Classic Hits

So many fans were eager to snag tickets to Sting’s new Sting 3.0 theater tour that he’s added more shows to the trek. 

The former Police frontman has added six new dates to the tour, including third shows in Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles and second shows in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami. He also added a second show at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, but that’s already sold out.

Citi and American Express (for Canada only) presales for the new dates will kick off Tuesday, March 19, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday, March 22, at 10 a.m.

The tour, which will have Sting backed by guitarist and longtime collaborator Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas, kicks off September 17 in Detroit and wraps with a newly added November 15 date at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.

Tickets for the original run of shows are currently on sale, although shows in several cities, including Brooklyn, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, are already sold out. A complete list of dates can be found at sting.com.

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The Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson has some strong opinions about today’s music, and he isn’t necessarily a fan. 

“The problem with a lot of music today is that there’s no humanity in it,” he tells The Sun in a new interview. “There’s a pursuit of perfection and a use of these tools that sucks all human qualities out of it.”

Robinson would rather listen to music that embraced imperfection, suggesting it made songs better.

“Listen to a Beatles record – they’re all over the f******place. Same with Led Zeppelin and the Stones. That’s why their records are exciting,” he says. “Some of my favorite moments on my favorite records have f-ups in them. “

“You listen to Zeppelin’s ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ and you hear John Bonham’s squeaky kick-drum. That’s so cool. You hear about the Stones and the chaos that went into making ‘Exile On Main St.’ in this moldy French villa and it’s 100 degrees,” he continues. “It’s amazing and it’s dangerous and can fall off the rails at any time but it’s brilliant and it never does. That’s the human element.” 

The Black Crowes just released their first new album in 15 years, Happiness Bastards. They will hit the road on the Happiness Bastards tour starting April 2 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. A complete list of dates can be found at theblackcrowes.com.

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Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry is featured on the latest single released by rockers The Dandy Warhols. 

Harry is featured on the track “I Will Never Stop Loving You” from the band’s just-released new album Rockmaker. 

“’I Will Never Stop Loving You’ is the only true ‘love song’ I have ever written,” The Dandy Warhols’ Courtney Taylor-Taylor shares. “Debbie’s voice elevated this song to a level that nothing else could possibly have done.”

He adds, “Upon hearing it, I think I learned more about singers in that moment than I have learned in the last 15 years… I don’t know… Maybe ever.”

The song and album are available now via digital outlets.

Next up, Blondie has several shows booked for 2024, including dates in Australia, the U.K. and Spain. They’ll also play a handful of U.S. shows, their first happening May 8 in Denver, Colorado. A complete list of dates can be found at blondie.net.

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Bruce Springsteen is about to hit the road again, so he’s giving fans a way to celebrate with him.

The Boss just dropped the latest entry into his live series, a playlist dubbed Songs of Celebration. It’s made up of songs recorded live between 1978 and 2023 and is the first time these performances have been available to stream.

Songs on the 15-track playlist include “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey, on September 20, 1978; “Out in the Street,” at New Jersey’s Brendan Byrne Arena, on August 6, 1984; “Dancing in the Dark,” at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, on March 28, 1988; “Having a Party” featuring Southside Johnny, at Brendan Byrne Arena, on June 24, 1993; and “Mary’s Place,” at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, on April 28, 2008.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will return to the road on Tuesday, March 19, in Phoenix. They are the first shows Springsteen has played since postponing his 2023 tour to recover from peptic ulcer disease. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

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Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler has released his all-star charity single, “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero),” to benefit Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. 

The track, a remake of Knopfler’s own tune, which appeared in the 1983 film Local Hero, features over 60 guest artists billed as Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes, including the late Jeff Beck in his final recording before his January 2023 death. 

Other guitarists on the song include 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, Eagles’ Joe Walsh, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello and The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood.

Also featured on the track is The Who’s Roger Daltrey on harmonica, Ringo Starr and son Zak Starkey on drums and Sting on bass. 

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

Knopfler announced the charity single back in February and at the time said he was surprisedby how many artists agreed to be on the song. He noted, “I think what we’ve had is an embarrassment of riches, really. The whole thing was a high point.”

You can listen to “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)” now via digital outlets and YouTube.

Knopfler’s also set to drop the new album, One Deep River, on April 12. The album is available for preorder now.

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U2 guitarist The Edge and his wife, artist Morleigh Steinberg, are set to be honored with the inaugural HEART Award, handed out by the Venice Family Clinic, a nonprofit community health center that provides quality health care to people in need. 

The couple are longtime supporters of the clinic’s HEART (Health + Art) initiative and will be celebrated at the inaugural HEART gala, taking place Sunday, May 11, at 3Labs in Los Angeles. 

“It’s a privilege to accept the first-ever HEART Award from Venice Family Clinic, an organization that resonates with us,” the couple shares, “we are looking forward to an unforgettable evening to honor what we can all accomplish together.”

