Classic Hits

Elton John is going all out to mark the final U.S. dates of his farewell tour, taking place on November 17, 19 and 20 at LA’s Dodger Stadium. Not only will the November 20 show be livestreamed on Disney+, he’s arranged some fun activities for fans leading up to the concerts.

An #EltonLATakeover Scavenger Hunt begins Friday at four locations: West Hollywood’s Carrera Café and The Troubadour club, Hollywood’s SuperVinyl and Beverly Hills’ The Webster. Each location is posting a unique QR code inside or outside, giving fans access to official entry forms. 

Five winners will get prize packs including album T-shirts, box sets, LP sets and lithographs. But by collecting the letters displayed at each scavenger hunt location, you can also enter to win the grand prize: two tickets to the Dodger Stadium show on November 10, a picture disc version of Elton’s best-of collection Diamonds, two “Dodger ’75” eyeglass frames from Elton John Eyewear and a T-shirt.

On top of that, The Webster is hosting a pop-up at LA’s Beverly Center. In addition to a special installation, it’ll sell limited-edition Elton John products, like apparel, prints and vinyl LPs.

But wait, there’s more: LA’s The Grove will host a pop-up Elton John Eyewear shop, showcasing Elton’s career as told through his iconic glasses. Special merch and a digital experience will be available there, as well.

If you don’t live in LA, you’ll still be able to participate: A digital giveaway is open to residents of the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. Visit EltonJohn.com for details.

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Elton John usually uses his Rocket Hour show on Apple Music to spotlight new, emerging talent, but this Saturday’s episode will feature a legendary artist who Elton counts among his own musical influences: Joni Mitchell.

“I am incredibly excited to announce a very special Rocket Hour with one the most talented songwriters of all time, @jonimitchell,” Elton wrote on Instagram, captioning a photo of himself with Mitchell. “I can’t wait for you all to hear this.”

Last year, Elton featured Joni’s music on an all-Canadian music installment of Rocket Hour, along with the likes of Rush, Leonard Cohen and The Band.  But Saturday’s episode will be a full spotlight on the woman Elton called “certainly one of the most magical people I’ve ever met.”

When Mitchell’s landmark album Blue turned 50 last year, Elton told the Los Angeles Times that it was her “masterpiece.” “I always thought of Joni as an incredibly inspirational figure — I listened to albums like Blue and The Hissing of Summer Lawns in complete awe,” he explained.

“She was a fabulous songwriter and she ever repeated herself, never thought ‘I’m on a roll, I’ll make an album like that again,’ she always followed her own path,” Elton added.

He went on to note that it wasn’t until last year that he realized one of his own songs, “Madman Across the Water,” was “very Joni-esque.” As he put it, “Psychologically, her style had implanted itself really deep in my subconscious, and it came out in songs like that.”

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The jokes just write themselves, folks: Todd Rundgren has partnered with the Michigan-based company Cheef Cannabis for a collection of two limited-edition strains called, yes, Hello, It’s Weed.

One strain, Michigan Cookies, has a “super-high level of potency,” as well as a “sweet mocha coffee aroma.”  It’ll make you feel “happy and creative” and “socially inspired,” according to Cheef.

The other strain, Dosi Mintz, has a “spicy-nutty herbal flavor and a sharp kick of mint” and will make you feel a “light tingle throughout your entire body,” leaving you “pain-free and happy.”

To mark the partnership, Todd will make in-store appearances at two branches of House of Dank, a Michigan dispensary, while he’s in the state later this month for his tour with Daryl Hall. On November 21 at 12 p.m., he’ll drop by the one in Ypsilanti; he’ll be at the one in Grand Rapids on November 23 at noon. The product will then be made available everywhere Cheef is sold.

In a statement, Todd says, “So if I were to say that I was getting into the branded cannabis market, I think the response would be ‘Duh’. I’ve never made it a secret that I’ve sought inspiration from altered states. And while there’s no guarantee that you’ll create a masterpiece, you may at least find a little peace. Worth a shot.”

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When Alice in Chains released a 30th anniversary edition of their landmark 1992 album, Dirt, it surprised the band by reentering the top 10 of the Billboard chart. While the album is legendary for its dark, sometimes brutal lyrics about drug addiction, war, death and depression, the band feels that it’s wrong to think of Dirt — and by association, late frontman Layne Staley — as being completely miserable.

Speaking to Variety, guitarist Jerry Cantrell says Staley, who died in April 2002, was “truly a hilarious guy,” and that Dirt “dealt with a wide range of emotions and subject matter, beautiful and dark and everything in between.”

Drummer Sean Kinney adds, “Dirt was never a drug concept album and Layne wasn’t a d**k. He wasn’t tormented, but instead witty, funny and generous.”

Most importantly, Cantrell and Kinney are still incredibly proud of Dirt, which has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. Released during the time that they, along with other Seattle bands like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, were leading the grunge movement and changing the music industry, Cantrell notes that era was “one of the few times in my lifetime where it felt like the good guys were winning.”

“Dirt was a hell of a record,” Cantrell tells Variety. “It stands the test of time, and it’s a powerful piece of work without an ounce of fluff.”

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The closest The Who ever came to doing a holiday song was “Christmas,” a track from their album Tommy, and it’s not very festive or merry. Still, that’s not stopping Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend from headlining a charity Carol Service at St. Luke’s Church in London next month.

