Classic Hits

The ticket reselling platform StubHub is out with its annual list of the summer’s most in-demand tours, with The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen making the cut this year.

The list is based on the global concert sales on StubHub and Viagogo as of June 3 for events taking place from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

While Taylor Swift tops the list year, The Stones’ Hackney Diamonds tour, which kicked off in April, lands at #3, right behind Coldplay at #2. This is The Stones’ first time on the in-demand list since 2019, when they were #1. 

Meanwhile, Springsteen’s tour with The E Street Band, which returns to the U.S. in August, ranks at #7, after landing at #6 in 2023. Foo Fighters are also on the list this year at #8.

As for the concerts that people from other countries are traveling to the U.S. to see this summer, The Stones once again land at #3, with Billy Joel, Metallica, Foo Fighters and The Killers also making the top 10.

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David Byrne and Devo’s contribution to the new compilation album Noise For Now Vol. 2, raising money to benefit abortion access and reproductive rights, has been released.

The track, “Empire,” was one of two songs Byrne recorded with Devo for the 1997 album Feelings, although it never made the record.

Byrne says the tune “is an ironic capitalist fascist anthem and, at the time, I thought our version was just too mean and caustic for release.”

“Well, times change, and it certainly resonates now in ways it maybe didn’t then,” he shares. “It was a joy to work with the Devo guys, they knew exactly what the song is about.”

Devo’s Gerald Casale adds, “We were on board working with the dark satire of David Byrne’s ‘Empire’ over 30 years ago. The song was prescient and we got it. Now it can be heard!” 

Put out by the nonprofit organization Noise for Now, the album also features songs from Courtney Barnett, The War On Drugs, Faye Webster and Big Freedia. It will be released digitally and on limited-edition vinyl on June 21 to coincide with the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Proceeds will benefit independent abortion providers in the country, with 90% of all money raised going directly to reproductive health, rights and justice organizations.

Noise For Now Vol. 2 is available for preorder now.

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Pete Townshend’s solo live performances will be chronicled in a new box set coming this summer.

Pete Townshend Live > In Concert 1985-2001, dropping July 26, will feature newly remastered versions of Pete’s live solo recordings, seven of which have been long out of print. The concerts were previously only available through Pete’s Eel Pie website. 

Shows featured on the release include Deep End Live at Brixton Academy in London recorded in 1985 and featuring Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour on guitar, plus shows recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1993, San Francisco’s The Filmore in 1996, London’s Shepherds Bush Empire in 1998 and the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California, in 2001. There’s also a recording of two nights at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the only time Pete ever attempted a full Life House show.

Pete Townshend Live > In Concert 1985-2001 will be released digitally and as a 14-CD box set, with all the music newly remastered by Jon Astley. It’s the first time all these live albums have been available in one place. The set includes new art by Townshend collaborator Richard Evans, along with a 28-page hard cover book with a foreword by Pete and notes by Who archivist Matt Kent, along with rare photos and memorabilia.

Pete Townshend Live > In Concert 1985-2001 is available for preorder now.

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Jon Bon Jovi revealed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Wednesday that he was witness to a historic recording session in New. York. 

The rocker was talking about his job as the gofer at New York’s Power Station recording studio when he was somewhere between 18 and 20 years old, revealing that he saw two huge stars recording what would become an iconic song. 

“It was literally the biggest recording studio in the world at the time,” Jon said. “One day I looked through the control room door and I watched David Bowie and Freddie Mercury sing ‘Under Pressure.’ I saw them sing that vocal.”

He also shared a funny encounter he had with The Rolling Stones.

“My band was getting out of this cab and literally The Rolling Stones were getting out of a limousine behind us and a paparazzi jumped out the garbage can … start taking pictures of The Stones,” he said. “The guy yelled Mick, Mick, Mick give us a picture with The Stones,” and he grabbed me and my little band and said, ‘This is my band The Frogs.'” 

Jon added, “I would pay anything to get that photograph 45 years later.”

Of course Jon went on to have a pretty successful career in his own right. Bon Jovi‘s new album, FOREVER, drops Friday.

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When KISS played their final show in New York back in December, they introduced the public to their KISS avatars, which got mixed reactions from the public. Well, KISS’ Paul Stanley wants fans to know that the final product will look much different. 

In an interview on The Allison Hagendorf Show, Stanley was asked what fans can expect when the show finally debuts in 2027. He replied, “Not what you saw.”

“It was a double-edged sword because we were showing people the avatars in their infancy,” he says about debuting an early prototype at the concert. “And they look, and will look, nothing like that. They will be mind-bogglingly realistic.”

