The late David Crosby had assembled a new band and was preparing for a new show when he unexpectedly passed away in January — but now that band is going to honor him with a special concert.
Billed as Stand and Be Counted, the band, made up of Crosby’s son James Raymond, Stephen Stills’ son Chris Stills, guitarist Steve Postell, drummer Stevie Distanislao, guitarist Dean Parks and bassist Andrew Ford, with Lara Johnston and Ken Stacey on vocals, will play the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California, on August 20.
Before his death, Crosby had been rehearsing for a February 22 concert celebrating the Lobero’s 150th birthday. He had planned to perform a set of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young classics, which will now be performed by Stand and Be Counted, with some help from special guest Shawn Colvin.
Tickets for the concert are not on sale yet, but more information can be found at lobero.org.
Graham Nash will be honored later this year with the John Lennon Real Love Award from Theatre Within, which offers free workshops in creative expression and mindfulness for children, teens and adults impacted by cancer, as well as youth in crisis.
“This is a very special award. I thank Yoko (Ono) and the Theatre Within for thinking of me,” the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer said in a statement. “Over many years, I watched John and Yoko ‘fight the good fight’ for many whose voices were not being heard, a fight that Yoko continues to this day. I’m proud to be associated with the many fine artists who were previously honored with the John Lennon Real Love Award.”
Previous recipients of the John Lennon Real Love Award include Natalie Merchant, Patti Smith, Ani DiFranco and Donovan.
Nash will be celebrated at the 43rd annual John Lennon Tribute on Saturday, December 2, at Town Hall in New York City. The event, the only Lennon tribute concert sanctioned by Ono, will feature a performance by Nash, along with Judy Collins, Rosanne Cash, Rita Coolidge, Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin.
Proceeds from the Tribute will benefit Theatre Within’s programs, which include the John Lennon Real Love Project songwriting program. Tickets go on sale July 22 at 12 p.m. ET.
KISS members have achieved a lot over the course of their five-decade career, but for Gene Simmons,one of the things he’s most proud of is his relationship with bandmate Paul Stanley.
“We continue to have this astonishing relationship, and I’ve always been so sad when [John] Lennon and [Paul] McCartney and [Mick] Jagger and [Keith] Richards started backbiting,” Simmons shared in an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored. “I mean, even Cain and Abel didn’t get along so well.”
He describes his relationship with Stanley as “this resilient sort of the ‘brother-I-never-had’ kind of thing.” Although they don’t agree on many things, he notes “there’s an abiding admiration and respect for the talent that he has that I will never have, and hopefully, the piece of the puzzle that I bring to it that he doesn’t have.”
Simmons adds, “It works. You don’t know everything, and I don’t, and when you meet somebody that’s a kindred spirit, you can run and be bigger than you ever were.”
KISS is currently on the End of the Road tour and will play Rattvik, Sweden, July 12 and 13. The final KISS shows are set to happen December 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York. A complete list of dates can be found at kissonline.com.
The late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts amassed a huge collection of books and jazz memorabilia throughout his life, and now, some of those works are being auctioned off at Christie’s later this year.
The auction, Charlie Watts: Gentleman, Collector, Rolling Stone – Literature and Jazz, will consists of over 500 items, including a first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby with inscriptions by the author, which is expected to sell for between $250,000 and $380,000.
Watts’ library also features a variety of first editions and works from such authors as George Orwell, AgathaChristie, Arthur Conan Doyle and James Joyce.
Additionally, the auction will have items from Watt’s huge jazz collection, including Charlie Parker’s Associated Musicians membership card, a pair of Parker’s DownBeat awards from 1952, an annotated printed score for GeorgeGershwin‘s Porgy and Bess and more.
