Classic Hits

Rod Stewart‘s scheduled tour of Australia is the latest casualty of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

Sir Rod, who turned 77 on Monday, was to have performed nine shows Down Under in March and April, but now those shows have been canceled “due to the ongoing surge of COVID in Australia and the reimposition of indoor entertainment venue capacity limits,” reads a statement announcing the news.

Rod, meanwhile, said, “My dear friends, once again I feel we’ve all been cheated by this evil disease…My thoughts are with all your families at this difficult time as we come out of the joyous and hopefully safe holiday season and I look forward to returning to Australia as soon as the health situation permits.”

He added, “I’m absolutely gutted with disappointment and when I do eventually get there we‘ll have the party to end all parties. Guaranteed!”  All ticketholders will get automatic refunds.

Billboard reports that the Australian state of Victoria has temporarily banned indoor dancefloors, while the state of New South Wales has instituted a “no singing, no dancing” policy in entertainment venues.  Meanwhile, the state of Queensland recorded its largest number of COVID deaths in a single day on Thursday.

At the moment, Rod is still scheduled to perform two shows in Hollywood, FL on February 14 and 15, and to resume his residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in May.

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John Fogerty has started lining shows for 2022, including a new series of Las Vegas residency dates at the Wynn resort’s Encore Theater.

The former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman’s latest Vegas engagement at the venue is a six-date stand scheduled for February 23, 25 and 26, and March 2, 4 and 5.

Prior to the Sin City residency, Fogerty will play two shows later this month in Southern California — taking place January 21 in Valley Center and January 22 in Rancho Mirage.

The 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also has a one-off East Coast concert scheduled for April 14 in Red Bank, New Jersey.

In addition, in May, Fogerty will head to Los Cabos, Mexico, for the Roxfest Classic festival. The four-day event, scheduled for May 11-14, also will feature performances by Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, The Beach Boys and Heart‘s Ann Wilson. Visit MusicGetaways.com for more info.

Lastly, Fogerty has a brief European tour leg that runs from a June 3 concert in Kvaerndrup, Denmark, through a June 12 gig in Sankt Goarshausen, Germany.

Check out John’s full itinerary at JohnFogerty.com.

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Rapper-singer Cordae has announced that his upcoming second studio album, From a Bird’s Eye View, will feature a star-studded lineup of guest artists, including Stevie Wonder.

Wonder contributes to a track called “Champagne Glasses” that also features veteran rappers Nas and Freddie Gibbs. 

Other artists appearing on From a Bird’s Eye View include Eminem, Lil Wayne, H.E.R. and Roddy Ricch. The 14-track project will be released Friday, and can be pre-ordered and pre-saved now at CordaeMusic.com.

From a Bird’s Eye View is the follow-up to Cordae’s 2019 debut album, The Lost Boy.

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Kenny Loggins will reflect on his decades-long career in a new memoir, Still Alright, due out June 14, 2022. The title of the book is, of course, inspired by his 1980 top 10 hit “I’m Alright.”

“Writing this book and piecing together the moments of my life has been a really eye-opening experience for me,” says Loggins in a statement. “It’s almost like therapy, to get to look at how honest I can be. How honest can I be about my motivations, my reactions to certain relationships and circumstances, what did I learn, and how did it affect my music.”

In the book, Loggins will detail his career with Loggins & Messina and as a solo artist, his musical collaborations with Stevie Nicks and Michael McDonald, his time as the “King of the Movie Soundtracks” in the ’80s thanks to hits for movies like Top Gun, Footloose and Caddyshack, as well as his participation in the all-star 1985 charity single “We Are the World” and more.

In addition, Loggins will discuss his two divorces, his struggles with addiction and his difficult relationship with his older brother, who inspired his hit “Danny’s Song.”

Still Alright is available for pre-order now.

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Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has formed a new band called Envy of None that will release its self-titled debut album on April 8.

Envy of None also features bassist Andy Curran of the veteran Canadian group Coney Hatch, guitarist/keyboardist Alfio Annibalini and singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne.

The 11-track collection offers up a wide sonic palette, with influences including alternative rock, synth rock and experimental rock mixed with melodic pop.

Lifeson has been working on the Envy of None material for several years, but he says the project really took off when Wynne got involved.

“Maiah became my muse,” Alex maintains. “She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like ‘Liar’ and ‘Look Inside.’…I’ve never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician.”

The band has released “Liar” as an advance digital track, and a companion lyric video has premiered at the Kscope label’s YouTube channel.

The album ends with a song titled “Western Sunset,” which Alex wrote as a tribute to late Rush drummer Neil Peart.

“I visited Neil when he was ill,” says Lifeson. “I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There’s a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures…a nice way to close the book.”

The album is available for pre-order now, and will be issued digitally, on CD, on LP — in black vinyl and colored-vinyl variants — and as a deluxe limited-edition package. The latter collection features a blue-vinyl LP, a two-CD set offering five bonus tracks, and a 28-page booklet.

Here’s the full Envy of None track list:

“Never Said I Love You”
“Shadow”
“Look Inside”
“Liar”
“Spy House”
“Dog’s Life”
“Kabul Blues”
“Old Strings”
“Dumb”
“Enemy”
“Western Sunset”

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The Marshall Tucker Band are set to launch a 2022 U.S. tour celebrating their 50th anniversary with a concert tonight in The Woodlands, Texas.

