Classic Hits

A movie about rocker Dave Stewart’s teen years is headed to the big screen.

The Eurythmics star tells the site that director Shekhar Kapur has been hired to direct Ebony McQueen, a film based on Stewart’s 2022 semi-autobiographical album of the same name. It follows Stewart’s teen years in North East England in the 1960s/early 1970s, when he discovered music after he hurt his knee playing soccer.

“When I was at my lowest point, a turn of fate changed my life forever. Music appeared as if by magic,” Stewart tells Deadline. “Yes, music found me and opened my eyes to a whole new world.”

Filming on the movie is expected to begin next spring in Stewart’s hometown of Sunderland. British actress Sharon D. Clarke, whose credits include Doctor Who and London’s Ghost: The Musical, which Stewart wrote the music for, is on board to play the title character, a fairy godmother-type who encourages Stewart to go for his musical dreams.

Stewart will partner with Slumdog Millionaire composer A.R. Rahman on the music for the film, with Rahman penning the score and Stewart handling the lyrics.

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On This Day, Aug. 13, 1994 …

Aerosmith headlined the second day of Woodstock ’94, a three-day festival to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock.

Originally billed as “2 More Days of Peace and Music,” the festival was originally announced for Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, but a third day, Aug. 12, was added after the first two sold out.

In addition to Aerosmith, the Aug. 13 lineup included Crosby, Stills & Nash, who played the original Woodstock in 1969, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Blind Melon, Joe Cocker and Melissa Etheridge.

Artists who played the festival’s other days included Peter Gabriel, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers Band, Santana, Sheryl Crow, Collective Soul and Candlebox.

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Journey’s Neal Schon is once again speaking out against his bandmate Jonathan Cain after Cain filed a lawsuit detailing what he claims is Schon’s overspending. 

“I find Cain’s slanderous allegations are very disruptive and damaging with intent to try to harm me, the band, crew, promoter and the tour,” he writes on Facebook. “Truly disturbing to hear of Mr Cains filing in the middle of Journey’s very successful Stadium Tour with our good friends Def Leppard.”

He accuses Schon of creating “a very hostile work environment” for himself and their fellow bandmates, maintaining “the allegations are false and I intend to prove it in court.” 

“My focus is, as it always has been, and will be, the music and fans since when I began Journey in 1972,” he says. “51 years now for me, I will continue to always do what’s right for Journey in protecting and making good decisions for the band, crew, music and fans. I will let the music do the talking.”

Cain filed a lawsuit against Schon on July 24, detailing what he claimed was Schon’s overspending, although in a statement he insisted the aim of the suit was to get the court to appoint a third, independent director to serve on the band’s Freedom 2020 board in order to deal with “growing issues” between him and Schon.

Schon previously responded to the allegations via social media, calling them “absolute rubbish.”

In the meantime, Schon and Cain are currently sharing a stage on Journey’s Summer Stadium tour with Def Leppard. The tour hits Houston on Wednesday. A complete list of dates can be found at journeymusic.com.

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Last year a group of artists paid tribute to Bruce Springsteen’s classic solo album Nebraska at a show in Nashville, and if you weren’t able to catch it, you now have a chance to see what you missed.

Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska: A Celebration in Words and Music is now streaming on PBS Passport, giving fans a chance to experience the Sept. 19, 2023, concert that features performances of the album’s songs and spoken word storytelling. Artists who took part in the concert included Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, The Lumineers, Eric Church, Lucinda Williams and Noah Kahan.

Warren Zanes, who wrote the book about the album, Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, hosted the event. His book is now being turned into a movie, which will star The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as The Boss. 

Released Sept. 30, 1982, Nebraska featured 10 acoustic songs that Springsteen originally recorded as demos on a four-track recorder. Those songs include “Atlantic City,” “Reason to Believe” and “Johnny 99.” Springsteen had planned to rerecord the songs with the E Street Band but instead opted to release them as a solo acoustic record.

Nebraska was a critical darling, was a top-10 hit for The Boss and has been included on several lists of the greatest albums of all time.

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Two Ian Hunter solo albums are set to be reissued this fall.

The records, 1979’s You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic and 1980’s Short Back n’ Sides, will both be remastered and reissued on Oct. 25, featuring bonus material.

You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic, produced by Mick Ronson, features two Hunter classics, “Just Another Night” and “Cleveland Rocks.” The expanded edition will include seven archival rarities, made up of early demos and outtakes. It will be released on CD and on green vinyl, marking the record’s first-ever vinyl release. 

