Classic Hits

Devo has been added to Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder‘s Ohana Festival, which will take place Sept. 27-29 in Dana Point, California.

The “Whip It” rockers will perform on the festival’s opening night, replacing Garbage, who had to cancel after frontwoman Shirley Manson suffered an injury that requires surgery. 

“When a problem comes along, you must whip it…,” read the social media announcement, which also included a photo of Pearl Jam dressed like Devo. “Excited to welcome @clubdevo to @theohanafes lineup on Friday, 9/27!” 

Pearl Jam is set to headline two nights of Ohana, Sept. 27 and Sept. 29, with Sting headlining Sept. 28. Sting was a replacement for Neil Young and Crazy Horse, who canceled their entire tour due to health issues in the band.

Other artists playing Ohana include Alanis Morissette, Crowded House, The Breeders, Jenny Lewis and Glen Hansard.

More info can be found at ohanafest.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

John Mayer isn’t going to let a little thing like a finger injury stop him from taking the stage with Dead & Company at their Dead Forever residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

The guitarist revealed on Instagram that he recently injured his left index finger in a truck door, noting, “[T]he first thing that went through my mind was ‘I really need that finger in a week.’”

“I need all my fingers, but the left index is the team captain of my fretting hand. It will heal just fine, but will be out of commission for a while,” he added, along with a picture of his bandaged digit.

But Mayer wasn’t about to miss a show to recover. 

“In the meantime, I have spent every day practicing guitar using the other three fingers and I think I have it sounding pretty good!” he writes. “I’ve always felt like every part of me belongs to these shows, and it’s my responsibility to return to the stage each night without screwing up the equipment, and I’m sorry for the misadventure here.” 

Finally, he shares, “The power of the music and the love for these shows will prevail! See ya tonight.”

Dead & Company kicks off their second-to-last weekend of their Dead Forever residency on Thursday. Their final show is scheduled for Aug. 10. A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia would have turned 82 on Thursday, and to mark the occasion the Sausalito Center for the Arts in California is launching a new exhibit, The Art of Jerry Garcia.

The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 1, features 30 museum quality digital prints donated by The Jerry Garcia Foundation. Fans who can’t make in person will be able to check out the Garcia exhibit virtually via the Neverworld Grid metaverse.

The Art of Jerry Garcia will launch on Thursday with an opening concert by the Keystone Revisited Band, led by bassist Tony Saunders, son of the late keyboardist Merl Saunders, who was a frequent Garcia collaborator. 

In addition to the Garcia artwork, those attending the exhibit will be treated to a private never-before-seen collection of Grateful Dead memorabilia, including autographed album covers and posters. There will also be behind-the-scenes rock ‘n’ roll photos from photographer Carol Scott, featuring photos that have remained unseen for 40 years.

More info can be found at sausalitocenterforthearts.org. 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A planned auction of what has been described as hand-drawn artwork by the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, is being called into question.

The auction, featuring 76 pieces of what is reported to be Jackson’s art, including pieces hand-drawn with wax colored pencil, is supposed to take place Saturday through Kings Auctions, but now the Michael Jackson estate is questioning whether the drawings are legit.

“The Estate of Michael Jackson does not accept that this artwork was created by Michael Jackson,” a rep for the estate tells Billboard. “Our representatives examined this artwork several years ago while it was being stored in a hangar at the Santa Monica airport, and the inspection only raised further concerns.”

They add, “We have made this clear to the auction house and others many times since. The Estate asked for evidence that these works were in fact created by Michael, and no sufficient evidence has ever been produced. Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).”

The auction incudes a sketch of Martin Luther King, portraits of presidents, Disney characters, pop icons, fine artworks and more. They are all said to be signed by Jackson.

More info on the auction can be found at kings-auctions.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Cher’s musical career is being explored in a new compilation album coming this fall.

Cher Forever, dropping Sept. 20, will feature 21 remastered tracks, all chosen by Cher. They include hit songs like “Believe” and “If I Could Turn Back Time,” as well as “Strong Enough,” “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)” and “I Found Someone.” There are also classics like “Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves” and “Dark Lady,” along with her 2023 holiday single “DJ Play a Christmas Song.”

Cher Forever will be released as a two-LP set on crystal clear translucent vinyl, as well as on CD. Both are available for preorder now.

But that’s not all. A digital release, Forever Fan Edition, will also be released on Sept. 20 featuring 19 additional tracks. The digital version includes iconic Sonny and Cher tunes “The Beat Goes On” and “I Got You Babe,” plus “Just Like Jesse James,” “Welcome To Burlesque,” “Move Me,” which features her late ex-husband Gregg Allman, and a live cover of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

Also included is the fan-favorite “A Woman’s Story,” previously only available as a 45-inch single, which is out now on digital services.

