Paul McCartney‘s recently announced Got Back tour just got an additional show. The new date, which was added “due to overwhelming demand,” is scheduled for June 8 at Boston’s Fenway Park, and joins a previously announced June 7 concert at the historic stadium.
Tickets for McCartney’s June 8 performance will go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. ET.
American Express card members can get pre-sale tickets starting Monday, February 28, at 10 a.m. ET, while PaulMcCartney.com also is offering pre-sale tickets beginning at 12 p.m. ET that same day. For all the details, visit PaulMcCartneyGotBack.com.
As previously reported, McCartney’s Got Back tour, his first since his Freshen Up trek wrapped in 2019, launches April 28 in Spokane, Washington, and is scheduled to wrap up on June 16 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The U.S. outing currently features 15 shows.
Hall & Oates singer Daryl Hall has released a live version of the 1984 Eurythmics hit “Here Comes the Rain Again” that he performed with the latter group’s Dave Stewart as an advance track from his upcoming solo compilation, BeforeAfter, due out April 1.
The performance, which features Daryl on vocals and piano and Stewart on acoustic guitar, comes a 2012 episode of Hall’s Live from Daryl’s House show. The track is available now via digital formats, while a video of their rendition of “Here Comes the Rain Again” has been posted on Hall’s official YouTube channel.
Hall has had a collaborative relationship with Stewart that dates back to Daryl’s 1986 album, Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, which was produced by Dave and includes three songs that he co-wrote.
As previously reported, BeforeAfter is a 30-track collection that features selections from all five of Hall’s solo studio albums, as well as eight performances from the Live from Daryl’s House series, six of which are previously unreleased.
Other Live from Daryl’s House performances on the compilation include a rendition of Todd Rundgren‘s “Can We Still Be Friends with Rundgren, and covers of Ruby and the Romantics‘ “Our Day Will Come” and Gladys Knight and the Pips‘ “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye).”
Coinciding with BeforeAfter‘s release, Hall will embark on his first solo tour in a decade, with Rundgren as his special guest. The eight-show trek runs from an April 1 concert in Chicago through an April 16 show in National Harbor, Maryland, and includes stops at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and New York City’s Carnegie Hall on April 5 and April 14, respectively.
George Thorogood and the Destroyers are known for recording memorable versions of other artists’ tunes, but frontman George Thorogood has written plenty of memorable songs as well. It’s those originals that are the focus of a new compilation titled, aptly, The Original George Thorogood, that’s due out April 15.
The album, which you can pre-order now, will be available on CD, via digital formats, and as a two-LP vinyl set, including a standard black-vinyl version and a limited-edition translucent-orange-vinyl collection.
The CD and digital versions of The Original George Thorogood feature 14 tracks, while the vinyl editions boast 11 songs. All versions include such classic Thorogood tunes as “Bad to the Bone,” “I Drink Alone,” “Born to Be Bad,” “If You Don’t Start Drinkin’ (I’m Gonna Leave)” and “You Talk Too Much,” as well as the previously unreleased track “Back in the U.S.A.”
“It’s easy to write a song, difficult to write a good song, and even harder to write a great song,” says Thorogood. “It strikes home that I have the ability to write some pretty great songs, and there’s a real sense of achievement to that.”
George adds about the compilation, “We’ve been playing a lot of these songs for a long time, and some haven’t been performed live at all. I hope fans are surprised by the ones they’ve never heard before.”
This year, Thorogood and the Destroyers launched the Good to Be Bad: 45 Years of Rock Tour, which resumes on April 29 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The band also will be supporting Sammy Hagar & the Circle on the Crazy Times! trek, which includes a variety of dates in June, August and September. Check out a full list of shows at GeorgeThorogood.com.
Here’s The Original George Thorogood‘s full track list:
“Bad to the Bone”
“I Drink Alone”
“Gear Jammer”
“Born to Be Bad”
“If You Don’t Start Drinkin’ (I’m Gonna Leave)”
“Back in the U.S.A.”*
“Rock and Roll Man”
“You Talk Too Much”
“Miss Luann”
“Back to Wentzville”**
“Rock and Roll Christmas”
“Oklahoma Sweetheart”
“Woman with the Blues”**
“I Really Like Girls”**
* = previously unreleased
** = on CD and digital versions only.
The Scorpions‘ long-awaited 19th studio album, Rock Believer, the band’s first new record since 2015’s Return to Forever, arrived today.
Frontman Klaus Meine tells ABC Audio that with the album, exemplified by its title track, The Scorpions deliver the message that they believe hard-rock music is alive and well, and that they know their fans feel the same way.
