Classic Hits

Tears for Fears is headed to Las Vegas.

The duo, best known for hit songs “Shout,” “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” and more, has booked a three-night residency, Songs for a Nervous Planet, at BleauLive Theater inside Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been on the road and are very eager to share this live show experience with everyone,” Tears for Fears’ Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith say. “You can expect to hear tracks from our 2022 album The Tipping Point as well as fan favorites. Be sure to listen closely though as there may be something new sprinkled in there as well.”

The shows are set for Oct. 30, Nov. 1 and Nov 2. Various presales kick off Tuesday, with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday at 10 a.m.

The three Vegas dates are the only shows Tears for Fears has on the schedule for 2024.

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Bob Dylan and KISS’ Gene Simmons have contributed songs to the upcoming movie Reagan, a biopic about former President Ronald Reagan, starring actor Dennis Quaid in the title role.

Spin reports that Dylan’s contribution is a cover of Cole Porter’s “Don’t Fence Me In,” which will play over the closing credits, while Simmons has recorded a take on the 1930s tune “Stormy Weather.”

“I was honored to have Bob join our film,” Quaid said, according to the mag. “We gave him the freedom to do any song he wanted to do, whether an original or a cover, and he chose ‘Don’t Fence Me In.’” 

He adds, “Bob is a great lover of the American Songbook and we were delighted with the way he delivered the song. He’s a national treasure and was the perfect addition to the film.”

Reagan opens Aug. 30.

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Madonna celebrated her 66th birthday in style on Aug. 16 with a lavish Italian celebration, during which she was joined by her twins, Stella and Estere; her rumored boyfriend, soccer player Akeem Morris; and other loved ones.

People reports that Madonna and her group stayed at a five-star hotel in Positano, Italy, and then enjoyed an exclusive dinner among the ruins of Pompeii, the Italian city that was buried in lava and ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. 

The group of about 30 people enjoyed food catered by a local three-Michelin-star restaurant, took a guided tour of the archeological park and then watched a performance by a local youth group in one of Pompeii’s ancient theaters. Madonna has funded the group — which sang for her in Italian, English and in the Neapolitan dialect — through her Ray of Light charity Foundation. 

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On This Day, Aug. 19, 1967 …

The Beatles landed another #1 single with “All You Need Is Love,” a non-album track that represented Britain in the TV program Our World, the first live global, multi-satellite TV show.

When they signed on for Our World, The Beatles were asked to contribute a song with a positive and universal message.

They performed the track on the show with a prerecorded backing track, and were joined by The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, The Who’s Keith Moon and others, who sat on the floor and sang along to the chorus.

“All You Need Is Love” also went to #1 in several other countries, including the U.K., Canada, Australia, Austria, New Zealand and Sweden.

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Deep Purple recently launched their =1 More Time tour, and after releasing the brand new album =1 in July, longtime bassist Roger Glover says there’s a challenge to creating a set list with old and new songs that will please everyone. 

“It’s a huge problem,” he tells ABC Audio, noting they usually need to play several songs from their 1971 album, Machine Head, which doesn’t leave much room for new songs. 

“Machine Head was such an iconic moment and produced a lot of the, the songs that, you know, we play to this day,” he says of the album, which features their biggest hit, “Smoke on the Water.” He adds that because they focus a lot on those songs in concert, they’re constantly hearing from fans who say, “Oh, you don’t play stuff of the new, you don’t play this, you don’t play that.”

Glover says this tour will likely feature several songs from =1, but notes that it’s not as simple as just plugging the tracks into the set list.

“The way we’ve designed the show, it has a pattern to it, has a shape,” he says. “And so songs have to sort of fit into that shape.”

He adds, “You don’t want to sort of leave the audience with a downer and, you know, you want some kind of climax, because that’s what it’s all about, climaxing.”  

Deep Purple’s =1 More Time tour, with special guest Yes, hits Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday. A complete list of dates can be found at deeppurple.com.

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Legendary musician Tony Levin, best known for working with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, is set to release the new studio album Bringing It Down to the Bass on Sept. 13.

The album, Levin’s seventh solo effort and his first since 2007, is described as being semi-autobiographical, having themes taken from his musical life. It features guest appearances by King Crimson’s Robert Fripp,  Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy and more.

Levin is previewing the record with the title track, which is out now.

