Classic Hits

Neil Diamond’s music will be leaving Broadway this summer. 

Producers just announced that A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical will have its final performance at New York’s Broadhurst Theatre on June 30, after 35 preview performances and 657 regular performances.

But the show will live on, with a North American tour set to kick off this fall in Providence, Rhode Island. 

“Neil’s music has brought unadulterated joy to billions of people across the world. Everyone at A Beautiful Noise is proud to say that we had a small hand in telling his inspiring life story on Broadway and sharing in that jubilation with our audiences,” producer Ken Davenport shares. “As the North American tour prepares to launch this fall, I look forward to A Beautiful Noise spreading the love to countless others.”

A Beautiful Noise opened on Broadway in December 2022 and has gone on to gross close to $63 million, with half a million people seeing it.

Tickets for the final shows are on sale at abeautifulnoisethemusical.com.

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If the first day is any indication, Elton John stands to make a bundle from the Christie’s auction of the contents of his Atlanta, Georgia, home.

The first day of the sale, February 21, brought in $8 million, according to ArtsandCollections.com. All 49 lots were sold, with the big-ticket item being a work by famed artist Banksy called Flower Thrower Triptych. That went for more than $1.9 million. Another big item was Elton’s 1990 Bentley Continental, which sold for $441,000.

A pair of Elton’s signature silver leather platform boots from 1971 sold for $94,5000, more than 19 times the estimate, while a pair of his equally signature sunglasses went for $22,680, more than 11 times the estimate.

Among the other lots were luxury wristwatches, including a Cartier watch that sold for more than $277,000, and a bunch of Versace silk shirts that went for more than $30,000.

The auction continues Thursday, February 22, and Friday, February 23, and there are two other sessions, February 27 and February 28.

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Ace Frehley has dropped a new video for “Cherry Medicine,” the latest single off his new solo album, 10,000 Volts.

“This is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and we definitely had fun making the video,” the former KISS guitarist shared on Instagram.

The clip opens with Frehley getting out of a cherry red Ferrari, and features a bevy of leather-clad women who frolic with each other, and with the rocker and his band as they are performing the track.

To coincide with the video’s release, Frehley is releasing a limited-edition “Cherry Medicine” vinyl variant. Only 750 copies of the 12-inch are available on 180g half silver/half clear vinyl, with red and blue splatter.

Frehley’s 10,000 Volts, his first solo release since 2020’s Origins Vol. 2, comes out February 23 and is available for preorder now.

Frehley has several performances on the calendar for 2024, including an appearance on the Monsters of Rock Cruise, which runs from May 2-6 out of Miami, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at acefrehley.com.

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Diane Warren, already a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, has been announced as this year’s recipient of the hall’s highest honor: the Johnny Mercer Award.

The award is given to Hall members “whose body of work is of such high quality and impact that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer.” Diane, who is currently a Best Original Song Oscar nominee for the 15th time, has written enduring hits like “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” “Rhythm of the Night,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “How Do I Live,” “Unbreak My Heart,” “Because You Loved Me,” “If I Could Turn Back Time” and countless others.

Songwriters Hall of Fame chairman Nile Rodgers calls Diane “a force of nature” who “despite her enormous success … shows up to write songs every morning at 8 a.m.!”

Diane says in a statement, “When I was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, my mom was there and finally understood that I could make a living and life being what I was born to be and wake up every day loving to be … a songwriter. Now, both she and my dad will be looking down on me with big smiles on their faces. Thank you, Songwriters Hall of Fame.”

She’ll receive the honor at the annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala on June 13 in New York City. This year’s inductees include the members of R.E.M. and Steely Dan.

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A lawsuit accusing Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler of sexual assault in the ’70s has been dismissed after a judge ruled the plaintiff waited too long to file her case.

The suit was filed in New York in November on behalf of former child model Jeanne Bellino, who claimed she was assaulted by Tyler in the summer of 1975 when she was 17. She accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her. 

Although the alleged assault happened in the ’70s, Bellino filed her suit under New York City’s Victim of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, which granted a two-year window to file suits that would have otherwise fallen outside the usual statute of limitations.

But U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Bellino’s case, noting that to qualify under the Victim of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, she would have had to show Tyler’s actions posed a “serious risk of physical injury,” but she didn’t.

