Classic Hits

On This Day, May 15, 1975 …

In El Paso, Texas, Fleetwood Mac launched their first tour with new members Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. 

The set list included several songs from Buckingham and Nicks’ 1973 album, as well as the future classics they contributed to the band’s 1975 self-titled album, like “Rhiannon,” “Landslide” and “Monday Morning.”

Nicks and Buckingham were in a romantic relationship that ended in 1977, although they remained with the band and wrote songs inspired by the breakup, including “Silver Springs” and “Go Your Own Way.”

Although they would both leave Fleetwood Mac at various points in their careers, all members who appeared on 1977’s Rumours reunited in March 1997 for a live concert, The Dance, which was released as an album.

Buckingham left the group once again in 2018, although reports claimed he was fired because of a disagreement over touring. He later sued the group, and the suit was settled out of court. Fleetwood Mac went on to tour without him, replacing Buckingham with The Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell and Crowded House’s Neil Finn. 

The future of Fleetwood Mac has been uncertain since the November 2022 death of vocalist/keyboardist/songwriter Christine McVie, with Nicks saying in an interview “there’s no reason to” continue without McVie.

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Bon Jovi is getting ready to release another song from their upcoming album, Forever.

The band will drop the new single “Living Proof” on Friday, May 17. They shared a snippet of the track on social media, which includes a sound that will be familiar to fans of their hit “Livin’ On A Prayer.” 

“‘Living Proof,’ the next single off the album, we bring back the talk box, the idea based on Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh and our using it first on ‘Livin’ on a Prayer,'” Jon shares, referring to Frampton’s use of the guitar gadget on “Do You Feel Like We Do” and “Show Me The Way,” and Walsh’s on “Rocky Mountain Way.”

Jon then offers up a taste of one of the lyrics, sharing, “this family tree’s got nothing left to prove now/ me and you are the living proof.”

He adds, “[T]his is a big old rock song just the way you like it.” 

Forever, Bon Jovi’s first album in four years, will be released June 7. It is available for preorder now. 

Jon also announced that the band will be holding pizza parties to give fans a first listen to the album. He explains that when they were recording 1986’s Slippery When Wet there was a pizza place by the studio, and they would invite locals hanging out there to come listen to the songs and give their feedback.  

Jon says they are bringing the parties back, starting in Los Angeles, with information about the parties available to those who join their broadcast channel.

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Last year on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Cher said she wouldn’t be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame “if they gave me a million dollars,” and added that the Hall of Fame “can just go you-know-what themselves.”  Well, now that she’s actually going to be inducted, she’s changed her tune — somewhat.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Cher said she credits her longtime friend, movie and music mogul David Geffen, for getting her into the Hall, as well as legendary music executive and MTV co-founder John Sykes. She also confirmed that she’ll attend the ceremony, but warned, “I’m gonna have some words to say. I’m gonna accept it in my ‘Cher’ [way] … as me.”

Cher will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio on October 19 which will stream live on Disney+. Joining her in the Hall will be Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Mary J. Blige, Kool & the Gang, Dave Matthews Band, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest.

Cher also commented on her upcoming birthday: She’ll turn 78 on May 20.  Asked how she’ll be celebrating, she joked, “Putting my pillow over my head and screaming!”

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The Rolling Stones have been changing up the sets on their ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour, substituting a few songs here and there, but it sounds like there’s potential to shake things up even more.

Rolling Stone magazine interviewed the creative team behind the tour, revealing the band rehearsed between 60 and 70 songs for the trek.

“The real privilege is to see them in rehearsal,” lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe, who’s worked with The Stones since 1982, tells the mag. “It’s thrilling still, even after all this time.” He notes, “They’ve always had really high standards, particularly about rehearsing, even during some of the more chaotic periods of their career. I see them in rehearsal as a small group of players just wanting to make their music.”

The tour has the band performing on a massive stage featuring 2,300 square feet of high-resolution LED screens. The idea is to create what is described as a “virtual stage” for The Stones, changing up the look throughout the show.

“The stage is embellished by all of the digital media around them, and that, by default, makes it very contemporary,” shares Ray Winkler, CEO and design director at Stufish Entertainment Architects, the company that created the stage. “It’s not about the physical presence of a stage set but the continuing, evolving, and developing imagery that you see on the screens.”

“It’s a team effort,” he says of the production. “It’s a massive endeavor to get a project like this from an idea on paper into reality. There’s a lot of unsung heroes that contribute toward the success of it.” 

The ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour hits Seattle, Washington, on May 15. A complete list of dates can be found at rollingstones.com.

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Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are known for their live shows, and now fans are going to get some insight into what it takes to make it happen: A new documentary, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, is coming to Hulu and Disney+ in October.

According to a press release, the documentary, directed by Springsteen’s longtime collaborator Thom Zimny, “opens a new door to Springsteen’s creative process for fans around the world.” It features a behind-the-scenes look at The Boss’ 2023-24 tour, including band rehearsals, backstage footage and professionally shot clips from the tour.

