Classic Hits

The recent documentary about John Lennon’s relationship with former assistant May Pang is getting a digital release this fall. 

Deadline reports that the film, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, has just been acquired by Briarcliff Entertainment, which plans to release it digitally and on Blu-ray on October 13, just four days after what would have been Lennon’s 80th birthday.

The Lost Weekend: A Love Story originally screened at the Tribeca Festival earlier this year. It is Pang’s account of her 18-month relationship with Lennon during a brief split from Yoko Ono in the early ’70s. The relationship was referred to as Lennon’s “lost weekend” and ended in February 1975, when Ono decided to return to Lennon.

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On August 25, 1970, Elton John took the stage at LA’s famous Troubadour club to perform his first-ever U.S. concert. It was the first night of a six-date residency. By the time he had finished, word had spread: the 23-year-old singer/songwriter was a star.

In honor of the 53rd anniversary of that first show, now cited as one of the greatest concerts of the rock era, Elton has launched a new merch collection that you can shop now. 

The Troubadour collection includes tees, hoodies and tote bags, many of which say “Elton John Has Arrived.” That was what it said on a banner that was hung from the double-decker London bus that Elton’s record company hired to drive him into town when he landed in LA.

Elton’s set list at the Troubadour that night included songs from his debut album, 1970’s Empty Sky, as well as then-unreleased music from his upcoming self-titled album, including his future hit “Your Song.”

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Brian Setzer has shared another single off his upcoming album, The Devil Always Collects. The latest is the title track to the record, which was written by Setzer and frequent collaborator Mike Himelstein.

The song is the third track Setzer has dropped from the album, following “Black Leather Jacket” and “Girl on the Billboard.” You can listen to “The Devil Always Collects” now via streaming services and on YouTube.

The Devil Always Collects is set to drop September 15. It is Setzer’s first record since 2021’s Gotta Have The Rumble.

And fans will soon be able to hear Setzer play some of those songs live. He’ll kick off his first tour in four years, the Rockabilly Riot tour, on September 27 in Red Bank, New Jersey. A complete list of dates can be found at briansetzer.com.

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Simple Minds have shared the first track off their upcoming live album, New Gold Dream – Live From Paisley Abbey, which captures a special performance celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band’s fifth studio album, New Gold Dream.

The band just released their live performance of “Someone Somewhere in Summertime.” The original tune was one of three singles off New Gold Dream, along with “Promised You A Miracle” and “Glittering Prize.”

You can listen to “Someone Somewhere in Summertime” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.

New Gold Dream – Live From Paisley Abbey was recorded last year for Sky Arts’ Greatest Album Live series. It was filmed at the 12th century Paisley Abbey in the band’s hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, and sees them performing their critically acclaimed 1982 studio release.

New Gold Dream – Live From Paisley Abbey will be released October 27 digitally, on CD and as a limited-edition red transparent marble vinyl. It is available for preorder now.

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Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale is paying tribute to the band’s original guitarist, Bernie Marsden, who passed away Thursday, August 24, at the age of 72.

Marsden’s death was confirmed by his family on social media. ”On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness we announce the death of Bernie Marsden. Bernie died peacefully on Thursday,” they wrote. “Bernie never lost his passion for music, writing and recording new songs until the end.”

Whitesnake was formed in 1978 by Coverdale, Marsden and guitarist Micky Moody. Marsden wrote several of the band’s early songs, including their huge hit “Here I Go Again” as well as “Fool For Your Loving,” “She’s A Woman,” “Rough An’ Ready” and more. 

“I’ve just woken up to the awful news that my old friend & former Snake Bernie Marsden has passed,” Coverdale shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. “My sincere thoughts & prayers to his beloved family, friends & fans. A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom I was honored to know & share a stage with RIP, Bernie XXX.”

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Foghat just dropped the first single from their upcoming 17th studio album, Sonic Mojo, which is due out November 10.

The band has shared the track “Drivin’ On,” which they co-wrote with drummer Roger Earl’s former Savoy Brown bandmate Kim Simmonds before he passed away in December 2022.  

