Looking for Labor Day weekend plans? Boyz II Men is heading up Fontainebleau’s famed LIV nightclub in Miami Beach on Friday, September 1.
The Grammy-winning group, responsible for top ’90s songs “On Bended Knee” and “I’ll Make Love to You,” will make their third BleauLive appearance as they host an intimate night of their top R&B hits and recent tracks.
Multiple packages that include VIP tables, dinner, and room options are available to concertgoers who pick up tickets on the BleauLive official website.
In advance of the show, fans can pick up the group’s latest Love You Forever digital collectibles, the “Keys to Love” collection. It includes music made specifically for the project and access to Boyz II Men VIP show opportunities and exclusive merch.
One of James Taylor’s classic albums is getting a new vinyl reissue. The singer’s 1979 studio album, Flag, will be getting a limited-edition reissue by Music on Vinyl.
Only 1,000 copies of the new pink-colored vinyl will be available on September 1 courtesy of Music on Vinyl. It will be released on 180-gram audiophile vinyl, with a gatefold sleeve with linen laminate finish.
Released in May 1979, Flag was Taylor’s ninth studio album and featured such songs as “Millworker,” “Brother Trucker” and a cover of “Up On The Roof,” which was his final top-40 hit as a solo artist.
Music on Vinyl has already released several James Taylor albums on limited-edition vinyl. Previous releases include 1985’s That’s Why I’m Here, 1977’s JT, 2002’s October Road and 1993’s James Taylor Live.
Freddie Mercury will soon receive another prestigious honor. The late Queen frontman will be posthumously inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame later this year.
“Inductees and Artist Ambassadors inspire courage, character, and service for the betterment of our country and humanity,” Grammy member Maki Hsieh, president and CEO of the Asian Hall of Fame and CEO of the organization’s founder, the Robert Chin Foundation, shares.
Mercury was born in Zanzibar, but both his parents were Asian, from the Parsi community of western India.
The Asian Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will be celebrated at a fundraiser taking place at the Biltmore in Los Angeles on October 21. Tickets for the gala are on sale now.
Fans of Michael Jackson will be able to transport themselves into the world of his music thanks to a new installation happening in Las Vegas in late August.
The Michael Jackson Blue Sapphire Celebration Immersive Event is a free three-day event that coincides with what would have been the King of Pop’s 65th birthday aka the blue sapphire birthday. Jackson fans will be able to enjoy interactive elements, along with experiences dedicated to specific Jackson tunes. There will also be social media and photo opportunities.
The Michael Jackson Blue Sapphire Celebration Immersive Event is going down August 27, 28 and 29 at The Shoppes at Mandalay Bay, located on the sky bridge between the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and the Luxor Hotel and Casino.
L-R: Chloe Lattanzi, John Easterling, Olivia Newton-John; Sam Tabone/WireImage
Olivia Newton-John died a year ago on Tuesday, August 8. And while her daughter and her husband miss the iconic singer, actress and activist every day, they say they’ve not only felt her presence since she’s been gone — they’ve seen it, too.
Speaking to People magazine, Olivia’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, says, “Two weeks after she passed, my phone accidentally took a picture of my dog, and there, floating by his head, was a little blue orb.”
Chloe says the orb was the same color as an aquamarine pendant necklace Olivia’s husband, John Easterling, had once given to the Grease star, which she’d subsequently given to Chloe. Amazingly, Chloe says Olivia predicted that she’d visit her family in this manner.
“Mom and I had talked years back. We’d watch these paranormal shows, and I’d say, ‘You gotta show up for me,'” Chloe says. “And she was like, ‘I’ll show up as one of those orb things.’”
And Chloe isn’t the only one who’s experienced this. Easterling says two months ago, he traveled to Peru — where the two got married — with Olivia’s ashes to hold a private ceremony. When he took a picture, he says, “This blue orb is right between my eyes.” He adds, “It’s been a supernatural year.”
John and Chloe plan to continue Olivia’s activism: They’ll be leading the annual fundraising walk the singer did in her home city of Melbourne, Australia, to raise money for her Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre.
“It’s an honor,” says Chloe. “I know it’s going to be really hard emotionally, but I’m excited to do this for her.”
U2 found themselves atop the Billboard Hot 100 for the second time with “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” the second single off their first #1 album, The Joshua Tree. The track spent two weeks in the #1 position.
The Irish rockers had previously topped the chart with the album’s first single, “With Or Without You,” which spent three weeks at #1.
