Classic Hits

Stevie Nicks, who owns a house on Maui, has posted a lengthy essay mourning the loss from the wildfires in Hawaii — especially the devastation of Lahaina, which is about 15 minutes from her house there.

“This island, in so many ways, defines Fleetwood Mac and me and our families,” she writes. “Mick [Fleetwood] and I came here in 1978…he said to me, ‘I will live and die on this island.’ I knew he was telling me his truth. John [McVie] also lived here in Maui for a long time — Christine [McVie] never lived here but visited many times.”

Stevie mentions that her niece, her husband and their son were at her home when the fires started, though they were eventually able to get to safety and leave. “They escaped a bullet,” Stevie writes, adding, “The end result could have been very different.”

“The Lahaina that we knew — the Lahaina that in many ways connect Fleetwood Mac and our music to the world, is gone,” she writes. “But my memories of everything that happened to me there is clear as a bell” — including, she notes, meeting her longtime backing singer, Sharon Celani, there in 1979.

“Lahaina is not gone,” Stevie concludes. “It is just away. With Aloha, Stevie Nicks.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

U2’s Bono and The Edge brought their star power to the Friday, August 11, opening of the Sarajevo Film Festival, where the documentary Kiss the Future was screening.

Bono surprised the crowd with an a cappella rendition of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” with The Edge and the crowd joining in.

Kiss the Future, directed by Nenad Cicin-Sain and produced by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Sarah Anthony, follows a group of underground musicians and creatives during the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted from April 1992 to February 1996. The doc includes footage of U2’s memorable 1997 concert at Koševo Stadium celebrating the country’s liberation, along with interviews with the band.

The Sarajevo Film Festival runs until August 18.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, August 14, 1971… 

English rockers The Who released their iconic album Who’s Next, featuring such future Who classics as “Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and “Behind Blue Eyes.”

The album was originally conceived as another rock opera, Lifehouse, following their 1969 hit Tommy. Pete Townshend eventually scrapped the whole project, although a 10-CD/Blu-ray set of the recordings from the sessions are finally set for release on September 15. 

Who’s Next was a critics darling, and consistently lands on lists of the greatest albums of all time. The album was the band’s only #1 in the U.K.; it hit #4 on the Billboard 200 Album chart and has been certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sammy Hagar has a lot of business ventures outside of music, and he’s setting his sights on one more.

The former Van Halen frontman owns several restaurants and nightclubs, including his Cabo Wabo Cantina, and now he says he wants to go even bigger, with his very own resort. 

“I want a resort: Sammy’s Resort World,” he shared during an appearance on The Kenny Aronoff Sessions podcast. “Everything Sammy. Basically, Sammy’s Island.” 

He adds, “Like, if you went to my island, I’d have everything there for you. The food I like to eat, the drink I like to drink. You’ll be listening to my music and other people’s music that I like.” 

Hagar hints that the resort will need to be by a beach, noting, “I have to have a coast.” And like his Cabo Wabo chain, it would include a place for him to get up onstage and play. 

He says, “Now, this is my dream, OK? It’s going to happen. I’m telling you it’s going to happen.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

David Lee Roth is back with another somewhat bizarre video, this time proving to fans he’s skillful with a samurai sword.

The former Van Halen frontman’s latest clip has him showing off a series of sword moves, soundtracked to the tune “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3, better known as the theme song to the HBO hit mobster series The Sopranos.

Roth captioned the black-and-white video “Inazuma II,” a reference to an earlier clip, “Inazuma,” posted in July. That video featured another sword routine, set to the Queen classic “We Will Rock You.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Foghat is set to return with their first new album in seven years. The band will release their 17th studio album, Sonic Mojo, November 10, with the first single from the record, “Drivin’ On,” available August 25. 

The album features three new songs co-written by founding member/drummer Roger Earl, along with guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Rodney O’Quinn and singer/guitarist Scott Holt. It also includes three songs co-written by Earl’s former Savoy Brown bandmate Ken Simmonds before he passed away in December 2022. 

