This house is not for sale: Jon Bon Jovi has no interest in cashing in on his catalog

April 30, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Back in 2016, Bon Jovi released an album called This House Is Not For Sale, and that’s currently where Jon Bon Jovi stands when it comes to cashing in on his catalog, as so many other artists have done recently.

While artists ranging from Bob Dylan and Justin Bieber to Sting and Bruce Springsteen have made multimillion deals to sell the rights to their music over the past few years, Jon tells Yahoo Entertainment, “I have no desire.”

“Our catalog has done nothing but go up [in value] exponentially. I know matter of factly, it’s really exploded to, like, 15-year highs, and [our new] record is not even out yet,” he continues. “So I have no need to or desire to. Those are my babies.”

Another thing Jon has turned down is the chance to do a residency at the Sphere Las Vegas, where U2 recently completed an acclaimed run of shows. However, Jon notes there “are some benefits” to playing in one place for an extended period of time: “You’re doing 10, 15 nights in one venue and it gets nice. You can leave your shoes there at night. That’s not bad.”

However, he tells Yahoo, “For me personally, the desert isn’t all that appealing — to be out in Vegas for a long period of time. And the Sphere is otherworldly. That’s a serious commitment. So, for me, not at this time.”

The four-part docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, documenting the band’s 40-year history, is now streaming on Hulu and their new single, “Legendary,” is climbing the charts.

He says, “That we can sit here and talk … 40 years later, and we’ve got a hit record out … it’s nothing short of a miracle.”

George Harrison’s sitar sells for more than $66,000 at auction

April 30, 2024 by WDNY Radio

George Harrison’s first sitar sold for more than expected at a recent auction.

The instrument, which The Beatles member used during the recording sessions for “Norwegian Wood,” sold for $66,993 at Nate D. Sanders Auctions, well above the minimum bid of $25,000.

Harrison purchased the sitar in 1965 at Indiacraft on Oxford Street in London. It would go on to inspire his further involvement, and lifelong passion, for Indian music, culture and the Hindu religion. In 1966 he became the first Beatle to travel to India, where he would study the sitar under musician Ravi Shankar.

Nate D. Sanders Auctions was also auctioning off a Keith Richards custom-made guitar, which was used during the Rolling Stones‘ Some Girls recording sessions, tour and music video, although it apparently failed to bring in its $400,000 minimum asking price. It is still available, though, on an offer basis.

Bill Wyman says it took two years for The Rolling Stones to accept his departure

April 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman reveals that almost two years passed before his bandmates accepted that he had actually quit the band.

In a new interview with The Mirror, Wyman says that while he left the group in 1991, “they wouldn’t believe me.”

“They refused to accept I had left. It was not until 1993, when they were starting to get together to tour in 1994, when they said, ‘You have actually now left, haven’t you?’ And I said, ‘I left two years ago,’” he explains. “They finally accepted it, so they say I left in 1993.”

As for why he quit, Wyman shares, “I just had enough. It was half my life and I thought, ‘I have got other things I want to do.’” He added, “I just had this whole other life I wanted to live.”

The Rolling Stones just launched their ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour, and while Wyman is no longer with them, he hasn’t forgotten what life on the road is like and even dreams about it.

“The weird thing is ever since I’ve left, up until the present day, I still dream I’m on tour, like we are in a dressing room or we are in a hotel,” he says. “I still dream those dreams and I dream of other friends like David Bowie. They are all very nice but very confusing.”

The Alarm postpones Live Today, Love Tomorrow tour following return of Mike Peters’ cancer

April 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

The Alarm front man Mike Peters has revealed that his cancer has returned, forcing the band to postpone their upcoming U.S. tour.

“I have no doubt that the following news will come as a complete shock to you in the same way that it has also come as a bolt out of the blue to me and my family,” Peters shares. “On Sunday morning April 21st, I awoke with a large swollen gland on the left side of my neck.”

Peters, who was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2005, then had an emergency biopsy and CT scan, which revealed that his cancer had “undergone a transformation into a High Grade Lymphoma.”

He is awaiting the results of more tests before a treatment can be put in place, but because of that he can no longer travel to the U.S. for the tour.

“I am still reeling from the consequences of this new and completely unforeseen diagnosis and doing my best to process what is happening,” he says. “I’m grateful for the love and understanding of everyone affected by the tour postponement and hoping and praying with all that I have, that this is just a pause in the story of my life, and that normal service will be able to resume soon.”

He adds, “Cancer has been chasing me for 29 years now, and in all that time, I have managed to outrun the disease and stay alive. My focus and resolve remain the same, and I’m determined to keep running even harder to stay one step ahead and resume my life as a husband, father, and musician as soon as possible.”

The Alarm’s Live Today, Love Tomorrow, featuring Jay Aston‘s Gene Loves Jezebel and Belouis Some, was due to kick off May 1 in New Orleans.

U2 bassist Adam Clayton confirms divorce from wife after 10 years

April 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Donato Sardella/Getty Images for U.S. Fund for UNICEF

U2 bassist Adam Clayton has confirmed that he and his wife, Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho, are no longer together.

“After more than 10 years of marriage, musician Adam Clayton and lawyer Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho have amicably divorced,” read a statement provided to ABC Audio from the band’s spokesperson. “Both will continue to be fully involved in the care of their daughter and they request that the family’s privacy be respected.”

Clayton and Teixeira de Carvalho, a former human rights lawyer, tied the knot in 2014 in Dublin. They welcomed their first and only child in July 2017.

The marriage was the first and only union for Clayton. He was previously engaged to supermodel Naomi Campbell in the early ’90s.

