Classic Hits

As Def Leppard prepares to release its latest studio album, Diamond Star Halos, on Friday, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will be featured as the musical guests on tonight’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which airs at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.

The band will also perform additional songs that won’t air on the Kimmel show but will be streamed on the program’s YouTube channel. According to information on the YouTube page, performances of four classic Def Leppard tunes will be shown online — “Rock of Ages,” “Photograph,” “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Hysteria.”

Meanwhile, as previously reported, Def Leppard will premiere the music video for the new song “Fire It Up,” the latest single from Diamond Star Halos, on Thursday, May 26, at 9 a.m. ET on the group’s YouTube channel. Following the clip’s debut, the band members will take part in an exclusive YouTube Premieres afterparty, during which they will discuss the new album. For more information on how to join the afterparty, visit YouTube.

After the premiere, the “Fire It Up” video will be available to view at Facebook Watch. You can check out a snippet of the clip now on Def Leppard’s Facebook page.

Diamond Star Halos is Def Leppard’s first album of new, original tunes since 2015’s self-titled effort. It can be preordered now and will be available as a deluxe package, on CD, as a two-LP set and digitally, among other configurations.

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Don McLean had been scheduled to perform at a concert event in Houston this Saturday celebrating the 150th anniversary of the National Rifle Association, aka the NRA, but the “America Pie” singer/songwriter has pulled out of the event in the wake of the recent mass shooting at a grade school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday.

Variety reports that McLean has issued a statement that reads, “In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week. I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans. I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation.”

The show, dubbed NRA’s Grand Ole Night of Freedom Concert, takes place on the second day of the 2022 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, a three-day convention that’s also scheduled to feature speeches by former President Donald Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and “over 14 acres of guns and gear and 800 exhibitors.”

Performers still apparently on the bill for the concert include Lee Greenwood, Larry Gatlin, T. Graham Brown and Restless Heart singer Larry Stewart. Gatlin and Stewart both confirmed that they still planned to perform at the event.

Nineteen children and two adults were shot to death by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos on Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Ramos was then killed by police.

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A star-studded environmental-themed festival called Atlantis Concert for Earth that will feature live and virtual performances will be held July 22 and 23.

The live show will take place on the rim of a volcano crater on Sete Cidades in Portugal’s Azores islands. The concert will include a virtual performance by Sting, and the lineup also features Julian Lennon, Stone Temple Pilots, Bush, Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, Nicole Scherzinger, Mod Sun and others. Scherzinger also will serve as host.

Atlantis Concert for Earth is a nonprofit event that will celebrate global conservation. In addition to the music performances, the show will highlight the work of a variety of conservationists and organizations focused on the environment, including Lennon’s White Feather Foundation.

On July 23, the event will be streamed for free at the Veeps platform, and viewers will be encouraged to donate money, 100 percent of which will benefit the organizations showcased by the festival.

The event was conceptualized in part by Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, who was born in the Azores and who recently collaborated with Julian on a cover of his late dad John Lennon‘s classic peace anthem, “Imagine.”

“These days, words Climate and Climate Crisis trigger so many different emotions from all walks of life,” said Bettencourt.

He adds, “[T]ogether during Concert for Earth we are taking our universal language and power of music to celebrate the Conservationists and Entrepreneurs from around the world who are game changers leading the way with real, tangible solutions to flip the current narrative of climate and conservation from blame, anger, and doom; to positivity and hope by shining a light on inspirational SOLUTIONS to get us back in balance with our planet.”

For more details about the event, visit AtlantisConcertforEarth.com.

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Not only is John Mellencamp adept at painting a portrait of life in small town America with his words and music, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also is literally a talented painter.

Now, a new book showcasing his artwork, titled John Mellencamp: American Paintings and Assemblages, is scheduled to be published on October 17. The 256-page volume, which the artist curated himself, features images of 170 pieces he created, including large-scale oil paintings and mixed-media assemblages.

The book includes self-portraits and portraits of such celebrities as Marlon Brando, Johnny Cash and Mellencamp’s one-time fiancee Meg Ryan, as well as an abstract homage to Martin Luther King Jr.

The book also features essays about Mellencamp’s art, penned by publisher Bob Guccione Jr. and acclaimed journalist and critic David L. Shirey.

“Although we may primarily know Mellencamp as a rock star, one of the highest-selling of all time and a Hall of Famer, he is also a great painter, as this book shows,” writes Guccione. “Not a musician who also paints … No, John legitimately belongs in the modern art pantheon.”

Mellencamp’s most recent studio album, Strictly a One-Eyed Jack, was released in January. It features three collaborations with Bruce Springsteen.

According to a post on his official website, he’s planning to return to touring in 2023.

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Original paintings created from the sound waves of The Band‘s classic 1968 song “The Weight,” along with prints of the art pieces, are being sold now to raise money for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

Founding Band guitarist and songwriter Robbie Robertson has signed 30 of the prints and a few of the original pieces, which are available now, respectively, for $500 and $3000 at SoundwavesArtFoundation.com.

Robertson signed the art and prints this month at his home in Los Angeles.

Unsigned prints also are available, priced at $75.

In a post on his Twitter feed, Robbie writes, “Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is an amazing non-profit supporting music industry workers unable to pay medical and everyday bills. 100% of profits [from sales of the Soundwaves pieces] will be donated.”