The documentary will also feature rarely seen archival clips, plus insight from Springsteen about how he develops his shows and interviews with members of the E Street Band discussing what it’s like to work for The Boss. 

The description notes the documentary “serves as an essential and never-before-seen chapter in an autobiographical series,” which already includes Springsteen’s memoir Born To Run and his Broadway show Springsteen on Broadway, as well as the films Western Stars and Letter To You.

Springsteen and The E Street Band are currently on tour, playing Cork, Ireland, on May 16. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net. 

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The late Clash frontman Joe Strummer has inspired a new guitar from Fender.

The new limited-edition Joe Strummer Masterbuilt Telecaster, created by Fender Custom Shop Senior Masterbuilder Paul Waller, is a recreation of Strummer’s iconic 1966 Telecaster, which he used as frontman of both The Clash and The Mescaleros.

The recreation is so close to Strummer’s original that it appears just as worn out, and features similar scratches and tattered stickers.

To accompany the guitar, Fender is offering up a range of Joe Strummer accessories, including a faux leopard print animal fur guitar strap and a pink vinyl wrapped three-ply hardshell wood case, with soft plush leopard print lining.

More info on the guitar, which sells for $20,000, can be found at fendercustomshop.com.

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AC/DC is getting ready to kick off their Power Up tour in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on May 17, and they are giving fans a chance to get their hands on two albums that were previously unavailable outside their native Australia.

The band just announced that the original Australian versions of 1975’s High Voltage and T.N.T. are being reissued and will be available on vinyl at the tour’s AC/DC Dive Bars, pop-ups that will open in five cities on the trek, starting May 16 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Other cities getting Dive Bars are Seville, Spain; Munich, Germany; London; and Paris.

Only limited quantities of each album be available, with sales limited to one each per customer.

High Voltage and T.N.T. are the first two studio albums from AC/DC, but were only released in Australia. Their first international release was also called High Voltage, but featured a different track list, with seven of the nine songs coming from T.N.T.

AC/DC’s Power Up tour is the hard rockers’ first trek since 2016, although they did return to the stage in October, headlining the Power Trip festival in Indio, California, alongside Metallica, Judas Priest and more. The tour is set to run though August 17 in Dublin, Ireland.

So far they haven’t announced any new shows in the U.S. A complete list of AC/DC dates can be found at acdc.com.

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Prince fans now have a chance to stay in the house featured in his iconic movie Purple Rain.

In connection with the film’s 40th anniversary, Paisley Park and the Prince Estate have teamed up with Airbnb to offer up the home for a once-in-a-lifetime experience as part of Airbnb’s Icons program. It marks the first time the Minneapolis residence, which Prince purchased in 2015, has been open to the public.

The stay will be hosted by Prince’s Revolution band members Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. The guest who books it will get a private tour of the house, which is filled with personal items that belonged to Prince, although he never lived in the property. They’ll also sleep in the same bedroom Prince’s Purple Rain character The Kid slept in, and get to enjoy some rare and special Prince tracks.

“Forty years ago, Prince revolutionized culture with the release of Purple Rain. This year, we continue to honor his enduring legacy and masterpiece with a series of events inspired by Purple Rain,” says L Londell McMillan, Prince’s former manager and lawyer. “Whether you’re a local or a visitor, join us in Minnesota this year for an exclusive opportunity to delve into the genius behind the music.” 

More information can be found at Airbnb.com. Reservations open in August.

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After releasing a box set version of her 1998 album Believe last year, Cher is releasing expanded editions of what she says are two of her personal favorite albums.

June 28 will see the release of special digital versions of her 2001 album, Living Proof, and her 2013 album, Closer to the Truth. The latter album features the hit “Woman’s World,” while Living Proof includes “Song for the Lonely” and “A Different Kind of Love Song.”

Living Proof (Deluxe Digital Album) features two bonus tracks from the international edition, while Closer to the Truth (Super Deluxe Digital Album) has three extra tracks, including “Will You Wait for Me,” which is available now, and the original version of “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.”

Both albums will also be released on vinyl: Living Proof will be pressed on cola-bottle milky green vinyl, and while Closer to the Truth will be pressed on “creamy bone color” vinyl.

Cher will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October.

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On This Day, May 14, 1988… 

The surviving members of Led Zeppelin — Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones — reunited to perform at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. They were backed on drums by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham. 

The set included Zeppelin hits “Kashmir,” “Heartbreaker,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Misty Mountain Hop” and “Stairway to Heaven.”

Other artists who performed at the concert included Genesis, Wilson Pickett, Paul Rodgers, Yes, Bee Gees, Foreigner and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Zeppelin reunited for the final time in December 2007 at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 Arena in London, again with Jason Bonham on drums.

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