Classic Hits

Yes is giving fans another taste of their upcoming album. The band, currently made up of Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen, just released the new tune “All Connected,” the second single they’ve shared from their upcoming album, Mirror To The Sky, which drops May 19.

“The initial idea came from a musical sketch I’d created using the idea of our ‘connectivity’ in regard to communications in the modern age,” Sherwood shares. “It’s very exciting to know Yes are maintaining that edge and energy we all know and love.”

He added, “This track is firing on all cylinders. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it.” 

Mirror to the Sky is available for preorder now and comes in a variety of formats, including a limited deluxe box set, featuring transparent electric blue double vinyl, two CDs and a Blu-ray, with a 36-page hardcover book, a poster and more.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, April 26, 1978 …

The concert documentary The Last Waltz, about The Band’s farewell concert, opened in theaters.

The movie, directed by Martin Scorsese, focused on The Band’s Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, show at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, which was billed as their “farewell concert appearance.”

The show featured guest appearances by a whole host of musicians, including Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Ronnie Wood, Muddy Waters, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison and Neil Young.

Considered one of the greatest concert documentaries of all time, in 2019 the film was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lynyrd Skynyrd revealed in March they decided to go on following the death of guitarist and original member Gary Rossington, and Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke thinks it’s a decision that just makes sense for the band. 

Medlocke tells ABC Audio that the band, management and the families of Gary, Johnny Van Zandt and the others got together and decided, “Let the band go out and honor and pay tribute to what was great music and a great band.” Because at the end of the day, Medlocke notes, “We are still players, we love to perform. Lynyrd Skynyrd has always been a live entity, even the old band. The original band was a live entity.” 

In fact, he says playing live was always what was important to them, sharing, “We grew up in a time, Johnny and myself, Gary, we never thought about being rock stars. We thought about going out and making our living playing music.” 

And while Medlocke knows there will be some music fans who question the decision to go on, he’s not losing sleep over it.

“At some point, of course, all good things come to an end,” he says. “And for all those people out there that, you know, at one time or another beat us up over doing whatever we’re doing, guess what? At some point we’ll be gone and then they can go on to somebody else and beat somebody else up.” 

Until that happens, fans have plenty of chances to see Lynyrd Skynyrd live. They’re set to play Brandon, Mississippi, on Saturday, April 29. And they kick off their Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour with ZZ Top on Friday, July 21. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood is getting back together.

The classic lineup — Holly Johnson, Brian Nash, Paul Rutherford, Mark O’Toole and Peter Gill — is reuniting to perform at the opening ceremony of the Eurovision Song Contest, their first time playing together in 36 years. 

The band, best known for such ’80s hits as “Relax,” “Two Tribes” and “The Power of Love,” is celebrating the fact that this year’s Eurovision contest is taking place in their home city of Liverpool, England.

Nash tells the BBC that getting back together “felt like a good thing to do” for their home city, noting that he moved back to Liverpool three years ago and the reaction from people has been “always massively positive, uplifting and heartwarming.” 

The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest opening ceremony is happening May 7, with the finals set for May 13.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Before the tickets for U2’s Las Vegas residency have even gone on sale, the band is extending their stay in Sin City. 

Noting that there have already been over 1 million requests for tickets, the Irish rockers just announced seven additional dates for U2: UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere, bringing the total number of shows to 12 … so far.

The additional shows, at the new venue the Sphere at The Venetian, all take place in October – October 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, 21 and 25.

Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan registration remains open until Wednesday, April 26, at 10 am ET, with Verified Fan presale beginning Thursday, April 27.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Little Feat is set to release remastered deluxe editions of two of their classic albums, 1972’s Sailin’ Shoes and 1973’s Dixie Chicken.

The deluxe edition of Sailin’ Shoes will include previously unreleased outtakes from the album’s recording session, including alternative versions of “Cold Cold Cold,” “Apolitical Blues” and “Willin’.” There’s also a previously unreleased concert recorded August 28, 1971, at the Palladium in Los Angeles.