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Ringo Starr is entering the NFT universe with a new collection of digital tokens that feature animated virtual depictions of artwork he’s created, which will be auctioned off at JuliensAuctions.com on June 13 at 11 a.m. PT.

The “Ringo Starr NFT Collection — The Creative Mind of a Beatle” will include five unique NFTs, each featuring an original animated painting accompanied by a custom-made drum track played and recorded by Starr, and an audio/visual motif echoing his time with The Beatles and his subsequent music career.

Those who purchase the NFTs will also receive a 25-by-25-inch canvas print of the artwork signed by Ringo and will be granted access to join the legendary drummer on an exclusive virtual tour of a gallery of his digital art, called RingoLand.

The winning bidders will receive a private invitation following the auction that will allow them to join the virtual gathering, which was created by Spatial.io, via the web, VR platforms or mobile devices.

Four limited-edition NFTs of each of the five designs will be available, for a total 20 NFT packages that will be auctioned as part of the sale.

“I only ever wanted to be a drummer yet you never know where a new idea or path will lead you,” says Starr. “This new technology is so far out it’s inspired me and I loved creating these NFTs combining my art and my music. Who’d have thought I would be spreading Peace and Love in the MetaVerse.”

Among the NFTs are self-portraits that depict Starr during his early days with The Beatles. Visit JuliensLive.com for more details.

A portion of the proceeds raised by the auction will benefit Ringo’s Lotus Foundation, which funds and supports charitable projects that focus on various social welfare causes.

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Aerosmith has canceled the band’s first batch of Las Vegas residency dates due to frontman Steven Tyler entering a treatment program.

“As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years,” the “Dream On” rockers write in a social media statement posted Tuesday. “After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery.”

As such, Aerosmith won’t be playing the Vegas dates scheduled for June and July while Tyler “focuses on his well-being.”

“We are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows,” the statement reads. “Thank you for your understanding and for your support for Steven during this time.”

Those who purchased tickets to the affected shows will receive refunds.

Aerosmith plans to resume the residency in September.

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The Scorpions have released “The Language of My Heart” as their latest single, a bonus track from the French version of their new studio album Rock Believer.

The track is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, while a lyric video has premiered at the veteran German rockers’ official YouTube channel.

The touching ballad is a celebration of Paris, inspired by the brutal terrorist attacks that took place at the historic Bataclan theater and other parts of the city in November 2015 and left 130 people dead and hundreds more wounded.

“It’s a tribute to France, with its wonderful culture and our fantastic fans,” says Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine.

The Scorpions were the first band to stage a concert in Paris following the attacks, just 10 days later, when they played the AccorHotels Arena for a crowd of 20,000.

Last week, the band gave “The Language of My Heart” its live debut during a new concert at the Paris venue. The show kicked off a European tour in support of Rock Believer that runs through a July 18 concert in Lisbon, Portugal. The Scorpions recently announced dates for a North American leg that also will feature Whitesnake and that gets underway on August 21 in Toronto.

Check out the band’s full tour schedule at The-Scorpions.com.

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After a six-year break from the road, Bruce and the band are back.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have announced a 2023 tour, which will include U.S. shows in arenas starting in February followed by stadium shows in Europe, and then a second North American leg in August.

In a statement, the Boss said, “After six years, I’m looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year. And I’m looking forward to once again sharing the stage with the legendary E Street Band. See you out there, next year — and beyond.”

So far, only the European shows have been announced, starting April 28 in Barcelona. U.K. shows will be announced at a later date, as will the U.S. dates. 

These are the first tour dates for Bruce and the band since The River Tour wrapped up in Australia in 2017, though they did perform on Saturday Night Live in 2020 to promote their most recent album, Letter to You.

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Dave Stewart of Eurythmics has just released a box set titled Ebony McQueen, a 26-track collection that tells the fictional story of a teenage boy from northern England who is visited by a voodoo blues queen, setting in motion a journey of discovery.

The box set is the first of multiple Ebony McQueen projects Stewart is planning, along with a film and a stage musical.

Stewart tells ABC Audio that Ebony McQueen was inspired by his own life story, based on how he developed a passion for music as a teenager in Sunderland, U.K.

“I started to write songs and write a story [about] the [time] in my teenage life when I discovered music for the first time,” he explains. “And it was through playing a blues record [by Robert Johnson] that my cousin had sent from Memphis.”

Dave notes that while recuperating from a soccer-related knee injury, he started becoming obsessed with music, and began learning guitar and tuning in to BBC Radio at the time that The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks were becoming popular.

“In that six to nine months, you have no idea how the radio was so eclectically brilliant,” Stewart declares. “[I]t was…literally like having your mind blown.”

Stewart wound up incorporating various musical styles from that period of his life into the songs on Ebony McQueen.

The box set includes three vinyl LPs, two vinyl EPs, two cassettes featuring acoustic versions of the songs and a booklet with photos, lyrics, drawings and an early script Dave wrote for the Ebony McQueen movie.

Dave says casting has already begun for the movie, which he compares to Billy Elliott and Once, noting, “it’s that kind of film where there’s an epiphany and it changes…your life in a massive way.”

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