Classic Hits

A new lot of Tony Bennett memorabilia is set to go on the auction block this October.

Back in April, Julien’s Auctions held the Tony Bennett: A Life Well Lived auction featuring the music legend’s personal effects and memorabilia, and now it has announced a second installment, Tony Bennett Part II – A Legendary Collection, Oct. 29 in Los Angeles.

The latest auction includes over 350 items once belonging to Bennett, including signed paintings, music awards and jewelry, as well as personal correspondence with fellow musicians and politicians. 

Among the items in the auction: a thank-you note from Lady Gaga, which was written on a photocopy of a portrait sketched by Bennett; a typed letter from Frank Sinatra; letters from Bill and Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi; a signed copy of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; an 18K gold and diamond Rolex; and two signed watercolor paintings by Bennett. 

Registration for bidding is now open at juliensauctions.com.

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John Mellencamp will be honored with a statue at Indiana University’s Bloomington campus during homecoming weekend. 

Mellencamp is expected to attend the unveiling of the statue, which is happening Oct. 18 between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. at the Elsie Irwin Sweeney Rock Garden on the north end of the Fine Arts Plaza. The statue was created by artist Michael McAuley, an IU alumnus from Bloomington, who is also the creative director at Livingston Designs Sculpture Studio.

Registration is now open to members of the public who’d like to attend the unveiling. 

“We are excited to welcome John to our campus once again as we commemorate his invaluable contributions to music, art and our university,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “The arts have long been a point of pride at IU, and we look forward to honoring a musician and artist who has generously given back to his fellow Hoosiers and greatly impacted American culture.”

Mellencamp’s artwork is also on display at the university. His exhibit, Crossroads: The Paintings of John Mellencamp, is currently running at the IU Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art.

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Frankie Valli is responding to the outpouring of concern over video that’s circulating on social media from a recent performance with The Four Seasons. 

Clips posted to TikTok show Valli messing up on choreography during “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” and missing some lyrics during “Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye),” prompting speculation that he’s lip-synching, with fans suggesting he looked “exhausted” and that he “needs to rest.”

But in a statement to People, the 90-year-old Valli says there’s nothing to worry about.

“I know there has been a lot of stuff on the internet about me lately so I wanted to clear the air,” he told the mag. “I am blessed to be 90 years old and still be doing what I love to do and as long as I am able, and audiences want to come see me, I am going to be out there performing.”

He adds, “I absolutely love what I do. And I know we put on a great show because our fans are still coming out in force and the show still rocks.”

Valli went on to explain that his show with The Four Seasons is all about “layering vocals and instruments,” seemingly explaining why it may have look like he missed some lyrics. 

He notes, “I get a chuckle from the comments wondering if someone forcing me to go on stage. Nobody has ever made me do anything I didn’t want to do.” 

Valli, who has tour dates booked through April, adds, “I plan to be doing shows as long as I can, delivering that great Four Seasons sound. Like that line in Jersey Boys, I’m like that bunny on TV, that just keeps going and going and going. Chasing the music.”

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Loverboy’s classic single “Working For The Weekend” has been reworked for a new IHOP commercial.

The band rerecorded the track and changed it to “Working for the Weekday” to promote the chain’s new House Faves menu, where select items are priced at just $6 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

The campaign also includes a new music video modeled after the classic “Working for the Weekend” video, only instead of Loverboy performing the tune, it is a group of syrup dispensers, one of which even sports frontman Mike Reno’s red bandana from the original clip. 

“Working with IHOP to bring our song to life in a fresh, innovative way has been such a rewarding experience,” Reno shares. “We have always loved going to IHOP and enjoying breakfast together as a band, so being able to have our work featured in the House Faves campaign is a dream come true.”

Released in September 1981, “Working for the Weekend” appeared on Loverboy’s sophomore album, 1982’s Get Lucky. The song peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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On This Day, Oct. 1, 1988 …

Bon Jovi scored their first U.K. #1 with their fourth studio album, New Jersey, which also peaked at #1 in the U.S., where it spent four weeks on top. 

The album featured such hit singles as “Bad Medicine,” “I’ll Be There for You,” “Born to Be My Baby” and “Lay Your Hands on Me.” 

Prior to New Jersey, the band’s best-charting record in the U.K. was 1986’s Slippery When Wet, which peaked at #6.

Over the course of their career, Bon Jovi would earn five #1 albums in the U.K., the others being 1992’s Keep the Faith, 1994’s Cross Road – The Best of Bon Jovi, 1995’s These Days and 2000’s Crush.

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Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be spending even more time in Europe next year.

The rockers had already planned to be overseas in 2025 to make up for three 2024 shows that had to be postponed due to vocal issues, and now they’ve expanded the trek, adding eight new dates in cities they’ve never played before.

The tour will kick off with a two-night stand in Manchester, England, on May 17, with new shows in Lile, France; Liverpool, England; Berlin, Frankfurt and Gelsenkirchen, Germany; and San Sebastian, Spain.