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” went on to become one of the band’s most iconic tracks, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1988: Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It has also landed on several best-of lists, including Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
In other U2 facts…August 8 also happens to be U2 guitarist The Edge’s birthday. He turns 62 this year.
Sinéad O’Connor was laid to rest in Ireland Tuesday, August 8, in a private ceremony attended by fellow musicians like Bob Geldof and U2’s Bono and TheEdge, as well as Irish president Michael D. Higgins, The Independent reports.
Fans lined the streets of Bray, County Wicklow, to pay their respects to the singer outside her former home, Montebello, which she lived in for 15 years. Fans also left notes, flowers and candles outside the home in tribute to the singer.
Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, an Islamic scholar and chief imam at the Islamic Centre of Ireland, led the private ceremony, calling the singer “a voice that moved a generation of young people” and adding she “could reduce listeners to tears by her otherworldly resonance.”
Following the service, the hearse with O’Connor’s flower-covered casket drove through the streets as fans threw more flowers and applauded as it passed. It was led by a Volkswagen van, covered in both a pride and Rastafarian flag, that played Sinead’s music.
“The outpouring of grief and appreciation of the life and work of Sinéad O’Connor demonstrates the profound impact which she had on the Irish people,” Higgins said of the singer. “The unique contribution of Sinead involved the experience of a great vulnerability combined with a superb, exceptional level of creativity that she chose to deliver through her voice, her music and her songs.”
O’Connor passed away in July at the age of 56. So far, no cause of death has been revealed.
The official Beatles fan magazine, The Beatles Book Monthly, is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its debut by making a selection of prints from the magazine’s vast library available for purchase for the first time.
The Beatles Book Monthly was launched in August 1963 by publisher Sean O’Mahony and gave fans the latest news on the band. The first edition featured bios on Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, along with manager Brian Epstein and producer George Martin. Subsequent issues chronicled the band’s rise to superstardom and gave fans the inside scoop on their favorite group.
In total there were 77 issues of the mag, which sold about 330,000 copies each month. The final edition was published December 1, 1969, although that magazine was later revived in May 1976 and again in October 1982. Thanks to photographer Leslie Bryce getting unprecedented access to the band, the mag featured loads of photos; over 6,000 of them went on to become part of The Beatles Book Photo Library.
Fans can now get their hands on prints of some of those photos from the library, including a “Hard Day’s Night” photo of Lennon, a shot of McCartney onstage during the band’s last British tour, a smiling shot of Ringo and a shot of Harrison during the Rubber Soul recording sessions.
The prints are available for purchase at bbplstore.com and range in price from $78 to $143, depending on the size.
Van Halen’s post David Lee Roth years could have looked a lot different, according to Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes. In an interview with The Classic Rock Podcast, Hughes revealed that Eddie Van Halen told him he had considered asking him to join the band to replace the departing Roth.
“Well, you know, Eddie was newly sober at that time,” he told the podcast regarding the discussion. “This would have been … I don’t know, 22 years ago.”
He continued, “We spoke about it. … Would it have worked? I’m not sure. Unless I was completely sober, and I’ve been sober now for almost 24 years. Yeah, it would have been interesting, wouldn’t it? You never know.”
Instead, Van Halen replaced Roth with Sammy Hagar and went on to release four albums that went to number one in the U.S.: 1986’s 5150, 1988’s OU812, 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and 1995’s Balance.
As for Hughes, he’s due to kick off a new tour with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Deep Purple’s classic 1974 album, Burn. It kicks off August 17 in Falls Church, Virginia. A complete list of dates can be found at glennhughes.com.
Two of Quincy Jones‘ classic albums have gotten new, expanded edition digital releases as part of the continuing celebration of the legendary music producer’s 90th birthday this year.
The new releases include 1989’s Back on the Block, which featured musicians such as Chaka Khan,DionneWarwick, Luther Vandross, Ice-T and Ella Fitzgerald. The expanded edition includes 27 new tracks, including remixes, edits and extended mixes.
Also getting a new digital reissue is 1995’s Q’s Jook Joint, which featured special guests Barry White, Bono, Charlie Wilson, Queen Latifah, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder and others. The expanded edition includes 21 new tracks, including 11 mixes and edits. Instrumental versions of the track “Slow Jams,” featuring Babyface, White and others, and another nine mixes of “Stomp,” which features Khan, Wilson and Coolio, are also included.
Jones celebrated his 90th birthday on March 14. His legacy was celebrated in July with a two-night, star-studded celebration at the Hollywood Bowl, featuring performances by such artists as John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, H.E.R. and Stevie Wonder.
