Classic Hits

Dead & Company is used to playing stadiums, but they headlined a more intimate show at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Monday night.

The band played the school’s Barton Hall, 46 years after the Grateful Dead performed at the very same venue, an infamous show that became a legendary band bootleg before officially being released in May 2017. In 2012, a soundboard recording of the show was chosen by the Library of Congress for the National Recording Registry.

Just like the original Grateful Dead show, Dead & Company opened their set with “Minglewood Blues.” The set also featured other songs the Dead played at the original show, including “Jackstraw,” “Deal,” “Fire on the Mountain” and “Morning Dew.”

Proceeds from the show benefited MusiCares and The Cornell 2030 Project.

Next up, Dead & Company officially kicks off their final tour with a two-night stand, May 19 and 20, in Los Angeles, California. A complete list of tour dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Universal Music Group is teaming up with Time Studios for a new 10-part docuseries that will give music fans a behind-the-scenes look at the label’s huge music archives, with episodes focusing on The Who, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald and more.

The series, Deep Dive, will open the vaults of the Iron Mountain Entertainment archival facility and highlight the treasures stored there. It will also focus on the music archivists, curators and producers responsible for caring for what’s stored in the facility, including original and master recordings, as well as filmed performances, music videos and album art. 

“We are privileged to have the greatest collection of musical recordings, videos and artwork in the world–millions of assets in total–dating back to 1897 and the founding of the world’s first record label,” David Blackman, head of Film and Television Development and Production for UMG, shares. “Deep Dive celebrates the iconic artists, the untold stories and the passionate people who devote their lives to preserving and finding new audiences for those treasures.” 

So far there’s no word on when or where the series will air.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck were good friends and collaborators, and now Clapton is getting ready to share one last collaboration. The three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced he’s releasing a cover of the 1961 classic “Moon River” on Friday, May 12, describing it as a “new collaboration from Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.” 

Before the official announcement, Clapton shared a snippet of the song on Instagram, along with a black-and-white photo of him and Beck with the caption “5/12.”

The collaboration is being released ahead of Clapton’s upcoming Jeff Beck tribute concerts, taking place May 22 and 23 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The shows, dubbed A Tribute to Jeff Beck by Eric Clapton & Friends, will feature special guests Ronnie Wood, Joe Perry, Rod Stewart, ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons and more.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck were good friends and collaborators, and it looks like Clapton is getting ready to share a new tribute to the late guitarist, who passed away in January. 

Clapton shared a snippet of a song on Instagram, along with a black-and-white photo of him and Beck. Clapton didn’t share any real details about what he was teasing, although we’ll find out soon enough: the caption simply reads “5/12,” suggesting the news is coming Friday.

If this is indeed a new song, or collaboration, it will be released ahead of Clapton’s upcoming Jeff Beck tribute concerts, taking place May 22 and 23 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The shows, dubbed A Tribute to Jeff Beck by Eric Clapton & Friends, will feature special guests Ronnie Wood, Joe Perry, Rod Stewart, ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons and more.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bonnie Raitt is giving fans a health update. In late April, the singer announced she had to postpone some May shows in order to deal with a “medical situation that requires surgery,” and it sounds like it all went well.  

“I want to thank you all for your beautiful, caring wishes for my speedy recovery,” Bonnie shared on social media. “Everything went really well. My healing is on track and I’m feeling better every day.”

As for her touring, she writes, “The band and I can’t wait to get back to playing in a few weeks. I’m so sorry we had to postpone our shows and apologize to those of you who won’t be able to join us for the rescheduled dates. I so appreciate your support and hope you can come see us another time.” 

Bonnie was forced to postpone four shows due to her surgery. Her next concert is scheduled for June 1 in Dublin, Ireland. A complete list of dates can be found at bonnieraitt.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Earth, Wind & Fire is heading back to Las Vegas. The R&B legends have announced nine new shows at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

The new dates kick off October 20 and run through November 4.

For those looking to snag tickets, a Citi presale kicks off Tuesday, May 9, at 10 a.m. PT, with a general sale set to begin Friday, May 12, at 10 a.m. PT.

But before Earth, Wind & Fire hits Vegas they’ll be spending August and September on the road with Lionel Richie. The joint Sing A Song All Night Long tour kicks off August 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota. A complete list of dates can be found at earthwindandfire.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood reunited for the first time in 36 years last weekend for a performance at the opening ceremony of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was taking place in the band’s home city of Liverpool, England. 

The classic lineup — Holly Johnson, Brian Nash, Paul Rutherford, Mark O’Toole and Peter Gill — treated the crowd to their number two hit “Welcome to the Pleasuredome.” 

“Bless you,” Johnson told the crowd, according to the BBC. “Lovely to see you all.”

Meanwhile, Johnson has more plans to revisit all the Frankie Goes to Hollywood classics, including “Relax” and “Two Tribes.” He just announced he’ll be playing Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on October 21 and the London Palladium on October 27, celebrating “35 years of Blast and 40 years of Relax.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bailey Cypheridge is sharing fond memories of her biological father, the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer David Crosby.

Bailey’s moms are Melissa Etheridge and her ex partner Julie Cypher, and they eventually revealed that Crosby was their sperm donor, something Bailey says she always knew. 

“He was always a really cool presence in my life, even if we never meant to have that kind of parent-child relationship,” she tells People. “He was friends with my parents, he was their donor for me. I thought it was cool growing up, knowing who he was.”

Cypheridge is currently featured on the MTV/Paramount+ series Family Legacy, and she says it gave her some more insight into her family history.

“It’s special that I got to see some footage of him and my mom while I was working on this project,” she says. “It was really special for me to be able to see that and revisit those memories, especially because he passed away earlier this year.”

Crosby passed away in January at age 81, and Cypheridge says, “It’s been tough, missing him, but I think that it was really cool that I got the call, that I got to do this project before that happened.” 

She also shares that she has one very special memento of her family that she keeps in her bedroom: the cover of the Rolling Stone where her moms announced Crosby as her bio dad. “I just think it’s really cool thing to have that,” she says, joking, “I mean, I peaked in ’99. Can’t really top that.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, May 8, 1993 …

Aerosmith topped the Billboard 200 Album chart with their 11th studio album, Get A Grip, their first U.S. number one.

The album contained the hit songs “Living On The Edge,” “Crazy,” “Cryin’” and “Amazing,” with the success of the latter three aided by a trio of videos featuring Alicia Silverstone that got regular play on MTV. 

The cover of the album featured a cow with a nipple ring through its udder and the Aerosmith logo branded into it, which was deemed “the worst album cover ever” by one music critic. It also sparked backlash from animal rights groups, although the band insisted the image was produced digitally.

Get A Grip went on to sell over 20 million copies to become the band’s bestselling studio album worldwide.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.