“Charlie Watts holds a unique position within music history and Christie’s is proud to pay tribute to his extraordinary achievements and multifaceted legacy,” Christie’s specialists Benedict Winter and Mark Wiltshire said. “Charlie built his collection of modern literature and jazz with passion, intelligence and dedication, and this two-part auction celebrates his distinguished collecting taste. We invite the public to join us in this rare opportunity to glimpse the very private world of this extraordinary musical genius.”
The auction will take place in two parts, with part one happening in person on September 28 at Christie’s in London; part two will happen online between September 15 to 29. Fans will be able to check out highlights from the auction from July 25 to 29 at Christie’s in Los Angeles, September 5 to 8 in New York and September 20 to 27 in London.
Madonna is “grateful” for fans’ “care and support” after the health scare that forced her to postpone her Celebration Tour, and she’s now telling them what her next steps will be.
Last month, the Queen of Pop landed in the ICU after she contracted a “serious bacterial infection.” Her tour, which was to kick off July 15, was put on hold while she recovered. Now, she’s taken to Instagram to announce that she’s pushing back the North American leg of the tour.
“The current plan is to reschedule the North American leg of the tour and to begin in October in Europe,” she writes. Currently, the first scheduled overseas date is October 14 in London.
“Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and words of healing and encouragement,” Madonna notes. “I have felt your love. I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life.”
Madonna goes on to describe waking up in the hospital and thinking first of her children. Then, she thought, “I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour” or “the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show.”
“My focus is now my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I’ll be back with you as soon as I can,” she adds.
The Eagles recently announced their final tour, dubbed The Long Goodbye, and judging by recent comments from guitarist Joe Walsh, they really do expect it will be a long time before they hang it up for good.
“We’re in our seventies, and we recognize that we can’t do this forever,” the 75-year-old Walsh tellsVariety about their decision to launch a farewell tour, although he doesn’t sound quite ready to give up life on the road.
“I think people like B.B. King set an example, which is, there’s no reason to stop unless you can’t do it,” he continued. “And so we’re just announcing that we’re gonna just focus on playing quality shows and slow it down a little bit. And we’re gonna play till we can’t, or play till nobody comes, whichever comes first.”
He adds, “But they’re still coming, so why stop? That’s the only thing we know how to do.”
The Long Goodbye tour, with special guest Steely Dan, kicks off September 7 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. A presale starts July 12; the general onsale begins Friday, July 14, at 10 a.m. local time. The first set of dates can be found at eagles.com.
Nils Lofgren is getting ready to release his new solo album, Mountains, on July 21, but in the meantime he’s still busy on tour with Bruce SpringsteenandTheE Street Band. And it sure sounds like his boss, The Boss, really appreciates him.
“Nils is a unique combination of talents: musical and psychological and emotional,” Springsteen tells MOJO in its latest issue. Asked what makes Nils so special, Springsteen offers, “Well, he plays the guitar pretty well, in a way that a lot of other people can’t. And what’s unusual about him is he’s got a great voice, so he’s actually a fabulous frontman.”
Springsteen says Nils, who joined the band in 1984, is “kind of underused in The E Street Band.” He notes, “He’s very, very generous with his playing and with his time. The kind of time that he puts into working on your work, your vision, your material, is very special.”
On a personal level, Springsteen says Lofgren is “about the nicest guy you’ve ever met. They don’t come any sweeter. They don’t come any more thoughtful. Any more generous. He’s exactly who he appears to be. And you know, just an incredible guy to be in a band with.”
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band bring their tour to Copenhagen, Denmark, on Tuesday, July 11. It returns to the U.S. with a two-night stand at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on August 9 and 11. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.
Five years after he first announced it at a press conference, Elton John‘s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour finally came to an end in Stockholm, Sweden July 8. The tour, which started September 10, 2018, has entertained more than 6.25 million fans across the globe and grossed more than $900 million.
During the final show, Coldplay appeared via a live video link-up from their concert in Gothenburg, Sweden. Chris Martin told Elton that he, and the world, are grateful for all he’s done for the fight against AIDS, the fight for LGBTQ rights, and all he’s done for “fashion and eyewear…sexiness, and love.”
