Classic Hits

Several performers for next month’s coronation of the U.K.’s King Charles were announced last week, including Lionel Richie and Katy Perry. Now Lionel says he thinks this is going to be a bigger deal than anything that Michael Jackson, Prince or Madonna ever did.

“I mean, you don’t get in the business and say, ‘You know what? I’ll be at the King’s coronation,'” Lionel told People. “You know, that just never comes up. [It’s] A, a surprise. B, what an honor. And C, the fact of all the names that are out there that he could have had for this, he called my name.”

Asked what he’s most looking forward to about the gig, Lionel said, “I want to see the pomp and circumstance because I don’t care what you thought Michael Jackson did. I don’t care what you thought Prince did. I don’t care what you thought Madonna did. Nothing’s going to be like this. This is the grandiose of grandiose right here.”

Lionel has actually known Charles “for a long time,” and in 2019, he was named the first global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, which Charles established in 1976.

“I really do celebrate his now stepping into the king role,” Lionel told People. “He’s been in that prince role for a long time, but I’m anxious to see what he’s going to now change as far as his reign. And so I know him as a wonderful person.”

The coronation concert will take place May 7 at Windsor Castle and will be broadcast by the BBC.

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Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival is returning with a star-studded lineup of guitarists joining him. The seventh installment of the festival will take place September 23 and 24 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the first time the festival is being held since 2019.

Clapton will play both nights of the festival, with the lineup made up of artists like ZZ Top, Robbie Robertson, Santana, Stephen Stills, Gary Clark, Jr., John Mayer Trio, Sheryl Crow, Robert Randolph, Roger McGuinn, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Vaughan, Joe Bonamassa, Jakob Dylan and many more.

Proceeds from the shows, as well as an online auction, benefit The Crossroads Centre at Antigua, a rehab facility founded by Clapton.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday, April 21, at 10 a.m. local time. More information, including the complete lineup, can be found at crossroadsguitarfestival.com.

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Bob Dylan appears to be on a Grateful Dead kick lately. As previously reported, on Wednesday, April 12, Dylan performed the Dead classic “Truckin’” at one of his concerts at the Tokyo Garden Theater. Well, his tribute to the band continued at two more shows.

Rolling Stone reports that the next night Dylan started performing another Dead tune, “Brokedown Palace,” although he didn’t make it all the way through. Then on Saturday he performed another song associated with the Dead, “Not Fade Away.” 

While “Not Fade Away” was actually written by Buddy Holly, the mag notes that it was often played by the Dead in concert. In fact, between 1969 and 1995 the band performed the track 566 times.  

But this wasn’t the first time Dylan performed “Not Fade Away,” although it was the first time in his set in 14 years. Dylan played it for the first time in 1997, and then in 1999 he’d play it at shows to mark the 40th anniversary of Holly’s death. He also played it in 2009 during a show in Lubbock, Texas, which was Holly’s hometown. 

Dylan remains in Japan for his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, playing three nights in Nagoya April 18-20. Dylan returns to the road in June for a European tour that kicks off June 2 in Lisbon, Portugal. A complete list of dates can be found at bobdylan.com.

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On This Day, April 17, 1970…

Paul McCartney released his self-recorded debut solo album, McCartney, after refusing to delay its release until after The Beatles’ Let It Be.

McCartney recorded the entire album alone, playing all the instruments and using home recording equipment at his house.

While the album did receive some negative criticism, it topped the U.S. charts for three weeks – until it was replaced by Let It Be. The one song that stood out on McCartney was the future classic “Maybe I’m Amazed.” A live version of that song, recorded with McCartney’s band Wings became a Top 10 hit in the U.S.

McCartney later revisited this DIY-type of recording for two more albums, 1980’s McCartney II and 2020’s McCartney III. In 2022, all three albums were released together as a box set.

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The inaugural American Music Honors took place in New Jersey this weekend, but it was missing two of its big stars. 

Variety reports the event, a fundraiser for the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University, went on as planned April 15, although Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa had to miss it after testing positive for COVID-19. Springsteen, wrapped the first leg of his tour with a show at Newark’s Prudential Center on April 14, did appear via video to celebrate this year’s honorees.

“It broke our hearts around 6 a.m. this morning when I got a call that two of the most important people who were supposed to be here, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, unfortunately came down with COVID,” Bob Santelli, the Archives’ executive director, told the disappointed crowd. Host Jon Stewart later joked, “They’re alive. Don’t overreact. You can still see them in concert. They’re home sitting by the fire eating French onion soup.” 

