Classic Hits

Congratulations to Don McLean, who was honored with the 2,700th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday.

The honorary plaque is located at 6314 Hollywood Boulevard in front of The Pie Hole restaurant, which is at the corner of Vine St.

“This is a very special day for me,” the “American Pie” singer and songwriter said. “Awards are given every year on those television programs, and every year a new person is named a favorite; however, this award is forever. This is an honor I get to share with friends, fans, and whoever walks down Hollywood Boulevard.”

McLean’s friend “Weird Al” Yankovic was on hand to introduce Don, and the members of the country vocal group Home Free also took part in the ceremony.

“Weird Al” recorded a Star Wars-themed “American Pie” parody in 1999 called “The Saga Begins,” which featured a humorous recounting of The Phantom Menace‘s plot told from Obi-Wan Kenobi’s point of view.

Home Free teamed up with Don last year for an a cappella version of “American Pie.” The group led fans gathered for the unveiling ceremony in a sing-along of McLean’s famous anthem, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

You can check out a video of the entire ceremony at the Walk of Fame’s official YouTube channel.

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Madonna celebrated her 63rd birthday by going back to her Italian roots and taking her family along for the fun.

In video posted yesterday on her Instagram captioned “Mambo Italiano,” Madonna and her children are shown traveling on a private plane, and one of her twin daughters says in French, “We’re going to Italy.”  We then see Madonna striking a pose against a stone balustrade, smoking and declaring, “Happy Birthday to me!”

As Dean Martin‘s classic song “That’s Amore” plays, we see Madonna walking hand in hand with her boyfriend, Ahlamalik Williams, to a massive dining table set up outdoors, surrounded by what we assume are all her birthday guests.  There is also plenty of video of Madonna seductively licking an ice-cream cone, both with and without her boyfriend.

A separate post shows Madonna and all her children having fun during the party, and there’s more footage of the birthday preparations and surroundings on her Instagram Stories.

Last week, Madonna said that for her birthday she wanted fans to contribute money to purchase more beds for the pediatric hospital she established in Malawi four years ago.

Yesterday, Madonna announced a huge new deal with Warner Music Group that will, in part, see her reissuing deluxe editions of some of her classic albums in 2022 to mark the 40th anniversary of her recording debut.

 

 

 

 

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After their End of the Road farewell tour was put on hold last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, KISS is set to relaunch the trek on Thursday in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth was the tour’s original support act, but in a new Rolling Stone interview, KISS bassist/singer Gene Simmons confirms that Diamond Dave is no longer part of the outing.

While Simmons doesn’t explain specifically why Roth isn’t touring with KISS anymore, he says, “[I]t bears noting that during Dave’s heyday, nobody did what he did. He was the ultimate frontman. Not [Robert] Plant, not Rod Stewart, nobody. He took being a frontman way beyond anything. And then, I don’t know what happened to him…something. And you get modern-day Dave. I prefer to remember Elvis Presley in his prime. Sneering lips, back in Memphis, you know, doing all that. I don’t want to think of bloated naked Elvis on the bathroom floor.”

It’s worth noting that Roth did open the first run of KISS dates in early 2020 before the pandemic began. The support act for KISS in 2021 will be rock painter Garibaldi.

Meanwhile, with COVID-19 continuing to be an issue in the U.S. and around the world, Simmons has a message for fans coming to his band’s shows.

“I would highly recommend for everybody to get two Pfizer or Moderna shots, please — for the rest of us,” he says. “Even if you believe the Earth is flat, it’s not.”

Gene adds, “The entire road crew must be vaccinated twice. Nobody gets backstage or onstage without wearing masks, and everybody stays at a safe distance and you’ve got to wash your hands and do everything else the CDC says.”

Check out KISS’ full concert schedule at KISSOnline.com.

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A woman who claims she was groomed and sexually assaulted by Bob Dylan when she was a minor has filed suit against the music icon.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court, identifies the now 68-year-old alleged victim only as J.C.

The woman claims that the alleged abuse happened in 1965 when she was 12 years old, saying Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, took advantage of her at his Chelsea Hotel apartment 56 years ago.  J.C. claims Dylan used his fame to gain her trust and began to groom her “as part of his plan to sexually molest and abuse,” according to the legal documents.

