Classic Hits

The Zombies will be playing a sold-out show tonight at the intimate Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace venue in Pioneertown, California, but if you can’t make it to the concert in person, the event will be streamed live via the Veeps.com platform.

Tickets for the virtual event are available now for $17.99, and you’ll be able to view the concert on demand for 72 hours after the live performance takes place. The show starts at 11 .m. ET/8 p.m. PT. Opening for the British Invasion legends will be veteran U.S. alternative rock band Rooney.

In a recent interview with DesertLocalNews.com, Zombies lead singer Colin Blunstone said about getting the chance to play at Pappy & Harriet’s, “I have heard of the reputation of this place and how unusual it is. I’m very much looking forward to going there.” The famous venue, located in the Califonia desert, hosted a concert by Paul McCartney back in 2016.

Meanwhile, Blunstone also revealed that The Zombies have “completely finished” recording their next studio album, which will be a followup to 2015’s Still Got That Hunger.

“I don’t have a release date and I don’t even have a title,” notes Colin about the upcoming record.

The Zombies will wind down the North American summer leg of their Life Is a Merry-Go-Round Tour with a three-night stand, July 28-30, in Park City, Utah.

The band also has a series of shows in mainland Europe scheduled from early September to early October, followed by a U.K. leg that will take place in April and May of 2023.

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Ricky Martin said “Truth prevails” after a court dismissed the restraining order his nephew filed against him.

As previously reported, Dennis Yadiel Sanchez, 21, filed a domestic abuse restraining order against the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer in Puerto Rico and accused Ricky of engaging in a seven-month relationship with him. He claimed he “feared for his safety” after the singer allegedly began stalking him following the end of their alleged relationship.

Ricky’s attorney had called the allegations “untrue” and “disgusting.”

A Puerto Rican court dismissed Sanchez’s restraining order on Thursday, and Ricky’s legal team told ABC News in a statement they are pleased with the outcome.

“Just as we had anticipated, the temporary protection order was not extended by the Court. The accuser confirmed to the court that his decision to dismiss the matter was his alone, without any outside influence or pressure, and the accuser confirmed he was satisfied with his legal representation in the matter,” the team said. 

They continued, “The request came from the accuser asking to dismiss the case. This was never anything more than a troubled individual making false allegations with absolutely nothing to substantiate them.”

“We are glad that our client saw justice done and can now move forward with his life and his career,” the statement concluded.

Ricky came under fire earlier this month when a judge allowed Sanchez’s restraining order to go into effect under Law 54, which is Puerto Rico’s Domestic Abuse Prevention and Intervention Act.  

Ricky’s lawyer, Marty Singer, told ABC News that the claims were fabricated and made by someone who is “struggling with deep mental health challenges.” They also expressed hope for Sanchez to get the help “he so urgently needs.”

Sanchez, nor his legal team, have spoken publicly about the case.

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Irish rockers U2 and pop/R&B legend Gladys Knight are among the five honorees who will be saluted at the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors gala. The star-studded ceremony will be held December 4 at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C.

Also set to be honored are actor/filmmaker George Clooney, Christian music artist Amy Grant and Cuban-born American composer and conductor Tania León.

The awards are presented annually by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to people who have made lasting contributions to American culture through performing arts.

In a joint statement, U2 said of the honor, “[W]e never imagined that 40 years on [from our first trip to the U.S.], we would be invited back to receive one of the nation’s greatest honours…It has been a four-decade love affair with the country and its people, its artists, and culture. We consider America to be a home away from home and we are very grateful to the Kennedy Center Honors for welcoming us into this great clan of extraordinary artists.”

Knight, meanwhile, says she’s “humbled beyond words” to be recognized alongside the other honorees, adding, “I stand here with my fans, my family, my friends, my team, and my faith in accepting such an amazing distinction. It is dedicated to all those who paved the path for me to be able to accomplish the wonderful blessings I’ve been able to receive.”

A two-hour TV special documenting this year’s event will be broadcast at a later date on CBS and will be streamed and made available on demand on Paramount+.

For more details about the event, visit Kennedy-Center.org.

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Moody Blues singer/bassist John Lodge says he’s been working on new music with Yes frontman Jon Davison, who has made regular guest appearances at Lodge’s solo concerts in recent years.