Levin says the album “could have been done a long time ago,” but he ran into a problem of being too busy, noting that’s “a very good problem to have.”

“I have a lot of touring and that’s what I love to do, playing live,” he adds. “It just didn’t give me much time at home to work on finishing the album that I’ve been working on for five or six years.”

Bringing It Down to the Bass will be released digitally and on CD, double vinyl and Blu-Ray, which features a variety of mixes, including Dolby Atmos and hi-res stereo audio. It is available for preorder now.

And speaking of playing live, Levin is set to hit the road with Adrian Belew, Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey on the BEAT tour, celebrating King Crimson’s ’80s-era music. The tour kicks off Sept. 12 in San Jose, California.

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Cyndi Lauper is back on the charts thanks to the Netflix series Cobra Kai.

Billboard reports that Cyndi’s classic hit “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” is at #1 on the Top TV Songs chart after it appeared in the third episode of the current sixth season of the show.

Its inclusion in the episode resulted in 13.7 million on-demand U.S. streams of the song and an additional 2,000 downloads.

Meanwhile, several songs are seeing renewed interest thanks to Amazon Prime’s The Boys, including Christoper Cross’ “Sailing,” which is at #2 on the chart, Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street,” which is at #3, Toto’s “Rosanna” at #5 and America’s “You Can Do Magic” at #10.

As for Cyndi, she’s set to kick off her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour on Oct. 18 in Montreal. A complete list of dates can be found at cyndilauper.com.

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Paul McCartney fans are getting their first look at the upcoming documentary Paul McCartney and Wings – One Hand Clapping with the debut of the first trailer for the film, which will be released in theaters beginning Sept. 26.

The trailer features archival footage of McCartney and Wings in the studio, backed by a performance of “Soily.” 

The documentary follows the band during recording sessions that took place in August 1974 at Abbey Road Studios. The sessions were for a video documentary and possible live album, although the album itself was only recently released back in June. The doc features interviews with the band, as well as contributions from the creative team behind the album. 

It also includes the previously unreleased Backyard Sessions, with footage showing McCartney performing tracks from his catalog on acoustic guitar.

Tickets for Paul McCartney and Wings – One Hand Clapping are on sale now.

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U2 is getting close to wrapping their U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides digital series and has now shared the second to last installment, this time dedicated to the All You Can’t Leave Behind track “Walk On.”

The latest playlist includes a remastered single version of “Walk On,” along with two newly remastered live recordings of “Where The Streets Have No Name” and “Gone,” both from a concert in Boston, as well as a remastered live performance of “Stay (Far Away, So Close)” from a show in Toronto. 

Launched in April, U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides is a series of 12 newly remastered collections, made up of songs that until now were only available on vinyl, CD or cassette. Previous collections focused on such songs as “Discothèque,” “Staring at the Sun,” “Last Night on Earth,” “If God Will Send His Angels,” “Please,” “Mofo,” “Sweetest Thing,” “Beautiful Day,” “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” and “Elevation.”

The ”Walk On” playlist is now streaming on most digital outlets.

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The 50th anniversary of the Ramones live debt at the New York rock club CBGB is being celebrated with some new vinyl releases. 

Rhino has teamed with Vinyl Me, Please to feature the New York punk rock band in a variety of new pressings, including highlighting 1977’s Rocket to Russia as their September 2024 Essentials Record of the Month. The reissue will be pressed on what’s being described as 180g “Gabba Gabba Hey” vinyl, made with lacquers cut from master tapes, and comes with an art print of the band.

But that’s not all. Vinyl Me, Please will also release a 40th anniversary edition of the Ramones’ 1984 release Too Tough To Die as their September Rock Record of the Month, releasing it on 180g Blue Cloudy vinyl, while a limited-edition pressing of 1978’s Road To Ruin, pressed on Orange Cloudy vinyl, will also be available. 

Those interested in getting their hands on one of these Ramones vinyls will need to sign up at vinylmeplease.com by Aug. 30.

The Ramones’ Aug. 16, 1974, debut at CBGB was the first time all four members of the band – lead singer Joey Ramone, bassist Dee Dee Ramone, guitarist Johnny Ramone and drummer Tommy Ramone — were onstage together. They went on to play CBGB about 70 times throughout the course of their career, with the band’s legacy forever linked to the club.

And this isn’t the only way the anniversary is being celebrated. As previously reported, 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.

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