Classic Hits

This Saturday, January 8, marks what would’ve been David Bowie‘s 75th birthday, and to mark the milestone, several special releases and events are planned in the coming days.

Most of the events will take place at one or both of the Bowie 75 commemorative pop-up stores that opened in New York City and London this past October.

On Thursday, January 6, the two shops will host the premiere of a new Sony 360 Reality Audio mix of David’s final studio album, 2016’s ★ — aka Blackstar — which was supervised by frequent Bowie studio collaborator Tony Visconti.

Also on January 6, a special livestream event beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Bowie’s YouTube channel will feature songs from David’s A Reality Tour presented in 360 Reality Audio.

Friday, January 7, will see the previously announced release of the TOY (TOY:BOX) box set focusing on Bowie’s previously unreleased 2000 TOY album. An exclusive, limited-edition cassette version of TOY will be sold at the New York and London Bowie 75 stores, as will vinyl and CD editions of the box set.

On January 8, David’s birthday, the New York Bowie 75 store will feature a special Q&A with one-time Bowie band member and TOY producer Mark Plati at 5 p.m. ET.

On Sunday, January 9, the New York and London shops will host screenings of the Selections from A Reality Tour concert film in HD with a SONY 360 Reality Audio soundtrack.

Then, on Friday, January 14, at the New York Bowie 75 store, sax player Donny McCaslin, who collaborated with David on Blackstar, will take part in an interview event that begins at 6 p.m. ET.

Visit Bowie75.com for more details about the events and releases.

Bowie died of cancer in January 2016 at age 69.

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While Billy Joel went ahead with his December 20 show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, he’s not taking any chances in 2022.

The Piano Man has announced that his show scheduled for January in the legendary venue — part of his ongoing residency there — has been postponed.  The January 14 show, which itself had been rescheduled from a May 2, 2020 date, has now been pushed to August 24, 2022.

“Nothing is more important to me than the safety and well-being of my band, crew, and the fans; so due to unfortunate COVID-related circumstances, we made the decision to reschedule the January 14th concert at MSG,” Billy said in a statement. 

Tickets for the January show will be valid for the new show and won’t need to be exchanged. Fans who can’t make the rescheduled show can request a refund in the next 30 days.  More details are available at BillyJoel.com.

Billy currently has numerous shows scheduled for 2022, including January 28 in Hollywood, FL, February 12 at Madison Square Garden, and February 26 in Las Vegas.

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The 2022 edition of Grateful Dead spinoff group Dead & Company‘s Playing in the Sand concert-and-vacation extravaganza gets underway this Friday in Riviera Cancun, Mexico, but one of the band’s core members won’t be taking part in this year’s event.

Founding Grateful Dead and Dead & Company drummer Bill Kreutzmann has announced that he’ll be missing the event because of health issues.

“Playing in the Sand has become my favorite tour stop in recent years and there’s so much about it that’s just so great,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer says in a Facebook message. “And thus, it is with a heavy and still recovering heart that I have to relay a note that I received from my doctor this morning, ordering me to sit this one out.”

He continues, “As many of you know, I had some health issues this past fall. After a lifetime of playing special beats, it’s almost no wonder that my heart came up with its own idea of rhythm. All jokes aside, my doctor has ordered me to take it easy (and stay safe) through the end of January so that I can continue to drum and play for you for many tours to come.”

Kreutzmann, 75, adds, “I wish my brothers in the band the best these next two weeks and I look forward to meeting back up with them — and with you — before you know it.”

The 2022 Playing in the Sand is scheduled for January 7-10 and January 13-16, with multiple performances taking place at the Moon Palace Cancún resort. A variety of COVID-19 protocols are being enforced to help ensure the safety and health of attendees, and organizers also are honoring refund requests.

Dead & Company haven’t yet confirmed any other 2022 performances.

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David Byrne is one of the many music artists who have contributed to a new tribute album called Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono that’s been compiled by Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard and will be released on February 18 — Yoko Ono‘s 89th birthday.