The Southern rockers’ trek currently features more than 40 shows, and is mapped out through a June 24 performance in Riverside, Iowa.

A variety of guest artists will be supporting the group on its anniversary outing, including ex-Traffic singer/guitarist Dave Mason, who will open 17 of the shows in February and March.

Other support acts joining The Marshall Tucker Band on select dates include Firefall, The Atlanta Rhythm Section, The Kentucky Headhunters, The Outlaws and Pure Prairie League.

Meanwhile, two of the concerts will see Marshall Tucker serving as the opening band, a January 22 show in Tallahassee, Florida, headlined by Alabama, and a January 29 gig in Miami headlined by Kansas.

The Marshall Tucker Band also will be bringing some Southern rock to the Carolina Country Music Fest, which takes place June 9-12 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and featuring such major country stars as Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Keith Urban.

The Marshall Tucker Band, which formed in 1972, is best known for their top-40 hits “Heard It in a Love Song” and “Fire on the Mountain,” as well as their memorable tune “Can’t You See.” Founding lead singer Doug Gray is the only original member still in the group.

Check out the band’s full tour schedule at MarshallTucker.com.

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The Rolling Stones, in conjunction with Universal Music Group’s merch company Bravado, have officially sanctioned a new line of high-quality headphones produced in partnership by the high-fidelity audio-device company V-MODA and musical-instrument manufacturers Roland.

The Crossfade 2 Wireless: Rolling Stones Edition over-ear headphones are available in three versions, each featuring a different variation of the band’s famous tongue-and-lips logo on the ear pieces — “Classic Licks,” “No Filter” and “Tattoo You.”

The headphones offer multi-device paring ability, and can be used with both analog and digital devices, including smartphones, computers, turntables, CD players and more. Features of the headphones include large memory foam ear cushions, a sturdy but flexible headband, and the ability to be folded into a small case.

A fourth design will be available in early 2022 exclusively at The Rolling Stones’ RS No.9 Carnaby store in London, and will feature the shop’s updated variant of the band’s logo.

The headphones are being sold for a list price of $279. For more info, visit V-MODA.com.

“We are thrilled for the Rolling Stones to partner with V-MODA and Roland in this category as their world-renowned premium product aligns with the world’s most recognized rock and roll band,” says Bravado executive Frank Bartolotta.

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Elvis Costello has announced that he’ll no longer perform his biggest U.K. hit, 1979’s “Oliver’s Army,” because the song contains a racial slur, and he’s also asking radio stations to stop playing the track.

Costello wrote “Oliver’s Army” about the historic violent conflicts in Northern Ireland, and the song includes the lyric, “Only takes one itchy trigger/ One more widow, one less white [n-word],” a reference to what British soldiers were called by some who opposed U.K. rule in the area.

“That’s what my grandfather was called in the British army — it’s historically a fact,” Elvis tells U.K. newspaper The Telegraph. “But people hear that word…and accuse me of something that I didn’t intend.”

While it wasn’t a hit in the U.S., “Oliver’s Army” is Costello’s highest-charting song in his home country, peaking at #2 on the U.K. singles tally. It appeared on Armed Forces, Elvis Costello’s 1979 studio album with his then-backing group The Attractions.

The tune was played unedited for many years on the radio, but eventually many stations began bleeping the slur.

Costello told The Telegraph that he feels that radio stations that bleep the word are “making it worse…[b]ecause they’re highlighting it then.” He adds, “Just don’t play the record!”

News of Costello retiring “Oliver’s Army” comes a few months after reports that The Rolling Stones had decided to stop performing their chart-topping 1971 hit “Brown Sugar” because of the song’s potentially racially and culturally insensitive subject matter and lyrics.

Costello and his longtime backing band The Imposters will be releasing a new studio album called The Boy Named If this Friday.

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Stevie Nicks and Robert Plant are among the many acts set to perform at Bonnaroo 2022, taking place June 16-19 in Manchester, Tennessee.

The Fleetwood Mac singer will headline the festival’s final day, Sunday, June 19. The Led Zeppelin frontman will be performing on Friday, June 17, with acclaimed country-bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, with whom he recorded the 2021 duets album Raise the Roof — a follow-up to their Grammy-winning 2007 collaboration Raising Sand.

Other artists headlining Bonnaroo this year include country group The Chicks, rockers Tool and Machine Gun Kelly, and rappers J. Cole, 21 Savage and Roddy Ricch.

The bill also includes Herbie Hancock, CHVRCHES, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Tove Lo, Puscifer, The War on Drugs, All Time Low and Bleachers.

Additionally, hit songwriter, producer and Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff will lead the annual Bonnaroo SuperJam, which will be inspired by the year 1984.

Tickets go on sale this to the general public this Thursday, January 13, at noon CT. For the full lineup and ticket info, visit Bonnaroo.com.

Bonnaroo 2022 will mark the first time the festival has taken place since 2019. After COVID-19 canceled the 2020 event, Bonnaroo was set to return in September 2021 before being scrapped again due to the effects of Hurricane Ida.

Nicks currently has one other performance on her 2022 schedule, taking place at Colorado’s JAS Aspen Snowmass in early September. Plant’s Bonnaroo performance with Krauss will come at the tail end of a brief U.S. tour that the duo have lined up in June in support of Raise the Roof.

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