Sonic Mojo will be released on CD and 180-gram neon purple vinyl. Fans can presave the new single “Drivin’ On” now and check out a preview on YouTube.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Band’s Robbie Robertson certainly lived an interesting life, and after news of his death hit this week, evidently a lot of people realized they wanted to learn more about it.

Variety reports that the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s memoir, Testimony, is back on top of the bestseller list. 

Released in 2017, Robertson spent five years writing Testimony, which covers his upbringing in Toronto and his musical journey, which begins at 16. He writes about touring with Bob Dylan in 1966, his time in The Band, the group’s breakup following their The Last Waltz concert and more.

As the description notes, “Above all, it’s the moving story of the profound friendship between five young men who together created a new kind of popular music.”

Robertson died Wednesday, August 9, after a long illness. He was 80.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A classic Van Morrison album just got a new high fidelity reissue.

Morrison’s 1970 album, His Band and the Street Choir, is the latest release in Rhino High Fidelity’s new series of limited-edition, high-end vinyl reissues. The pressing is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies and includes an exclusive interview with the album’s engineer, Elliot Scheiner, as well as a lyric sheet.

“Every take with this guy was just brilliant,” Scheiner says in the interview. “The best Black singer I ever met was Ray Charles. The best white singer was Van Morrison.”

His Band and the Street Choir was Van Morrison’s fourth studio album and featured the top 10 single “Domino.” The track reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was higher than Morrison’s signature hit, “Brown Eyed Girl,” which peaked at #10.

The Rhino High Fidelity reissue of His Band and the Street Choir is available now for $39.98.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Madonna is gearing up to celebrate her birthday and announce her rescheduled Celebration Tour dates, but she took time out Friday to wish a happy birthday to her oldest son, Rocco, who turns 23 on August 11.

Rocco was born in 2000; his father is director Guy Ritchie, Madonna’s then-boyfriend. He was christened in Dornoch, Scotland, on December 21 of that year, and Madonna and Guy got married the next day. It was her second marriage and his first. The two split in 2008.

Madonna posted a montage of photos of Rocco, from infancy to adulthood, and wrote, “Happy Birthday Dearest Rocco……From the day you were conceived, Life with You Has been an adventure. From Your Pre Mature Birth to your love of Skate Boarding, Dirt Bikes. Break Dancing, Parkour, Graffiti and all Adrenaline Provoking activities!”

“You have made me worry— possibly more than any other person on the planet,” she continued. “But You have taken the road less traveled by and that will make all the difference! Nothing gives me more Joy then to watch you grow as an artist!”

Noting that Rocco is now a painter, Madonna concluded, “To quote your favorite painter Lucian Freud— ‘What do I ask of a painting? I ask it to astonish, disturb, seduce, convince!’ Keep Walking Down Your Own Road. I’m so proud of you!”

Madonna is also mother to son David and daughters Lourdes, Mercy, Stella and Estere. She turns 65 on August 16.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sammy Hagar is among the many stars expressing their grief over the devastation caused by wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.

“There are no words to describe the heartbreak that my family and I are feeling for the people of Maui,” he writes on Instagram. “We called the island our home for over 20 years and remain forever attached to the community.”

He shared his “deepest gratitude” to the employees of his restaurant, Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill, who helped folks who were stranded at the Kahului Airport. 

“Since day one, our Beach Bar & Grill has given back to the island that has graciously made us part of their community,” he writes. “We will continue to show our love and support for our island family and we are actively working to be a part of the island’s relief efforts.” 

Van Halen’s Michael Anthony commented on the post, revealing that he and his wife, Sue, were in Maui during the wildfires, but were able to get out safely before the airports closed.

“It was heartbreaking to see the fires from our hotel as we were just at Mick Fleetwoods restaurant on front St. having a relaxing dinner on Sat!!” he writes, referring to the Fleetwood Mac founder’s restaurant, which has been destroyed by the fires. “Our hearts go out all our Ohana on the island.” 

Fans did ask Sammy what they could do to help; he urged them to make sure they do their research before donating any money, but he offered up some suggestions. He shares, “I like Maui food bank, and some local church shelters i feel are a safe bet and are much needed for the local people on Maui.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.