Classic Hits

Founding Pink Floyd singer/bassist Roger Waters‘ April concerts in Krakow, Poland, were canceled by promoter Live Nation Polska and the Tauron Arena, according the venue’s official website.

The cancellation comes after Waters’ recent comments defending Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine drew the ire of Krakow city councilor Łukasz Wantuch, who has called for the rocker be declared “persona non grata” in Krakow.

In early September, Waters posted an open letter to Olena Zelenska, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s wife, suggesting that Ukraine negotiate with Russia rather than continue fighting. He maintained that U.S. military support for Ukraine was prolonging the conflict.

Zelenska responded with a Twitter message that read, “It is Russia that invaded Ukraine, destroys cities and kills civilians. Ukrainians defend their land and their children’s future. If we give up — we will not exist tomorrow. If Russia gives up — war will be over.”

Roger then wrote a lengthy response to Zelenska reiterating his beliefs.

Now Waters has penned an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the invasion of Ukraine.

The message reads in part, “I know some people who think you want to overrun the whole of Europe, starting with Poland and the rest of the Baltic states. If you do, f*** you, and we might as well all stop playing the desperately dangerous game of nuclear chicken that the hawks on both sides of the Atlantic seem so comfortable with, and have at it.”

He also declares, “[Y]our invasion of Ukraine took me completely by surprise, it was a heinous war of aggression, provoked or not.”

Waters concludes by asking Putin to reply to his letter, writing, “I would mightily respect you for it, and take it as an honorable move in the right direction towards a sustainable peace.”

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Celebrities coming out as LGBTQ doesn’t seem to be a big deal these days, but back in 1993, when Melissa Etheridge came out, it was. In fact, Melissa was such a pioneer that many other super-famous but closeted celebrities asked her for advice about doing it themselves.

Melissa tells The Daily Beast that Ricky Martin, Barry Manilow, Jodie Foster and Ellen DeGeneres are some of the now-out gay stars who approached her. “I had people come to me and say, ‘I see you being out,’ and they would apologize to me because they were not out,” Melissa recalls. “I would say, ‘Look, it’s very personal. It’s totally up to you, you don’t have to explain anything to me.’”

Melissa recalls that Manilow was concerned about coming out because, he said, “all my fans are women.” “I was so glad when he came out,” she notes. She says Ricky Martin was worried because he was a sex symbol. She says she told him, “Dude, it’s obvious you’re gay.”

“It’s been wonderful to see all these people finally come into themselves,” she adds. “The ones who come out do much better than the ones who don’t, or didn’t.”

Melissa also tells The Daily Beast that the TV show The L Word was based on her real-life group of friends in the late ’80s to mid-’90s, who at the time included everyone from Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts to k.d. lang, DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell. Another member of the group was Ilene Chaiken, who went on to co-create the show.

Melissa laughs, “I stopped watching The L Word because I lived it!”

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Linda Ronstadt will release a new memoir, Feels Like Home: A Song for the Sonora Borderlands, on October 4 that focuses on her family connections to the culture and music of the Sonoran Desert region of the American Southwest and Mexico.

The October/November issue of AARP The Magazine features an excerpt from the book, which was co-written by Ernesto Lechter, along with a brief interview with Ronstadt.

Linda grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where her family’s home sat on a 10-acre plot that used to be part of a cattle ranch.

“I felt very connected to both my grandparents,” Ronstadt tells the magazine. “We still lived like ranch owners, with horses and chickens. It was their way of life, and it became my way of life too.”

Regarding her attachment to the area, she writes in Feels Like Home, “Wherever I’ve lived, wherever I travel, my soul is always winging it down the road, south over the border, back to my land and my roots in Sonora. I feel the pull like a summons from my father’s parents and their parents and grandparents, from a chain of ancestors, most of whom I never knew.”

Linda also notes, “[M]y sense of connection to my ancestors is strengthened by my own vivid sensory memories of Sonoran things they also knew and loved, particularly those involving music and food.”