The former Talking Heads frontman teamed up with veteran indie-rock group Yo La Tengo to record a version cover of Ono’s 1970 song “Who Has Seen the Wind?” for the project. The track is available now via digital formats, and an animated companion lyric video has premiered at Death Cab for Cutie’s official YouTube channel.

The 14-track collection also features newly recorded renditions of songs from throughout Ono’s career by such other artists as Death Cab, The Flaming Lips, Magnetic Fields singer Stephin Merritt and more.

Gibbard says in a statement, “It is my sincere hope that a new crop of Yoko Ono fans fall in love with her songwriting due in some small part to this album we have put together.”

To accompany the album, Gibbard will be co-hosting a podcast diving deeper into Ono’s music that will feature some of the Ocean Child guest artists. The podcast will premiere on February 18, as well.

In a trailer for the podcast, Byrne says, “Yoko, in her own words, is perceived as a witch, and she’s underappreciated…so that gives us an opportunity to work with her material in a way that would be harder to do with someone who was kind of more universally appreciated.”

He adds, “She has a very open and curious approach, which is something that is really inspirational.”

A portion of proceeds from Ocean Child will be donated to the charity organization WhyHunger.

Here’s the full Ocean Child track list:

“Toyboat” — Sharon Van Etten
“Who Has Seen the Wind?” — David Byrne and Yo La Tengo
“Dogtown” — Sudan Archives
“Waiting for the Sunrise” — Death Cab for Cutie
“Yellow Girl (Stand for Life)” — Thao
“Born in a Prison” — US Girls
“Growing Pain” — Jay Som
“Listen, the Snow Is Falling” — Stephin Merritt
“No No No” — Deerhoof
“Don’t Be Scared” — We Are KING
“Mrs. Lennon” — The Flaming Lips
“No One Sees Me Like You Do” — Japanese Breakfast
“There Is No Goodbye Between Us” — Yo La Tengo
“Run Run Run” — Amber Coffman

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David Lee Roth has issued a statement regarding the cancellation of his scheduled Las Vegas residency at the House of Blues, while also alluding to possibly playing more shows in the future.

The longtime Van Halen frontman’s statement, which EW.com received via his manager, reads, “Sometimes you win…Sometimes you lose…We got rained out…Covid cancelled…Future shows? When the benefit concerts for Colorado, Farm Aid, and hospital workers ‘everywhere’ come up; Call me.”

Accompanying the note was a photo of a road case that features multiple images the singer wearing a red top hat and holding a microphone, along with the message, “To be continued…”

As previously reported, Roth had announced in an October 2021 interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he planned to retire after his Vegas shows. David scheduled nine concerts at the House of Blues, on New Year’s Eve and January 1, 5, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22, all of which were canceled in recent days.

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A collection of rare tracks recorded by late pop and country singer B.J. Thomas titled In Remembrance: Love Songs & Lost Treasures will be released on February 4.

The 18-track collection features 13 previously unreleased recordings. Among the tracks are eight unreleased tunes from the Warner-Reprise Records vault, four songs from a limited-edition “direct response” album that was available in the 1990s, and outtakes that Thomas recorded with veteran songwriter and producer Steve Dorff.

The album, which also features some rare photos, can be pre-ordered now on CD at BJThomas.com.

Thomas died of lung cancer in May 2021 at the age of 78. He’s best known for his chart-topping singles “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” and “Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” as well as such other hits as “Hooked on a Feeling” and “I Just Can’t Help Believing.”

Here’s the full track list of In Remembrance:

“Expression of Faith”
“Meet at My Heart”*
“I Like Livin'”*
“When the Hero Dies”*
“The Best Things in Life”*
“Rock and Roll Lullaby”*
“Hands on Me Again”
“This Ain’t a Song (It’s a Prayer)”
“Think About Me”*
“No One Else on Earth”*
“Our Younger Hearts”*
“That’s the Thing About Love”*
“Red Letter Days”
“When a Woman Talks”*
“Love by Any Name”*
“Memory in the Making”*
“Wings of a Dove”*
“America the Beautiful”

* = previously unreleased.

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The Rush pinball machine has arrived.

