Classic Hits

Any music fan who’s been to a Grateful Dead, or Dead-related, concert has no doubt noticed the smell of marijuana wafting through the air. Well, now The Dead is providing fans with a new way to enjoy their cannabis.

In what some may be surprised to find out is a first, the band will be launching a line of advanced vapes and infusers this fall, thanks to a new partnership with brand Grenco Science.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to finally bring this dream collaboration to fruition with the Grateful Dead,” Chris Folkerts, the CEO of Grenco Science, shares. “For over 10 years, we’ve been working towards this moment and it’s a true honor to create products for their devoted fans.”

Folkerts, a Dead fan himself, adds, “We were beyond excited to create innovative products that stay true to the essence of the Grateful Dead and their incredible legacy.” 

The Dead line of G Pen vaporizers and Stündenglass Gravity Infusers will feature the band’s iconic imagery.  More information will be available at gpen.com/GratefulDead and stundenglass.com/GratefulDead.

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Extreme has announced a 2024 U.S. tour in continued support of their new album, Six.

The outing, which marks the second leg of the “More Than Words” outfit’s Thicker Than Blood tour, runs from January 24 in Englewood, New Jersey, to February 29 in Las Vegas. Living Colour will also be on the bill.

“We have been absolutely blown away by all of the love and support during the first leg of the Thicker Than Blood tour,” says guitarist Nuno Bettencourt. “You all have shown up and brought it every night and we could not be more grateful. So with that, we are excited to announce the second US leg of the Thicker Than Blood tour with special guests Living Colour. Can’t wait to see you out there!”

Tickets go on sale Friday, September 15, at 10 a.m. local time, with various presales throughout the week. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Extreme-Band.com.

Six, the first Extreme album in 15 years, was released in June.

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U2 bassist Adam Clayton is showing off his artistic talents on an elephant to raise money and awareness for mental health issues.

The rocker has decorated and signed a 4-foot-tall elephant statue titled “All At Sea.” The piece, which he created with Irish artist Debbie Chapman, represents “what concerns him in the world issues like people displacement, refugees, climate change, world poverty.”

The elephant is being auctioned off for the mental health campaign Elephant in the Room, which hopes to “start the conversation on mental health from the school room to the boardroom.”

Clayton shares, “For me personally, art – in all its forms – brings both comfort and joy. I can think of no better way to raise awareness for the vital conversation around mental health and well-being.” 

Adam’s elephant is one of many being auctioned off to raise money for Samaritans, a U.K. charity which provides support for those in emotional distress or at risk of suicide. The auction is open until Friday, October 6, at 8 p.m. 

U2 is getting ready to head to Las Vegas. They open their U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere residency at The Venetian on September 29. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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The original members of Talking Heads — David Byrne, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz — reunited at the Toronto Film Festival, September 11, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their iconic concert film Stop Making Sense. 

According to Consequence, the audience was up on their feet dancing during the world premiere of the newly restored 4K version of the film, with some of the band members reportedly joining in.

“When I was watching this just now, I was thinking, ‘This is why we come to the movie theaters. This is different than watching it on my laptop,’” Byrne said after the screening. “This is really different.” 

The screening was followed by a Q&A, moderated by Spike Lee, who called Stop Making Sense “the greatest concert film ever.”

While relationships in the band have been rocky over the years, Frantz told the audience, “It’s so good to be here with my bandmates tonight,” adding, “I’m very grateful to be here tonight and to be able to watch this and to enjoy it so much.”

Regarding the appeal of the film, Harrison noted, “one of the reasons of the lasting power of the film is you see that we are having so much fun on stage.” Weymouth added, “I love that show. It was magical. Everything about it was so special. Love. Between us and the audience.”

One thing that wasn’t revealed was whether this reunion will lead to any new concerts or music from the band. In fact, the subject wasn’t even brought up during the Q&A.

Meanwhile, the screening of Stop Making Sense played in IMAX theaters across North America and it sold out 25 screens at 165 locations, making it IMAX’s biggest live screening event ever, earning $640,839.

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A new compilation of Frank Sinatra classics will be released next month to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the legendary crooner signing to Capitol Records.

Frank Sinatra Platinum, dropping October 27, will feature newly remastered audio of Sinatra classics like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Come Fly With Me,” “Moonlight in Vermont,” “Love and Marriage” and more. There will also be unreleased tracks from the Capitol vaults, including alternate takes, session takes, test tracks and more. 

The 44-track collection is being released digitally and as a four-LP or two-CD set, with an exclusive deluxe 4LP edition coming to sinatra.com.

The new compilation comes as a new musical about Ol’ Blue Eyes is about to open in the U.K. Sinatra The Musical will open September 23 at Birmingham Rep in Birmingham, England, and will run through October 28. Tickets are on sale now.