The book also features recipes from Ronstadt’s family; the AARP article includes a meatball recipe from Linda’s grandmother.

In conjunction with the book, a companion album that Ronstadt curated titled Feels Like Home: Songs from the Sonoran Borderlands — Linda Ronstadt’s Musical Odyssey will be released this Friday, September 30. For more details, visit Putamayo.com.

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Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson has released a new song called “Amigo Amiga” that pays tribute to her friend, late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

The melancholy tune, which Wilson began writing on the night that Hawkins died, got its premiere Monday at Consequence.net along with a lyric video featuring footage of Nancy singing the song and playing acoustic guitar.

“I heard myself in tears saying ‘too soon too soon’ which became a refrain in the song,” Wilson explains to Consequence. “I spent quite a few sleepless nights trying to express it all. He was a wonderful friend and we always had funny pet names for each other like ‘Amigo’ and ‘Amiga’ as well as ‘Luv’ and ‘Dahling.'”

Hawkins was featured on a song called “Party at the Angel Ballroom” that appeared on Nancy’s 2021 debut solo studio album, You and Me. Wilson is also among the many stars scheduled to perform at the second of two Hawkins tribute concerts organized by the Foo Fighters, taking place this Tuesday, September 27 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

“It is such a painful loss — but it also feels like Taylor has galvanized and re-energized rock ‘n’ roll with so many of his musician friends and fans coming together,” Wilson says. “It’s a new renaissance Taylor and the Foo family have gifted us all.”

All proceeds raised by sales of the track will be donated to the Recording Academy’s MusiCares charity.

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Styx has unveiled plans to return to The Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas early next year for a new five-show residency.

The concerts will take place on January 27 and 28, and February 1, 3 and 4. The 2023 residency follows Styx’s September 2021 and early 2022 engagements at the same venue, which is located inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Tickets for the new Vegas shows will go on sale to the general public this Friday, September 30 at 10 a.m. PT. Styx fan club members will be able to buy pre-sale tickets starting Tuesday, September 27 at 10 a.m. PT, while Live Nation customers and members of The Venetian Resort’s Grazie loyalty program can purchase pre-sale tickets beginning Wednesday, September 28 at 10 a.m PT.

You can buy tickets via Ticketmaster.com, VenetianLasVegas.com, the box offices at the resort, and by calling 702-414-9000 or 866-641-7469.

A limited amount of VIP packages also will be available.

Meanwhile, Styx is preparing to launch a Canadian tour featuring Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson and her solo group as the supporting act. The trek is mapped out from an October 5 concert in Victoria through an October 18 show in Winnipeg. Wilson and her group were also Styx’s special guests at the 2022 Vegas residency.

Styx also has a couple of U.S. headlining shows scheduled for December and early January. Visit StyxWorld.com to check out the group’s full list of dates.

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David Lee Roth has posted the third in a series of new, live-in-the-studio solo versions of classic Van Halen songs at his official YouTube channel.

The latest installment of the “Roth Lives!” series is a joyous rendition of Van Halen’s 1979 hit “Dance the Night Away,” which originally appeared n the band’s sophomore album, Van Halen II, and reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Roth’s updated version of the song includes a little guitar riff near the end nicked from the Them classic “Gloria.”

Accompanying the YouTube clip is a poster-like image of a vintage pinup model controlling two small Diamond Daves on puppet strings.

Earlier this month, Diamond Dave debuted new renditions of the Van Halen tunes “Panama” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” on his YouTube channel. All three tracks were recorded in May of this year at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles with the current members of his solo backing band — guitarist Al Estrada, bassist Ryan Wheeler and drummer Francis Valentino.

None of the new tracks have been made available as digital downloads or via major streaming services.

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When Elton John dropped by the White House on Friday to perform at an event on the South Lawn, he was surprised by a special gift from President Biden: the National Humanities Medal.

Elton performed at A Night When Hope and History Rhyme, an event organized in collaboration with The History Channel and A+E Networks. In addition to celebrating the healing power of music, the event paid tribute to Elton’s philanthropic work, as well as his musical achievements.

