U2 has shared another remix of their latest single, “Atomic City,” this time by Dutch producer/DJ Tiësto
The remix is the third new take on the song U2 has released. They previously shared remixes from David Guetta and Mike WiLL Made-It.
You can listen to “Atomic City (Tiësto Remix)” now via digital outlets.
U2 released “Atomic City” in September just ahead of the launch of their U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere residency in Las Vegas, which they wrapped in March after 40 shows. It was accompanied by a video shot on Vegas’ Fremont Street, the same location where they shot the video for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” back in 1987.
Daryl Hall’s latest solo album, D, is out now, and he tells Billboardit’s a “very personal” album.
“The album is a complete thought,” he says, “and we organized the songs to go through a journey with it.” He adds, “We didn’t write the songs with that in mind, but when we realized what we had we put it together into a story, in a progression.”
The new solo album comes as Hall and partner John Oates have pretty much put an end to their relationship, with Hall filing a lawsuit when Oates tried to sell his half of their publishing. Both sides have since said it’s doubtful we’ll ever seen Hall & Oates together again.
“John and I did not have a creative relationship for decades,” Hall shares. “We toured and we toured and we toured, and it was very restrictive to me, and to John.” He adds, “The real truth of it all is John just said one day he didn’t want to do it anymore. I said ‘OK,’ but the problem is (Oates) didn’t make the parting and breakup easy, and that’s where the difficulties lay and still lay, and that’s all it is.”
Now, Hall is welcoming the opportunity to truly be out on his own.
“I always say I’ve been a solo artist my whole life, I was just working with John, mostly,” he says. “I can’t speak for John ’cause I haven’t spoken to him in a long, long time, but I think that’s how he feels, too. And good on both of us.”
He adds, “I can still play all the songs that I wrote over the years, under my own name as well as under the Hall & Oates name. It frees me, really. It frees me up.”
While Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page are often thought of as rock’s best guitarists, Ted Nugent has some differing opinions.
In an interview with Forbes, The Nuge shares that he believes ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons rivals the trio with his playing.
“Even as subtle as Billy Gibbons is, he does Beck, Clapton and Page better than Beck, Clapton and Page, as far as I’m concerned,” he says.
Nugent describes Beck, Clapton and Page as “okay,” acknowledging they are “top dogs,” but, notes, “they’re no better than Jim McCarty from Cactus and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.”
He adds The Yardbirds, the band Beck, Clapton and Page played in together, “were intensely influential to any guitarist who’s ever lived. But they’re no Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen.”
Asked why he thinks the trio get such accolades, Nugent shares, “Mostly because songs have a vastly more powerful impact on music lovers than individual instrumentalists do. The songs from The Yardbirds, and Clapton with Cream, are propelled almost solely by guitar lines. In three-piece groups like Cream, each member delivers equal impact, but the guitar is the theme of the song.”
E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt is the subject of the new documentary Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple, premieringJune 22 on HBO and streaming on Max.
Of course, the film delves into his work with Bruce Springsteen, and Van Zandt tells ABC Audio that director Bill Teck gives fans some new insight into the beginnings of their lifelong friendship and partnership.
“Bill really tells the story of those early Asbury days in a little bit more detailed way than most people even know,” Stevie shares. “And I think that’s going to be exciting for the fans before we even get into my other lives.”
The film features interviews with Van Zandt’s fellow musicians, including Springsteen, Eddie Vedder and JacksonBrowne, and Teck says they were all eager to participate.
“People had been waiting, like, their whole lives to talk about Stevie,” he says. “Like you could tell that people knew, you know, how much of a story there was. … They wanted to be part of telling it.”
The film also delves into Van Zandt’s career as an activist, music historian and more, some things people may not be aware of, and Van Zandt says he hopes the doc helps bring his work “to a larger audience.”
“That’s the nice thing about film, you know, it can find a way to tell the story and all these things you don’t have to categorize necessarily,” he says.
And while fans will certainly learn a lot about Stevie watching the doc, they won’t be the ones getting an education.
“I hope it explains my life to me,” Van Zandt jokes. “Because it doesn’t make any sense, really. You know, I was just following things according to my instinct and wherever it went.”
The Kinks’ Dave Davies is upset that someone is trying to auction off his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame statue.
After seeing the listing, Davies took to social media to let people know that he did not approve of the sale.
