Classic Hits

A rare abstract painting created by Bob Dylan is one of the many items up for sale at RR Auction’s Marvels of Modern Music auction, featuring over 300 rare pieces of rock memorabilia. 

The Dylan painting was done during his Woodstock years, around 1968. It features an abstract bull head at the center, along with other shapes and patterns both inside and out of the head, including a red man in a brimmed hat, music notes and bow ties. It also has Dylan’s faint signature on the back, with musical notes just below it.

Bidding for the painting is currently at more than $80,000; it is expected to sell for over $100,000.

Other items in the Marvels of Modern Music Auction include a typed and signed letter written by The Doors frontman Jim Morrison to musician Tony Glover; a rare signed photograph of Janis Joplin; a Beatles signed “Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You” 45 RPM single; a rare recording of an unknown Jimi Hendrix backing Little Richard in 1965; and Prince‘s stage-used Yamaha C5 grand piano from the Piano & a Microphone Tour.

The Marvels of Music auction is set to run through May 23. More info and a complete list of auction items can be found at rrauction.com.

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Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band are getting ready to kick off the latest leg of their tour, and even though Ringo just released a new EP, Crooked Boy, fans won’t be hearing those songs at the shows.

Ringo tells Variety there’s a very good reason he and his bandmates — Steve Lukather, Edgar Winter, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette — don’t play any new songs during the tour. 

“I promise you, any band out there, say ‘I’d like to do something from my new LP, EP, CD,’ and you can feel the vibe of people going to the toilet, or going to find some T-shirts,” Ringo shares. “This, with the All Starrs, is so great because (playing the hits) is why we’re there.”

He adds, “We’re the best 1-800 band in the land right now.” 

Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band return to the road on May 22 in Las Vegas, with dates confirmed through September 25 in New York. A complete list of dates can be found at ringostarr.com.

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Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes has added a new show to his Now Is The Time Tour, which features The Warren Haynes Band and The Dreams and Songs Symphonic Experience.

The new show will take place at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Tuesday, September 10. Haynes will be backed by The Warren Haynes Band, made up of John Medeski, Kevin Scott, Terrence Higgins and Greg Osby, along with the Colorado Symphony, led by conductor Christopher Dragon.

“It’s almost cliche to say Red Rocks is a magical venue, but the truth is … it is,” Haynes shares. “Having played there dozens of times, I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad show there. So, when picking places to bring my retrospective Symphonic Experience show, the one place I knew we had to play was Red Rocks.”

A ticket presale for the show begins Thursday, May 16, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday, May 17, at 10 a.m.

The tour will have Haynes playing a full symphonic set, plus a regular set with WHB. It will have him exploring music from his entire career, including his time in Gov’t Mule, his solo work and his associations with the Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia.

Haynes has a full summer of tour dates ahead of him, including shows in Europe and dates with Guns N’ Roses‘ Slash on his S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival. A complete list of Warren Haynes dates can be found at warrenhaynes.net.

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Hootie & The Blowfish are set to release a cover of the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth” on Friday, May 17.

The cover is actually from Hootie’s vault, where it’s been since they recorded it back in 2017 during sessions for their 2019 album, Imperfect Circle, which was their first record together in 14 years. 

“For us, adding our voice to ‘For What It’s Worth’ is about more than just a great song,” frontman Darius Rucker shares. “It’s about standing up for what you believe in, speaking out against injustice and trying to find a sense of unity.” He adds, “In today’s world, where there is so much division, this song carries a message that is as relevant as ever.”

The original “For What It’s Worth” was written by Stephen Stills and released in 1966. The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100

Hootie’s cover will be released ahead of the launch of their Summer Camp with Trucks tour, which kicks off May 30 in Dallas. The tour features special guests Collective Soul and Edwin McCain. A complete list of dates can be found at Hootie.com.

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Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanborn passed away May 12, according to a post on his Facebook account. He was 78.

“It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn,” read the post, which revealed that he died “after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.” 

“Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently,” the post continued. “Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025.”

“David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he ‘put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll,'” the post concludes.

Sanborn, an alto saxophonist, was well known not only in the jazz world, but in pop, rock and R&B, as well. He released his first album, Taking Off, in 1975, which landed in the top 20 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. He went on to win six Grammy Awards, and earn eight Gold albums and one Platinum album.

Sanborn performed and recorded with a whole host of musicians, including David Bowie on Young Americans; James Taylor on four albums, including the Gorilla song “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”; and Eric Clapton on the soundtrack to the movie Lethal Weapon.

Other artists he recorded with include The Who‘s Roger Daltrey, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead and the Eagles.

