U2 is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their iconic live album Under A Blood Red Sky with a special Record Store Day release.
The band is set to drop a remastered version of the album on 180g red vinyl. The new release includes a double-sided insert with credits and lyrics, and the bonus of a large two-sided poster.
Record Store Day Black Friday is happening November 24 at independent record stores across the country. A complete list of releases can be found at recordstoreday.com.
Released November 21, 1983, Under A Blood Red Sky features eight songs recorded live during three shows on the band’s War Tour. Two of those songs came from the band’s show at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which was the subject of last year’s concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky.
Talk about a huge double bill. Rockers Billy Joel and Sting are teaming up for a One Night Only concert at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 24.
A Citi ticket presale for begins Monday, October 16, at 10 a.m., followed by a Verizon presale on Tuesday, October 17, at 10 a.m. The general onsale will then kick off Friday, October 20, at 10 a.m.
The show will be the first time Joel and Sting have co-headlined a concert. The friends do have a history of performing together, though, as Billy has been on the bill for Sting’s Rainforest concerts multiple times, the last time being in 2008.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Joel has co-headlined a stadium show with a fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. He has toured with Elton John several times and is currently sharing the stage with Stevie Nicks. The two artists next play Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 10.
A complete list of Joel dates can be found at billyjoel.com.
Lenny Kravitz is back with new music. The rocker just released the new track “TK421,” the first single off his upcoming double album Blue Electric Light, dropping March 15.
“TK421” is described as a “fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll romp,” with a nod to Boogie Nights and Star Wars.
Kravitz has also dropped a new video for the song, which is certainly racy. He’s practically naked for a good portion of the clip, with his chiseled body on display for fans to see.
KISS is being sued by the family of their late guitar tech, Fran Stueber, who passed away from COVID-19, which he contracted while on tour with the band.
Rolling Stone has obtained court documents filed by Fran’s widow, Catherine Stueber, along with other family members, who are suing Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for negligence and wrongful death. KISS manager Doc McGhee, tour promoter Live Nation and Marriott International are also named in the suit.
Fran Stueber, who was Stanley’s longtime guitar tech, passed away in October 2021, after contracting COVID-19 during the band’s End of the Road tour. The court documents suggest the “dangerous condition created by Defendants” led to his death, noting, “the failure to enforce or have adequate Covid-19 policies or procedures caused a Covid-19 outbreak amongst band members and tour personnel.” It also claims that after coming down with COVID, Stueber was abandoned in Detroit to quarantine at a hotel.
The docs say Stueber called McGhee for help when he got sicker, and the manager said he was sending a doctor but allegedly never did. Instead, a crew member was sent and found Stueber unresponsive. Stueber passed away two days later.
The family is suing for unspecified special damages, damages relating to past, present and/or future wage loss and income, and medical expenses.
Madonna‘s long-awaited Celebration Tour kicks off October 14 in London. Speaking to BBC, her musical director Stuart Price says the Queen of Pop “looks incredible, sounds incredible, performs incredible” and that the show will feature more than 40 songs, in one form or another.
While this is essentially a “greatest hits” tour, Price explains, “A greatest hit doesn’t have to be a song. It can be a wardrobe, it can be a video, or a statement. Every great moment she’s had, we took a bit of it.”
Price revealed that about 25 songs will be performed in full, with elements of 20 other songs appearing as interpolations or bridges between acts. He explains the set list won’t change because everything is so “highly rehearsed” but adds that Madonna’s “personality is so strong, her interaction with the audience is so strong, that it creates opportunities for variation from night to night.”
According to Price, the show has a compelling storyline that reflects Madonna’s journey, incorporating news footage, classic costumes and music videos. But the big change, he reveals, is that there’s no live band. Instead, Madonna will be performing backed by her original multi-track recordings.
“There are live musicians that perform at different parts of the show,” says Price. “But what we realized is that the original recordings are our stars. Those things can’t be replicated and can’t be recreated, so we decided just to embrace that.”
“A lot of the powerful moments [in this show] are to do with where the music intersects with something that society was going through, especially something emotional, like the AIDS crisis,” he adds. “Those moments are incredibly powerful.”
Madonna will do four nights at London’s O2 arena before moving on to the rest of Europe.
Rod Stewart has revealed he refuses to perform in Saudi Arabia because of the nation’s treatment of women and the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m grateful that I have a choice whether or not to perform in Saudi Arabia. So many citizens there have extremely limited choices… women, the LGBTQ community, the press,” he shared on Instagram. “I’d like my choice not to go … to shine a light on the injustices there and ignite positive change.”
Along with his statement, Stewart linked to an article in The Mirror, which quoted a source who claimed Stewart had turned down huge sums of money to play shows in the nation, including an over $1 million offer to play in Qatar.
The insider noted, “Rod was determined to do the right thing and couldn’t accept the offer, no matter how much money was on the table. Some things are more important.”
U2 released their second album, October, featuring many songs about religion and spirituality, including “Gloria.”
The band started writing the album during their Boy tour, but after a briefcase with all their new lyrical and musical ideas was stolen backstage in Portland, Oregon, Bono was forced to improvise new lyrics during recording sessions, which he described as chaotic.
After several pleas from Bono to the people of Portland over the years, the briefcase was finally returned to U2 in 2004.
The Jimi Hendrix documentary Music, Money, Madness … Jimi Hendrix In Maui is getting a special screening in New York City.
The special event will take place October 25 at the LOOK Dine-In Cinemas W57 in Manhattan and will feature a Q&A with the film’s producers: Janie Hendrix, Hendrix’s sister and Experience Hendrix CEO, and John McDermott, who also directed the film. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix’s original audio engineer, will also take part in the Q&A.
Music, Money, Madness … Jimi Hendrix In Maui follows the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1970 visit to Maui and their participation in the critically panned counterculture film Rainbow Bridge, produced by their controversial manager Michael Jeffery. It features never-before-seen original footage, along with new interviews and more.
What does it take to impress a kid these days? Even being a global superstar and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer isn’t enough for Jon Bon Jovi‘s son.
In a joint interview with Barron’s, Jon and his son JesseBongiovi discuss their award-winning rosé, Hampton Water, which is now available in all 50 states, as well as more than 50 countries. As part of the interview — in which they hint they may be expanding their line of wines — the father and son answer a series of fill-in-the-blank questions, such as naming their go-to meals and favorite vacations.
But things get sticky when the question turns to, “The musician I admire the most is … .” Jon’s answer? “Paul McCartney. He is still singing, touring and writing. Of course, he was part of the greatest band that ever existed.”
But Jesse’s response is, “Harry Styles. He is the man.” Awkward!
And things don’t get much better when Jesse’s asked what song of his dad’s he listens to the most.
“I don’t sit around and listen to my dad’s songs much,” he says. “If I had to pick, it would be ‘Bed of Roses.'”
And it seems we won’t be hearing Jon perform that ballad — or any other love song — at his other son Jake‘s wedding to actress Millie Bobby Brown: She’s already said her future father-in-law won’t be singing at their wedding because “the man needs a break.”
According to the Robb Report, the Creedence Clearwater Revival rocker recently purchased SylvesterStallone’s 2.2-acre ranch in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.
Fogerty reportedly paid $17.2 million for the property, which was a bargain considering Stallone was asking for $22.5 million. The sale price was also less than what Stallone initially paid for it in 2022.
The home is located in the gated community of Hidden Hills, home to several other stars. In addition to the main house, a guest house and a large cabana, it features a horse barn and arena for horse riding. There’s also a vegetable garden and fruit-bearing trees, a private swimming pool, fire pit area and more.
