Classic Hits

U2 frontman Bono may be a huge rock star, but that doesn’t mean he’s always living the rock star life, as revealed by his daughter actress Eve Hewson. 

In a new interview with Net-a-Porter magazine, Hewson talks about how she and her siblings all moved home to Dublin during the COVID-19 pandemic. While they would stay up till early hours of the morning, her now 64-year-old dad didn’t join in on the fun.

“We have a studio at the end of [my parents’] garden, where [we’d] usually end up, in the middle of the night, writing stupid songs,” she shares. “I actually got kicked out of the family band for being too enthusiastic.” 

But when asked whether her dad took part in these studio sessions, Eve noted, “No! He was asleep by 10 p.m. every night.” 

While Eve went into acting instead of music, she did share that when she was young she considered going into music like her dad, noting, “I thought I was going to be Charli XCX.” 

As for any suggestion she’s a nepo baby and got her success only because of her famous father, Hewson doesn’t let it bother her. She says, “The only thing you can do is crack a joke and move on.”

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Def Leppard’s Summer Stadium tour was recently in Cleveland, and while in the city the band decided to pay a visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The rockers, who were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019, shared video of their visit, where they got to check out items in the Rock Hall’s vault. 

“It’s amazing so far. We just went into a place where you’re not allowed to film, and it was unbelievable,” frontman Joe Elliott says, noting he got to see Levon Helm’s 102-year-old mandolin from when he was in The Band, sharing, “I was shaking looking at it.”

He also saw late Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark’s guitars and the lyrics for their 1993 track “Two Steps Behind,” joking, “I always wondered where they ended up.”

“I’m just blown away by everything, to be honest,” Rick Savage says of the visit. “You forget, even though it’s part of your life and part of your history, it’s easy to just like kinda dismiss it. But then when you see all this stuff that paved the way for so many of us, and in a small way to be associated with it, is pretty humbling actually.” 

Def Leppard also checked out their own exhibit, which features a suit Elliott says he wore just one time for the cover of Rolling Stone to promote 1992’s Adrenalize. 

Drummer Rick Allen notes of their exhibit, “I think we need to add to it, but it was great to just see a little bit of what was there and remember what we were doing at the time.” 

Def Leppard’s Summer Stadium with Journey hits Citi Field in New York on Wednesday. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx is the latest rocker to pay tribute to Aerosmith following the announcement that they’ve retired from touring due to Steven Tyler’s vocal problems.

In a post on Facebook, Sixx writes that he bought his first Aerosmith record in 1973 when he was 15, noting, “I would carry that album with me everywhere, including to friends’ houses, confessing to them that this was the future of rock ‘n’ roll.”

He adds, “As the years rolled on, my opinion never changed. Lyrically, musically, rhythmically, and especially with those monster songs, Aerosmith was unparalleled.” 

“Their entire catalog is outstanding, but those first five albums were the holy grail for a young, future Nikki Sixx,” he writes, before going on to praise Aerosmith members Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford.

Sixx, who’s been sober for 23 years, then revealed how important Tyler has been to him. 

“Steven Tyler to me, has always been the ultimate singer, lyricist, and showman, but personally, he’s a man who helped me at the beginning of my sobriety,” he writes. “I’ve been lucky to become a peer, a friend, and always a fan of this great American rock ‘n’ roll band.” 

Sixx concludes his post, “Thank you, Aerosmith, for everything.”

Aerosmith announced on Aug. 2 they were canceling their Peace Out tour, which was due to relaunch in September. The tour initially kicked off in September 2023, but was postponed after a handful of shows when Tyler fractured his larynx.

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Bon Jovi, Lenny Kravitz and U2 are among the artists vying for an MTV VMA this year.

All three are nominated in the Best Rock category: Bon Jovi for “Legendary,” Kravitz for “Human” and U2 for “Atomic City.”

Their competition in the category includes Green Day’s “Dilemma,” Coldplay’s “feelslikeimfallinginlove” and Kings of Leon’s “Mustang.”

Taylor Swift leads all nominees this year with 10, followed by Post Malone with nine. 

The MTV Video Music Awards will air Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET live from the UBS Arena in New York. Fan voting is open now and runs through Aug. 30.

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UB40 is giving fans a chance to enjoy their live show from the comfort of their own home.

The reggae band, best known for songs like “Red Red Wine” and “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You,” is set to broadcast their Aug. 10 concert from the St. Augustine Amphitheatre in St. Augustine, Florida, live on the streaming platform Veeps.

The show is a stop on their current Red Red Wine tour, celebrating the band’s 45th anniversary and their recent album UB45.

The concert will be available to Veeps All Access subscribers. Individual tickets can also be purchased for $19.99. More info can be found at veeps.com.

UB40’s Red Red Wine tour hits Clearwater, Florida, on Thursday. They have U.S. dates booked through Aug. 16 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. A complete list of dates can be found at ub40.global.