Judge dismisses sexual assault lawsuit brought against Steven Tyler

April 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has some good news on the legal front. A judge in New York has dismissed a sexual assault lawsuit brought by Jeanne Bellino, a model who claimed she was assaulted by Tyler in the summer of 1975 when she was 17. She accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her.

Bellino filed her suit under New York City’s Victim of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, which granted a two-year window to file suits that would have otherwise fallen outside the usual statute of limitations

In February, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed her case, suggesting she waited too long to file it and that in order to qualify under the Victim of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, she would have had to show Tyler’s actions posed a “serious risk of physical injury,” but she didn’t.

While Bellino’s lawyers wanted to amend her initial complaint, on April 26, the judge denied their request on the “ground of futility” and dismissed the suit with prejudice, meaning she’d be unable to refile her claims.

Tyler is still facing a lawsuit filed in December 2022 by a woman named Julia Misley, who accused him of sexual assault, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Tyler and Misley were in a relationship for three years, starting in 1973, when she was 16 and he was in his 20s. She claimed she was “powerless to resist” the rock star’s “power, fame and substantial financial ability” and said he “coerced and persuaded” her into believing their relationship was a “romantic love affair.”

Roger Daltrey responds to Pete Townshend’s comments on the future of The Who

April 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Pete Townshend recently indicated that he wasn’t too keen on touring with The Who anymore, and Roger Daltrey doesn’t seem willing to convince him otherwise.

In a March interview with The New York Times, Townshend shared, “I don’t get much of a buzz from performing with The Who. If I’m really honest, I’ve been touring for the money.” He also suggested doing one more tour for the fans before they “crawl off to die,” although he later said he was being “sarcastic.”

Well, now Daltrey has responded to the comments.

“If Pete doesn’t want to tour, I don’t want to be back with the Who on the road, at 81, with someone who doesn’t want be there – if that’s what he’s saying,” Daltrey told the Miami Herald. “But you know, every dog has its day and it was a wonderful ride.”

“I won’t do it with someone who is halfhearted about it. The music is too important to me,” he added. “The reason the Who was so powerful is because we meant it. We took your face off when we played; we didn’t swan about on stage.”

But that doesn’t mean there still isn’t hope. Asked if he would tour should Townshend change his mind, Daltrey shared, “I’d be up for it if the reason Pete’s doing it isn’t just to make money. I’ll do it to make good music and to show people what we were, before we leave the stage forever.”

He noted, “I have never toured only for the money. Yes, the money is very useful. But I couldn’t do it just for that; you can’t. You need to be passionate about what you do and you really need to connect with the audiences. If you don’t, you’re failing.”

Madonna raves over Salma Hayek’s appearance at Mexico City show: “My Eternal Muse”

April 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Madonna‘s Celebration tour came to an official end in Mexico City on April 26, and she took to Instagram over the weekend to gush about the special guest who joined her onstage: Salma Hayek.

Madonna was excited about Hayek’s appearance in the “Vogue” segment of the show because she’s a famous actress and she portrayed Madonna’s favorite artist, Frida Kahlo, onscreen in the 2002 film Frida. In fact, Hayek came onstage dressed as Kahlo.

“The last show of the tour ended in Mexico City in the most magical way. Frida Kahlo came to visit and made me the happiest girl in the world!” Madonna wrote on Instagram. “Not only was my show complete in Mexico- but my entire artistic career!! For she has always been my Eternal Muse Cheering me on through the good Times and the bad.”

“Thank You @salmahayek for making it possible. and Thank You to my fans, not only in Mexico but all over the World,” she continued. “We did it together!! 80 shows! I feel Love.”

Hayek wrote on Instagram of the experience, “Thank you so much @madonna for letting me be a part of your iconic celebration tour. This unforgettable night goes in my bag of precious treasures.”

Madonna does have one more show to do: a massive free show on May 4 on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On This Day, April 29, 1989: Jon Bon Jovi married high school sweetheart, Dorothea Hurley

April 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

On This Day, April 29, 1989…

Bon Jovi frontman Jon Bon Jovi married his high school sweetheart, Dorothea Hurley.

Bon Jovi was in Los Angeles for their tour in support of their album New Jersey when the couple decided to head to Las Vegas, secretly tying the knot at the Graceland Wedding Chapel.

The couple went on to have four children together: one daughter, Stephanie, and three sons, Jesse, Jake and Romeo. Jake is currently engaged to actress Millie Bobby Brown.

Bon Jovi is the subject of a new four-part docuseries, Thank You, Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story, that’s currently airing on Hulu. They will release a new album, Forever, on June 7.

The Rolling Stones kick off their ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour in Houston

April 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones returned to the stage Sunday, April 28, kicking off their ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour at Houston’s NRG Stadium, treating fans to a mix of new songs and classic tunes.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers kicked things off with “Start Me Up,” sprinkling the set with plenty of hits, including “Gimme Shelter,” “Paint It, Black,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Beast of Burden.”

They also broke out the deep cut “Out of Time” as well as “Little T&A,” sung by Keith Richards. According to setlist.fm, it was the first time they performed the Keith song since 2016.

Stones’ latest album, Hackney Diamonds, was also well represented in the set, with the band playing “Angry,” and “Mess It Up” along with “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” which was the first song in The Stones’ two-song encore.

They wrapped up the entire show with their classic “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

It looks like the band had a great time, as they shared photos from the night on Instagram” “Thank you Houston!” the caption read. “You were an amazing audience for the opening night!”

Next up, the Stones bring the tour to Jazz Fest in New Orleans on May 2, followed by Glendale, Arizona, on May 7. A complete list of dates can be found at rollingstones.com.

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