“It really is a Foghat sounding song,” Bryan Bassett shared in a video released by the band. “There’s a lot of diverse, kind of, approaches on this record, but we definitely put the hat on that one.”

Vocalist/guitarist Scott Holt adds, “A song like ‘Drivin’ On’ celebrates the swamp funk blues of Slim Harpo and the cosmic boogie of John Lee Hooker.”

“Drivin’ On” is one of three songs Simmonds co-wrote for the album; another one, “She’s A Little Bit of Everything,” drops September 23, while the third, “I Don’t Appreciate You,” will be released October 20.

Sonic Mojo will be released on CD and 180-gram neon purple vinyl. It is available for preorder now.

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Carlos Santana has apologized after video surfaced of him making seemingly anti-trans comments at a recent concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  

“I am sorry for my insensitive comments. They don’t reflect that I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs,” he wrote in a since-deleted post on Facebook. “I realize that what I said hurt people and that was not my intent. I sincerely apologize to the transgender community and everyone I offended.”

In the video, Santana is heard telling the audience, “a woman is a woman and a man is a man. That’s it,” adding, “Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business. I’m okay with that.”

“Here is my personal goal that I strive to achieve every day. I want to honor and respect all person’s ideals and beliefs whether they are LGBTQ or not,” he writes in his apology. “This is the planet of free will and we have all been given this gift. I will now pursue this goal to be happy and have fun, and for everyone to believe what they want and follow in your hearts without fear.”

He concludes, “It takes courage to grow and glow in the light that you are and to be true, genuine, and authentic. We grow and learn to shine our light with Love and compliments. Have a glorious existence. Peace.”

There’s no word on why the post was removed, but Santana did replace it with another one that seems to be related to the subject. “the energy of consciousness generates its own kind,” he writes. “hate begets hate love begets love.”

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On This Day, August 25, 1975…

Bruce Springsteen released his third studio album, Born To Run.

The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and helped Springsteen garner mainstream success. It went on to be a massive hit for the New Jersey rocker and has been certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA.

Born to Run featured such future Springsteen classics as the title track, “Thunder Road” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” as well as fan favorites like “Jungleland,” “Backstreets” and “She’s The One,” all of which are regular staples at The Boss’ live shows.

Born To Run has consistently earned spots on lists of the greatest albums of all time. In 2015, it was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

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With the Super Bowl happening at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas next year, some fans may be expecting added glitz to the halftime show. But if Nevada’s governor had his way, there’d be more pyro than sparkle. 

The NFL and Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee press conference was held August 23, and according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Gov. Joe Lombardo had one band in mind as the halftime show headliner.

“AC/DC!” he declared. “I was going to yell it out … But yeah, I’m serious. Bring ‘em back.”

So far there’s been no definitive news about which artist will headline the Super Bowl LVIII halftime, but AC/DC hasn’t been mentioned in the speculation. The last time a rock act headlined the halftime show was in 2010, when The Who performed. 

Super Bowl LVIII will take place February 11, and the halftime performer is expected to be announced this fall.

As for AC/DC, if Lombardo really wants to see them all he has to do is head to California in October. They are due to headline PowerTrip in Indio, California, with Brian Johnson returning to his frontman duties after sitting out of their last tour due to hearing issues.

PowerTrip will be held October 6-8, with the lineup also featuring Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Tool, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

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The official trailer for the upcoming Carlos Santana documentary, Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere, has just been released.

The clip kicks off with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer asking, “Do you believe in magic?” It features archival footage from throughout his career and ends with Carlos saying, “Magic is when you command the elements to capture people’s hearts.” 

The film is getting a special three-day premiere event in September. Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere will be in theaters on Saturday, September 23; Sunday, September 24; and Wednesday, September 27. In addition to the doc, the event will feature exclusive introductory content from both Santana and the film’s director, Rudy Valdez. It will then get a wider theatrical release on September 29.

Tickets for Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere are on sale now at carlosglobalpremiere.com.

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