Classic Hits

Green Day and Gwen Stefani are part of a star-studded lineup of performers that will participate in the 2022 Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest, a three-day event taking place February 10-12 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles ahead of the upcoming Super Bowl LVI.

The “American Idiot” trio will be performing on February 12, along with pop superstar Miley Cyrus. The No Doubt singer will headline the festival’s middle date, February 11, with her husband, country star Blake Shelton, and another popular country artist, Mickey Guyton.

The festival’s first day will feature performances by rocker Machine Gun Kelly and his “Forget Me Too” collaborator, pop star Halsey.

Each of the three Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest concerts will be ticketed separately — tickets go on sale this Thursday, November 18. For more info, visit SuperBowlMusicFest.com.

Super Bowl LVI takes place February 13, 2022, at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The annual National Christmas Tree Lighting in Washington, D.C., will feature a star-studded lineup that includes soul/R&B legend Patti LaBelle and will be hosted by recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee LL Cool J.

Other performers who will be on hand to spread some holiday cheer at the event include Chris Stapleton, H.E.R., Keb’ Mo’, Kristin Chenoweth, Maren Morris and Billy Porter. The lighting ceremony will be taped on Thursday, December 2, on The Ellipse in President’’ Park in the nation’s capital.

The National Christmas Tree Lighting will air Sunday, December 5, at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m PT, on CBS.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Aerosmith has premiered a rare 1971 recording of the band’s early song, “Movin’ Out,” on their official YouTube channel. The track will be featured on the group’s upcoming limited-edition 2021 Record Store Day Black Friday release, 1971: The Road Starts Here.

The seven-track collection features previously unheard early recordings of Aerosmith playing several songs in their rehearsal room, one year before the band was signed to Columbia Records. The release will be limited to only 10,000 vinyl copies and 2,000 cassettes, available exclusively at participating independent record shops on Friday, November 26.

Among the songs Aerosmith performs on the recording are versions of five tunes that went on to appear on the band’s 1973 self-titled debut album — the aforementioned “Movin’ Out,” the classic rock anthem “Dream On,” “Mama Kin,” “Somebody,” and a cover of Rufus Thomas‘ 1963 hit “Walkin’ the Dog.”

Here’s the full track list of 1971: The Road Starts Here:

Side A
“Rehearsal Room”
“Somebody”
“Reefer Headed Woman”/”Walkin’ the Dog”

Side B
“Movin’ Out”
“Major Barbra”
“Dream On”
“Mama Kin”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Add the late Whitney Houston to the growing list of celebrities joining the growing world of NFTs.  A demo song recorded by a then-17-year-old Whitney is about to hit the auction block.

OneOf, the NFT platform backed by Quincy Jones, announced that the track is a “never-before-heard full-length song.” The lucky winner of the auction “will have personal access to this recording in their OneOf Vault.”

The recording will be sold as part of an NFT collection that includes an accompanying music video created by 17-year-old artist Diana Sinclair featuring rare archival footage of Houston’s early days.

Joshua James, who co-founded OneOf, added, “We couldn’t be more excited to be releasing this historical song from the very beginning of her journey as an artist.”

Details of the two-day auction event are set to go live December 1. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Whitney E. Houston Foundation, a nonprofit that continues the singer’s legacy in empowering and supporting young women.

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, allow buyers to exercise sole ownership over a unique piece of digital media, such as individual songs, videos and images.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul McCartney and friends walked the red carpet outside London’s Cineworld Leicester Square on Tuesday, ahead of the U.K.’s exclusive 100-minute preview of the highly anticipated three-part Disney+ documentary series, The Beatles: Get Back.

Other VIP guests on hand for the U.K. preview included Oasis‘ Noel Gallagher, Elvis Costello, James Bay, Spandau Ballet‘s Gary Kemp, Pet Shop Boys‘ Neil Tennant, Arctic Monkeys‘ Jamie Cook, Simply Red‘s Mick Hucknall, and director and Monty Python’s Flying Circus alum Terry Gilliam.

McCartney attended the event with his daughter Mary, while a number of other Beatles‘ family members also were on hand, according to the Daily Mail. They included the late George Harrison‘s son, Dhani, Ringo Starr‘s son Zak Starkey and Harrison’s first wife, Pattie Boyd.

The Beatles: Get Back, directed by Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson, includes dozens of hours of unseen footage and audio recorded in January 1969 during sessions that yielded songs for Let It Be and the band’s next-to-last album, Abbey Road. The three episodes premiere November 25, 26 and 27 on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jackson Browne and Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna guitarist Jorma Kaukonen will headline a special concert on December 19 at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, that will celebrate some of the iconic songs that various famous artists have played at the venue over the years.

The show, dubbed “The Capitol Sessions: Songs from a Rock Palace That Impacted the World,” will raise money for the nonpartisan voter-registration organization HeadCount.

The evening is being curated by respected Americana artist Larry Campbell, whose resume includes being the longtime musical director for late Band singer/drummer Levon Helm and a one-time member of Bob Dylan‘s touring band.

The lineup also features former Rolling Stones backing singer Lisa Fischer, Helm’s daughter Amy, Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh‘s son Grahame and many more.

Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday, November 19, at 12 p.m. ET at TheCapitolTheatre.com. Those buying tickets are encouraged to donate money to support voter registration and HeadCount.

