Classic Hits

Many Madonna fans were left fuming on December 13 when the Queen of Pop was late kicking off the North American leg of her Celebration Tour in Brooklyn, New York. But apparently it was due to circumstances beyond her control.

A source tells People that there were “issues during soundcheck” that delayed her performance “by an hour” — though fans complained Madonna was two to three hours late. The source adds that Madonna was “sound-checking until the moment [the doors opened] to work out the issues.”

Once Madonna got onstage, the show proceeded as scheduled, though at one point she complained of hearing an “echo” in her ear, People reports. But to the delight of fans, she powered through four decades’ worth of hits and even added her song “I Love New York” to the set list, performing it for the first time in 15 years. 

According to Variety, Madonna said it was amazing to be back in New York: “You don’t understand — the love from a New Yorker is like making a big fat smelly rat come up to you and put your arms around you: ‘I made it.’”

She then added, “I’m not comparing you guys to rats. I know that sounded weird.”

During the “Vogue” portion of the show, Madonna brought her boxer boyfriend Josh Popper onstage to “judge” the dancers’ moves. During the European part of the tour, Madonna brought out a variety of people to join her during that segment, including her daughter Lourdes, and her friends Debi Mazar and Donatella Versace.

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Barbra Streisand has seemingly won every award you could win — she’s even an EGOT winner — but in February she’ll receive an honor that has so far eluded her.

At the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, the legendary entertainer will receive the organization’s highest honor: the SAG Life Achievement Award, given to “a well-established performer who has contributed to improving the image of the acting profession and has a history of active involvement in humanitarian and public service endeavors.”

She’ll be presented with the honor when the awards stream live on Netflix February 24 at 8 p.m. ET.

Among Streisand’s achievements are winning two Oscars, 10 Grammys, five Emmys, three Peabody Awards and a Tony. She recently made headlines with the release of her memoir, My Name Is Barbra. She’s well known for her philanthropy and recently endowed the Barbra Streisand Institute at UCLA.

In a statement, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said, “Barbra Streisand is an icon and unparalleled talent, a force of nature who has seamlessly woven her brilliance through the fabric of our industry … she is a colossal icon with a relentless work ethic, evolving with each stage of her remarkable journey.”

Barbra said, “Ever since I was a young girl sitting in the Loew’s Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, I dreamed of being one of those actresses I saw on the screen. The movies were a portal to a world I could only imagine. Even though I was an unlikely candidate, somehow my dream came true. This award is especially meaningful to me because it comes from my fellow actors, whom I so admire.”

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John Oates was revealed as The Anteater on Fox’s The Masked Singer Wednesday night.

After removing the head of his costume, Oates said, “I’ve done a lot of crazy stuff my career. This is one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

During his time on the show, John sang hits like Chuck Berry‘s “Johnny B. Goode,” Backstreet Boys‘ “I Want It That Way,” Marc Cohn‘s “Walking In Memphis” and Justin Timberlake‘s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” 

Following his unmasking, Oates announced on Instagram that he has a new single coming out: “Get Your Smile On” arrives Friday.

Speaking with Billboard, Oates says he wasn’t crazy about the Anteater costume, but then, “I thought maybe it was a subtle connection between ‘Maneater’ and Anteater, which I thought might be a subtle clue without being a clue.”

“At a certain point they convinced me it’s cool, but I’m still not sure it’s true.”

About his new single, Oates said, “It’s a song I wrote during COVID — I wanted to write something really positive — and this is a great time to put it out, with all proceeds from the download of the song going to Teen Cancer America.”

Asked if the show had been a “distraction” from his current legal battle with his musical partner Daryl Hall, Oates said, “Any time I can talk about music and not the other stuff, that’s better.” When Billboard expressed hope that he and Daryl might perform together again one day, John said, “Yup, we’ll see.”

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As fans of The Rolling Stones continue to enjoy their latest release, Hackney Diamonds, they’ll soon be able to enjoy some of The Stones’ classic tracks in a whole new way.

A new limited-edition collection, The Rolling Stones Singles 1966-1971, will be released February 2, featuring reproductions of 18 7-inch vinyl singles and EPs.

Among the songs featured in the set are “Paint It Black,” “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” “She’s a Rainbow,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Honkey Tonk Women” and “Brown Sugar.” It also includes the 7-inch EP of “Sympathy for the Devil,” which comes with remixes of the song by Fatboy Slim and Neptune.

Each single includes period-correct picture sleeve art. The set also includes a 23-page book with rare photos and liner notes by Stones expert Nigel Williamson, as well as photo cards and a poster. All songs were remastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Bob Ludwig.

This is the second volume of replica singles released by The Stones. The Rolling Stones Singles 1963-1966 was released in 2022. 

