The Beatles performed in front of over 55,000 fans at New York’s Shea Stadium, which at the time was not only the largest concert for the band, but the largest concert audience ever.
The Fab Four treated fans to such songs as “Twist and Shout,” “Ticket to Ride,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “Help!”
A documentary about the concert, The Beatles at Shea Stadium, was released in March 1966, featuring footage from the concert and the events that led up to it, including the mass hysteria of fans during the height of Beatlemania.
After spending the summer in Europe, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band return to the U.S. Thursday, kicking off a new leg of their tour in Pittsburgh, where they’ll play two nights.
When Springsteen first launched the tour in 2023, the shows featured mostly the same set list, and had him reflecting on aging and loss. While the themes of the shows have remained, during his recent European trek The Boss changed things up a bit, adding several tour debuts and even taking requests from the audience again.
But regardless of what they play, E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt tells ABC Audio getting on the stage never gets old for him and his bandmates.
“In the end, we still have a really good time doing this and our audiences are amazingly loyal,” he shares. “For it to be lasting this long and to be that strong, you can’t take that for granted, man.”
He adds, “You know, we are the luckiest people in the luckiest generation ever. And we just continue to be grateful.”
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will wrap the U.S. leg of the tour with a hometown show at the Sea. Hear. Now festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on Sept. 15. They then head to Canada, with 2024 dates wrapping Nov. 22 in Vancouver. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.
Def Leppard is giving fans some behind-the-scenes insight into their current tour with a new video tour diary, with the newest episode featuring footage from stops in Nashville, Philadelphia and Hershey, Pennsylvania.
In the clip, frontman Joe Elliott reflects on the anniversary of the U.K. release of the Hysteria track “Animal,” which he says is the “song that broke the band in the U.K.” He later discusses their plans to perform the Pyromania track “Billy’s Got A Gun” in Hershey, the first time they’ve played it on this tour.
In addition to performance clips from each show, there’s footage of some of the guests who stopped by their Nashville concert, including Alison Krauss and Mötley Crüe‘s Vince Neil. Plus fans get to see Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen conferring on how to sing a tune while in the bathroom, Collen and Vivian Campbell rehearsing on the band’s plane, the band partaking in some wellness therapy, Rick Savage running up the Rocky steps in Philly and more.
Def Leppard and Journey’s Summer Stadium tour hits Houston on Wednesday. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.
Rod Stewart in 2004; Yui Mok – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images
Rod Stewart has been making videos for his songs since the ’70s, and was a fixture on MTV through the ’80s and ’90s. But his first video to hit 1 billion views isn’t for any of those hit singles.
The one that rang the billion-view bell for Rod is a 2004 live performance of “I Don’t Want to Talk About It,” which was a big hit for him in the U.K. in 1977. He cut a new version in 1989, which was a big hit in the U.S. The 2004 video is taken from Rod’s concert video One Night Only! Live At Royal Albert Hall — it’s sung as a duet with Scottish singer Amy Belle.
This is good news for Rod, who’s had a spate of bad news lately: He had to postpone two concerts and missed the landmark 200th show of his Las Vegas residency due to illness.
New documentaries about Elton John and The Beatles are part of the New York Film Festival’s Spotlight section, which showcases the most notable fall releases.
Elton John: Never Too Late, co-directed by R.J. Cutler and Elton’s husband, David Furnish, follows Elton during his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, with the description noting it “offers keen insight into a life and career marked by soaring highs and crushing lows, and contemplates a legacy defined equally by advocacy and artistry.” Elton, Furnish and Cutler are expected to attend the premiere.
Also premiering at the festival is TWST / Things We Said Today, from Romanian director Andrei Ujica, about The Beatles’ 1965 trip to New York to headline Shea Stadium, and Pavements, a “rule-flouting sorta-documentary” about Stephen Malkmus and the band Pavement.
Elton’s doc is getting its U.S. premiere at the festival; it’s already set to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 5 to Sept. 15. Meanwhile, TWST / Things We Said Today and Pavements are getting their North American premieres, with both set to debut at the Venice Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7.
An iconic piece of Grateful Dead history is set to go up for auction as part of Indiana’s 54th Annual Auburn Auction and Show.