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On This Day, Aug. 6, 1965…

The Beatles released their fifth studio album Help!, which was the soundtrack to their film of the same name.

The album produced three #1 singles, including the title track, “Yesterday,” and “Ticket to Ride.”

Help! was a critical success, and hit #1 on the Billboard Album chart, spending nine weeks in the top spot. It was also nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys, marking The Beatles’ first Grammy nomination in that category.

Help! was the second film to star The Beatles. It had the band trying to protect drummer Ringo Starr, who’s the target of a sinister cult and mad scientists trying to obtain a sacrificial ring he received as a gift from a fan.

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The Rolling Stones are getting their very own trading cards.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have partnered with Panini America, the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company, for a new trading card set, Prizm The Rolling Stones, which will celebrate the band’s more than 60-year career. 

The partnership will kick off with a Color Blast set featuring cards with photos of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and the late Charlie Watts, in front of a color burst of the band’s iconic tongue and lips logo.

“The Rolling Stones are an iconic brand, are integral to the history of music, and have millions of dedicated fans across the globe,” Mark Warsop, CEO of Panini America, shares. “We are proud to be partnering with them and to share our products celebrating their legacy and so many of their memorable moments. We think that fans will be very excited.” 

Future Stones card collections include Albums, highlighting a variety of Stones album covers; Hot Lips, with photos of band members with the tongue and lips logo at the top; International Licks, with the tongue and lips logos featuring regional flags and colors; and Stubs, dedicated to their concert tours.

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REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin has paid tribute to Aerosmith following the news the band has retired from touring due to Steven Tyler’s vocal issues. 

Cronin writes on Instagram that in the ’70s they were often “sabotaged” by bigger bands who they were opening for on tour, but that wasn’t the case with Aerosmith, who they opened for in 1976.

“On the first night of the tour, (Steven) Tyler and Joe Perry came to our dressing room, (which was stocked with beer and assorted munchies), introduced themselves and welcomed us to their tour,” he writes. “Steven invited us to join them after every show for a great meal, we were given all access to their party suite; they treated us with respect.”

He notes, “Rather than mess with us, Steven and Joe wanted the best for us, as Aerosmith was not intimidated at all. They used the energy of the REO Speedwagon performance to lift them, they rocked extra hard as a result, and the audience was the ultimate winner.”

“I learned a lot from Steven Tyler. Any band who has opened for REO and been treated with love and respect has Steven to thank,” Kevin adds.

Regarding Aerosmith’s retirement announcement, Cronin notes, “It seems impossible that the great Steven Tyler’s retirement will be permanent. He is such a force of nature. But if this is the time for him to hang up his scarves, then so be it and more power to him. He has given so much of himself, and left so much of himself on stages in venues all around the world. He has earned the right to take his final bow whenever he sees fit.”

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Heart’s Nancy Wilson is set to share her musical expertise with aspiring musicians at the third annual Women’s Rock Camp, taking place Dec. 5 to Dec. 8 in Los Angeles.

Also taking part in the four-day camp is Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss, the Runaways’ Lita Ford, drummer Sheila E and Jeff Beck bassist Rhonda Smith. 

Unlike the usual Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camps, Women’s Rock Camp is open to female instrumentalists and vocalists only. Participants will get a chance to take part in master classes with all the rock star counselors, plus attend band rehearsals, jam sessions, Q&A sessions and more, culminating in a live performance at The Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.

“Rock Fantasy Camp for women is a meaningful gathering of women together. As a military brat I never felt constrained by my gender,” Wilson tells Billboard. “Encouraging women to wield their power outside confining gender expectations is always a happy task for me.” 

Reservations are now open. More information on Women’s Rock Camp can be found at rockcamp.com.

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Pete Townshend is giving fans of The Who hope that another tour may be possible.

Although he and bandmate Roger Daltrey have made differing comments on whether the band will ever tour again, Pete reveals in a new interview with The Daily Beast that he’s open to the idea of it.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen with The Who. I’m hoping Roger and I can find some common ground and find some way to work again, possibly without an orchestra, because I think we’ve done that,” Pete says. “But also, there’s this sense that we’re in the last tour period of our career.”

He adds, “Are we just hoping to do what Bob Dylan does and just keep going? I’m encouraged by seeing what Roger’s doing in his solo tour. It seems to me that if we put a small band together and just decided to throw s*** at the wall, it might be great.” 

Unfortunately, Pete says right now he and Roger “don’t talk,” noting that “it might be difficult to land on something that we both share an interest in. But it’s there for the taking, I think.”

But Pete has no plans to convince Roger to hit the road.

“I’m not gonna try to bully Roger to do anything,” he says. “I don’t want to have the job that I used to have around the time of Quadrophenia, which is bullying everybody in The Who to do exactly what I want to do.”

“Anyway, I’m hopeful. I’m certainly not saying that we won’t do anything, but Roger and I do have a bit of a river to cross,” he concludes. “And once we cross that river, we’ll see what happens.”

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