Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to pay damages to singer Eddy Grant over his use of Grant’s 1983 hit “Electric Avenue” during the 2020 election.
Grant’s lawyers initially sent the Trump campaign a cease-and-desist letter over the use of a short clip of the song in an animated video that was created by a third party and shared on Trump’s personal social media account.
Grant later sued, arguing the clip suggested an endorsement of Trump and also “sought to denigrate the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nominee, now-President Joseph R. Biden.”
After four years, a judge in New York has granted the singer a partial summary judgement, meaning Trump is liable for copyright infringement and will now have to pay Grant for damages, as well as his legal fees.
The legal judgement comes just weeks after a judge issued a preliminary injunction barring the former president from playing Isaac Hayes’ music ever again. Hayes’ estate sued over Trump’s use of the Hayes-penned track “Hold On (I’m Coming)” at his rallies.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for Mercury Studios
Queen guitarist Brian May is warning fans about a scam that has been shared on social media that appears to show him pushing special backstage tickets to his next gig.
May shared a video on Instagram that was originally posted to TikTok, where it appears as though May is offering 10 people backstage tickets to his next show for $800, a markdown from their original price of $2,000.
In big letters, May marks the video as “FAKE!!!” and shares in the caption, “THIS IS A VILE SCAM — I was just alerted to this horrible criminal activity.”
He adds, “I’ll let you know how I get on stamping out this disgusting attempt to steal money from trusting fans.”
May was first alerted to the scam when a fan shared the video, and he commented, “My God. This is horrific.” He noted, “I suppose this is now so easy to do – and there are always people who will sink to any depths to try to make a quick buck. Disgusting.”
He added that he was “feeling violated” and wrote, “I certainly don’t feel comfortable or safe in the world as it has become now. Will all have to try to hold onto what is real in our lives.”
David Gilmour is opening up about his feud with former Pink Floyd bandmate Roger Waters.
Things turned particularly rocky last year after Waters commented on Gilmour releasing the song “Hey Hey Rise Up!” under the Pink Floyd name in 2022. The tune was a protest song about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which Waters called “content-less … flag waving” in an interview.
That prompted a response from Gilmour’s wife and co-writer Polly Samson, who tweeted that Waters was a “Putin apologist,” amongst other things, and Gilmour backed her up, tweeting, “Every word demonstrably true.”
In an interview with MOJO, Gilmour says, “That tweet was boiling up. It had to come out – and I have no regrets about it. No regrets whatsoever.”
Gilmour adds that constantly being asked about his relationship with Waters has grown “wearisome,” noting, “Do you know what decade of my life I was in when Roger left our pop group? My thirties. I am now 78. Where’s the relevance?”
Gilmour is getting ready to hit the road on his Luck and Strange tour, and he’s once again saying that he isn’t likely to play a lot of Pink Floyd tunes, noting he has no desire to perform songs like “Money” or “Another Brick in the Wall.”
“I’m going to be sticking with the ones that are essentially my music, and I feel some ownership of,” he says. “’Comfortably Numb,’ ‘Wish You Were Here,’ ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond.'”
Gilmour’s Luck and Strange tour kicks off Sept. 27 in Rome, Italy. He hits the States Oct. 25 in Los Angeles, with shows in New York to follow. A complete list of dates can be found at davidgilmour.com.
Styx is returning to Las Vegas next year for a special residency at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
The band announced they’ll play five shows in January and February, during which they’ll treat fans to a performance of their 1977 album, The Grand Illusion, in its entirety, along with other classic hits.
This show will mark the first time in their career they’ve played The Grand Illusion in its entirety. The album launched the band to stardom thanks to hits like “Come Sail Away” and “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man).” It was a top 10 hit, peaking at #6 on the Billboard 2000, and went on to be certified triple Platinum in the U.S.
A Citi presale begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
Tito Jackson in August 2024; Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Tito Jackson, a member of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Jackson 5 and brother of Michael and Janet Jackson, has died, his children have confirmed in an Instagram post. He was 70.