Cher Forever and Forever Fan Edition are set to drop ahead of some big milestones in Cher’s career. She’s due to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Oct. 19. She’ll also release the first part of her memoir, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, on Nov. 19, with part two coming in 2025.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Carole King is using her iconic album Tapestry to let folks know who she’s voting for in the upcoming presidential election.

The album’s cover shows her sitting by a window, with a cat in the foreground. She shared it on Instagram with the caption, “Cat ladies for Kamala,” indicating she supports the presumptive Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris.

The cat ladies comment is in reference to Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance‘s controversial remarks in which he said the U.S. was being run by “childless cat ladies” who “force their misery on the rest of the country.”

Released Feb. 10, 1971, Tapestry was King’s sophomore solo album and featured such classic songs as “It’s Too Late,” “I Feel the Earth Move,” “So Far Away,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “You’ve Got a Friend” and others.  

It was a huge hit for King, spending 15 straight weeks at number one and winning four Grammy Awards. It holds the record for the most consecutive weeks at #1 by a female artist and until 2017 held the record for the longest-charting album by a female solo artist in the U.S. The record was broken by Adele’s 21.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Def Leppard is currently on their Summer Stadium tour with Journey, and each night fans are being treated to a set list filled with hits, including several songs from their hit album Pyromania, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Of course there will always be fans who would love to hear a deep cut during a show, and frontman Joe Elliott has some ideas on a rare track he’d be interested in playing.

The revelation came when a fan asked the band on TikTok, “What song would you like to see added to the set list that is rare or never played? It can’t include any song from Pyromania.”

Elliott replied, “I would say one song that might be fun to try one day would be ‘You Got Me Running,’ off High and Dry,” referring to the band’s sophomore album. He notes, “I think we did actually play it in 1981 like two or three times and we abandoned it for whatever reason.”

He adds, “I think it might work, who knows?” 

Def Leppard and Journey’s Summer Stadium tour hits Toronto, Canada, on Sunday. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com. 

Meanwhile, Def Leppard wants to see how their fans interpret their songs.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have launched a cover contest with instrument retailer Sweetwater, asking fans to share videos of them covering their favorite track off Pyromania. The winner will receive over $13,000 worth of gear inspired by Def Leppard. Participants have until Sept. 13 to enter by uploading their performance to YouTube or Instagram with #PyromaniaCover2024, along with tags for @SweetwaterSound and @defleppard. The winner will be announced Sept. 20.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

REO Speedwagon has announced a new set of tour dates, and they’re bringing Loverboy along with them.

The rockers have announced 11 new shows, kicking off Nov. 6 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and wrapping Nov. 23 in Lexington, Kentucky.

A ticket presale is happening now, with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday at 10 a.m.

In the meantime, there are still plenty of chances to see REO Speedwagon this summer. They are currently on the Summer Road Trip 2024 tour with Train and special guests Yacht Rock Revue. The tour hits Syracuse, New York, on Wednesday, with dates confirmed through Sept. 11 in Phoenix.

A complete list of tour dates can be found at reospeedwagon.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Prince has finally been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The legendary singer was posthumously inducted into the prestigious organization on July 27 during a Prince celebration at Minneapolis’ Target Center marking the 40th anniversary of Prince’s film Purple Rain. 

“You will always remember his songs,” Prince’s sister Sharon L. Nelson said in accepting the honor. “This is the award he wanted more than any other in life — to be known as a great songwriter.”

Prince was actually chosen for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, but was unable to attend the induction and awards gala, something required by the Hall of Fame in order to officially be inducted. According to SHOF President & CEO Linda Moran, Prince had planned to attend the June 2015 ceremony, but passed away that April.

“It has been a long road, but we are thrilled that one of the world’s most prolific and phenomenal songwriters is finally a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame,” Moran shared.

Prince wrote all of his songs, and even wrote for other artists, like Sheena Easton, The Bangles, Madonna and more. Of his own tunes, 19 hit the top 10, with five landing at #1: “Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” “Kiss,” “Batdance” and “Cream.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Forbes recently reported that Bruce Springsteen is now a billionaire, but his E Street Band guitarist and longtime friend Stevie Van Zandt says the amount of money in The Boss’ bank account doesn’t mean a thing.

“It’s great for me because I’m gonna definitely borrow some money, I tell you that. I’m joking, of course,” Stevie tells The Independent. “My bookie’s gonna love him. I’m joking again!”

On a more serious note, Van Zandt said, “I’m not sure how accurate that is, first of all. But I don’t think it matters, honestly. The fact is: this is what we do. And so the money has absolutely no factor. It hasn’t affected [him] for many, many years. Ever since, really, [1984’s] Born in the U.S.A. What’s that, 40 years?”

Van Zandt notes, “So no matter how many zeros is on the bank account, it doesn’t make any difference!”

Bruce, Stevie and the E Street Band are set to kick off the next U.S. leg of their tour on Aug. 15 in Pittsburgh. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.