Classic Hits

Paul McCartney turned 80 on Saturday, June 18, but the former Beatles star has even more to celebrate: He recently surpassed the $1 billion mark in total grosses over the last 30-plus years as a solo touring act, according to Billboard.

In addition, Sir Paul landed at #1 on Billboard‘s Top Tours chart for May, according to data reported to Billboard Boxscore from nine concerts that McCartney played last month as part of his Got Back Tour. His tour brought in $52.4 million and sold 206,000 tickets.

Macca’s full U.S. trek featured 15 dates, running from an April 28 show in Spokane, Washington, through a June 16 performance in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The outing grossed $101.7 million with 416,000 tickets sold.

After his May 31 concert in Knoxville, Tennessee, McCartney’s reported total career grosses increased to more than $1 billion. Paul becomes just the 11th artist to reach the $1 billion mark in the 30-plus-year history of the Billboard Boxscore.

Meanwhile, McCartney’s May 13 show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, brought in over $12 million alone, making it the second-highest-grossing concert event last month, according to Billboard‘s Top Boxscores. In addition, the rock legend’s May 28 show in Orlando, Florida, landed at #6 on the list, while his May 2-3 stand in Seattle was at #8; his May 6 and 8 engagement in Oakland, California, was at #9; and his May 21 show in Charlotte, North Carolina, was at #10.

In other news, McCartney just announced that he’ll be playing an intimate show on Friday, June 24, at the Cheese & Grain venue in Frome, England, as a warm-up gig for his headlining performance Saturday at England’s famed Glastonbury Festival.

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Details have been unveiled for the second annual Monsters on the Mountain festival, a three-day hard-rock extravaganza that will take place August 19-21 at The Gatlinburg Convention Center in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Set in the scenic Great Smoky Mountains, the event will feature over 30 performers, including Night Ranger, Quiet Riot, Extreme, Nelson, Cinderella‘s Tom Keifer, Ratt‘s Stephen Pearcy, Kip Winger, ex-Mötley Crüe frontman John Corabi, Autograph, Queensrÿche and Firehouse.

In addition to the performances, Monsters on the Mountain will offer a variety of interactive events and activities, including photo opportunities with the performers, a rock ‘n’ roll merchandise vendor market and a rock-themed art gallery.

Tickets for the festival are available now, with three-day packages starting at $349 per person, and single-day tickets starting at $175 for August 19 and 20, and at $155 for August 21.

For more information, visit MonstersontheMountain.com.

The Monsters on the Mountain festival is organized by the same people who bring you the Monsters of Rock Cruise, the next installment of which is scheduled to set sail in April 2023.

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Jeff Beck has released a new instrumental version of the 1966 Beach Boys gem “Caroline, No” as the latest advance track from 18, his upcoming collaborative album with actor/rocker Johnny Depp, which is due out digitally and on CD July 15.

The track is available now via digital formats, while a companion music video featuring footage of Beck playing the song live in concert has debuted on his official YouTube channel.

“Caroline, No” was the final song that appeared on The Beach Boys’ lauded 1966 album, Pet Sounds.

“That entire album was great support for me in horrible times,” Beck notes. “I’d left the Yardbirds and regretted it because I had nothing. I was back living with my mum and dad. I thought, right, I’m not going sit around doing nothing. So, I bought a stereo and Pet Sounds, and I was just riveted to the spot. I remember it was a great big cure from losing the Yardbirds, having Jimi Hendrix stomp all over things, and losing my girlfriend. All that happened in what seemed like the same day.”

“Caroline, No” is the fourth track released in advance from 18 following a cover of John Lennon‘s “Isolation,” the Depp original “This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr” and a rendition of The Velvet Underground‘s “Venus in Furs.”

As previously reported, 18, which can be preordered now, is a 13-track collection that features two songs written by Depp alongside 11 covers, including tunes by The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, The Everly Brothers and the aforementioned Lennon, Beach Boys and Velvet Underground.

Beck is currently on tour in Europe, and Depp has been joining him as a special guest at each stop of the trek.

Here’s the full 18 track list:

“Midnight Walker” (Davy Spillane cover)
“Death and Resurrection Show” (Killing Joke cover)
“Time” (Dennis Wilson cover)
“Sad Motherf***in’ Parade” (Johnny Depp original)
“Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)” (Beach Boys cover)
“This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr” (Johnny Depp original)
“Caroline, No” (Beach Boys cover)
“Ooo Baby Baby” (The Miracles cover)
“What’s Going On” (Marvin Gaye cover)
“Venus in Furs” (The Velvet Underground cover)
“Let It Be Me” (The Everly Brothers cover)
“Stars” (Janis Ian cover)
“Isolation” (John Lennon cover)*

* = on digital and CD version only.