“Regarding ebay listing for my RRHOF award statue has been made without my consent,” he wrote. “I lost track of my award years ago and didn’t know where it was. If the person bought it at a storage unit it may have been [around] the time of my 2004 stroke when I was incapacitated.”
He noted that he has since made a full recovery from his stroke and is upset nobody contacted him about the trophy, sharing, “This auction makes me very sad.”
“We’ve written to the seller and are waiting to hear back,” he concluded. “I don’t want to have to pay 12 grand to get my own award backBut maybe we can work something out more reasonable.”
And it seems the post may have worked. Colony Records, which buys and sells rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia on eBay, replied to Davies’ post, writing, “follow me and shoot me a message on X we will work it out.” Davies replied, “Ok thank you.”
Davies and the rest of The Kinks were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Foghat and Night Ranger are among the acts booked for The Mountain Music Festival, taking place Aug. 23-25 in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
The three-day fest at the Gatlinburg Convention Center in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, features a lineup of over 20 artists, with Tesla, 38 Special, Quiet Riot, Great White, Slaughter, Aldo Nova and more also on the bill.
Tickets for the festival are on sale now. More info on tickets and the complete lineup can be found at themountainusa.com.
Billy Joel is getting ready to wrap his Madison Square Garden residency in July, and while fans got a taste of the show when his 100th concert aired on CBS earlier this year, Billy wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of the telecast.
“I’m never crazy about doing TV. I don’t think I’m telegenic anyway,” he tells Variety. “I think I’m one of those artists who should be heard and not necessarily seen.”
He adds, “I don’t like being on camera. I’m camera-shy. … it just doesn’t feel rock ‘n’ roll when you’re on camera.”
Fans at home wound up upset when CBS mistakenly cut the telecast short in the middle of his “Piano Man” performance, with Joel sharing he “wasn’t surprised” it happened.
“I’ve never been really happy with the way music is presented on television,” he says. “I wasn’t surprised that it got cut off short because I’ve always kind of been cut short by TV.”
Joel says he’s looking forward to playing other venues in New York City when the residency ends, something he wasn’t allowed to do because of an exclusivity clause. He does think he’ll miss the place, noting the venue’s “acoustically perfect.”
But even though he’s saying goodbye, it doesn’t mean he’ll never be back.
“I am kind of remorseful about not playing there anymore, for the time being,” he says. “It doesn’t mean we can’t go back there any time. … And if we get an opportunity to play the Garden again, we probably will.”
Billy Joel’s final Madison Square Garden residency show is happening July 25. A complete list of show dates can be found at billyjoel.com.
Paul McCartney has added more dates to his Got Back tour.
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is returning to Mexico this fall with two shows: Nov. 8 in Monterrey and Nov. 12 in Mexico City.
“The shows at Foro Sol were a highlight of last year for me. What a magical time we all had,” McCartney shares, referring to his November 2023 shows in Mexico City. “I can still hear your singing ringing in my ears!”
He adds, “Mexican audiences are so special. We always have a massive party together. I’m really looking forward to getting back and to rocking n’ rolling with you all as well as my first ever visit to Monterrey!”
A ticket presale kicks off June 24 at 9 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public June 28 at 1 p.m.
The Mexico dates are just the latest additions to McCartney’s Got Back tour. He also recently announced shows in South America and Europe. A complete list of dates can be found at PaulMcCartney.com.
Queen has reportedly made a lot of money selling off their catalog.
According to Variety, sources have confirmed a report first revealed on Hits that the British rockers are selling their catalog to Sony Music for a reported $1.27 billion.
The catalog includes such Queen hits as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “We Are The Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” The deal reportedly includes revenues for everything but the band’s live performances.
There have been rumors for months that the Queen catalog was up for sale, with Sony often mentioned as the front-runner. The latest report claims another buyer was in the running, but would not go over $900 million for the catalog.
Disney has owned the Queen recorded-music rights in the U.S. and Canada since 1991, and that will continue. The band also currently has a distribution deal with Universal, which will expire in either 2026 or 2027, and then it will be transferred to Sony outside the U.S. and Canada.
Queen isn’t the first act Sony has shelled out big bucks for. It previously purchased Bruce Springsteen’s catalog for a reported $500 million, and reportedly paid even more for 50% of Michael Jackson’s catalog.