The inaugural award show honored E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt, Sam & Dave‘s Sam Moore, Darlene Love and Steve Earle for their musical contributions. The night’s house band, the Disciples of Soul, performed a medley of tunes, including Love’s “A Fine, Fine Boy,” the Sam & Dave hit “Soul Sister, Brown Sugar,” Earle’s “Hard-Core Troubadour” and Van Zandt’s “I Am a Patriot.”

The artists themselves also performed, with Earle singing “Copperhead Road,” Love performing “River Deep Mountain High,” Moore performing “I Thank You,” and Van Zandt performing “Bitter Fruit.” The night ended with all four honorees onstage for a jam that included “It’s Been a Long Time,” “Hungry Heart,” “Soul Man,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” and “I Don’t Want to Go Home.”

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John Fogerty is set to hit the road in late April on what will be his first tour since regaining worldwide rights to all of his music with Creedence Clearwater Revival, and he’s certainly looking forward to playing those tunes on the road. 

“There’s sort of a new outlook, I must say,” he tells ABC Audio. “Retaining now, finally, the ownership — it just gives me kinda a new lease on life artistically.” 

Fogerty says he suspects that now that he’s in control of his music “there will be a renewed” energy onstage, but that energy may also be coming from another source.  

“I’m onstage with my own kids in my band,” he says of sons Shane and Tyler, who are joining him on tour, “and getting to share this music with them and getting to play the songs with them as a band, you know, if you’re a parent it’s the best.”

And while some kids may loathe their parents’ music, Fogerty says that’s not the case with his kids.  

“Happily, they like this kind of music. You know, I’m not forcing them to eat broccoli or something,” he jokes. “They enjoy classic rock and it shows up even in the songs that they write.” (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

Fogerty’s Celebration Tour kicks off April 27 in Uncasville, Connecticut. A complete list of dates can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

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Lionel Richie is heading over to England next month to help King Charles celebrate his coronation. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is one of several artists confirmed to perform at The Coronation Concert on the grounds of Windsor Castle on Sunday, May 7. 

“To share the stage with the other performers at The Coronation Concert is a once-in-a-lifetime event and it will be an honor and a celebration,” Richie says.

If you’re wondering what connection Richie has to the king, he’s a global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust Charity.

Other artists on the coronation concert bill include Katy Perry, British boy band Take That, opera star Andrea Bocelli, Welsh opera singer Sir Bryn Terfel and singer/songwriter Freya Ridings, with more artists expected to be added.

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Stewart Copeland is set to drop a new album of reworked classics from his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band The Police.

Police Deranged for Orchestra, due out June 23, features songs like “Roxanne,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and more, all arranged for a full orchestra. The first single from the album, a new version of “Every Breath You Take,” is out now. 

Copeland first reworked Police classics back in 2021 for a concert tour of the U.S. and Europe. He’s also got some more shows planned and is set to play London, England, on April 28. He has dates confirmed through July 27 in Sicily, Italy, with more expected to be added. A complete list of dates can be found at stuartcopeland.net.

Here is the track list for Police Deranged for Orchestra:

“Don’t Stand So Close To Me”
“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”
“King of Pain”
“Demolition Man”
“Murder by Numbers”
“Roxanne”
“Tea in the Sahara”
“Can’t Stand Losing You / Regatta de Blanc”
“Every Breath You Take”

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While some people may think rock is dead, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott isn’t one of them, although he does think it’s much harder for bands these days.

“Nowadays kids just shove their headphones on, not talking to their parents or their mates. It’s a very insular world,” he tells Metro UK. “Which is why I think playing live has become very important because people have to rub shoulders.” 

Elliott notes that the “industry has changed,” which is making it more difficult for new rock bands to get noticed. 

“Some of these new bands write great songs and they’re going about it the right way, but they aren’t getting the chance,” he says. “I don’t think it’s their fault, and that’s the scary bit.” He adds, “Even scarier is that Def Leppard started in ’77 and we’re still talking about us in 2023. Are we still gonna be talking about these newer bands in 2065?”

Next up for Def Leppard, they’re getting ready to release their new album, Drastic Symphonies, on May 19. They’ll be at Royal Festival Hall in London on May 16 to talk about their new book, Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard, which is hitting book stores May 9. They also have the U.K. and European leg of their stadium tour with Mötley Crüe, which kicks off May 22 in Sheffield, England. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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Jackson Browne is under the weather. The singer was forced to postpone his Friday, April 14, concert at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia, “due to illness.”

The show has now been moved to Monday, August 16. His concerts in Sydney on April 15, as well as his remaining dates in New Zealand, are expected to go on as planned.

Those unable to attend the new date are eligible for refunds.

Browne’s tour Down Under is set to run until April 21. He returns to the U.S. for a tour starting June 3 in Columbus, Ohio. A full list of dates can be found at jacksonbrowne.com.

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