“On behalf of the American people, thank you — and I sincerely mean this — for moving the soul of the nation,” the president told Elton. 

Elton entertained the crowd with favorites like “Your Song,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man,” “I’m Still Standing,” and “Crocodile Rock,” a favorite of the Biden family.  He also spoke about his work with his Elton John AIDS Foundation, praising the American people and the U.S. government for their generosity in helping him in his fight to eradicate the disease.

But Elton was shocked when Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden presented him with the Medal, given to people those “activities, contributions, and achievements have significantly enriched the educational, intellectual, and cultural life of the nation.”

“I said to the First Lady, I’m never flabbergasted but I’m flabbergasted. And humbled,” said Elton. “It will make me double my efforts to make sure this disease [AIDS] goes away.”

On Instagram, he wrote, “There is so much more to be done to reach the most vulnerable communities – thank you to everyone who has joined and supported us so far on our mission to make sure no one is left behind.“

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Cars guitarist Elliot Easton and Def Leppard bassist Rick Savage are among the new additions to the lineup for Foo Fighters‘ upcoming Los Angeles-area tribute concert to late drummer Taylor Hawkins, taking place this Tuesday, September 27 at the Kia Forum.

Other artists who’ve joined the bill include Yes vocalist and Hawkins’ childhood friend Jon Davison, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Tool drummer Danny Carey and The Pretty Reckless‘ Taylor Momsen.

Additionally, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins and pop star Kesha, who performed at the London tribute earlier this month, have been added to the LA lineup.

Previously announced participants, many of whom also played the six-hour London concert, include Queen‘s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, The Police‘s Stewart Copeland, Heart‘s Nancy Wilson, the Joe Walsh-fronted James Gang, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette, Led Zeppelin‘s John Paul Jones, Rush‘s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, David Bowie drummer Omar Hakim, Miley Cyrus and Pink.

Additionally, Dave Grohl‘s daughter Violet and Hawkins’ son Shane will perform.

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Dead & Company has come to the end of The Golden Road. The band took to Instagram on Friday to announce some good news and bad news: The Grateful Dead spinoff group is going to tour next summer, but that trek will be their last one.

“As we put the finishing touches on booking venues, and understanding that word travels fast, we wanted to be the first to let you know that Dead & Company will be hitting the road next summer for what will be our final tour,” reads the message on the band’s Instagram page.

“Stay tuned for a full list of dates for what will surely be an exciting, celebratory, and heartfelt last run of shows. With love and appreciation, Dead & Company.”

Dead & Company, formed in 2015, includes John Mayer, former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti and bassist Otiel Burbridge. Their most recent tour was last year.

The band had previously announced plans for a 2023 edition of their Playing in the Sand destination festival, set for Moon Palace Cancún in Rivera Cancún, Mexico, from January 14 to January 17, 2023. 

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Pink Floyd has had many iconic album covers — The Dark Side of The Moon and The Wall come to mind. But the cover of its 1977 album Animals is up there: it shows London’s Battersea Power Station, with a pink pig floating between the chimneys. Now, fans are convinced the band plans to recreate the album cover to promote its newest archival release: Animals (2018 Remix), which features a 5.1 surround sound mix created in 2018.

A message posted on the band’s social media pages Friday reads, “To mark the release of Pink Floyd’s Animals 2018 Remix, London’s Battersea Power Station will be an eminently suitable canvas next Wednesday and Thursday, between 8:30pm – 11pm, with a sneak preview on Tuesday night at the same time, as a test run.”

The message is accompanied by the artwork from the release, which shows Battersea Power Station as it is today, with the iconic pig, nicknamed “Algie,” floating above it.

There’s speculation that the band plans to float an inflatable pig above the station in real life on September 27, 28 and 29, or that Pink Floyd members will make an appearance there, or both.

The deluxe box set comes out October 7, but the CD and Blu-ray versions are available now.

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