“The lyrics [of ‘Rock Believer’ are] about saying, ‘We are the essence of rock believers, doing this for so long,'” Meine explains. “And, of course, it was addressed to all the rock believers out there, addressed to the hard and heavy community.”
Meine says the band’s objective with Rock Believer was “for us to have great songs, powerful songs for our live set, and…for the hard and heavy fans out there hoping The Scorpions this time would not focus too much on ballads.”
Having said that, Meine notes that alongside various fast and mid-tempo rock songs on Rock Believer, there is indeed one ballad, “When You Know (Where You Come From).”
Asked to name some of his favorite songs on the album, Klaus says “When You Know,” “Rock Believer” and “Call of the Wild,” which he says is “a cool little…bluesy song.”
He also singles out “When I Lay My Bones to Rest” which he says he likes because it’s “a fast song, it’s so powerful, with really funny lyrics.”
The Scorpions recorded the album during the COVID-19 lockdown, and while some of the songs feature lyrics inspired by the global health crisis and other serious issues, Meine says he focused more on writing tunes “for the fans to enjoy and get away from this whole corona thing…and just to rock out with us with positive energy.”
Here’s Rock Believer‘s full track list:
“Gas in the Tank”
“Roots in My Boots”
“Knock ‘Em Dead”
“Rock Believer”
“Shining of Your Soul”
“Seventh Sun”
“Hot and Cold”
“When I Lay My Bones to Rest”
“Peacemaker”
“Call of the Wild”
“When You Know (Where You Come From)”
“Shoot for Your Heart”
“When Tomorrow Comes
“Unleash the Beast”
“Crossing Borders”
“When You Know (Where You Come From)” (Acoustic Version)
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for God’s Love we Deliver
Heart‘s Nancy Wilson has recorded a new version of The Beatles‘ “Here Comes the Sun” with longtime Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone and actor/drummer John Stamos, and a video for the cover will premiere this Saturday, February 26, during the 2022 gala for the Hillsides charity taking place in Pasadena, California.
Hillsides is a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping children deal with trauma and mental health issues.
You can check out a preview clip of the “Here Comes the Sun” video on Wilson’s Facebook page. John Mahon, a multi-instrumentalist who, like Johnstone, is a longtime member of Elton’s touring band, also contributed to the song.
The year’s fHillsides undraiser, which has been dubbed “Come Together,” will be held at The Langham Huntington hotel in Pasadena and also will be streamed live on the organization’s YouTube channel. In addition to the screening of the “Here Comes the Sun” video, the event will feature a cocktail hour, dinner, a silent auction and a live, silent auction. Among the hundreds of items and experiences up for bid are virtual meet-and-greets with Wilson, Johnstone, Mahon and Elton John drummer Nigel Olsson, and a drumhead signed by various members of Elton’s band.
Whitney Houston at the American Music Awards in 1986; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Monica was one of the late Whitney Houston‘s closest friends, and for Entertainment Tonight‘s Black History Month spotlight, the Grammy winner remembered one of the greatest female artists of all time.
“The fact is no voice has come close, no one sacrificed as much as she did,” Monica told ET co-host Kevin Frazier.
February 11 marked the tenth anniversary of the day Houston passed away in 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles at the age of 48.
“She and I had just spoken, not even an hour, it hadn’t been a hour, so I was really in a great deal of shock,” says Monica, who was also in the hotel.
Two days before, the “Boy Is Mine” singer was rehearsing with Brandy for Clive Davis‘ annual pre-Grammy party. “Whitney was in and out of our rehearsals,” the 41-year-old singer recalls. “She kept touching my face, saying, ‘You got it. Don’t worry about it. You’re the greatest of the great.'”
Monica also remembers that during her greatest crisis, Houston was there.
“When I was 18, I lost by grandmother. I witnessed a suicide. i lost my cousin. Whitney didn’t call on the phone. Three black trucks pulled up in the hood and she jumped out,” Monica recollects. “Its forever etched in my mind and my heart.”
Monica says the public never fully appreciated how unselfishly giving Whitney was to others.
“There were multiple times she was self sacrificing for our entertainment,” she says about the “Greatest Love of All” singer. “You can’t disrespect a woman who gives that much.”
Tomorrow, The Scorpions will release Rock Believer, the veteran German rockers’ first new studio album since 2015, and to celebrate its arrival, the band will treat fans to a short studio tour via their YouTube channel at 12:45 p.m. ET.
After the virtual tour, The Scorpions will debut a music video for its new song “When You Know (Where You Come From)” on YouTube at 1 p.m. ET. The track is the only ballad on Rock Believer. You can check out an advance preview of the video that’s been posted at the group’s Facebook page.
