Classic Hits

An electronic dance music festival may seem like the least likely place you’d be able to catch a performance by Jon Bon Jovi, but Billboard reports that he unexpectedly popped up onstage in Miami on March 24 during the Ultra Music Festival 2024.

He wasn’t crashing the stage, either: He was joining as legendary DJ Armin van Buuren debuted a remix of the Bon Jovi classic “Keep the Faith.” According to Billboard, van Buuren introduced the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer by saying, “I remember being a little kid and buying this guy’s album.”

Jon then came onstage in jeans, sneakers and a white T-shirt and sang along with the track. You can watch the moment on Instagram.

Billboard quotes van Burren as saying in a statement, “It’s an incredible honor to remix this track and to share the stage with Jon Bon Jovi, as I’ve been a massive fan for years.”

“Keep the Faith” was a top 20 hit for Bon Jovi in 1992. The band’s new album, Forever, is due June 9.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The newly reimagined version of The Who’s Tommy is set to open on Broadway Thursday, and director Des McAnuff, who also directed the original production, says the idea to bring it back was sparked by another Tommy project.

McAnuff tells ABC Audio he and The Who’s Pete Townshend were working on a movie version of the musical when the idea of bringing it back to the stage came up.

“I think we came to the realization that the world has perhaps caught up to Tommy Walker,” he explains, noting, “The piece seemed to take on a whole new kind of pertinence.” He adds, “It’s not so much that the piece changed radically, it’s that the world around us had changed.”

Based on The Who’s 1969 album and 1975 film, the original production of Tommy opened on Broadway on April 22, 1993. It won five Tony Awards, including Best Direction for McAnuff and Best Original Score for Townshend.

McAnuff says that even though it’s been 30 years since the original production, the story of Tommy is particularly relatable in our current climate, specifically in the second act, “when Tommy becomes this imam, guru, political leader, a rock star and has a kind of an epiphany about that.” He notes that it’s something “one would hope more leaders would do.” 

As for Townshend’s involvement, McAnuff says the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is “wildly enthusiastic about the piece,” sharing that after decades of working together he sort of knows what Pete likes.

But, McAnuff says, “I would not consider doing anything without his blessing.” 

Tommy The Musical opens March 28 at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre. Tickets are available now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Country star Dierks Bentley has released a cover of Tom Petty‘s “American Girl” for an upcoming tribute album, and in the video for the song, he’s playing one of Petty’s guitars.

Shot at Nashville’s Clementine Hall, the video features Bentley and his band performing Petty’s 1977 classic, with Bentley playing the late rocker’s signature Rickenbacker guitar, which was flown in specially from Tom’s archives in California.

“Holding an instrument that carries so much musical history and significance was surreal, you could almost feel the stories resonate from it as I played it,” says Bentley in a statement. “Tom Petty’s lyrics and delivery were a huge part of what made his music so impactful.” 

“American Girl” is the lead track from the all-star tribute album Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty. The project’s release date and track list will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen has just relaunched his tour with the E Street Band after a six-month break to deal with a diagnosis of peptic ulcer disease. But now, The Boss has revealed that during the worst stages of his condition, he wasn’t able to sing at all.

Calling into Sirius XM’s E Street Radio on March 21, Bruce said, “You sing with your diaphragm. You know, my diaphragm was hurting so badly that when I went to make the effort to sing, it was killing me, so I literally couldn’t sing at all, you know? And that lasted for two three months. Along with just a myriad of other painful problems.”

“It took a while for the doctors to say, ‘Oh, no, you’re gonna be okay,'” he added and then chuckled, “At first, nobody was quite saying that, which made me nervous, y’know?”

Now that Bruce is back in good shape, he said he and the band consider their return to the stage to be a “whole new tour.”

“There’ll be a much wider song selection going on,” he said. “Some of the second half of the set is built so solid so a lot of it’ll stay. The opening …. I’m not sure what’s going to happen up top, but it’ll shift around. I’m waiting to see myself where the show is going to take me.”

“But … for us, it’s a new tour, a new day, and we’re approaching everything like that,” he continued. “We’re looking forward to having a lot of fun.“

Bruce and the band will next take the stage Friday, March 22, in Las Vegas, followed by a March 25 show in San Diego. Right now, dates are scheduled through November.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March marks the 50th anniversary of Aerosmith‘s album Get Your Wings, and in honor of the milestone, the band is releasing a whole slew of new stuff.

First, there’s a limited-edition vinyl, due out May 17. To match the year of release, there will only be 1,974 copies, each pressed on gold sparkle vinyl with an embossed gold foil jacket. In addition to the album, the package includes an Aerosmith logo sticker and a replica of a vintage ad. You can preorder the vinyl now.

In addition, there’s a whole line of new merchandise and clothing, also available on May 17. You can check out all the pieces on Aerosmith’s online store: they range from bomber jackets, tees and tanks to banners, wallets and blankets. There’s also a line of Get Your Wings-branded sterling silver jewelry, including rings, pendants and earrings.