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us,” reads the message on the Instagram account for 3T, a group comprised of Jackson’s three sons: Taj, Taryll and TJ. “We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being.”
“Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson from the legendary Jackson 5, some may know him as ‘Coach Tito’ or some know him as ‘Poppa T,'” the message continues. “Nevertheless, he will be missed tremendously. It will forever be ‘Tito Time’ for us. Please remember to do what our father always preached and that is ‘Love One Another.’ We love you Pops.”
Born on Oct. 15, 1953, Toriano Adaryll “Tito” Jackson was one of the five brothers that made up The Jackson Five. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and sold over 150 million records worldwide.
The Jackson Five — with Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael the other four members — scored multiple #1 hits, including “ABC,” “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.” Father Joe Jackson managed the group and relocated the family from their home in Gary, Indiana to California as they gained popularity.
The group, later known as The Jacksons, peaked in popularity and influence through the 1970s, waning in the early- and mid-1980s with Michael Jackson’s meteoric success as a solo artist. Their final album was 1989’s 2300 Jackson Street. In 2001, they reunited to perform at brother Michael’s 30th Anniversary Concerts in New York City.
In 2012, the four eldest Jackson brothers — Tito, Jermaine, Jackie and Marlon — launched the Unity Tour, their first in nearly three decades, and their first tour without brother Michael, who died in 2009.
Tito, Jackie and Marlon — as The Jacksons — had been performing in Europe, and had planned additional performances in Atlantic City and Cincinnati through the fall. Tito posted a social media message from Munich, Germany, on Sept. 11, having visited a memorial to Michael.
“Before our show in Munich, my brothers Jackie, Marlon, and I, visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson,” he wrote. “We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive.”
Tito Jackson is survived by his brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Jackie, his sisters Janet, Rebbie and Latoya and their mother, Katherine. Their father Joe died in 2018.
Getting a shout-out from U2 frontman Bono can be a shock to anyone, and that was certainly the case for Entourage star Jerry Ferrara.
The hit HBO series turned 20 in July, and Ferrara, who played the always-hustling Turtle, shared with ABC Audio that he still can’t quite get over Bono’s appearance on the show.
In a series known for its celebrity cameos, Ferrara said it was a stand-out moment.
Ferrara recalled the moment in the ninth episode of the second season when life imitated art — or vice versa, depending on how you look at it.
The setup was Kevin Dillon‘s Johnny Drama was gifted U2 tickets for his birthday, so the main cast — Dillon, Ferrara, Jeremy Piven, Adrian Grenier and Kevin Connolly,along withsome hidden camera people — went to a U2 show.
“We were told, like, ‘Look, he may say something. Bono may, he may not. We’ll try. Just be ready,'” Jerry shared. “Honestly, we were like, ‘There’s no way he’s going to say anything.’ So, like, we just started enjoying the concert. Might of even had a beer or two. Because I’m like, ‘We don’t have any dialogue. We’re at a real concert.'”
Jerry continued, “And then sure enough, like, the lights went out and … he said happy birthday to Johnny Drama in Spanish … and yeah, that reaction was very much like a ‘Holy s***. I cannot believe that he actually said that.'”
For the record, after finishing “City of Blinding Lights,” Bono actually said, in Spanish, “Hey, Johnny Drama! What’s up? Happy birthday, my friend!”
In 2023, Bryan Adams released Live at the Royal Albert Hall, a box set documenting three concerts he performed at the legendary London venue in 2022. Now get ready for part two, coming Nov. 15.
Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2024is available for preorder. It was recorded in May during Adams’ three-night stand at the venue; he played one of his albums in full each night. The set includes performances of his 1996 album, 18 ‘Til I Die; his smash 1984 album, Reckless; and his 2022 release, So Happy It Hurts.