The event will benefit Nordoff-Robbins, a charity that promotes music therapy for those affected by life-limiting illness, isolation or disability. Daltrey and Townshend will perform acoustically at the event, which will also feature “Christmas carols, celebrity readings and performances from musical superstars,” as well as mulled wine and mince pies for everyone.

“For while I must admit I didn’t really understand what Roger and I might be expected to do at a Carol Concert,” Townshend says in a statement. “But I now understand that our presence and support is more valuable than whether I can still manage a [harmony vocal] on ‘Angels We Have Heard On High.'”

The Who have actually been longtime supporters of Nordoff-Robbins. Daltrey says in a statement, “Music therapy can reconnect people who may otherwise feel isolated or disconnected from the world — whether a young person with autism, a person living with dementia, or somebody rebuilding their lives after an accident.”

And bringing it back to Tommy, Townshend adds, “I had done research on the early work of music therapy when writing [the album] back in 1967, and continued to research and learn about how it works, when it works, and accepting that it does in fact sometimes — often — work miracles.  Very glad to help out.”

Tickets for the event are on sale now.

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The Lion King will celebrate 25 years on Broadway this weekend, one of only three shows ever to hit that milestone. At a private event, Elton John — who wrote the music for the film that inspired the musical — celebrated the “extraordinary” milestone with a special performance.

While onstage at the event, Elton said, “For a show to have run this long is very rare and it’s extraordinary. It was one of the greatest things to happen in my life in 1993 when Sir Tim Rice rang me up and said, ‘Disney don’t think you want to do this, but will you do The Lion King?’ And I went, ‘Are you kidding me?'”

“It changed my whole life,” Elton added. “Because it’s such a magical show, brilliantly put on the stage by Julie Taymor. Every time you go and see it, you just get goosebumps. It’s extraordinary, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”

He then performed his 1994 top-five hit “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from the film, which won him the Oscar for Best Original Song, as well as the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

The Lion King musical opened on Broadway November 13, 1997. It earned six Tony Awards, including one for director Taymor — the first woman ever to win the Tony for Best Director of a Musical.

Over the years, The Lion King as grossed more than $1 billion, making it the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time. Its various productions have been seen by more than 100 million people worldwide.

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To mark its 20th anniversary, Concert for George — a 2002 concert that memorialized the late George Harrison — will screen in selected theaters worldwide for one night only.

The screening will take place November 29, 20 years to the day that the actual concert was staged. Harrison died on November 29, 2001. Exactly one year later, his friends and colleagues — including Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, members of Monty Python, Billy Preston and George’s son, Dhani — gathered at London’s Royal Albert Hall to remember the Beatles legend.

Starting Thursday, the 2003 Concert for George album, which documented the event, is available on digital platforms in Dolby Atmos.

In a statement, George’s widow, Olivia, said that years ago, George imagined his ideal gig by saying, “I would like to have a few people who mean something to me.” She describes the Concert for George as “the most deep moving songs written by George … played with heart and soul by a core group of friends.”

She adds, “It is a joy to be able to relive that incredible evening again, on a big screen, 20 years on.”

Dhani adds, “Twenty years ago, I stood on stage beside my father’s dearest friends and celebrated his life and music. It was one of the most beautiful things we could’ve done on that day to mark his passing. There was a lot of love involved in that show, which has been preserved in this Concert for George film. I hope you dig it.”

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Paul McCartney will make sure fans have a “Wonderful Christmastime” by giving them the perfect gift: The 7″ Singles Box.

The collection includes 80, count ’em, 80 7-inch Paul McCartney singles, all personally curated by the Beatles legend. They include, yes, “Wonderful Christmastime,” but also “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Silly Love Songs” and dozens more hits. The box set includes a whopping 163 tracks in total and will also be released digitally.

The physical box set comes in a wooden art crate, along with 148-page book featuring a personal forward by Paul, chart info, liner notes and single artwork. The singles themselves are made up of 65 recreations of the original 7-inch vinyls, including the original B-sides and restored artwork, as well as 15 singles that have never been released in that format before. 

Those 15 singles include songs that were originally put out as picture discs, 12-inch singles, CD singles and promos, digital downloads, videos, unheard demos and a previously unheard 7-inch single edit.

The collection spans from 1971’s “Another Day” through 2022’s “Women and Wives.” Two of the tracks — rare 1971 mono recordings of “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and “Two Many People” — are available now.

In his forward, Macca writes about the impact the 7-inch single had on him growing up, how the Beatles always put a lot of thought into their B-sides and how he still likes browsing for vinyl in record stores. In a statement, he says, “I hope the songs in this box set bring back fun memories for you too. They do for me, and there will be more to come.”

Limited to 3,000 copies, The 7″ Singles Box is available December 2.

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If it’s the holiday season, there must be a new Mariah Carey holiday special.

This year, Mariah is taking her talents to CBS and Paramount+ for Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!, airing December 20.  The two-hour special will be filmed at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and feature Mariah performing all her festive hits, including, yes, “that song.”

In addition to airing on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT, it’ll be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Since Mariah’s Merry Christmas to All! two-concert holiday live event will hit Madison Square Garden on December 13, it’s likely that’s the night the special will be filmed. She’s also performing in Toronto on December 11.  Tickets for both those shows are on sale now.

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