The deluxe edition of Dixie Chicken also includes unreleased session recordings, including alternative versions of “Roll Um Easy,” “On Your Way Down” and “Juliette.” There’s also a live concert recorded on March 1, 1973, at Paul’s Mall in Boston.

The newly remastered deluxe editions of both albums will be released June 23. They will both be released as a two-CD and three-LP 180-gram vinyl set and are available for preorder now.

And Little Feat fans will be able to hear them play these albums live this fall when they kick off their The Albums Tour. The tour consists of the band playing each album in its entirety, one at each show. The Albums Tour kicks off September 29 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. A complete list of dates can be found at littlefeat.net.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Desmond Child is ready to tell his story. Child, who has written hits for artists like Bon Jovi, KISS, Aerosmith, Katy Perry and Ricky Martin, is set to release his memoir, Livin’ On A Prayer: Big Songs Big Life, on September 19, featuring a forward by KISS’ Paul Stanley.

“The process of writing the book has been more than cathartic. It has been revelatory,” Child shares. “Not until I went through the deep and sometimes painful experience of writing this book did I realize the great adventure I’d been living … an adventure I’m thrilled to share with the world.” 

Child, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008, has been responsible for more than 80 Billboard Top 40 singles, with his hits having sold more than 500 million records worldwide. Some of the hits he’s had a hand in include Bon Jovi classics “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “You Give Love A Bad Name,” KISS’ “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” Aerosmith’s “Dude (Looks Like A Lady),” Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” Joan Jett and the Blackhearts‘ “I Hate Myself For Lovin’ You” and Perry’s “Wakin’ Up In Vegas.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lionel Richie is extending his time in Las Vegas.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has just announced a new set of Las Vegas residency dates at the Encore Theater at the Wynn Las Vegas. He’s changing things up for fans, promising an all-new show, Lionel Richie: King of Hearts.

The new show will debut with six concerts, set for October 11, 13-14, 18 and 20-21.

A ticket presale kicks off Wednesday, April 26, at 10 a.m. local time, with the general sale set for Friday, April 28, at 10 a.m. local time.

A complete list of Richie dates can be found at LionelRichie.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Gap Band has dropped their lawsuit against BMG.

Back in January, the family of band members Ronnie J. Wilson and Robert Lynn Wilson sued the label, claiming they were owed back royalties from the Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars hit “Uptown Funk.” The band is credited as co-writers on the song because it samples their 1979 single “Oops Upside Your Head,” and a 2015 deal gave them a 3.4 percent stake in its profits.

The suit claimed that BMG “failed and refused” to pay them royalties, accusing the label of keeping the money “for its own benefit and enjoyment” or “wrongfully” diverting the money elsewhere. BMG has always maintained the allegations were without merit, and now the families have dropped their suit against the label.

BMG says they paid no settlement or money to get them to drop the suit, adding they take “seriously its commitment to treat artists fairly and transparently and its reputation for doing so.” 

Regarding The Gap Band, the label says they “are proud to represent many of their music publishing and recording rights.”  

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Looks like Roger Waters’ concert in Frankfurt will go on as planned.

As previously reported, the local city council canceled his May show in the city due to the Pink Floyd member’s political beliefs, accusing him of being “one of the world’s most well-known antisemites.” Waters threatened to sue, and he has come out victorious.

According to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, a Frankfurt administrative court has ruled that Waters’ free speech was violated when the show was canceled and that the concert’s organizer, Messe Frankfurt, the state and the city had an obligation to stick to their contract and “make it possible for Waters to stage the concert.”

While the court acknowledged that Waters’ show features symbolism associated with National Socialism, it doesn’t believe he is promoting any Nazi propaganda. It did note that it was in “especially poor taste” for the concert to happen at Frankfurt Festhalle, a location where over 3,000 Jews were detained and abused in November 1938 before being sent to concentration camps, but they ruled the show would “not be injurious to the human dignity of those people.”

The Frankfurt stop on Waters’ This Is Not A Drill tour is scheduled to take place May 28. The tour hits Zurich, Switzerland, on April 25. A complete list of dates can be found at rogerwaters.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.