Short Back n’ Sides, which features such guest musicians as The Clash’s Mick Jones and Topper Headon, as well as Todd Rundgren, will have an expanded edition with 12 archival rarities, and will be released on CD and double vinyl, with an eight-page lyric booklet.

You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic and Short Back n’ Sides are available for preorder now.

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With summer almost over, former President Barack Obama is letting us know what he’s listening to this season.

Obama just released his 2024 summer playlist and it features a diverse group of songs, including The Rolling Stones‘ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Sting’s “If You Love Someone Set Them Free” and Bob Dylan’s “Silvio.” 

“With summer winding down, I wanted to share some songs that I’ve been listening to lately – and it wouldn’t be my playlist if it didn’t include an eclectic mix,” Obama writes. “I hope you find something new to listen to!”

Other songs on the list include The Miracles‘ “You Really Got A Hold On Me,” Billie Elish’s “Chihiro,” WILLOW’s “Symptom of Life,” The Supremes‘ “Where Did Our Love Go,” and Bob Marley and The Wailers‘ “Them Belly Full (But We Hungry),” along with songs by Beyoncé, Norah Jones, Etta James and Charli XCX.

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Heart’s Nancy Wilson has posted a tribute to author Charles R. Cross, a prominent figure of the Seattle grunge scene who also co-authored the 2012 biography Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll with Nancy and her sister and bandmate Ann Wilson.

“Whadda one of a kind guy. His passion and purpose was to make it his life’s work to celebrate and chronicle the beautiful global renaissance that started with our local Seattle music scene,” Nancy wrote on Instagram. “Charley was the coolest rock litterati bookworm to ever be lucky enough to know. And all us cool rock people got to feel even cooler to know him and call him a friend.”

Calling Cross “the cutest bespeckled nerd at the dance,” Nancy shared that he was “our trusty biographer and implicitly trusted friend. Never selatious never invasive always impeccably appropriate and always brought that sharp worldly humor with him.” 

Finally, she shared, “I truly loved Charley Cross. One of a kind class act. Rest in wit and wisdom dear fine feathered friend.”

Cross’ family shared news of his death in a statement, saying he “died peacefully of natural causes in his sleep on August 9th, 2024.” He was 67.

In addition to the Heart biography, Cross chronicled the rise of grunge in Seattle and wrote a biography of the late Kurt Cobain, Heavier than Heaven, in 2001. He also founded the Bruce Springsteen fanzine Backstreets, which shut down in 2023.

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Billy Joel has added a new show to his schedule.

The rocker, who in July wrapped his 10-year residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden, will be headlining Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, on Nov. 23. 

A Citi presale kicks off Wednesday at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m.

Joel has only a handful of shows booked for the rest of 2024. His next concert is a co-headlining gig with Rod Stewart, happening Sept. 13 in Cleveland. A complete list of dates can be found at billyjoel.com.

In other Billy news, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer took to Instagram Monday to wish his daughter Della Rae a happy 9th birthday. He shared a carousel of photos of Della, along with the caption, “Watching you grow and shine, keeps us all in awe. We love you.” 

Della is the eldest child of Billy and wife Alexis Roderick. Their younger daughter, Remy Anne, turns 7 in October.

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Men at Work, best known for such ’80s hits as “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under,” is headed back out on the road this fall.

The Aussie band, led by frontman Colin Hay, is set to kick off a fall U.S. tour on Oct. 10 in Dallas, Texas, with stops in New Orleans, Charleston, Ft. Lauderdale, Raleigh, Denver and more before wrapping Nov. 3 in Del Mar, California.

Hay has been touring as a member of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band since 2018, which he says inspired him to go back out on the road with Men at Work. 

“Night after night, audiences came out to see and hear the true icon that Ringo is and showed only love and appreciation for all the All Starrs and their respective songs,” he shares. “I was curious to find out if Men At Work still had an audience and how many of them there were.”

A complete list of dates can be found at colinhay.com.

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The Doobie Brothers have added some new dates to their 2024 tour.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have announced four additional East Coast shows: two nights at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, as well as a show at the Borgata Event Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Tickets for all four shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. ET.

The Doobie Brothers — consisting of Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons and John McFee — kicked off their 2024 tour in June. The trek hits Boston on Monday. A complete list of dates can be found at thedoobiebrothers.com.

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