Classic Hits

Blondie is set to make a trek out to the desert this spring. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are booked to play Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, taking place in Indio, California, April 14 to 16 and April 21 to 23.

Blondie is confirmed to play opening night of both weekends, which will be headlined by Bad Bunny and also feature Gorillaz, Chemical Brothers and more. The weekend’s other headliners include BLACKPINK on the Saturday shows and Frank Ocean closing out both weekends.

The Coachella date is one of only two U.S. shows Blondie has scheduled for 2023. The other is happening March 16 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

Presale tickets go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. PT, although there is a “very limited” amount of passes available for weekend one. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit Coachella.com.

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A lot of people likely made New Year’s resolutions to get in shape, and now folks can do that with the help of Duran Duran. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ music is the subject of Peloton’s next Artist Series workout.

“With their dynamic sound and iconic music videos Duran Duran (@duranduran) gave us timeless hits to sing and dance to,” Peloton shared on Instagram, listing the instructors for “this epic Artist Series.”

Duran Duran classes kick off Wednesday at 4 a.m. with a 30-minute run. Row, Ride, Cool Down, Full Body Strength and Yoga Flow workouts are also included. There will be a Duran Duran Hits 30-minute Lanebreak level coming January 18, available on Bike and Bike+ devices.

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Janis Ian is set to be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at next month’s International Folk Music Awards. 

The event will take place February 1 at the opening night of the Folk Alliance International’s annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri, and will be broadcast live online.

The Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Awards are handed out each year “to honor the cultural impact of legendary folk music figures,” one Living, one Legacy and one Business/Academic. 

This year’s other honorees include John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, and the late singer/songwriter and activist Josh White.

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The life of Christine McVie was celebrated in Los Angeles Monday night. TMZ reports that a memorial service for the late Fleetwood Mac star took place at Little Beach House in Malibu.

Paparazzi photos show that several of Christine’s bandmates were in attendance to celebrate her life, including Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks, as well as former bandmate Lindsey Buckingham.

As previously reported, McVie passed away November 30 at the age of 79 following a short illness. The band released a statement following news of her death, sharing, “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie,” calling her the “best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life.”

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As previously reported, Brian May was knighted as part of the 2023 New Year’s Honours List, the first from King Charles. Well, the new honor apparently inspired a lot of fan art, and the Queen guitarist was so flattered by it he couldn’t help but share some of his favorites.

May posted two carousels of knight-inspired artwork from fans, writing, “THANKS to all of you who have so kindly supported me on this new journey. I love ALL ‘my’ artists, and friends, and this is just a selection of your lovely messages which made me smile.” 

He also cautioned some fans whose art may have not made the post. “If you find yourself saying ‘my stuff is more worthy than his, or hers – it should have been ME who got that attention, or success, or glory’ … take a good long look deep inside,” he writes. “A good friend of mine had a favourite phrase … so true … he said simply ‘Talent will Out.’ That friend was Freddie Mercury.”

Finally, May shared, “Don’t let envy, or jealousy, or insecurity drain your power. Just work towards your vision. If you want it enough, you will find it. The more generosity you put out, the more will come back to you.”

Check out the artwork here and here.

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Paul Stanley is bringing his art to more people. The KISS frontman is set to appear at showings of his latest collection at Wentworth Gallery locations in Florida, Maryland and Virginia.

Stanley will kick off his appearances February 3 and 4 in Hollywood and Boca Raton, Florida, respectively. Then on February 24 he’ll be in Bethesda, Maryland, followed by McLean, Virginia, on February 25. 

The latest collection includes artwork from his Black Series, which was originally commissioned for a museum exhibition in 2020 that was canceled due to the pandemic. These works were started on a black canvas, instead of a white one, and feature his trademark bright colors.

Stanley has been creating art for decades, and actually designed and created the iconic KISS emblem. About 10 years ago he took it up again, creating portraits and abstract work. His art has been featured in museums, as well as sold-out art shows and more.

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We are less than a month away from Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band kicking off their North American tour, and the band has taken their first steps toward getting ready. According to posts by E Street Band members Steven Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren, rehearsals for the trek started Monday.

“so it begins,” Nils tweeted along with a photo of his instruments. “Off to play in greatest band in the land. let’s rock.” He tagged The Boss in the post.

Little Steven also confirmed the rehearsal news. A fan asked, “can you give us an update on how rehearsals are going?” He joked, “So far they have been flawless perfection!” He added, “(We begin on Monday).”

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band’s tour, their first since 2016, kicks off February 1 in Tampa, Florida, with U.S. dates running through April 14 in Newark, New Jersey.

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Who can forget the classic cover of The Beatles’ 1969 album, Abbey Road, featuring the infamous photo of the band walking across the street? Well, apparently Sir Paul McCartney recently tried to recreate it — and it almost turned into a disaster.

While talking about her Abbey Road documentary If These Walls Could Sing, director Mary McCartney, Paul’s daughter, shared that her favorite part of shooting the film was when her dad walked across the iconic crosswalk again. But she says he almost got run over doing it.

“The bit where the car nearly ran him over on the zebra crossing, that was so funny,” she tells The Mirror. “As we were leaving [the studio], I said, ‘I’ll film you [on the crossing],’ and he went over and this car totally didn’t stop for him!” 

If These Walls Could Sing is currently streaming on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Bret Michaels is getting ready to share some new music. The Poison frontman is set to drop the new single “Back in the Day,” described as “a feel good, road trip anthem song that will help you beat the winter blues,” on January 18. 

The song will be accompanied by a music video, which is described as “a modern day MTV throwback video to the early days of the music TV network,” featuring never-before-seen images and photos. Bret will also host a Facebook Live event where fans can ask him questions.

The new music comes ahead of Bret’s upcoming Parti-Gras tour, featuring Jefferson Starship and Night Ranger, along with special appearances by ex-Journey singer Steve Augeri and Sugar Ray‘s Mark McGrath. It’s set to kick off July 13 in Clarkston, Michigan.

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The lineup for the 2023 Bottlerock Festival in Napa Valley, California is here, and it looks like it’s going to be a great weekend of music. 

This year’s festival, set for May 26 to 28, will feature artists like Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, War and more. 

Other artists on the bill include Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Smashing Pumpkins, Lizzo, Post Malone, Lil Nas X, Leon Bridges, Sheryl Crow and The National.

 Three-day passes are set to go on sale Tuesday at noon PT. Check out the full lineup here.

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