Classic Hits

Bruce Springsteen hasn’t made it a secret that his upcoming Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour is going to get political, and he doesn’t care if that ruffles a few feathers.

In an interviews with the Minnesota Star Tribune, The Boss comes right out and says, “The tour is going to be political and very topical about what’s going on in the country,” noting he doesn’t concern himself about possible blowback for taking a stand.

“My job is very simple: I do what I want to do, I say what I want to say and then people get to say what they want to say about it,” he says. “Those are the rules of my game. That’s fine with me.”

He adds, “I don’t worry about if you’re going to lose this part of your audience. I’ve always had a feeling about the position we play culturally, and I’m still deeply committed to that idea of the band. The blowback is just part of it. I’m ready for all that.”

For Springsteen, speaking out is more important than ever considering the current climate.

“I don’t know of another time when the country has been as critically challenged and our basic ideas and values as critically challenged as they are right now,” he says. “It’s a critical, critical moment.”

And fans can expect the rocker to get his message across through the songs he chooses to play each night.

“The E Street Band is built for hard times. It always was,” he notes. “These are the moments when I think we can be of real value and real worth to the community. These are moments that fill the band with purpose, so I try to fill the set list around those ideas.”

The tour kicks off Tuesday in Minneapolis.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Train’s album Drops of Jupiter, which features the Grammy-winning title track, was released on March 27, 2001, which is why this Friday the band will play a unique gig to mark the album’s 25th anniversary.

Train will perform a pop-up show at the Sigma Chi frat house at San Diego State University. It will be livestreamed on Instagram starting at 6:30 p.m. PT. While the band is generally associated with San Francisco, they have a connection to the university through a family member, hence the choice of venue.

Drops of Jupiter, Train’s second album, is their bestselling release to date. A summer tour celebrating the anniversary will kick off July 8 in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

Train plans to release a new album later this year; earlier in March they previewed it with the release of the song “The Weekend.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul McCartney is back with his first solo album in over five years.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will release The Boys of Dungeon Lane on May 29, described in a press release as “a collection of rare and revealing glimpses into memories never-before shared along with some newly inspired love songs.”

The songs have a reflective McCartney writing about his childhood in Liverpool, early adventures with future Beatles bandmates George Harrison and John Lennon, and more.

“Looking back on your life, you go, ‘Wow, did we really do that?'” he writes on Instagram. “All of that comes flooding back… it’s like a dream.”

And fans are getting their first preview of the album with the release of the song “Days We Left Behind,” which is now available via digital outlets.

“This is very much a memory song for me. The album title, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, comes from a lyric in this track,” McCartney says. “I was thinking just that, about the days I left behind and I do often wonder if I’m just writing about the past but then I think how can you write about anything else?”

The Boys of Dungeon Lane, produced by Andrew Watt, is McCartney’s first solo album since 2020’s McCartney III. It is available for preorder now.

And it’s possible some lucky fans may soon hear McCartney’s new music live. He’s set to headline two shows at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday.

Here is the track list for The Boys of Dungeon Lane:
“As You Lie There”
“Lost Horizon”
“Days We Left Behind”
“Ripples in a Pond”
“Mountain Top”
“Down South”
“We Two”
“Come Inside”
“Never Know”
“Home to Us”
“Life Can Be Hard”
“First Star of the Night”
“Salesman Saint”
“Momma Gets By”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Just in time for baseball’s opening day, John Fogerty, the only musician to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, has announced that he’s reissuing his 1985 solo album, Centerfield.

Centerfield (Hall of Fame Edition), set to arrive this summer, will feature a remastered version of the album sourced from the original half-inch master analog tapes. The CD and digital editions will also feature live performances of the album’s three hit singles: the title track, “The Old Man Down The Road” and “Rock and Roll Girls.” The live tracks were recorded in 2024 and performed with his sons, Shane Fogerty and Tyler Fogerty.

Released in January 1985, Centerfield was the third solo album from Fogerty, who played all the instruments on the project. It hit #1 in the U.S. and gave Fogerty his only top-10 single as a solo artist, “The Old Man Down The Road,” which peaked at #10.