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Kansas will be extending the celebration of their 50th anniversary well into next year. The band just extended their Another Fork in the Road 50th Anniversary Tour, which will now keep them on the road through May, 2024. 

The new dates kick off February 2 in Pensacola, Florida, hitting such cities as Toledo, Ohio; Morristown, New Jersey; Albany, New York; Providence, Rhode Island, and more, wrapping May 18 in New Haven, Connecticut. The new additions also include the tour’s first stop in Kansas, with two shows in Salina, March 22 and 23.

“The way audiences have received the 50th Anniversary Tour has been spectacular,” Kansas drummer and original member Phil Ehart shares. “It only made sense to extend the tour into 2024.” He adds, “Heck, the first 50 dates didn’t even include the state of Kansas. You know we must perform there!”

Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday, September 15, at 10 a.m. local time. The tour next hits Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday, September 12. A complete list of dates can be found at kansasband.com.

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On This Day, September 12, 1975…

Pink Floyd released their ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here.

The album featured the nine-part “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” which was tribute to founding member Syd Barrett, who’d been fired seven years earlier due to his drug use and mental health issues.

The album’s title track became a classic rock staple, and has often made the lists of the greatest songs of all time. Other songs on the album include “Have a Cigar” and “Welcome to the Machine.”

Wish You Were Here went on to be a huge hit for the band, reaching #1 in both the U.S. and U.K. It became Pink Floyd’s fastest selling album ever, and went on to sell 20 million copies.

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Van Morrison is getting ready to release another new album.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just dropped a cover of the Johnny Kidd classic “Shakin’ All Over”; it’s the first single off his new album, Accentuate The Positive, dropping November 3.

Just like Morrison’s last album, Moving On Skiffle, in which he reinterpreted Skiffle music, popularized in the U.K. in the 1950s, Accentuate The Positive has Morrison sharing his take on some of his personal rock ‘n’ roll favorites, like The Johnny Burnette Trio’s “Lonesome Train,” Big Joe Turner’s “Flip, Flop and Fly” and many others.  

“Rock ‘n’ roll is about simplicity, sincerity and expressive power and there’s no way you can get away from that,” Morrison shares. “That’s why it’s good and that’s why it’s lasted. It’s spirit music.”

The album features guest appearances by the late Jeff Beck on the track “Lonesome Train,” with vocals by Chris Farlowe, and blues musician Taj Mahal on “Lucile” and “Shake Rattle and Roll.”

You can listen to “Shakin’ All Over” now via digital services and on YouTube.

Accentuate The Positive is available for preorder now. Here is the track list for the album:

“You Are My Sunshine”
“When Will I Be Loved”
“Two Hound Dogs”
“Flip, Flop and Fly”
“I Want a Roof Over My Head”
“Problems”
“Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes”
“The Shape I’m In’
“Accentuate The Positive”
“Lonesome Train”
“A Shot of Rhythm and Blues”
“Shakin’ All Over”
“Bye, Bye Johnny”
“Red Sails in the Sunset”
“Sea of Heartbreak”
“Blueberry Hill”
“Bonaparte’s Retreat”
“Lucille”
“Shake, Rattle and Roll”

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The music of the Grateful Dead will be celebrated at a new festival in Mexico early next year.

The Dead Ahead Festival will feature four nights of music in Riviera Cancun, featuring Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, Don Was and Jay Lane, along with special appearances by Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Margo Price, Sturgill Simpson and more.

The event promises two nights of curated collaborations celebrating the Grateful Dead songbook. There will also be two other nights of music, one headlined by Weir with the Wolf Brothers, featuring the Wolfpack, and another featuring Oteil & Friends, with Lettuce celebrating the Jerry Garcia Band. There will also be a ”late night rhythmic experience” with Hart’s Noche de Ondas.

The Dead Ahead Festival is set to go down January 12-15, with all-inclusive packages going on sale Friday, September 15, at 1 p.m. ET. More information can be found at deadaheadfestival.com.

This isn’t the first time members of The Dead have held a festival south of the border. From 2018 to 2020 Dead & Company headlined their own Playing in the Sand festival in Riviera Maya.

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Van Halen is sharing another preview of their upcoming box set, The Collection II, which revisits the band’s Sammy Hagar era.

In case you missed it, Van Halen recently released a remastered version of “It’s About Time,” a tune the band recorded in 2004 when they temporarily reunited with Hagar, who had left the group in 1996. Two other songs from that time, “Up For Breakfast” and “Learning To See,” also appear on the set.

The Collection II, dropping October 6, will feature newly remastered versions of the band’s four #1 albums with Hagar: 1986’s 5150, 1988’s OU812, 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and 1995’s Balance, as well as a fifth album, Studio Rarities 1989-2004, featuring eight nonalbum Hagar-era tracks.

The Collection II is the follow-up to Van Halen’s first box set, The Collection, which was released in 2015 and featured the band’s six studio albums with David Lee Roth. It is available for preorder now.

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