Last month, the company Stern Pinball teased that a game dedicated to the Canadian prog legends was in the works. Now, Stern has officially revealed the details of the machine.

Not only will the game feature 16 Rush songs, such as “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight,” “2112” and “Fly By Night,” but it also includes custom-recorded dialog by surviving band members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.

In a behind-the-scenes video, you can watch Lee and Lifeson recording their parts alongside pinball enthusiast and fellow Canadian rocker Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies.

“I particularly love it when a pinball machine taunts you,” Robertson tells Lifeson while coaching his voiceover performance.

The Rush pinball machine will be seen in action for the first time during a virtual event at the 2022 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, taking place January 5-8.

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With 2021 in the record books, Heritage Auctions has announced that it raked in a record of its own: $1.4 billion in sales from everything from sports memorabilia to comic books to coins to music-related collectibles.

The 45-year-old institution revealed that among the year’s biggest sellers in the latter category were a collection of guitars belonging to Journey‘s Neal Schon, and a touring piano played by Elton John.

Schon’s guitar collection, which was auctioned in July, brought in a total of $4.2 million, and included 10 instruments that fetched six figures.

Among the more than 90 instruments that were sold was the 1977 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Black Solid Body model that Schon used to record many songs on Journey’s chart-topping 1981 album, Escape, including “Don’t Stop Believin’.” That guitar was purchased for $268,000, including fees.

Meanwhile, Elton’s touring piano, a Steinway grand that the pop-rock legend played on the road for about 20 years, fetched $915,000 at a July auction. Elton wrote a note in black marker on the piano’s gild-iron frame that reads, “Enjoy this as much as I have, Elton John.”

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Rick Astley is the man who launched 1,000 memes, thanks to his 1987 hit, “Never Gonna Give you Up.”  Now he will be known for something else — a Frito-Lay spokesperson.

Announced Tuesday, the British pop singer is teaming up with the chip maker to launch a campaign centered around New Year’s resolutions, titled “New Year, New You.”  Taking inspiration from his meme-worthy hit single, the campaign looks at what people want to give up in 2022, before giving them permission to indulge in the things they love.

The message challenges people to think about the intent behind their New Years resolutions and why giving up the things you love isn’t always the solution.  Frito-Lay and Rick argue that resolutions about getting healthy shouldn’t mean going cold turkey on your favorite snack, but instead looking into smarter options.

“No one should start a new year with a list of things they’re giving up, so I’ve partnered again with Frito-Lay to continue encouraging people to do more of what they love,” the singer said in a press release. “The point of Frito-Lay’s ‘New Year, New You’ campaign is that we can still enjoy the things we love while also making choices we feel good about. That doesn’t just have to be about snacking, either. It’s an idea that can resonate across all areas of our lives.”

Rick wants you to tell Frito-Lay what YOU love on NeverGonnaGiveItUp.com for a chance to win $1,000.  The deadline to enter is February 27.

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After canceling the first two shows of his nine-date Las Vegas residency at the House of Blues scheduled for New Year’s Eve and in January, David Lee Roth‘s entire run of performances at the venue has now been nixed.

According to a statement shared by the House of Blues with ABC Las Vegas affiliate KTNV a few days ago, the founding Van Halen frontman’s concerts on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day were canceled “[d]ue to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows.” However, no reason for the cancellation of the remaining shows — scheduled for January 5, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22 — has been announced.

The House of Blues website lists all of Roth’s upcoming gigs as canceled, and reports that refunds will be available “at point of purchase.” For more information, visit LiveNationEntertainment.com/ticketrefund.

For Roth’s part, he posted the image of a new painting on his official website and social media pages that includes the caption, “A funny thing happened on the way to Las Vegas…” The painting appears to be of a dirt road stretching out into a barren desert landscape.

As previously reported, Roth announced in an October 2021 interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the House of Blues shows would be his farewell performances.

“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth said in the interview.

According to KTNV, Nevada governor Steve Sisolak announced on Monday that the state has had an “alarming” surge of COVID-19 cases following the holidays. Last Thursday, the Southern Nevada region recorded its highest number of daily COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.

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