Classic Hits

Journey co-founder and original rhythm guitarist George Tickner has passed away, according to a Facebook post by his former bandmate Neal Schon.

Schon shared a series of posts about Tickner’s death at the age of 76, captioning it, “Dear George ‘Of a Lifetime’ is still one of my favorite songs ever. RIP brother God Speed.” He added in a post on Twitter, “RIP George you now fly with the Angels.”

Tickner appeared on Journey’s 1975 self-titled debut. He wrote three songs on the album, including the one Schon mentioned in his post, “Of a Lifetime.” He also has a writing credit on two songs on the band’s follow-up, 1976’s Look Into The Future, but he had left the group to attend Stanford’s medical school by the time it was released. He was credited with writing one song on the band’s third album, 1977’s Next. 

Journey, of course, went on to superstardom, selling 48 million albums in the U.S. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Although Tickner hadn’t been with the band for years, he was on hand in 2005 when Journey received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Jethro Tull is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their 14th studio album, Broadsword and The Beast, with a new reissue.

Broadsword and The Beast 40th Anniversary Edition, available September 1, will feature a host of goodies for Jethro Tull fans, including demos, live recordings, sessions from 1981 and more, along with new mixes from Steven Wilson. 

It will be released in a variety of formats, including a five-CD, three-DVD Monster Edition, which features a live concert recorded in Germany in 1982. There will also be a four-LP vinyl edition.

Broadsword and The Beast 40th Anniversary Edition is available for preorder now. 

Jethro Tull is currently on a tour of Europe and will hit the U.S. this summer, starting with a show in Highland Park, Illinois, on August 18. A complete list of dates can be found at jethrotull.com.

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Dead & Company brought their Final Tour to Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado, and wrapped their three-night stand on Monday, July 3, with a very special guest: Dave Matthews.

Matthews came out towards the end of the second set, joining the band on acoustic guitar for their cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.” He then stuck around to join in on The Crickets’ “Not Fade Away” and  returned for two encores: Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” and The Band’s “The Weight.”

That wasn’t the only surprise during the band’s time in Boulder. During the July 2 show, drummer Mickey Hart provided vocals for the third verse of the classic “Fire on the Mountain.”

Dead & Company’s Final Tour is winding down. They are at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington on July 7-8, and will wrap the tour with a three-night stand at Oracle Park in San Francisco, July 14-16.

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Elton John‘s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is set to wrap up this weekend in Sweden, but it’s managed to set one more record.

Already the highest-grossing tour of all time, the trek is now the first ever to earn $900 million or more, reports Billboard. Based on new figures through June 18, Elton’s tour has now grossed $910.4 million. By comparison, the second highest-grossing tour of all time, Ed Sheeran‘s Divide tour, only earned $776.4 million.

There are just eight shows left to gather ticket sales data on, and Billboard Boxscore estimates that when all is said and done, Elton will have added another $15 to $20 million to the total.

The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour started way back in 2018 but was postponed in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. It eventually resumed in January 2022.

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U2 has announced a vinyl reissue of the band’s 1993 album, Zooropa, in honor of its 30th anniversary.

The record will be available as a limited edition transparent yellow two-LP set in October. You can preorder your copy now.

Zooropa was first released July 5, 1993, 30 years ago Wednesday. It followed U2’s massive 1991 album, Achtung Baby, and continued to experiment with the dance and electronic elements of its predecessor, which came to a head with 1997’s Pop.

The arrival of the Zoorapa reissue coincides with U2’s upcoming UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere Las Vegas residency, which launches in September.

Meanwhile, U2 will be streaming their ZOO TV: Live from Sydney concert film, which was recorded in 1993, during a free global watch party beginning July 12 at 3 p.m. ET.

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Jimmy Buffett has returned to the stage.

People reports that the 76-year-old was the surprise guest this past weekend at a Rhode Island concert headlined by songwriter and Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band bandmate Mac McAnally.

Fan-shot video posted to Facebook shows McAnally performing the Alan Jackson/Buffett hit “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” changing one of the lyrics to sing, “At a moment like this, I can’t help but wonder what would Jimmy Buffett do?” The crowd immediately went wild at the sight of Buffett, who replied to the question, “I would come play for you.”