The trek will include the rescheduled dates in Marseille, France; Prague, Czech Republic; and Milan, Italy, where they’ll end the tour with two nights June 30 and July 3.

A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

Bruce and the band are currently on a break from the road. They launch a Canadian tour on Oct. 31 in Montreal. In addition, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, a documentary giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the tour, is set to debut Oct. 25 on Hulu and Disney+.

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Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of U2’s fifth studio album, The Unforgettable Fire.

Following their fourth studio album, War, which featured future classics “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day,” U2 decided on a change in direction, replacing longtime producer Steve Lillywhite with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois in hopes of moving them away from the more conventional hard rock sound of their previous release.

The album, recorded at Dublin’s Slane Castle and Windmill Lane Studios, produced the band’s first hit single, “Pride (In The Name of Love),” which featured a tribute to the late Martin Luther King Jr. The track was a top 40 hit for the Irish rockers, peaking at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

And while “Pride” was the only hit single off the record, several other tunes — including the title track, “A Sort of Homecoming” and “Bad” — went on to become fan favorites. In fact, “Bad” is frequently performed at U2’s live shows, with the most notable performance happening at 1985’s Live Aid, in which Bono pulled a fan from the audience and danced with her. The performance served as a breakthrough for the band, exposing them to an audience of millions thanks to the TV broadcast of the concert.

The Unforgettable Fire was a #1 hit in the U.K. and peaked at #12 on the Billboard Album chart, matching the chart performance of War. It has since gone on to be certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.

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The Alarm’s Mike Peters has shared the good news that he is in complete remission following his latest battle with cancer. 

Peters was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2005; in April he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of blood cancer known as Richter’s syndrome. 

But now he says that after completing a blood cancer clinical trial and chemotherapy at The Christie Hospital in Manchester he is in remission.

“This means that I am also now in position to have a Stem Cell Transplant from an unrelated matched donor,” he shares, calling it “momentous news” since back in April he was told that without treatment he had a life expectancy of between two and 12 months.

“The ordeal is not over yet however, in fact the toughest challenge of the Stem Cell Transplant can only be faced once the search for the matching blood stem cell donor is complete,” Peters writes. He also urged folks to register themselves in order to save a life.

Peters thanked the staff at The Christie Hospital who treated him, as well as his wife, Jules, and two sons, Dylan and Evan. He also thanked his fans, noting, “I will be forever grateful to them for sharing in the concert experiences over these challenging last few months.”

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Lenny Kravitz is showing love for Frankie Valli after the pair saw each other out in public. 

The rockstar bumped into the The Four Seasons frontman while at the airport, prompting Kravitz to snap selfies of the pair and pen a message to the 90-year-old music great, which was posted to Instagram on Saturday.

“Just ran into the legendary Frankie Valli at the airport,” wrote Kravitz. “Nothing but respect for you sir. Endless hits and still touring at 90 years young. Love !”

Kravitz appeared in his usual leather jacket with dark sunglasses, with the “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” singer in a zip-up jacket for his airport outing.

Kravitz was recently recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His daughter, actress and filmmaker Zoë Kravitz, honored him with a sweet message. 

Valli, who has a star on the Walk of Fame himself, rose to fame in the 1960s, leading The Four Seasons to several hit songs, including “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” and “Walk Like a Man.” The group also inspired the musical Jersey Boys.

Valli is currently on his Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: The Last Encores tour. Kravitz kicks off his Blue Electric Light Las Vegas residency at the Park MGM on Oct. 18.

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Madonna doesn’t want to mess with success: She’s apparently working on new music with Stuart Price, with whom she co-produced her Grammy-winning 2005 album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. 

Madonna posted a carousel of photos on Instagram Monday and wrote, “London Calling……………Back in the Stu with Stuart Price.” The photos show Madonna working with Price in the studio and alone, and attending a soccer game with her boyfriend, Akeem Morris.

Confessions on a Dance Floor was a big success for Madonna, spinning off the singles “Hung Up” and “Sorry” and selling over 10 million copies.

Madonna and Price have a long history: He most recently served as musical director on her Celebration tour, which concluded earlier this year. He’d also filled that role on her 2001, 2004 and 2006 tours. In addition, he co-produced her live albums I’m Going to Tell You a Secret and The Confessions Tour. Price has also worked with artists like Dua Lipa, Gwen Stefani, The Killers, Seal, The Fray and Kylie Minogue.

In other Madonna news, Morris’ ex-girlfriend Reagan Rice told People that Morris was initially hired to be a caregiver for one of Madonna’s kids. Rice and Morris dated from 2021 to September 2023, then Morris and Madonna hard-launched their romance in July of this year.

“It’s insane. I still can’t wrap my brain around it. It’s still so shocking,” she tells People. “It makes me laugh at this point. I’m past the point of crying about it, which is a great feeling.”

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