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Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band brought their tour to Kilkenny, Ireland, on Sunday, where they paid tribute to the late Irish singer Shane MacGowan, who passed away in November at age 65.

Fan-shot footage posted to social media shows Bruce and the band performing “A Rainy Night in Soho,” the classic track by MacGowan’s band The Pogues.

When Shane died Bruce paid tribute to him on social media, sharing that Shane “was one of my all-time favorite writers.” He added, “The passion and deep intensity of his music and lyrics is unmatched by all but the very best in the rock and roll canon.”

According to setlist.fm, “A Rainy Night in Soho” was the first song of Springsteen’s main set, but fans who got to the show early got a surprise from The Boss. The rocker came out with his guitar to perform for the “early birds” in the audience, treating them to an acoustic performance of “This Hard Land.”

The rest of concert featured plenty of Springsteen classics, including “Born To Run,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Badlands” and “Thunder Road.” Springsteen also got up close and personal with the Kilkenny crowd, jumping into the pit during “Spirit in the Night.” Unfortunately he had a little issue getting out and needed a hand from security to lift him out.

Bruce has two more shows in Ireland: He plays Cork on May 16 and Dublin on May 19. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

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A pair of boots worn by Sir Paul McCartney are being auctioned off at Sotheby’s to raise money for Meat Free Mondays. 

The black vegan suede boots, which McCartney designed with shoemaker Crispinians, were made for the rocker’s On The Run world tour and were worn during his finale performance at the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony.

“As it was time for me to get myself a new pair of boots I thought this might be a good way to help our Meat Free Monday campaign celebrate its 15th anniversary,” Paul shared. “Me and my boots have great memories of that special evening at the Olympic opening ceremony in London. It was a high to be involved with such an awesome and spectacular event. Something I’ll remember forever.”

The auction is set to begin on May 24, with the boots estimated to sell for between $12,000 and $19,000.

Meat Free Mondays is a nonprofit co-founded by Paul, Mary McCartney and Stella McCartney in 2009 to encourage people to help the environment by committing to eating at least one plant-based meal a week. 

“It’s a great idea, and I urge you to try it, and if you like it then spread the word,” Paul says. “And if enough people do it, it really will make a considerable difference to the future of this planet.” 

More info on the auction can be found at sothebys.com.

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Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour is bringing his live show to the U.S. for the first time in eight years.

The rocker has just announced four North American tour dates for his Luck and Strange tour: October 29 and 30 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and November 4 and 5 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. These will be Gilmour’s only North American concert appearances. 

A presale for tickets will begin Wednesday, May 15, at 10 a.m., and fans need to sign up at davidgilmour.com to gain access. Tickets then go on sale to the general public starting Friday, May 17. 

Gilmour previously announced dates in Rome and London. He’ll play Rome’s Circo Massimo September 27, 28 and 29 and October 1, 2 and 3, and London’s Royal Albert Hall October 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15.

The tour is in support of Gilmour’s new solo album, Luck and Strange, which drops September 6. It is his first album of new material in nine years. 

Luck and Strange is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, May 13, 1985 …

Bruce Springsteen married actress Julianne Phillips at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The marriage was the first for both, although it did not last.

Songs on Springsteen’s 1987 album Tunnel of Love were inspired by his troubled marriage, and during Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love Express tour he reportedly began a relationship with musician Patti Scialfa, who had joined The E Street Band for the tour.

Springsteen later separated from Phillips, and Phillips filed for divorce in August 1988, citing irreconcilable differences.

Springsteen went on to wed Scialfa on June 8, 1991, at their home in Los Angeles. They had already welcomed their first child, son Evan, almost a year earlier. They later welcomed two more children, Jessica, born in December 1991, and Samuel, born in January 1994.

Springsteen and Scialfa are still married and she has toured with The E Street Band for years, although she’s been mostly absent from his current tour, which hits Cork, Ireland, on May 16.

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The Rolling Stones continue to surprise fans on their ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour, this time treating the Saturday, May 11, audience at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium to four tour debuts. 

According to setlist.fm, the debuts began just three songs into the set, with the tour’s first performance of “Let’s Spend The Night Together,” followed two song later by a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.”

The other tour debuts were “You Got Me Rocking,” the fan-voted song of the night, and “You Got the Silver,” one of two songs featuring Keith Richards on vocals. The other was “Little T&A,” which The Stones have been playing since the tour kicked off in April.

The rest of the set included Hackney Diamonds tracks “Angry,” “Mess It Up” and “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” along with such Stones classics as “Start Me Up,” “Get Off of My Cloud,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Gimme Shelter” and “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”

Next up, The Rolling Stones bring their ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour to Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday, May 15. A complete list of dates can be found at rollingstones.com.

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