The Edge and Morleigh have been huge supporters of Venice Family Clinic’s Art Walk + Auction, which has been going on since 1979. The gala is happening during the 45th anniversary of the Venice Art Walk, which is scheduled for May 10-19, with auction proceeds going to the organization.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd will be heading to Nashville this summer for CMA Fest, which is happening June 6-9. 

The Southern rockers are booked to play Nissan Stadium on June 6, joining a bill that also includes country stars Thomas Rhett, Jordan Davis and Ashley McBryde.

This marks a return to CMA Fest for Skynyrd. They previously performed at the festival in 2006. 

Tickets for the CMA Fest are on sale now. A portion of the proceeds will go to music education programs through the CMA Foundation. A complete lineup can be found at cmafest.com.

Lynyrd Skynyrd recently kicked off the second leg of their Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour with ZZ Top. The tour hits Greenville, South Carolina, on March 14. A complete list of dates can be found at skynyrd.com.

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Earlier this year, Queen debuted the classic concert Queen Rock Montreal in IMAX theaters and now the band is giving music fans another chance to experience it.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are set to release Queen Rock Montreal as a double Blu-ray or double 4K Ultra High Definition package. Disc one features the concert in full frame along with the band’s legendary Live Aid performance, while disc two has the concert in widescreen format and also includes behind-the-scenes footage from Live Aid rehearsals. The 4K Ultra High Definition package includes both discs, with the performance in 4K with Dolby Atmos sound.

Queen Rock Montreal will also be released as a two-CD or three-LP set, featuring a 28-track set list, including songs like ”We Will Rock You,” “We Are The Champions,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” It will also come out on three-LP colored transparent blue vinyl exclusively via the Queen online store.

And Queen has just shared a preview of the release with a new video for the performance of “Let Me Entertain You,” a track from their 1978 album, Jazz.

All formats are set to drop May 10 and are available for preorder now.

Queen Rock Montreal is a recording of the band’s November 1981 stand at the Montreal Forum, which was their fourth time playing the venue. The IMAX screening brought in $4.1 million globally in its first weekend, making it the biggest IMAX exclusive event opening ever.

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Now you can own your very own replica of Jimmy Page‘s iconic double neck guitar — if you move fast and you have a lot of money.

Page has teamed up with Gibson guitars to release the Jimmy Page 1969 EDS-1275 Doubleneck Collector’s Edition from Gibson Custom. It’s a replica of the exact guitar that he used on songs like “Stairway to Heaven,” “The Song Remains the Same,” “The Rain Song,” “Celebration Day” and more. He played it most recently at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in November.

The guitar was created using 3D scanning technology and aging techniques to create a clone of Page’s original — right down to the wear on the instrument. Only 50 of the guitars — all hand-signed and played by Page — will be made, and will be exclusively available via the Gibson Garage Nashville, the Gibson Garage London and Gibson.com in Europe.

As you might imagine with such a limited edition, the guitar isn’t cheap: it costs $50,000. However, for that price, you do get the pick Page used to play the guitar, two leather straps and strap locks, an “Embroidered Dragon” guitar shroud inspired by Page’s iconic Dragon Suit, a guitar stand and a Certificate of Authenticity book.

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King Crimson’s 1969 debut album, In The Court of the Crimson King, is being celebrated with a brand new star-studded tribute album.

Reimagining The Court Of The Crimson King will feature a variety of artists reinterpreting the album’s classic tunes. Those contributing to the record include King Crimson alumni Mel Collins and Jakko M. Jakszyk, as well as guitarist Chris Poland, Deep Purple‘s Ian Paice, Rainbow‘s Joe Lynn Turner, guitarist Marty Friedman, Dream Theater‘s James LaBrie and drummer Carmine Appice.

Fans are getting their first preview of the record with the release of the album’s lead off track, “21st Century Schizoid Man,” featuring vocals by Todd Rundgren and Arthur “God Of Hellfire” Brown, Collins on sax, Poland on guitar and Paice on drums.

You can listen to the song now via digital outlets and on YouTube.

Reimagining The Court Of The Crimson King will be released on April 19 digitally and on CD with two bonus tracks. It is available for preorder now. Here is the track list below:

“21st Century Schizoid Man” feat. Todd Rundgren, Arthur Brown, Mel Collins, Chris Poland & Ian Paice
“I Talk To The Wind” feat. Mel Collins, Django Jakszyk & Jakko M Jakszyk
“Epitaph” feat. Alan Davey, Paul Rudolph, Nik Turner, Adam Hamilton & Danny Faulkner
“Moonchild” feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Marty Friedman, Jah Wobble & Chester Thompson
“The Court Of The Crimson King” feat. James LaBrie, Carmine Appice & Steve Hillage

Bonus Tracks
“21st Century Schizoid Man” feat. Arthur Brown, Brian Auger, Chris Poland & Ian Paice
“21st Century Schizoid Man” (Instrumental Version)

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