He added, “We love you so much, we’re going to miss you so much.”
After the show, Elton released a statement reflecting on the past five years. “Every step of the way, my fans have been there,” he expressed. “They have stuck with me, they have supported me, they have been patient, and they have kept turning out for every single last show.”
“Tonight has been magical,” Elton continued. “I’m trying to process it, and I don’t think it will sink in for a while yet that I’m finally finished touring.”
He concluded, “I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss the fans and how much their support has humbled me – it will stay with me forever.”
A sweet photo on Elton’s Instagram Story shows Elton waving goodbye at the end of the show, with his husband David Furnish and their two sons waving at him from side stage.
The past five years have also solidified Elton’s place in the music pantheon, encompassing the release of his biopic Rocketman, his memoir ME, the album The Lockdown Sessions, and his recent pop hits “Cold Heart” and “Hold Me Closer.”
Here’s Elton’s final set list:
“Bennie and the Jets”
“Philadelphia Freedom”
“I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”
“Border Song”
“Tiny Dancer”
“Have Mercy on the Criminal”
“Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)”
“Take Me to the Pilot”
“Someone Saved My Life Tonight”
“Levon”
“Candle in the Wind”
“Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding”
“Burn Down the Mission”
“Sad Songs (Say So Much)”
“Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word”
“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”
“The Bitch Is Back”
“I’m Still Standing”
“Crocodile Rock”
“Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”
*Encore*
“Cold Heart”
“Your Song”
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
Music plays a pivotal role in the classic Bill & Ted movies. It turns out, they always hoped to snag a guitar great for the flicks.
Actor Alex Winter, who played Bill S. Preston, Esq. in the films alongside Keanu Reeves’ Ted “Theodore” Logan, revealed their dream was to get Eddie Van Halen in a film, and it almost happened in the series’ third installment.
“We asked Eddie to be in every single movie and every single movie he said ‘no,’” Winter revealed on the Paltrocast with Darren Paltrowitz podcast, but that almost changed with 2020’s Bill & Ted Face the Music.
“We went to Eddie, and we were like, ‘Would you please, please be in the third movie?’ He’s like, ‘You know what you guys, this one I would have done,’ but he was dying at that point. He was already quite sick,” Winter says. “He didn’t tell us that he was literally gonna pass, but he was like, ‘I’m not well and I can’t do it.’ But I really appreciate these films. We all love them. And if I wasn’t sick, I would absolutely come down to New Orleans and shoot this with you.”
Face the Music came out in August of 2020; Van Halen passed away that October.
The film was able to land another famous rocker for the cameo: Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, with Alex noting his whole sequence was “supposed to be [at Eddie] Van Halen’s house.”
Winter adds, “So it had kind of a bittersweet end. But it was a running joke in Bill & Ted amongst the little family of ours that every single movie we would be like knocking on Eddie’s door, and he’d be like ‘no’ and slamming the door in our face, so it was not for lack of trying.”
Paul McCartney shared some birthday wishes for his TheBeatles bandmate Ringo Starr, who turned 83 on Friday, July 7.
In a post on Instagram, Sir Paul noted that Ringo shares a birthday with his late father, James, who passed away in 1976. “Happy Birthday to two of my heroes,” McCartney wrote. “It’s Ringo and my Dad’s birthday so let’s have a great day to celebrate these two great people.”
Along with the post, McCartney shared two photos: one of Ringo holding up his customary peace sign and a black-and-white shot of McCartney’s mom and dad, with mom holding a baby in her arms.
As he’s done for many years, Ringo marked his birthday with his annual worldwide “Peace and Love” celebration. Ringo was in Los Angeles with several celebrity friends, so his peace and love moment took place at 12 p.m. PT. Ringo even posted a countdown on Instagram, sending peace and love to all of his fans around the world.