“We’ve been writing a couple of songs together … for the future,” Lodge tells ABC Audio, while also noting that Davison will appear with him and his 10,000 Light Years Band at a one-off concert this Monday, July 25, at Ocean City Music Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey.

“I’m looking forward to that,” Lodge says. “It’s great having [Jon] onstage.”

The 77-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who mounted a three-week U.S. tour in March, tells ABC Audio that he’d initially planned to play more concerts this summer, but decided to take a break before scheduling a new trek.

Lodge notes he couldn’t pass up doing the Ocean City show because he loved the idea of playing in that location.

“To go to a pier in New Jersey in the summer, it intrigued me,” he says. “The boardwalk and all that, you know?”

Lodge says it reminded him of England during the late 1950s and early ’60s, when rock ‘n’ roll shows were commonly held on Sundays at various piers during summertime.

Meanwhile, he says the New Jersey concert will basically feature the same set as the ones he played in March.

At those shows, he performed renditions of classic Moody Blues songs that he wrote and also paid tribute to his former bandmates Justin Hayward, Mike Pinder and the late Ray Thomas by playing tunes they composed for the group.

A major highlight was a rendition of the Hayward-penned “Nights in White Satin,” with Davison on guest vocals.

Tickets for the concert are available at Ticketmaster.com; special upgrades can be purchased at OneLiveMedia.com.

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Doors guitarist Robby Krieger has revealed plans to release a new album this summer with a new group called Krieger & The Soul Savages.

According to a post on Robby’s official Facebook page, the band features keyboardist Ed Roth, bassist Kevin Brandon and drummer Franklin Vanderbilt playing “a blend of melodic, psychedelic rock and soul.”

Krieger & The Soul Savages appears to be a rechristened version of Robby’s jazz-flavored side group The New Experience, which debuted in 2019 and also featured Roth, Brandon and Vanderbilt.

Krieger & The Soul Savages made their live debut last week at two concerts in the Los Angeles area. The band also has club gigs lined up on July 31 at Bogies in Westlake Village, California, and August 10 at Vibrato Grill in LA.

Meanwhile, Robby has five other upcoming concerts scheduled with his other group, the Robby Krieger Band. Those shows will take place on July 21 in St. Charles, Illinois; July 22 in Des Plaines, Illinois; September 23 in San Juan Capistrano, California; and September 25-26 at the famed Whisky a Go Go club in West Hollywood.

During the two-night stand at the Whisky, Robby and company will celebrate the 55th anniversary of The Doors’ second album, Strange Days.

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Mike Love and Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys will team up with country duo LoCash for a special performance August 2 on ABC’s Good Morning America.

During their stop on the show, the acts will deliver the national television premiere of “Beach Boys,” LoCash’s new song, which pays tribute to the legendary California pop-rock group and features guest vocals by Love and Johnston. After performing the new single, Love, Johnston and LoCash will deliver a rendition of The Beach Boys’ 1988 classic “Kokomo.”

The Beach Boys have picked up some serious country cred since LoCash’s new single came out; last month, they joined the duo to make their Grand Ole Opry debut. While they were backstage, LoCash surprised Mike and Bruce with two pairs of snakeskin boots, officially welcoming them to the country music family.

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Duran Duran will headline the opening ceremony for the 2022 edition of the Commonwealth Games sporting event, which will run from July 28 to August 8 in the band’s hometown of Birmingham, U.K.

The Commonwealth Games is an international multiple-sport competition held every four years featuring athletes from countries in the Commonwealth of Nations.

Duran Duran will perform during the finale of the ceremony, which will take place July 28 at Alexander Stadium. The band, which will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this November, will play four classic songs from their back catalog with accompaniment from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

“The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is a momentous event for the great city of Birmingham,” frontman Simon Le Bon says. “And we in Duran Duran are honoured to be a part of it in our home town.”

Adds drummer Roger Taylor, “We are so proud to be returning to our home town to close the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. It is a true honour to be part of a global event that will bring sportspeople of all cultural backgrounds around the world together as one. Another milestone in a most incredible year for us.”

The opening ceremony will also feature a variety of other noteworthy local musicians, including Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, who will perform with sax player Soweto Kinch and R&B vocalists Indigo Marshall and Gambimi.