Among the 400 cars up for auction is The Dead’s personal equipment truck, known as “The Dred.” The 1949 Studebaker M5 was originally owned by the band’s legendary sound man, Owsley “Bear” Stanley, and was used to haul The Dead’s equipment in the 1960s.
Often seen parked outside The Dead’s studio in Novato, California, the truck is painted, as you’d expect from the band, with a psychedelic design. It was retired from use once The Dead introduced their legendary Wall of Sound system in the ’70s, as it was too big to be carried in The Dred.
The 54th Annual Auburn Auction and Show will take place Aug. 29-31, with The Dred auction set to happen on Aug. 30.
Billy Joel has paid tribute to his former guitarist David Brown, who passed away Sunday, August 11. Brown played in Joel’s band from 1978 to 1991 and appeared on all of Joel’s albums from 1978’s 52nd Street to 1986’s The Bridge.
“I am so sorry to hear that David Brown has passed away,” Joel wrote on Instagram next to photos of the musician. “He had such a young heart and such extraordinary musical talent,” adding, “I send my deepest respects to his family.”
News of Brown’s death was first revealed on social media by Joel’s former drummer Liberty DeVito, who shared, “I am heart broken to hear my old band mate David Brown passed away.”
Mark Rivera, who has been Joel’s saxophonist since 1982, shared on Facebook that Brown passed away Sunday, and reflected on how his connection with Brown led to him being hired by Billy.
“I can’t say enough about the Beauty and Grace that David brought to Every musical endeavor that we shared,” Rivera noted. “His Sound and Feel were like no other. I Will Miss You My Friend.”
Hall & Oates’John Oates is set to receive the BMI Troubadour Award, which honors a songwriter “who has made a profound impact on the creative community as their craft continues to set the pace for generations to follow.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will receive the honor from the performing rights organization on Sept. 16 at an invitation only event in Nashville, which will feature performances of songs from throughout Oates’ career.
“John Oates has enriched Nashville and its music scene with his special blend of soulful storytelling and guitar playing,” BMI Nashville’s VP of Creative, Clay Bradley, shares. “His influence has elevated our community to be more accepting and open to all genres of music. We are proud to honor him as this year’s BMI Troubadour.”
This isn’t the first time Oates has been honored by BMI. He was previously named a BMI Icon, and has also been honored with 10 BMI Pop Awards, and Hall & Oates songs like “Maneater,” “You Make My Dreams Come True,” “I Can’t Go For That” and more have earned him and Daryl Hall 30 BMI Million-Air awards.
Paul McCartney is set to play Costa Rica for the first time in more than a decade.
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just added a Costa Rica date to his Got Back tour. He will be playing Estadio Nacional in San Jose on Nov. 5.
A ticket presale kicks off Aug. 19 at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public Aug. 24 at 10 a.m.
The last time McCartney performed in San Jose was in May 2014 during his Out There tour, with the show also happening at Estadio Nacional.
The 2024 leg of McCartney’s Got Back tour will kick off Oct. 10 in Uruguay, with confirmed dates in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Europe and the U.K. It wraps with a two-night stand at London’s O2 Arena, Dec. 18 and 19. A complete list of dates can be found at paulmccartney.com.
A new compilation album featuring Lou Reed’s pre-Velvet Underground music will be released this fall.
Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65 features music Reed wrote during his tenure as an in-house songwriter for Pickwick Records, where he also occasionally sang and played guitar. According to the compilation’s description, it “offers a fascinating early glimpse at his ever-evolving and truly limitless artistry.”
The set features previously unreleased material, including the song “Sad, Lonely Orphan Boy,” as well as rarities and cult classics like “The Ostrich,” a dance track released by the Primitives, which featured Reed and his future Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale.
The release also includes a booklet with unseen photos and essays by Patti Smith Group co-founder Lenny Kaye and music journalist Richie Unterberger.
The album is being released in cooperation with Reed’s widow, Laurie Anderson,and the Lou Reed Archive. It will be released digitally on Sept. 27, with CD and two-LP editions dropping Oct. 4. The vinyl will be available in two options: standard black vinyl and oxblood, and gold vinyl.