It’s available as a three-CD set or on four-LP vinyl; both formats come with a Blu-ray disc with video footage of the concerts.
Adams’ 2023 box set included front-to-back performances of his albums Cuts Like a Knife, Into the Fire and Waking Up the Neighbours.
Duran Duran will celebrate the spooky season with a revamped version of their 2023 album, Danse Macabre. Titled Danse Macabre – DeLuxe, it’ll be out Oct. 25 on CD and Oct. 11 on digital.
The album includes three bonus tracks: an instrumental called “Masque of Pink Death,” which is a spin on the title of the Edgar Allen Poe short story The Masque of the Red Death; a cover of ELO‘s “Evil Woman”; and “New Moon (Dark Phase),” a reimagined version of their classic hit “New Moon on Monday,” which is available to stream now.
The original version of Danse Macabre featured 13 songs, included covers of Talking Heads‘ “Psycho Killer,” Billie Eilish‘s “Bury a Friend,” The Rolling Stones‘ “Paint It Black” and The Specials‘ “Ghost Town.”
A limited-edition vinyl box set of Danse Macabre – De Luxe includes three LPs, one of which is a bonus LP featuring seven new tracks, including a spoken-word track called “Instructions for a Seance,” recited by Nick Rhodes. The box also includes tarot cards, four art prints, a booklet and what the band is calling a “spirit board,” also known as a Ouija board. You can preorder it now; it’ll be available Oct. 25 and in select U.S. retailers on Nov. 29.
Duran Duran is continuing their embrace of Halloween with their upcoming U.S. tour, which kicks off Oct. 21 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and includes The Danse Macabre Halloween Party, happening Oct. 31 at Madison Square Garden in New York. A complete list of dates can be found at duranduran.com.
Elton John got some criticism recently for comments he made about former President Donald Trump, which he’s now clarifying.
Varietyreported that Elton was asked about Donald Trump calling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “Little Rocket Man” several years back. Elton said, “I laughed. I thought that was brilliant. I just thought, ‘Good on you, Donald’ … Donald’s always been a fan of mine and he’s been to my concerts many, many times … I’ve always been friendly toward him and I thank him for his support.”
But Elton’s taken to Instagram to say that he wasn’t throwing his support behind Trump.
“Part of an interview I gave … is being taken out of context and falsely misconstrued as a personal endorsement of Donald Trump,” Elton wrote. “It’s not. I was simply acknowledging the fact that Trump has long been a fan of my music, and that historically he’s been very kind to me about that.”
His message included a video of a portion of the “misconstrued” interview, in which he is seen saying, “I don’t go onstage and say to people, ‘You mustn’t vote for the Republicans, you mustn’t vote for the Democrats.’ It’s none of my business how they vote. They come to see me, and I’m so grateful they have.”
He goes on to say, “I just want people to vote for things that are just, things that are important to people: the right to choose, the right to be who you are, and not let anybody else tell you who to be. And that goes all the way up to the Supreme Court.”
Elton concluded his post, “My fans know these are my true values and they are reflected in my personal life, my music and my philanthropic work with the Elton John AIDS Foundation.”
David Gilmour‘s new album, Luck And Strange, has landed him his third solo #1 album in his native U.K.
The Pink Floyd guitarist fought off a strong challenge from Oasis, whose album catalog has returned to the charts in full force since they announced a reunion tour. They currently occupy three of the top five positions on the U.K.’s Official Album Chart.
“I’d like to thank everyone who’s bought my new album, Luck And Strange, and helped to make it Number 1 in the Official Albums Chart,” Gilmour said in a statement. He’d previously topped the chart with On An Island from 2006 and Rattle That Lock from 2015.
Gilmour also addressed yet again the question of whether Pink Floyd would ever reunite. Speaking to the U.K.’s ITV News, he said, “Dream on. I mean, it’s not gonna happen. There’s only three people left and we’re not talking, and are unlikely to – so it’s not gonna happen.”
