Classic Hits

The new season of Fox’s The Masked Singer returns next month, and it will include nights devoted to two rock legends.  

The show revealed that season 11 will include a Billy Joel night and a Queen night, which means we could hear the masked contestants perform songs like “Uptown Girl,” “Piano Man,” “We Will Rock You,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and more.

There will also be nights dedicated to girl groups, shower anthems, a TV theme night and more, with this season’s costumed characters including Gumball, Lizard, Ugly Sweater, Goldfish, Starfish and Book.

Season 11 of The Masked Singer premieres Wednesday, March 6, at 8 p.m. on Fox.

Speaking of rockers and Fox games shows, Peter Frampton made a surprise appearance on Fox’s We Are Family on Wednesday, January 31. The legendary guitarist joined his son, Julian, for a performance of the Soundgarden classic “Black Hole Sun.”

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Looks like U2 is enjoying their down time in Sin City. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Bono and The Edge were seen at The Golden Tiki, an off the strip bar in Vegas’ Chinatown area, on Wednesday, January 31. 

The rockers turned up at the tiki bar around 1 a.m. after they finished headlining their residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, and posed for several photos. 

The Golden Tiki is a popular spot with celebrities, which displays shrunken heads in honor of the stars that stop in. Famous faces who’ve gotten shrunken head honors include Mötley Crüe‘s Vince Neil, Sammy Hagar and Rod Stewart along with Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, who stopped by last March.  

So far, there’s no report on Bono or The Edge getting the shrunken head honor. They are due back onstage at the Sphere on Friday, February 2. A performance from the residency is also going to be part of the Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 4.

 A complete list of U2 dates can be found at u2.com.

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Bruce Springsteen is mourning the loss of his mother, Adele, who passed away Wednesday, January 31, at the age of 98.

The Boss shared a video on Instagram of him dancing with his mom alongside lyrics to the song “The Wish,” which was written for her. In it, he sings about her buying him a guitar for Christmas and his memories on how she looked getting up and ready for work each day.

“The Wish” was one of the songs Springsteen would perform on his Springsteen on Broadway run, during which he revealed she had Alzheimer’s disease. The chorus has him singing about the wish he has for his mom, who he said loved to dance.

“It ain’t no phone call on Sunday, flowers or a Mother’s Day card/ It ain’t no house on the hill with a garden and a nice little yard,” he sings in the chorus. “I’ve got my hot rod down on Bond Street I’m older but you’ll know me in a glance/We’ll find us a Little rock ‘n roll bar and we’ll go out and dance.”

Adele grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and was a legal secretary. She was also a big supporter of her son’s career, often showing up at his concerts and rocking along with the crowd.

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Talk about the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the Tom Petty fan in your life.

Luxury chocolate brand Vosges has come out with a line of limited edition Tom Petty chocolate bars, which come in three flavors: sea salt and dark chocolate, marshmallow, cocoa nib and milk chocolate, and hazelnut and milk chocolate. 

“This collection marries the world of music with the art of chocolate making, offering an experience that transcends the ordinary,” reads a description of the chocolate bars. “As these bars gently make their way through the cooling tunnel, they are serenaded with the timeless music of Tom Petty.”

Tom Petty x Vosges Limited Edition Chocolate Bars are available to order now. They are $7 each, and each comes with a limited edition Valentine’s Day card.

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More artists have signed on to help celebrate the Recording Academy’s 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year, Jon Bon Jovi.

Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar and Mammoth WVH, headed by Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, have been added to the performers list along with Train’s Pat Monahan and Australian guitarist Orianthi, who previously collaborated with former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora. Lenny Kravitz has also been added to the evening as a presenter. 

They join previously announced performers Bruce Springsteen, Melissa Etheridge, Goo Goo Dolls, Måneskin’s Damiano David, Shania Twain, Brandy Clark, Jelly Roll, Marcus King, The War and Treaty and Lainey Wilson. Bon Jovi is also confirmed to perform.

The 33rd annual MusiCares Person of the Year gala, hosted by Jim Gaffigan, will take place Friday, February 2, two days before the Grammy Awards.

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Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet have been divorced since 1993, but he says he will always have love for his ex-wife, who’s the mother of his daughter, actress Zoë Kravitz.

“She is part of my life that will never leave my heart and my soul and my spirt,” he tells People. “I am what I am because of our experience, because of everything that I was, everything that she was and everything that came together.” 

He adds, “We are both still parts of each other and the love is still beautiful, it’s just a different dynamic.”