As for the avatar show itself, Stanley says fans shouldn’t expect it to be a replica of a KISS concert.

“We wanna create something that’s a go-to and a must-see for everybody. KISS fans will love it, but other people who could care less about KISS will wanna see it,” he says. “It’s going to be mind-boggling. It’s KISS and Cirque du Soleil and everything you can imagine on steroids. But it will really cross that bridge of what’s real and what’s not, and combine the two. … It will be incredible.”

He adds, “The idea that we’re gonna simulate a live show, leave that to somebody else. We have no desire to do that. We wanna create KISS, which is something that breaks the rules, not lives within ’em.”

So far KISS has not announced any exact dates for the show.

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Jon Bon Jovi has said he’s not sure when, or if, Bon Jovi will ever tour again, as he’s waiting to fully recover from vocal surgery, but it sounds like he isn’t opposed to fans experiencing Bon Jovi’s music in a whole different way. 

In a new interview with NME, Jon was asked how he felt about the band doing an ABBA-esque avatar show, and he seems open to the idea.

“I’m not opposed to it because to me, it’s a jukebox,” Jon said. “It’s no different than people listening to your music on the radio.” 

In the meantime, Jon says he’s “striving every day to get better” so the band can tour again, but if he never gets back to 100% and it doesn’t happen, he’ll learn to live with it.

“One thing I do know is that when I lay my head on the pillow after the decision has been made, one way or the other, there will be 100 percent confidence in the decision,” he says. “Being in a rock band is never going to feel safe. It’s not a life sentence, it’s a moment in time.” 

Bon Jovi’s new album, FOREVER, drops Friday.

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Taylor Momsen has a new friend to help her get through those two weeks of rabies shots, courtesy of AC/DC.

As previously reported, the Pretty Reckless frontwoman was bitten by a bat during her band’s opening set for the “Back in Black” legends in Spain on May 29. In an update posted to Instagram, Momsen shares that the AC/DC crew sent her a gift after the incident: a bat rubber duck.

“@acdc crew continuing to be the greatest…thanks for the gift I LOVE IT!!!” Momsen writes. “Thanks for all your great work every night.”

The Pretty Reckless has been opening AC/DC’s European tour, which stretches into August.

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Def Leppard is due to kick off their summer stadium tour with Journey in July, and it sounds like fans will be in for quite a treat. 

In a post on Instagram, guitarist Vivian Campbell gave fans an update on how rehearsals are going, and revealed that they will be adding some new songs to the set list this year.

“Just wanna say we’re here in Los Angeles, we’re rehearsing for our big old stadium summer tour 2024,” he shares. “Super excited, got some new songs, actually … couple a songs we’ve never, ever, ever, ever played live before, as well as a bunch of old chestnuts that we haven’t played for a long, long time.” 

He adds, “So, that’s why we need to practice. Just to make sure we don’t suck too bad.” 

“Come catch a show,” he concludes his post. “Look forward to seeing your smiling faces out there.”

The Def Leppard/Journey summer stadium tour, featuring special guests Cheap Trick, Steve Miller Band and Heart, kicks off July 6 in St. Louis, Missouri. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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Deep Purple has given fans another preview of their upcoming album, =1.

The band just dropped the new single “Pictures of You,” along with an accompanying video. The track is the second song released from the record, following “Portable Door.”

“Pictures of You” is available now via digital outlets, and is also available as a four-track bundle featuring previously unreleased live recordings of “When A Blind Man Cries” and “Uncommon Man,” from a 2022 concert in Milan, Italy. The single will also be released on limited-edition CD and 12-inch vinyl starting June 28. Each format will be limited to just 5,000 hand-numbered copies.

=1, Deep Purple’s first album of new material since 2020’s Whoosh!, will be released July 19. It is available for preorder now.

Deep Purple will support the album with the upcoming =1 More Time tour, which kicks off Aug. 14 in Hollywood, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at deeppurple.com. 

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David Lee Roth is sharing his take on an ’80s classic.

The former Van Halen frontman has just released a cover of the Tommy Tutone track “867-5309/Jenny,” although Roth labels his version “Jenny Jenny (That telephone song)...” The release includes a video featuring various Styrofoam heads passing across the screen. 

This is just one of a series of songs Roth has released in recent years. In May, he shared his take on the LL Cool J track “Going Back to Cali.” He’s also released new takes on several Van Halen songs, including “Unchained,” “You Really Got Me,” “Dance The Night Away,” “Panama,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Everybody Wants Some!!” “Jump” and “Atomic Punk.”

Released in November 1981, “867-5309/Jenny” was a top five hit for Tutone, with the track hitting #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

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