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Pink Floyd has announced plans to release a physical version of their new song “Hey Hey Rise Up,” which the band recorded with singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk [AHN-dree KLIV-nik] of the Ukrainian band Boombox and first made available as a digital single in April.

“Hey Hey Rise Up” now will be released on CD and as a seven-inch vinyl single on July 15 in the U.K. and most other countries, while it won’t be available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australia in those formats until October 21, and in Japan until August 3.

The CD and vinyl single will also include a second track, a newly reworked version of the 1994 Pink Floyd song “A Great Day for Freedom,” which originally appeared on the band’s 1994 album, The Division Bell.

As previously reported, “Hey Hey Rise Up” was recorded in late March and uses vocals taken from an Instagram post showing Andriy singing the Ukrainian protest song “The Red Viburnum in the Meadow” while standing in Kyiv’s Sofiyskaya Square. The song, which was written during World War I, has become an anthem in Ukraine protesting Russia’s invasion of the country.

The track also features Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason, along with keyboardist Nitin Sawhney and longtime Floyd touring bassist Guy Pratt. A music video for the song accompanied its release in April.

For the updated version of “A Great Day for Freedom,” Gilmour reworked the track using the original tapes, which also feature Mason and late Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright, along with backing vocalists Sam Brown, Claudia Fontaine and Durga McBroom.

You can preorder the CD and vinyl single now. Proceeds raised by the discs and the digital version of “Hey Hey Rise Up” will benefit Ukraine humanitarian relief efforts.

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A new four-part docuseries called Women Who Rock that focuses on female singers and musicians who have made a significant impact on the music world since the 1950s will premiere July 10 on EPIX.

The show will feature new interviews with Pat Benatar, Heart‘s Nancy Wilson, Joan Jett, The B-52s‘ Kate Pierson, Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, Sheila E., Mavis Staples and many more reflecting on the musical contributions they and other female artists have made.

The series will showcase the artists sharing insights and stories behind their music, as well as discussing such topics as power, fame, truth and the struggle to achieve success.

The premiere episode, titled “Truth,” will look at the roots of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s and ’60s with profiles of Staples, Khan and the late Janis Joplin,plus commentary from Weymouth, Pierson, Norah Jones, Rickie Lee Jones, Merry Clayton and others.

Episode two, titled “Defiance,” which premieres on July 17, will focus on the 1970s and such artists as Wilson, Jett, Blondie‘s Debbie Harry, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and Carole King.

The third episode, dubbed “Power,” debuts on July 24, and delves into the artists who emerged during the 1980s and ’90s, among them Benatar, Sheila E., Natalie Merchant, Crow, Missy Elliott, Courtney Love, Tori Amos and Alanis Morissette.

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Bad Company and Free singer Paul Rodgers has lent his vocal talents to a new song called “Red Harvest” by veteran singer/keyboardist Richard T. Bear, aka T Bear.

A music video for the melancholy tune, which T Bear was inspired to write while watching footage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has premiered on the Quarto Valley Records’ official YouTube channel.

The clip features live performance footage, along with images of Ukraine, a brief cameo by Rodgers, and scenes of T Bear singing on a beach dressed in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Money raised from the song and video will be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross’ humanitarian relief efforts.

“I watched as the missiles and bombs rained down upon the civilians; people trying to flee the death and destruction,” explains T Bear. “I walked over to my piano and in less than 30 minutes I had the idea of ‘Red Harvest.'”

The track also features former Wings guitarist Laurence Juber, acclaimed session bassist Lee Sklar and veteran session drummer Tony Braunagel, who produced the song with help from Juber.

All of the artists who participated in the recording did so free of charge.

“T Bear was truly inspired when he wrote ‘Red Harvest,'” Rodgers says. “I think we are all shocked at what is happening in Ukraine. Such a feeling of helplessness. We all do what we can.”

T Bear has posted a video on his Facebook page in which he reveals he’s working on a new studio album he expects to release in January.

During his career, T Bear has recorded with many well-known artists, including Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Blues Brothers, Billy Squier and Cher, as well as for KISS members Gene Simmons‘ and Peter Criss‘ solo projects.

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Can you remember back to 2012? Believe it or not, that was the last time that Matchbox Twenty released an album. Since then, front man Rob Thomas has put out three solo albums — including last year’s Something About Christmas Time — but now, it looks like Rob’s promises of new music are going to come true.

The band tweeted out a video that runs down their five previous albums, including their 2007 compilation Exile on Mainstream, plus the singles taken from each one. It’s captioned “Album #6…Stay Tuned.”

In September 2021, Rob told ABC Audio, “We’re actually working on some new songs right now. Maybe it’s an EP. I’m not going to sure what form that takes. But nowadays, it’s kind of open the way that we can present music. So we’re working on some new stuff right now that we’re really excited about.”