The pair then continued the song together, with Buffett later telling the crowd, “Well, it is good to see an audience, let me tell you that.”

Buffett canceled a South Carolina show in May, telling fans on social media he’d been hospitalized to “address some issues that needed immediate attention.” He was supposed to headline Milwaukee Summerfest on July 6, but that performance was also canceled.

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On This Day, July 5, 2015…

The Grateful Dead played the final show of a three-night stand at Chicago’s Soldier Field, featuring special guests Bruce Hornsby and Trey Anastasio.

The show was billed as the final time Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann would perform together, but that fall, Kreutzmann, Hart and Weir formed Dead & Company, with guitarist John Mayer. They initially announced just one show, but went on to tour the country and would subsequently go on to tour each summer. 

Dead & Company, without Kreutzmann, is currently on what they are billing as their Final Tour. The trek wraps with a three-night stand in San Francisco, July 14-16.

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UB40 just kicked off the U.S. leg of their UB45 summer tour, celebrating their 45th anniversary. For drummer and original member Jimmy Brown, there are few things better than getting to play for an American audience.

Jimmy tells ABC Audio he loves that U.S. audiences “make noise,” explaining, “There’s nothing worse than an overly sophisticated audience that sat back and says, ‘Go on, entertain me.’ In America …. they want to roll up their sleeves and they want to get involved, you know, which I think is a really great thing.”

For Jimmy, the goal of every show is to get people up and moving to their songs. “I want everybody to be singing at the top of their [lungs] and dancing,” he says. “We don’t like seats. Even if you’re at the age now where you want to sit down, it’s not going to happen.”

Lead singer Matt Doyle, who has been with the band since 2021, also loves American audiences, calling them the “funniest bunch of people I’ve ever met.” He adds, “It was always been my dream to come to the States so I’m very thankful that it’s happening.”

And after 45 years with the band, Jimmy can’t help but appreciate that he still gets to play to fans of UB40 music.

“Every tour for us is something special because who knows when the next one is going to be,” he says. “So you have to appreciate what you’re doing right now rather than think, ‘Oh next time we’ll do this, next time we’ll do that.’ You put everything into the one you’re doing.”  

The UB45 summer tour hits Westbury, New York, on Thursday, July 6. A complete list of dates can be found at UB40.global.

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Dolly Parton is sharing some more behind-the-scenes tidbits about her upcoming rock album, Rockstar. While it’s filled with all-star guests like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Elton John, she tells HitsDailyDouble she had the most fun recording with Stevie Nicks and Debbie Harry.

Dolly and Stevie duet on Nicks’ “What Has Rock ‘n’ Roll Ever Done for You,” which Dolly calls a “performance piece” that Stevie “had never put on a record but had always wanted to.”

“When we got in the studio, it was just fun, because we kinda ad-libbed at the front and on the end,” she says. “I like those kinda loose songs, because I’ve always been a performer and entertainer, and there’s a lot to be said when you can hear the fun.” 

Dolly recorded Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” with Harry, with Dolly noting it was “great fun.” “She came down, and we got to know each other quite a bit,” she says. “She is just the sweetest people, so good.”

Rockstar also includes Dolly covering Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic “Freebird,” which features Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle. Dolly also got permission from the late Ronnie Van Zant’s widow to include his vocals on the track, making the song extra special.

“That’s not going to be on the Lynyrd Skynyrd record, only the version we did. She allowed that, and I was so happy we got to use his real voice,” Dolly says. “It made it so special. I get chills every time I hear it.”

Dolly Parton’s Rockstar drops November 17. It is available for preorder now.

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Tuesday, July 4, is Independence Day, and as always, PBS is celebrating with its annual special A Capitol Fourth.

Hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro, this year’s concert features performances by Chicago, Babyface, Boyz II Men and Belinda Carlisle, as well as the cast of the Broadway show A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. Best of all, the show will give you a front-row seat to Washington, D.C.’s, spectacular fireworks display.

The event is broadcast live from the West Front of the United States Capitol, and is free and open to the public.

Most stations will air the show Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET and will repeat it at 9:30 p.m. ET, but check your local listings.

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