyes of the Storm features more than 250 photographs taken by McCartney between November 1963 and February 1964, giving fans insight into his point of view during the height of Beatlemania.

The exhibit debuted in June 2023 at London’s National Portrait Gallery, and has since been shown at Virginia’s Chrysler Museum and New York’s Brooklyn Museum. Next up it will move to the Portland Art Museum from Sept. 14 to Jan. 19 and to the Knowledge Capitol Event Lab in Osaka, Japan, from Oct. 12 to Jan. 5.

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Covers of songs by Neil Young, Keith Richards and Warren Zevon are among the tunes featured on the upcoming new album from legendary artist Willie Nelson.

Last Leaf on the Tree, Nelson’s 76th solo studio album and his 153rd album overall, will feature 13 tracks, including three songs written by Willie and/or his son Micah Nelson, who also served as producer on the project.

Willie tackles such tunes as Young’s “Broken Arrow” and “Are You Ready For The Country,” Richards’ “Robbed Blind” and Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart.” The album also covers Beck’s “Lost Cause,” The Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize??” and two Tom Waits tracks, “House Where Nobody Lives” and “Last Leaf,” the latter of which is out now via digital outlets.

The album also features a new rendition of Willie’s 1967 track “The Ghost,” as well as “Color of Sound,” a new song written by Willie and Micah, and Willie’s take on Micah’s 2017 song “Wheels.” 

Last Leaf on the Tree will be released in a variety of formats, including digitally, on CD and on amber swirl double vinyl. All are available for preorder now.

Here is the track list for Last Leaf on the Tree:
“Last Leaf” (written by Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan)
“If It Wasn’t Broken” (written by Sydney Lyndella Ward)
“Lost Cause” (written by Beck David Hansen)
“Come Ye” (written by Nina Simone)
“Keep Me In Your Heart” (written by Warren Zevon & Jorge Calderon)
“Robbed Blind” (written by Keith Richards)
“House Where Nobody Lives” (written by Tom Waits)
“Are You Ready For The Country?” (written by Neil Young)
“Do You Realize??” (written by Wayne Coyne/Steven Drozd/Michael Ivins/David Fridmann)
“Wheels” (written by Micah Nelson)
“Broken Arrow” (written by Neil Young)
“Color Of Sound” (written by Willie Nelson & Micah Nelson)
“The Ghost” (written by Willie Nelson)

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On This Day, Aug. 15, 1965 …

The Beatles performed in front of over 55,000 fans at New York’s Shea Stadium, which at the time was not only the largest concert for the band, but the largest concert audience ever.

The Fab Four treated fans to such songs as “Twist and Shout,” “Ticket to Ride,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Help!”  

A documentary about the concert, The Beatles at Shea Stadium, was released in March 1966, featuring footage from the concert and the events that led up to it, including the mass hysteria of fans during the height of Beatlemania.

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After spending the summer in Europe, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band return to the U.S. Thursday, kicking off a new leg of their tour in Pittsburgh, where they’ll play two nights.

When Springsteen first launched the tour in 2023, the shows featured mostly the same set list, and had him reflecting on aging and loss. While the themes of the shows have remained, during his recent European trek The Boss changed things up a bit, adding several tour debuts and even taking requests from the audience again.

But regardless of what they play, E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt tells ABC Audio getting on the stage never gets old for him and his bandmates.

“In the end, we still have a really good time doing this and our audiences are amazingly loyal,” he shares. “For it to be lasting this long and to be that strong, you can’t take that for granted, man.”

He adds, “You know, we are the luckiest people in the luckiest generation ever. And we just continue to be grateful.” 

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will wrap the U.S. leg of the tour with a hometown show at the Sea. Hear. Now festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on Sept. 15. They then head to Canada, with 2024 dates wrapping Nov. 22 in Vancouver. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

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Def Leppard is giving fans some behind-the-scenes insight into their current tour with a new video tour diary, with the newest episode featuring footage from stops in Nashville, Philadelphia and Hershey, Pennsylvania. 

In the clip, frontman Joe Elliott reflects on the anniversary of the U.K. release of the Hysteria track “Animal,” which he says is the “song that broke the band in the U.K.” He later discusses their plans to perform the Pyromania track “Billy’s Got A Gun” in Hershey, the first time they’ve played it on this tour.

In addition to performance clips from each show, there’s footage of some of the guests who stopped by their Nashville concert, including Alison Krauss and Mötley Crüe‘s Vince Neil. Plus fans get to see Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen conferring on how to sing a tune while in the bathroom, Collen and Vivian Campbell rehearsing on the band’s plane, the band partaking in some wellness therapy, Rick Savage running up the Rocky steps in Philly and more. 

Def Leppard and Journey’s Summer Stadium tour hits Houston on Wednesday. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

(Video includes uncensored profanity.)

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Rod Stewart has been making videos for his songs since the ’70s, and was a fixture on MTV through the ’80s and ’90s. But his first video to hit 1 billion views isn’t for any of those hit singles.

The one that rang the billion-view bell for Rod is a 2004 live performance of “I Don’t Want to Talk About It,” which was a big hit for him in the U.K. in 1977. He cut a new version in 1989, which was a big hit in the U.S.  The 2004 video is taken from Rod’s concert video One Night Only! Live At Royal Albert Hall — it’s sung as a duet with Scottish singer Amy Belle.

This is good news for Rod, who’s had a spate of bad news lately: He had to postpone two concerts and missed the landmark 200th show of his Las Vegas residency due to illness.

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New documentaries about Elton John and The Beatles are part of the New York Film Festival’s Spotlight section, which showcases the most notable fall releases.

Elton John: Never Too Late, co-directed by R.J. Cutler and Elton’s husband, David Furnish, follows Elton during his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, with the description noting it “offers keen insight into a life and career marked by soaring highs and crushing lows, and contemplates a legacy defined equally by advocacy and artistry.” Elton, Furnish and Cutler are expected to attend the premiere.

Also premiering at the festival is TWST / Things We Said Today, from Romanian director Andrei Ujica, about The Beatles’ 1965 trip to New York to headline Shea Stadium, and Pavements, a “rule-flouting sorta-documentary” about Stephen Malkmus and the band Pavement.

Elton’s doc is getting its U.S. premiere at the festival; it’s already set to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 5 to Sept. 15. Meanwhile, TWST / Things We Said Today and Pavements are getting their North American premieres, with both set to debut at the Venice Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7.

The New York Film Festival takes place Sept 27. to Oct. 14.

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