Get Your Wings, which is RIAA certified triple Platinum, was Aerosmith’s first collaboration with producer Jack Douglas, who helped the band develop what’s now considered their classic sound. It includes “Same Old Song and Dance,” “Lord of the Thighs” and the band’s cover of blues classic “Train Kept A-Rollin.'”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Elton John‘s latest musical will hit Broadway on October 19, and tickets are going on sale the last week of March.

The musical, Tammy Faye, was a hit in London last year and is coming to Broadway’s Palace Theatre, with previews starting October 19. The tickets go on sale to the public on March 27, but members of Elton’s Rocket Club can access a presale now.

Tammy Faye stars Katie Brayben and Andrew Rannells as real-life televangelists Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker, who built a media empire with their TV show The PTL Club. After Bakker was sent to prison for fraud and conspiracy in 1989, Tammy Faye divorced him and married megachurch builder Roe Messner.

Known for her glamorous image and layers of makeup, Tammy Faye, who died in 2007, became a gay icon by preaching compassion for people with HIV/AIDS and support for the LGBTQ community. Jessica Chastain won an Oscar for playing her in the 2021 movie The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Elton wrote the music for the show, while Jake Shears of the group Scissor Sisters wrote the lyrics. The musical, which premiered last fall, was nominated for four Olivier Awards, the U.K. equivalent of the Tony Awards.

“Broadway is the place where the greatest stories are told,” Elton says in a video announcing the news. “And Tammy Faye’s story was made for the stage. … Sharing this with you, here, feels like coming home.”

Elton’s other musicals include Billy Elliott, The Lion King and Aida, as well as Lestat, which flopped in 2006. He also has a musical version of The Devil Wears Prada coming to London’s West End this year.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After removing her music from Spotify in 2022 in solidarity with her old friend and fellow Canadian icon Neil Young, Joni Mitchell‘s classic albums are back on the streaming service.

As previously reported, Young pulled his music from Spotify in January 2022, accusing the service of “spreading fake information” about the COVID-19 vaccine by hosting The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. In a recent post on his Archives website, he announced its return, writing, “My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at SPOTIFY.”

Young added that he can’t leave Apple and Amazon “because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all.” He added, “I hope all you millions of Spotify users enjoy my songs! They will now all be there for you except for the full sound we created.”

He also expressed his hope Spotify would improve its sound quality so “people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it.”

Mitchell hasn’t commented on the return of her music, but as Billboard points out, it was never 100% absent from Spotify. Her classic albums, like Blue, Ladies of the Canyon and Court and Spark, disappeared, but her ’80s and early ’90s releases, like Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm, Night Ride Home and Wild Things Run Fast, were still available. 

Billboard reported in 2022 that following Mitchell’s announcement of the removal, songs from those albums saw a nearly 500% streaming increase.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

There are more than 60 artists playing on Mark Knopfler‘s all-star charity single “Going Home (Theme from Local Hero,” but now that the official video is out, you can see who is playing what, and when.

As the song plays, the name of each guitarist you hear appears on screen, starting with the late Jeff Beck. It was his final recording before his death in January 2023. The animated names come together and blend in digital animation, since many guitarists are heard playing simultaneously.

The song also features Ringo Starr and his son Zak Starkey on drums, Sting on bass, The Who‘s Roger Daltrey on harmonica and Journey‘s Jonathan Cain on keyboards.

Among the other artists you’ll hear on the song: The Who’s Pete Townshend, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Queen’s Brian May, Rush’s Alex Lifeson, Joan Jett, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, the Eagles’ Joe Walsh, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick‘s Rick Nielsen, Dave Mason, Nile Rodgers, Mike Rutherford of Genesis and The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood.

“Going Home” is a remake of Knopfler’s own tune, which appeared in the 1983 film Local Hero. Credited to Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes, the song will raise money for the U.K.’s Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. 

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend founded TCA in 2012. It funds and develops age-specific facilities, programs and services for teenagers and young adults with cancer in hospitals across the country.

The single features cover art designed by legendary British pop artist Sir Peter Blake, known for his work on The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, two albums by The Who and more.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, March 22, 1974 …

Eagles released their fourth studio album, On The Border, which was their first record to include guitarist Don Felder.

The album included such future Eagles classics as “Best of My Love,” sung by Don Henley, which was the band’s first #1 hit, and “Already Gone,” sung by Glenn Frey, which was a top 40 hit.

On The Border was a top 20 hit for the Eagles, peaking at #17, and went on to be certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

Felder appeared on four Eagles albums before getting fired from the group in 2001.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The late Sinéad O’Connor‘s daughter Roísín Waters covered “Nothing Compares 2 U” in honor of her mother during a tribute concert in New York City on Wednesday, March 20.

The Dresden Dolls singer Amanda Palmer, who also performed at the show, shared video of Waters’ performance in an Instagram post, adding, “I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.”

“Every other performer was crammed side of stage to watch this bittersweet majesty unfold,” Palmer added.

The concert also honored another recently passed Irish music legend, The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan. Other performers included Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Glen Hansard, Cat Power and Billy Bragg.

O’Connor and MacGowan died in July and November, 2023, respectively.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.