Tyler is still facing another lawsuit. In December 2022, a woman named Julia Misley filed a lawsuit in California accusing Tyler of sexual assault, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Tyler and Misley were in a relationship for three years starting in 1973, when she was 16 and he was in his 20s. She claimed she was “powerless to resist” the rock star’s “power, fame and substantial financial ability,” and said he “coerced and persuaded” her into believing their relationship was a “romantic love affair.”

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On This Day, February 22, 1989…

The 31st Grammy Awards added a new category, Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, but it was not without controversy.

Jethro Tull won the award for their album Crest of the Knave, beating out Metallica, who were the favorites to win for their album …And Justice for All.

Other artists nominated in the category included AC/DC, Jane’s Addiction and Iggy Pop.

There was so much controversy over the win, that the following year the Grammys separated the categories into Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance, with Metallica winning Best Metal Performance in 1990 for “One.”

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KISS fans know Paul Stanley can rock out onstage, but music isn’t his only artistic endeavor. Stanley has had a successful art career for years, and he tells ABC Audio it started as an outlet for him when he was going through some hard times.

“I was going through a divorce and my best friend said to me, ‘You need to paint,'” he shares. “And I was taken aback because that wasn’t something I was expecting to hear, but it somehow resonated with me.”

Stanley describes his art as “very cathartic.” While he’s made millions from his work, he never expected it to be so lucrative. In fact, when he first started out he didn’t think he’d show his pieces to anyone.

“I never could have imagined the kind of success I’ve had,” he says. “If credibility comes from being a struggling artist, I guess I’ve given that up.”

Stanley is set to premiere his latest collection with appearances at two Wentworth Gallery locations in Florida: at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood on February 23 and at the Town Center Mall in Boca Raton on February 24.

Included in the collection are some pieces from Stanley’s The Other Side exhibit, which debuted last August at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. 

Of course, his appearances bring out KISS fans who may have previously thought art wasn’t for them, and Stanley is perfectly happy with that.

“I would like to think that I can break down some of those barriers of elitism and snobbism that ultimately intimidate people from experiencing theater or art,” he says. “Good art is what you like. Art is, like everything else, is subjective.”

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Bonnie Raitt is returning to Austin City Limits. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer appears on the Saturday, February 24, episode of the PBS series, performing classic tunes and highlights from her 2022 album, Just Like That… .

Raitt taped the episode back in October and was joined by Nashville-based singer/songwriter Sunny War.

Raitt’s appearance is her first ACL performance in over a decade. She made her ACL debut in 1984 and last appeared on the program in 2012, although she did perform on the 40th anniversary special in 2014. She was also inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame in 2016.

In addition to PBS, fans can catch the episode streaming via PBS.org. 

The ACL performance is a preview of what fans can expect when Raitt hits the road this spring. Her tour kicks off April 26 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A complete list of dates can be found at bonnieraitt.com.

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Roger Daltrey has booked his first U.S. show for 2024. The Who frontman is set to headline The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in San Diego, California, on May 6, with KT Tunstall serving as special guest.

The concert is billed as a one-off show, where fans can expect Daltrey to perform “solo songs, rare cuts and some Who favorites.” He’ll backed by a band that features Frank Simes on guitars, Jon Butto on bass, Loren Gold on keyboards, Scott Devours on drums and Katie Jacoby on violin.

A ticket presale begins Thursday, February 22, at 10 a.m, with the general sale set for Friday, February 23, at 10 a.m. 

The gig is one of only four shows on Daltrey’s schedule this year. The Who is set to perform two Teenage Cancer Trust benefit shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March. Daltrey is also headlining the final night of the Teenage Cancer Trust benefits, dubbed Ovation, a Celebration of 24 Years of Gigs for TCT, on March 24, with special guests Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones and Paul Weller.

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Eric Clapton and James Taylor are among the artists contributing to a new album celebrating the music of “Mr. Guitar” Chet Atkins.

We Still Can’t Say Good Bye, billed as “a musician’s tribute to Chet Atkins,” features an A-list lineup of artists performing on 15 tracks made famous by Atkins, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 77.

In total, 22 musicians and artists appear on the record. In addition to Clapton and Taylor, guests include Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley and Tommy Emmanuel.

Clapton appears on two songs on the album, “So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad),” which also features Gill and Bradley Walker, and “Freight Train,” which features several special guests. Taylor teams up with Krauss for one song, “How’s The World Treating You.” 

We Still Can’t Say Good Bye is set to drop April 19.

Atkins has been credited with creating the “Nashville sound,” which helped popularize country music. During his career he was the winner of 14 Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the Music Excellence category in 2002.

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