“Bob Dylan (‘Dylan’), over a six-week period between April and May of 1965 befriended and established an emotional connection with the plaintiff, J.C., to lower her inhibitions with the object of sexually abusing her, which he did, coupled with the provision of drugs, alcohol and, threats of physical violence, leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day,” the suit claims.

J.C. claims she was sexually abused several times by the singer, which has led her to allegedly grapple with “permanent” anxiety, depression and humiliation over the years.  She claims to have sought medical treatment because the mental toll had “incapacitated plaintiff from attending her regular activities.”

Speaking to The New York Post, J.C.’s attorney, Daniel W. Isaacs, said of the lawsuit, “She provided a lot of detailed information regarding the time in question that leaves no doubt that she was with him in the apartment during the time in question.”

J.C. is requesting a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages.

A representative for Dylan, 80, denies the account and told The New York Post, “This 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended.”

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Mari Under the Volcano, a new documentary about the state-of-the-art recording studio that late Beatles producer George Martin built on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, was released today via digital, streaming and video-on-demand platforms.

AIR Studios Montserrat opened in 1979 and was used by some of the world’s biggest music stars until the island was devastated by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Then, in 1995, a volcanic eruption made most of Montserrat uninhabitable.

The film features new interviews with many artists who recorded at the facility, including The Police‘s three members, Dire Straits‘ Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Buffett and Duran Duran‘s Nick Rhodes.

Police guitarist Andy Summers, whose band recorded 1981’s Ghost in the Machine and 1983’s Synchronicity on Montserrat, tells ABC Audio that he considers Under the Volcano “an ode to…Martin.”

“[H]e had this vision to go and build this place on…this very funky island,” Summers says. “That kind of interested me, how he first went there and fell in love with it.”

Andy also notes that The Police felt like they’d really made it when they got to work on Montserrat, noting that it was “the ultimate rock star dream to go to the Caribbean” to record.

Summers recalls an incident during the Synchronicity sessions where the notoriously contentious band members decided to ask Sir George if he’d produce them to help resolve conflicts they were having.

Summers says he visited Martin at his home across the island, and, over a spot of tea, George told him, “I think you’re gonna sort this out. I don’t think I need to come over there.”

Andy says that after Martin’s “calming” words, the band “went through the rest of the album without a hitch.”

Visit UndertheVolcanoMovie.com for more info about the film.

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A collection of artwork created by late Cars frontman Ric Ocasek will go on display starting September 1 exclusively at all nine Wentworth Galleries, which are located in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Ocasek’s pieces also will be available for purchase.

“Art is a way to release tension and to organize my thoughts,” the singer, guitarist and songwriter once explained. “It’s something I do while pondering an outcome. The drawings start with a shape and explode from there.”

Ric’s art was partly influenced and inspired by late pop-art legend Andy Warhol, who directed the music video for The Cars’ 1984 hit “Hello Again.”

Discussing Warhol’s work, Ocasek said that “his stuff I loved not only because it looked amazing, but it was different than everyone else’s and had an idea behind it.”

You can check out examples of Ric’s paintings and drawings at WentworthGallery.com.

“When I saw Ric’s art for the first time, I was struck with the emotion it captured,” notes Wentworth Gallery president Christian O’Mahony. “You can sense a part of Ric in the art. It really gives a snapshot into the mind of an artistic genius. I am honored to showcase and sell his art in my galleries.”

Ocasek died of natural causes on September 15, 2019. He was 75.

Here’s the full list of Wentworth Gallery locations:

Florida
Boca Raton — Town Center Mall, 6000 Glades Rd.
Fort Lauderdale — 819 E. Las Olas Blvd.
Hollywood — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 5804 Seminole Way

Georgia
Atlanta — Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Rd. NE

Maryland
Bethesda — Westfield Montgomery Mall, 7101 Democracy Blvd.

New Jersey
Atlantic City — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1000 Boardwalk
Short Hills — The Mall at Short Hills, 1200 Morris Tpke.

Pennsylvania
King of Prussia — King of Prussia Mall, 690 West Dekalb Pike

Virginia
McLean — Tysons Galleria, 1807 U. International Drive

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After recently announcing a November 5 concert at Seattle’s new Climate Pledge Arena, the Eagles have now added a second and final show at the venue on the following day.