In other news, The Scorpions have posted a message on their social media pages reacting to the invasion Russia launched Thursday morning of neighboring country Ukraine.
The note reads, “Don’t stop the Dialog…Words are better than bullets…Our hearts go out to the people in the Ukraine,” and is accompanied by a photo of Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine sitting in a chair and holding a bullhorn.
High-quality audiophile versions of Van Halen‘s first six studio albums will be released later this year as two-LP box sets mastered at 45 rpm, as well as on the SACD format, by the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, starting with the band’s self-titled 1978 debut.
Two-LP vinyl versions and SACDs of 1979’s Van Halen II, 1980’s Women and Children First, 1981’s Fair Warning, 1982’s Diver Down and 1984’s, um, 1984 will then be released at a later date.
The vinyl box sets, which are pressed on 180-gram vinyl, will feature LPs created using Mobile Fidelity’s ultra-hi-fi UltraDisc One-Step lacquering process. The LPs come housed in a deluxe box that features special foil-stamped jackets.
All six albums can be pre-ordered now at MusicDirect.com, with the LP sets priced at $125 and the SACDs at $29.99. The albums also will be available in bothformats at MoFi.com.
Van Halen’s first six albums all featured the band’s classic lineup of frontman David Lee Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony. The records all were certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, with Van Halen and 1984 both being certified Diamond for sales of at least 10 million copies in the U.S.
“Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is excited to release Van Halen’s first six iconic albums in the [UltraDisc One-Step] and SACD formats for the first time,” says the company’s president, Jim Davis. “Fans will experience Van Halen’s original blend of raw power and Hollywood flair like never before through these limited-edition, audiophile-grade One-Step vinyl box sets.”
Queen guitarist Brian May‘s second solo album, 1998’s Another World, will be reissued in multiple formats and configurations on April 22 as the second installment of the Brian May Gold Series solo reissue campaign.
The remastered collection will be available on CD, cassette, vinyl and digital formats, and as a deluxe box set, two-CD set and limited-edition vinyl picture disc.
Another World was released in the U.K. in July ’98, and reached #23 on the U.K. albums charts.
The album included songs culled from various of projects May was working on around that the time, including music composed for TV soundtracks, video games and a shelved covers collection.
One of May’s main collaborators on Another World was acclaimed drummer Cozy Powell, who sadly died in a car crash at age 50 shortly before the album’s release. The album also features guest appearances by Jeff Beck, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and Mott the Hoople‘s Ian Hunter. Hunter appears on a cover of the Mott classic “All the Way to Memphis.” Another World also features renditions of Jimi Hendrix‘s “One Rainy Wish” and the 1950s rock ‘n’ roll gem “Slow Down.”
The box set and two-CD version of the Another World reissue features a bonus disc that boasts alternate versions and mixes of songs, live performances from a June 1998 concert Brian’s solo band played in Paris, and covers of The Rocky Horror Show tune “Hot Patootie,” Buddy Holly‘s “Maybe Baby” and Conway Twitty‘s “It’s Only Make Believe.”
The box set features two CDs, sky-blue vinyl LP, a 32-page booklet and an enamel badge. Visit QueenOnline.com for full details about the Another World reissue.
Brian kicked off his Gold Series campaign last year with the reissue of his 1992 solo debut, Back to the Light.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for God’s Love We Deliver
During a recent interview that streamed on TalkShopLive, Nancy Wilson revealed that plans for a new Heart tour were on hold because she and her sister and band mate Ann were at odds over the musicians who would make up the touring version of the group.
Now, Ann Wilson tells ABC Audio that although she and her sister currently aren’t agreeing about Heart’s direction moving forward, she insists that she and Nancy aren’t feuding, and she feels that they eventually will be able to resolve their differences.
“There’s a lot of myth about what’s going on between me and Nancy, that there’s a feud or something like that. There really isn’t any feud between us personally,” Ann says. “We don’t see eye to eye on the shape that Heart should take. Like…I want to see it continue to evolve and break barriers and be relevant. And she…doesn’t want to try new things that much, you know.”
The singer adds, “I’m not trying to diss her at all, because I think we get a really bad rap for just being at each other’s throats. We’re not. We have a disagreement on who would be in the Heart band is all right now, but we’re working on it.”
In the TalkShopLive interview, Nancy explained that Ann had wanted Heart’s backing group to feature the musicians who make up her current solo touring band, The Amazing Dawgs, who also helped Ann record her upcoming solo album, Fierce Bliss, due out in April.
Nancy, meanwhile, says she wanted to continue with the same musicians who toured as Heart with her and Ann in 2019. Nancy has now launched a new group named Nancy Wilson’s Heart with the latter musicians and former Voice contestant Kimberly Nicole as lead singer.