The Rolling Stones Singles 1966-1971 is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, December 14, 1986…

Elton John headlined a concert at the Sydney Entertainment Center in Sydney, Australia, which was released as the live album Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

The concert was the final night of John’s Tour De Force of Australia and New Zealand. It featured two sets, one with his 14-piece band and a second with the 88-piece Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Known for his flamboyant costumes, John dressed as Mozart for the orchestra set.

The album, which featured performances of “Your Song,” “Madman Across the Water,” “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” “Candle in the Wind” and more, was released June 13, 1987.

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Fans of The Beatles only have a couple more weeks to make it to Cleveland to check out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s The Beatles: Get Back to Let It Be exhibit. 

The exhibit was created as a compliment to Peter Jackson’s Emmy Award-winning docuseries Get Back. After a nearly two-year run it’s set to close on January 10.

As part of The Beatles celebration, the Rock Hall has been hosting “Beatles Friday” events — the last one is scheduled for December 29 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It includes a screening of The Beatles Rooftop Concert, which was their last live performance, and “From The Vault,” featuring memorable clips of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison from the Rock Hall’s induction stage. 

There’s also a Beatles trivia game show, with prizes awarded to winners; a Beatles set performed by the Rock Hall’s house band, The Mechanics; and fan meetups.

The Beatles: Get Back to Let It Be features a host of Beatles memorabilia, including John Lennon‘s eyeglasses, Harrison’s handwritten lyrics for “I Me Mine” and McCartney’s handwritten lyrics to “I Got A Feeling.” There are also three screening rooms with video footage from the three locations featured in the series: Twickenham, Apple Studios and the Apple Corps rooftop.

More info can be found at rockhall.com.

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The Rolling Stones are giving fans a sneak peek at the upcoming music video for “Mess It Up,” the latest single from their Hackney Diamonds album.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just dropped a trailer for the clip, which will be released on Tuesday, December 19. It features actor Nicholas Hoult, best known for his work in About a Boy, X-Men: First Class and the Hulu series The Great. He’s also just been cast as Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy.

“Mess It Up” is one of the two tracks on Hackney Diamonds that features the late Charlie Watts on drums.

Meanwhile, The Rolling Stones are set to release the live edition of Hackney Diamonds digitally on Friday, December 15. It features the seven tracks the band performed at their surprise album release party at the New York club Racket back in October.

A double CD edition will be released on January 19 and is available for preorder now.

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Patti Smith has been released from an Italian hospital, where she was taken after suddenly falling ill on Tuesday, December 12. She was supposed to headline a show in Bologna that night, but it was canceled.

The Italian outlet TGcom24 reports the 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was released from Maggiore Hospital after a day of observation, but has been advised to rest. Because of that, she’s been forced to cancel her remaining commitments in Italy, including a concert Thursday, December 14, in Venice. The shows in Bologna and Venice were the final two dates of Patti’s eight-show tour of Italy.

She was also supposed to attend a book signing in Milan on Friday, December 15, but that too has been canceled. 

Patti has three U.S. dates coming up: December 26 in Chicago, and December 29 and 30 in Brooklyn, New York.

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U2 has shared a new take on their latest single, “Atomic City.” The band just released a remix of the tune from producer Mike WiLL Made-It, who is best known for his work with artists like Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Beyoncé.

U2 dropped “Atomic City” back in September just before they launched their Las Vegas residency, U2: UV Live at Sphere. The video was shot on Vegas’ Fremont Street, the same location where they shot the video for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” back in 1987. The clip includes drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who has been sitting out of the residency as he recovers from surgery.

In other U2 news, the band is releasing a new coffee table book, U2: UV Sphere, described as “the definitive visual record of what happens in Vegas … when U2 are playing Sphere.” It is available for preorder now and will ship in January. 

U2’s next Sphere show is happening Wednesday, December 13. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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Guitarist Ace Frehley isn’t feeling his former band KISS’ plans for the future now that they’ve retired from touring. 

At the end of their final show at New York’s Madison Square Garden earlier this month, KISS introduced fans to their avatars, suggesting an ABBA-like show is in the future.

Frehley has some thoughts on the subject.

During an interview with Germany’s Rock Antenne, Frehley said he was happy the final tour is over “because I’m not gonna be compared to them anymore.” 

“But I don’t get this avatar thing that they’re gonna do,” he added. “I mean, I saw some of it on a video on YouTube last night. It kind of looked like it was geared towards children. And it’s not rock ‘n’ roll.” 

As for what he considers rock ‘n’ roll, Frehley shares, “I get up on stage without backing tracks, plug my amp into it, plug my guitar into a Marshall and go. That’s it. It’s always been that way and always will be.”

As for the final KISS show, Frehley says he didn’t watch it, although he did see a video from their show in Indianapolis, noting, “I’m not impressed.”

Frehley is gearing up to wow fans with his own music. He’ll release his new solo album, 10,000 Volts, on February 23 and has already dropped the title track. The album, his first solo record since 2020’s Origins Vol. 2, is available for preorder now.

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