For more information about this year’s Commonwealth Games, visit Birmingham2022.com.

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Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora is gearing up to release his first new music since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sambora was interviewed earlier this month by Red Carpet News at the 2022 Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards in London, and he revealed, “I have a new record that’s ready to go, and I’ve been kind of holding it through the pandemic. And I’d say in the fall we’re gonna put it out.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was also asked if he found it difficult not to be able to perform live or play music with other artists because of the health crisis.

“It was interesting for me because it was probably one of the first times there I had a chance to, forcibly, slow it down,” he admitted, noting that the downtime gave him the opportunity to practice a lot and write songs every day.

Sambora added, “I played a lot of piano too. So it was actually a decent time for me because it slowed me down on purpose.”

As for what fans can expect from his new music, Richie said, “I’m very proud of it. I don’t write bad songs anymore…it just doesn’t happen….[I]t’s not hard for me. I’m just lucky that way. And plus, I just write all the time, so it’s like a daily exercise for me.”

He concluded by telling fans, “Get ready, there’s some good stuff coming. I’m sorry it’s been so long, but the pandemic kind of held things up.”

Sambora’s last project was 2018’s Radio Free America, a collaborative album with his then-girlfriend, Australian guitar whiz Orianthi. 

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Here’s wishing a supernaturally happy birthday to Carlos Santana, who turns 75 today.

The legendary guitarist helped create a groundbreaking fusion of rock, blues, pop, Latin music and jazz with his namesake band Santana.

Santana came to global prominence after an incendiary performance at the 1969 Woodstock festival, which showcased Carlos’ blistering and intense playing. The group’s self-titled debut album came out that same month, featuring classics like “Evil Ways” and the instrumental “Soul Sacrifice.” The band’s next two studio albums, Abraxas and Santana III, topped the Billboard 200 and included such hits as “Black Magic Woman,” “Oye Como Va” and “Everybody’s Everything.”

From the early 1970s through the ’90s, Santana’s lineup changed frequently as the band’s popularity fluctuated.

Santana was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, then experienced a huge career resurgence thanks to 1999’s Supernatural. The album, which featured Carlos and company collaborating with various guest artists, yielded two #1 hits — “Smooth” with Matchbox Twenty‘s Rob Thomas, and “Maria Maria” with Wyclef Jean and The Product G&B. Supernatural topped the Billboard 200 for 12 nonconsecutive weeks and went on to win nine Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

More recently, Santana was saluted at the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in 2013.

Santana’s latest album, Blessings and Miracles, was released in October 2021. Following a similar template to Supernatural, Blessings and Miracles features collaborations with various guest artists, including Thomas, Steve Winwood, Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett and Diane Warren.

On July 5, Santana collapsed onstage during a show in the Detroit suburb of Clarkston, Michigan — reportedly because of heat exhaustion and dehydration — leading him to postpone a series of shows. The band currently is scheduled to return to the road this Saturday, July 23, in Paso Robles, California.

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Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the official formation of Heart, and frontwoman Ann Wilson has revealed that plans are in the works for some kind of celebration marking the milestone.

“I’m not at liberty to say exactly what they are yet because it’s such early days, but sure,” Wilson tells Grammy.com. “It will be next year. And we’re doing a thing. Definitely. We’re still formulating it now.”

The celebration would mark the first time Ann and her sister, Heart co-leader Nancy Wilson, will have worked together since the band ended its Love Alive tour in 2019. The siblings have recently been at odds over the direction of the group, and both have been focused on solo projects during the last few years.

Nancy released her debut solo studio album, You and Me, in 2021. She also recently launched a new group called Nancy Wilson’s Heart that features powerhouse lead singer Kimberly Nichole and members of Heart’s most recent touring lineup.

Ann released a new solo studio album called Fierce Bliss in April and has been touring with her own backing band, The Amazing Dawgs, that mainly features a group of Nashville session musicians who accompanied her on most of the record’s songs.

Ann tells Grammy.com that she’s expecting to make another album with The Amazing Dawgs.

“What I can do now with these ideas I have is just get ’em down and go in with this group of excellent musicians,” she notes. “What we have is really energized, fiery and sharp. I think it’s working for us right now. It’s real.”

You can check out Ann’s 2022 tour schedule with The Amazing Dawgs at AnnWilson.com.

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