But in November 2021, Rob told ABC Audio that “doing a full album is probably folly” because he didn’t think the band had time in their personal lives to “make the kind of album that we would want to make.” But that was before Matchbox Twenty postponed their 2022 tour to 2023, so perhaps they managed to find the time.

When album #6 does arrive, it’ll be the follow-up to 2012’s North, which included the songs “She’s So Mean” and “Overjoyed.”

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On the heels of releasing his debut solo album, Speed of Heat, last Friday, former Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter has lined up a series of California tour dates in support of the record.

Baxter currently has six shows on his schedule: July 30 in Sutter Creek, July 31 in Mill Valley, August 1 in Oakland, August 2 in West Hollywood, August 3 in Solana Beach and August 4 in San Juan Capistrano.

The new series of shows follows Baxter’s East Coast outing in May. Baxter’s band features Speed of Heat co-producer CJ Vanston on keyboards, as well as Mark Damian on drums and Hank Horton on bass.

“CJ suggested Mark and Hank and I didn’t actually meet them until we started rehearsing for the tour,” Baxter says. “But we meshed immediately, and the initial dates went so well we don’t want to stop.”

As previously reported, Speed of Heat is a 12-track collection that features a mix of original tunes and select covers. Among the latter are versions of the Steely Dan classics “My Old School” and “Do It Again,” and the 1960 instrumental “Apache” that was popularized by The Shadows.

The album features Baxter singing lead on some tracks, as well as some guest vocalists and musicians, including his one-time Doobie Brothers bandmate Michael McDonald, country star Clint Black, Toto keyboardist David Paich and blues-rock singer/guitarist Jonny Lang.

McDonald lends his vocals to a song called “My Place in the Sun,” which he co-wrote with Baxter and Vanston, while Paich plays an organ solo on the “My Old Town” cover.

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Will & Grace executive producer Gary Janetti is looking back at Madonna‘s infamous cameo and hinted she made herself less funny because of how she dressed.

The “Ray of Light” singer appeared in the series’ fifth season as a woman named Liz, who becomes roommates with Megan Mullally‘s character, Karen.

Speaking to the Behind The Velvet Rope podcast, Janetti revealed there was a specific way that Madonna’s character was supposed to look, but the Grammy winner refused to “dress down.” 

He described Liz as “an executive secretary” and said she was “the kind of woman who wears her sneakers on the subway and carries her shoes in her bag and goes to a happy hour after work but thinks she’s… a big deal in her tiny office.”

Janetti adds Madonna was supposed to wear suits with sneakers, but she “didn’t want to wear any of those clothes.” He noted that because the singer was “at the height of her fame,” she wanted to call the shots on her makeup and wardrobe. It was also apparent, to him, that Madonna was not going to budge.

So, Madge wore what she wanted and added “long, blonde hair extensions” — but it wasn’t her character’s vibe.  Because of that, some jokes had to be rewritten because they “didn’t make sense anymore.”

“She looked like Madonna. She looked like a rich, fabulous celebrity, which wasn’t what the character was,” he said. He added, “As a result, it was about 50 percent less funny than it should have been.”

Janetti said Madonna was “funny” and had a “good sense of humor” but inferred that wasn’t enough to salvage her cameo.

Will & Grace ran for eight seasons between 1998 and 2006.

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A new documentary focusing on Don McLean‘s epic 1971 song “American Pie” and its legacy will premiere in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on July 8 and will make its television debut July 19 on the Paramount+ streaming service.

The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s “American Pie” will include new interviews with McLean and will feature the singer/songwriter revealing for the first time secrets behind the tune’s creation and the meaning behind its lyrics.

The film also looks at important cultural moments and events in U.S. history that played a role in inspiring “American Pie” and features various people from different generations explaining how they were affected by the song.

The movie includes commentary from a number of celebrities, including Garth Brooks, The Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson and actor Peter Gallagher, who share their admiration for the song and discuss how it has impacted their lives.

“This documentary is something that will make people think, especially since so many throughout the years have asked me what certain lyrics meant or whom I was referring to, but now I finally can solve many of those mysteries,” says McLean. “Everyone from Madonna to Garth Brooks to Weird Al Yankovic has recorded ‘American Pie’ and made it their own. So many people have their own interpretation of the song, and I love it.”

You can check out a trailer for the film now at Paramount+’s official YouTube channel. In the preview, we hear McLean explain of the song, “I wrote all the verses in about an hour, like a genie out of a bottle,” and how Buddy Holly‘s death helped inspire it.

The Day the Music Died also will be screened in select theaters around the world on July 14 and July 17.

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