Fogerty has a busy 2026 ahead of him. He’ll perform at the “Thank You, NYPD” concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden Saturday, and he has a string of solo tour dates booked for May and June. In September, he’ll launch a new leg of his Legacy Tour, this time with fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood. It kicks off Sept. 3 in Tinley Park, Illinois, outside of Chicago.

On June 11, Fogerty will be honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame with the 2026 Johnny Mercer Award, the organization’s highest honor. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Dash Crofts, one half of the popular soft rock duo Seals & Crofts, known for such songs as “Summer Breeze” and “Diamond Girl,” died Wednesday at the age of 85.

An agent for Crofts’ daughter Lua Crofts Faragher confirmed the news to ABC Audio.

“Lua, her family, and Brady Seals are mourning this deep loss,” read the statement. Brady Seals was a cousin of Jim Seals, the other half of Seals & Crofts. He and Lua currently perform under the name Seals & Crofts 2.

“We are honoring and celebrating the amazing life and legacy of Darrell George ‘Dash’ Crofts, and are so grateful for the music that lives on through Seals & Crofts 2,” the statement continued.

Producer Louie Shelton, who produced several of Seals & Crofts’ albums, including 1972’s Summer Breeze and 1973’s Diamond Girl, posted about Crofts’ death on Facebook.

“Sad to hear our dear brother and partner in music has passed away today,” Shelton wrote Wednesday. “Sending love and prayers to all his family and many fans. R.I.P. my brother…..Dash Crofts.”

Crofts and Jim Seals began recording under the name Seals & Crofts in 1969, releasing their self-titled debut album that year.

The duo scored their breakthrough hit in 1972 with the album Summer Breeze, which peaked at #7. The album’s title track became a top-10 hit, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

They scored another top-10 album with their fifth studio release, 1973’s Diamond Girl. The title track from that album also peaked at #6 on the chart, as did “Get Closer,” the title track off their eighth studio album.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, March 26, 2025 …

Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe were among the artists celebrating Patti Smith at New York’s Carnegie Hall as part of the annual Music Of… concert series, put on by New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf.

Springsteen, who was a last-minute addition to the bill, performed “Because the Night,” which he co-wrote with Smith and went on to become a hit for her. Stipe performed “My Blakean Year,” from Smith’s 2004 album Trampin’.

Other artists who performed at the concert included Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O, Maggie Rogers, Johnny Depp, Glen Hansard, The Kills’ Alison Mosshart, Susanna Hoffs, Ben Harper and The National’s Matt Berninger.

Smith — joined by her band, Lenny Kaye, Tony Shanahan and Jay Dee Daugherty — ended the evening with a performance of “Peaceable Kingdom,” and was then joined on stage by all the performers for a rendition of her iconic tune “People Have the Power.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Melissa Etheridge’s new album, Rise, out Friday, is her first album of new, original material since the 2020 death of her 21-year-old son, Beckett Cypher. But despite that, the album contains a lot of joy.

The album is titled Rise after a song of the same name that Melissa wrote after the LA fires, which got her thinking about “rising up after devastation.”

“I’ve … had enough ups and downs in my life that I realized that … life is full of loss, and it helps you appreciate what we do have and the relationships we have and how we move through them,” she told ABC Audio. “And so Rise is very hopeful.”

But the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee was only ready to write “the uplifting part” of the album after completing “Call You,” a song about Beckett.

“I knew I wanted to just state that, yes, I’ve experienced this incredible loss, this crushing loss. And I’m not going to stop living … I’m going to keep going, even if you’re not here,” she said.

In keeping with the album’s theme, “Call You” is followed by “More Love,” which Melissa first performed at her daughter Bailey Cypheridge’s wedding in September 2025.

Melissa kicks off a tour in support of the album Thursday in Detroit and told ABC Audio that fans will definitely hear the hits, noting, “That’s why I play. I love nothing more than getting up and screaming and shouting, ‘I’m the Only One.'”

But she also plans to play seven or eight songs from the new album, for those who are familiar with some of the songs and want to hear them live, and to encourage those who haven’t to check them out.

As she explained, “I just think it creates new memories.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

More than 300 pieces of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia memorabilia are set to go up for auction in April.