Lenny notes that while their relationship isn’t the same as it was when they were married, “the love remains and the love has to find a new way to funnel itself into a new life.” He continues, “So we did that … We consciously wanted to do that. It took time, believe me, but we wanted to have that.”

Speaking of love, when it comes to Zoë and her fiancé, Channing Tatum, Lenny is all on board for their relationship.

“It feels right,” Lenny tells the mag. “I like [Channing] very much.” 

He adds that the pair “have something that’s naturally special,” but “they also do the work. They are dedicated. That’s what it’s all about. It’s beautiful to watch.”

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Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler has made a pretty penny cleaning out his guitar closet. 

The BBC reports that a recent auction of over 120 of the rocker’s guitars and amps brought in over $10 million, with a quarter of that money set to go to charity. 

Knopfler’s 1959 Vintage Gibson Les Paul Standard was sold for the highest bid, at over $880,000, which wound up being a world auction record for that model of guitar. Another big seller was the guitar Knopfler played at Wembley Stadium for Nelson Mandela‘s 70th birthday tribute, which sold for over $640,000, well above the initial estimate of around $10,000. 

“I am so pleased that these much-loved instruments will find new players and new songs as well as raising money for charities that mean a lot to me,” Knopfler said. “It has been heart-warming to witness how much these guitars mean to so many people and I am also pleased that they will continue to give joy to many through the songs recorded over the years with me.”

He adds, “To you fellow players, enthusiasts and collectors, I wish you all good things.”

Charities benefiting from the auction include the Red Cross, the wildlife conservation organization Tusk and the children’s charity Brave Hearts of the North East.

The auction comes as Knopfler is getting to release his 10th studio album, One Deep River, on April 12. It will be his first new album since 2018’s Down The Road Wherever.

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The Band’s classic tune “The Weight” is featured in Budweiser’s Clydesdale ad, set to run during Super Bowl 58, which airs February 11 on CBS.

The clip, called “Old School Delivery,” is set around a snowstorm that closes all the major highways, with a stuck trucker using the Clydesdales to help him deliver his kegs of Bud to their destination: a bar running low on the brew. It ends with the tagline “delivering since 1876.”

“The Weight” is one of the most well-known songs by The Band, which consisted of Robbie Robertson, who wrote the tune, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel.

Although it only hit #63 on the Billboard charts, “The Weight” went on to be ranked #41 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame also named it one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

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Dead & Company have now released all the details of their upcoming residency at Sphere in Las Vegas.  The band will do 18 shows over six consecutive weeks, starting May 16.

The shows, which run through June 22, feature the group playing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday each weekend. According to a press release, the shows will feature “never-before-seen visual storytelling” from the band, and each weekend’s three performances will have a different setlist.

Fans can now register for the presale, which starts February 5 at 10 a.m. PT.  The general on-sale starts Friday, February 9, at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at $145, inclusive of taxes and fees.

VIP and hotel packages are available at deadforever.vibee.com starting February 2 at 10 a.m. All VIP package holders will receive priority entry to something called the Dead & Company Fan Portal, which will be located at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Here are the Dead & Company – Dead Forever – Live at Sphere dates:

Thursday, May 16; Friday, May 17; Saturday, May 18
Friday, May 24; Saturday, May 25; Sunday, May 26
Thursday, May 30; Friday, May 31; Saturday, June 1
Thursday, June 6; Friday, June 7; Saturday, June 8
Thursday, June 13; Friday, June 14; Saturday, June 15
Thursday, June 20; Friday, June 21; Saturday, June 22

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Billy Joel is back.

The Piano Man’s first pop single since 2007’s “All My Life” is now available on all streaming services and there’s a lyric video on YouTube.  The ballad, featuring some classic Billy Joel piano flourishes, finds him singing about regretting his behavior in a relationship and promising he’s ready to mend his ways.

“It’s been a long winter of indifference/And maybe you love me, maybe you don’t/Maybe you’ll learn to, maybe you won’t/You’ve had enough, but I won’t give up/On you,” he sings.

“I’m late, but I’m here right now/And I’m tryin’ to find the magic/That we lost somehow,” he continues. “Maybe I was blind/But I see you now/As we’re laying in the darkness/Did I wait too long/To turn the lights back on?”

The song was written by Billy, Freddy Wexler, Arthur Bacon and Wayne Hector.

Billy will take the stage at this Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, airing live on CBS and Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET.

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