“[The Capitol Theatre is] a place where many of rock’s most beloved legends performed — The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, to name a few,” notes Peter Shapiro, founder of the concert’s co-producer Dayglo Presents. “We can’t wait to celebrate the iconic songs that have been played over the years at The Cap. It will be very cool for The Capitol Sessions to happen on the same stage where these songs were originally performed. It’s going to be an epic night!”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The second season of the Amazon Originals podcast Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums debuted today with an episode focusing on The Beatles‘ final studio effort, Let It Be.

The Let It Be episode features new interviews with surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, who share recollections about the making of the album, including the band’s historic final concert on the roof of Apple headquarters in London.

They also address the common perception that the album sessions were fraught with conflicts between the band members that foreshadowed The Beatles’ 1970 breakup.

Also appearing in the podcast are Giles Martin, late Beatles producer George Martin‘s son; Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield; and filmmaker Peter Jackson, director of Get Back: The Beatles, the upcoming Disney+ docuseries focusing on the Let It Be sessions.

In a preview clip from the podcast, McCartney recalls how his song “Two of Us” was inspired by a car ride he took with his future first wife Linda.

“I’ve got a very vivid memory of driving out of London in my Aston Martin with Linda, just the two of us,” Paul says in the segment. “And she was always keen on getting lost, whereas most of us guys, you know, driving, particularly driving a loved one…a new girlfriend in my case, you’re nervous about getting lost…But she would always just say, ‘Yeah, well, so let’s get lost.'”

McCartney continues, “[W]e came to a place where there’s a little parking spot in a field. And then there was a woods. I had my guitar…and just started writing that song. You know, it came very easily, ’cause it was commenting on what we were doing.”

The Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums podcast is available exclusively at Amazon Music and Wondery+.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Just in time for Christmas, ABBA has announced their first-ever holiday single. The Swedish superstars will officially release the song “Little Things” on December 3.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday to share the track’s official artwork, the band teased, “Christmas is around the corner — Take a look at the cover art for ABBA’s Christmas song ‘Little Things’ being released December 3d on CD. Maybe something for the Christmas stocking?”

The gentle song centers on the joy parents feel waking up on Christmas morning and imagining what it’ll be like to watch their children open presents under the tree.

“Little Things” is featured on ABBA’s new album, Voyage, which is their first in 40 years.  The track is available for pre-order now. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by ABBA (@abba)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A collection of eight archival concert films by Pink Floyd, guitarist David Gilmour, and Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, the new project featuring the group’s drummer, were released worldwide for purchase and rental on multiple digital platforms today.

The Pink Floyd films are 1988’s Delicate Sound of Thunder, 1994’s Pulse and 2014’s The Endless River. The Gilmour movies are 2001’s David Gilmour in Concert, 2006’s Live in Gdańsk and Remember That Night: David Gilmour Live at The Royal Albert Hall, and 2016’s Live at Pompeii.

Rounding out the collection is the 2020 Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets concert flick Live at the Roundhouse.

Delicate Sound of Thunder features a performance by Pink Floyd’s trio lineup of Gilmour, Mason and keyboardist Richard Wright performing at New York’s Nassau Coliseum.

Pulse features the same Pink Floyd lineup performing at London’s Earls Court venue while the band promoted 1994’s The Division Bell album.

The Endless River is a film created by director Ian Emes set to the band’s final studio album of the same name, which was put together using unheard recordings from The Division Bell sessions.

David Gilmour in Concert features Gilmour performing at London’s Royal Festival Hall during the 2001 Meltdown Festival.

Live in Gdańsk features David playing in the Polish city with accompaniment from the Baltic Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.

Remember That Night captures Gilmour’s solo group performing at London’s Royal Albert Hall, joined by some famous special guests, including David Bowie and David Crosby & Graham Nash.

Live at Pompeii features Gilmour performing at Italy’s Pompeii Amphitheatre, the first artist to play to an audience at the historic site.

Lastly, Live at the Roundhouse captures Mason and his group, which pays tribute to early Pink Floyd, playing at the London venue.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Co-founding Doobie Brothers singer/guitarists Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons have joined forces to write a new memoir about their famous band titled Long Train Runnin’: Our Story of The Doobie Brothers that’s scheduled to be published on July 26, 2022.

The book features Johnston and Simmons telling the story of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s history in their own words.

Long Train Runnin’ follows The Doobie Brothers from their Northern California origins in the late 1960s, through their emergence in the early-to-mid 1970s as a popular roots-influenced hard-rock band led by Johnston, to their transformation into a soulful pop-rock group when singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald took over frontman duties later in the ’70s, to the band’s early-’80s breakup and eventual reformation with Tom back in the fold, and beyond.

Tom and Pat co-wrote the book with Chris Epting, whose previous projects include memoirs co-written with and about Hall & Oates‘ John Oates, Def Leppard‘s Phil Collen and Tesla‘s Brian Wheat.

Long Train Runnin’: Our Story of The Doobie Brothers can be pre-ordered now. Special bundles featuring the book packaged with such merch as a t-shirt, a mug and a tote bag are available at the band’s official online store.

Meanwhile, The Doobie Brothers wrapped up the 2021 portion of their 50th anniversary tour in late October. A 2022 leg is scheduled to kick off on June 22 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Visit TheDoobieBrothers.com to check out the group’s full schedule.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.