As with the November 5 event, fans age 12 and older attending the November 6 concert will need to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination in order to gain entry. Children under the age of 12 will be allowed to attend if they provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the show.

Tickets for the Eagles’ November 6 Seattle gig go on sale to the general public this Friday, this Friday, August 20 at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.com. A limited number of VIP packages will be available starting Thursday, August 19, at 10 a.m. PT. Visit ClimatePledgeArena.com for info about the concert.

The newly announced Seattle show is now the final scheduled concert on the Eagles’ Hotel California 2021 Tour. As previously reported, the trek, which kicks off August 22 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, will feature the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers performing their classic 1976 album Hotel California in full, accompanied by an orchestra and a choir, followed by a set of the band’s greatest hits.

Visit Eagles.com to check out the band’s full tour schedule.

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With KISS set to relaunch its End of the Road farewell tour this Wednesday in Mansfield, Massachusetts, the rock legends have now announced plans for a new Las Vegas residency, scheduled for this December and January and February of 2022.

The 12-date engagement, which will take place at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, will kick off on December 29 and also will include performances on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, as well as shows on January 19, 21, 22, 26, 28 and 29, and February 2, 4 and 5.

Tickets for the Las Vegas dates go on sale to the general public this Friday, August 20, at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.com.

KISS Army fan-club members will be able to purchase pre-sale tickets starting this Tuesday, August 17, at 10 a.m. PT. A pre-sale for Citi card members will begin Wednesday, August 18 at 10 a.m. PT via CitiEntertainment.com.

Additional pre-sales will be on Thursday, August 19, at 10 a.m. PT. VIP packages also will be available, offering fans a photo with KISS, access to a pre-show soundcheck and Q&A session, and more.

The upcoming U.S. leg of KISS’ End of the Road runs through an October 9 show in Tampa, Florida. The band also will be performing on its KISS Kruise X event, which is scheduled from October 29 to November 3, and then will head Down Under for an Australian trek mapped out from November 14 to December 4.

Check out the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ full tour schedule at KISSOnline.com.

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George Harrison‘s classic 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass, which spent seven straight weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 after its original release, has returned to the top 10 of the chart for the first time in over half a century following the recent release of its 50th anniversary reissue collections.

All Things Must Pass reenters the chart at #7 after earning 32,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., 28,000 of which were from album sales, during MRC Data’s most recent tracking week, which ended August 12.

All Things Must Pass was Harrison’s third solo album and his first following The Beatles‘ breakup. Released in November 1970 as a three-disc set, the album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 and sat at #1 from January 2 to February 13, 1971. The last time All Things Must Pass was in the top 10 of the chart was on March 27, 1971, when it held the #9 spot.

The album featured two top-10 hits: The chart-topping double-sided single “My Sweet Lord”/”Isn’t It a Pity,” and “What Is Life,” which peaked at #10.

The All Things Must Pass reissue was released on August 6 in a variety of formats and configurations.  They  include a Super Deluxe box set version featuring either eight vinyl LPs or five CDs and Blu-ray-audio disc, all of which offer a new mix of the original 23-track album, plus dozens of demos, outtakes and studio jams. Forty-two of the tracks were previously unreleased.

The last time that Harrison had an album in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 was 1988, when Cloud Nine reached #8 on the tally.

George died from complications of lung cancer in November 2001. He was 58.

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The Cure bassist Simon Gallup has left the band.

In a Facebook post over the weekend, Gallup wrote, “With a slightly heavy heart I am no longer a member of the Cure! Good luck to them all.”

Responding to a comment on the post, Gallup shared that he is “OK,” but adds he “just go fed up of betrayal.”

Gallup played with The Cure from 1979 to 1982, and then again from 1984 all the way to his departure this year. He’s been the band’s longest-tenured non-Robert Smith member.

Smith previously called Gallup his “best friend” in a 2019 NME interview, adding that the bassist has been the “heart” of The Cure’s live band. He was one of 10 Cure members to be inducted along with the band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

Neither The Cure nor Smith has publicly commented on Gallup’s post as of late Monday morning.

Meanwhile, The Cure has long been working on one or several new albums. The group’s most recent studio effort is 2008’s 4:13 Dream.

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