Julien’s Auctions has announced details of Treasures From The Golden Road: Featuring Property From “Big Steve,” “Ram Rod” & Trixie Garcia. The auction features instruments, keepsakes and more from the personal archives of members of the Grateful Dead’s inner circle. The items available belong to crew chief and Jerry Garcia Band manager “Big Steve” Parish, Jerry Garcia’s daughter Trixie Garcia and Grateful Dead head roadie Lawrence “Ram Rod” Shurtliff.

Several of Jerry Garcia’s instruments are part of the auction, including the late rocker’s 1939 Gibson Super 400N Archtop guitar, his custom-made 1988 Alvarez Yairi acoustic guitar and his 1988 Dobro Model 64 “Tree of Life” Resonator guitar. There are also several Jerry Garcia amps and effects pedals, as well as a personalized Madison Square Garden tie-dye director’s chair, a personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bat, sketchbooks and a working songbook.

Grateful Dead items up for auction include speaker cabinets, a dressing room plaque from the Winterland Ballroom and an RIAA Platinum award for 1970’s Workingman’s Dead.

“These items represent fifty years of memories and experiences with the Grateful Dead — from the early days to the final shows in Chicago. Each piece tells a story of the music, the journey, and the community that made it all possible,” says Parish. “Now is the time to share these with the fans and collectors who understand what they mean. I’m genuinely excited to give people the opportunity to own the things that have meant so much to me over the decades.”

The auction will take place April 22 at The Box SF in San Francisco. More information about the items up for grabs, as well as how to register, can be found at JuliensAuctions.com.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Elton John is celebrating his 79th birthday on Wednesday, and he’s gotten some birthday wishes from his famous pals — and his husband, who’s also his manager.

“Happy Birthday to my beautiful husband,” David Furnish wrote on his Instagram. “You amaze and inspire me every single day with your courage and kindness. Thank you for all the bountiful love you give me and our sons. We absolutely adore you.” 

Elton and David, who’ve been married since 2014, share two sons, Zachary Jackson Furnish-John and Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John. Elton responded in the comments, “I am the luckiest man in the world. I love you, our boys, our life. Thank you for everything.”

Charlie Puth, and actors Eric McCormack and Ryan Phillippe offered birthday wishes in the comments.

Elton’s songwriting partner Bernie Taupin posted a photo of the two of them together and wrote, “A very happy 79th birthday to my super sweet amigo.” Elton commented, “Love you @bernietaupinofficial.”

On his Instagram Story, Elton also shared birthday posts from pals like tennis legend Billie Jean King — who wrote, “Grateful for a lifetime of music, memories, and friendship” — and Donatella Versace, who called him her “darling friend.” Elton’s guitarist Davey Johnstone also sent a message, as did Grammy-winner Lola Young and makeup mogul Charlotte Tilbury.

Charlotte wrote in an Instagram Story, “Darling, you are a TRUE INSPIRATION and a FORCE FOR GOOD — not just for your LEGENDARY music, which has touched and influenced so many, but for the INCREDIBLE work you do through [Elton John AIDS Foundation], changing so many lives around the world!”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen is getting ready to hit the road on his Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour, and in case fans don’t know what to expect from the rocker with this tour, he’s laying it all out there.

The Boss posted a new video to Instagram that features him standing in front of The E Street Band. It starts with him listing off all the cities the tour will hit, before revealing the message he hopes to convey with the tour.

“The E Street Band is coming your way,” he says in the clip, “and we are bringing hope over fear, democracy over authoritarianism, the rule of law over lawlessness, ethics over unbridled corruption, unity over division and peace over war.” The band joins in on their instruments for the word “war,” a callback to the Edwin Starr song “War,” which Springsteen has covered in concert.

The Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour kicks off March 31 in Minneapolis and wraps with an outdoor show on May 27 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. A complete list of dates can be found at BruceSpringsteen.net.

In other Springsteen news … The Boss is featured on a new compilation dedicated to the recordings of Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan. The album, Where the Willow and the Dogwood Grow, will feature Springsteen’s live performance of Waits’ “Jersey Girl,” recorded at the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey in July 1981. The album, which also features covers by Bob Seger, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, will be released May 29.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.