Music

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have announced they have postponed all of their September performances as Springsteen is being treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.

According to a message shared Wednesday on Springsteen’s website and his official Instagram account, the postponement of the September shows is “the decision of his medical advisors.”

“Over here on E Street we’re heartbroken to have to postpone these shows,” read a comment from Springsteen included in the statement.

His comment continued, “First, apologies to our fabulous Philly fans who we missed a few weeks ago. We’ll be back to pick these shows up and then some. Thank you for your understanding and support. We’ve been having a blast at our U.S. shows and we’re looking forward to more great times. We’ll be back soon.”

The band previously suspended shows in August due to the “Born in the USA” singer suffering an undisclosed illness.

According to the National Library of Medicine, peptic ulcer disease “is characterized by discontinuation in the inner lining of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.” Acid from the stomach can cause sores or other permanent damage in the esophagus, stomach or small intestine.The postponements will start with Thursday’s show which had been scheduled for the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, according to the statement.

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Rare images of The Beatles will be available to fans for the first time as a series of new of digital collectables.

The photos are from the vaults of Retna Pictures and London Features International; they include shots from the legendary rockers’ Help! and Hard Day’s Night promotional tours, as well as early performance photos, snaps from John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “bed in,” and one from the Fab Four’s final photo shoot. 

The digital images, created by Pop Culture, Inc., will be sold on the digital marketplace Quidd and will be available starting September 26 at 5 p.m. ET.

“We are excited about these magical collections, showcasing many photos that have never before been seen,” says Hayden Michael, CEO of POP Culture, Inc. “Our curator, Chris Vranian, has spent countless hours searching in old filing cabinets, most of which had not seen the light of day in half a century.”

And there will be more images to come. Future collections will feature photos of other famous rockers, including an October drop of “Helloween” photos of David Bowie, Ozzy Osbourne and KISS. Bowie will also be the subject of a November 17 drop with photos taken around the release of his 1967 self-titled debut album.

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Peter Gabriel, Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Sheryl Crow are among the artists lending their voices to the fight against gun violence in America, joining the Artists for Action to Prevent Gun Violence coalition, Variety reports. The group is led by musician Mark Barden, whose son was one of the young victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The group, which also includes Billie Eilish, Bootsy Collins, Bush, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Halestorm, will be hosting a series of live events, with a goal toward getting folks to help end gun violence in the U.S. through volunteering, donating and voting.

“After my son Daniel was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I put my career as a professional guitarist on hold to devote myself to preventing gun violence,” Barden said. “Please join me and hundreds of other artists, musicians, actors, athletes, and people like you to finally end this senseless violence.”

Gabriel adds, “This needs to stop. So many needless deaths. So much suffering. It just needs a little common sense.” 

Bush is headlining the first event, a concert at New York’s Irving Plaza on September 22. There will be others, including a December concert celebrating the release of the documentary A Father’s Promise, about Barden and the work of Sandy Hook Promise. There will also be a concert at the Central Park Summerstage in New York next summer coinciding with Gun Violence Awareness month.

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Sotheby’s auction of Freddie Mercury’s personal items, Freddie Mercury: A World of his Own, began on Wednesday, September 6, and it’s brought in huge money. In fact, the first set of items brought in $15.4 million, with 100% of the lots sold. 

The auction was curated by the late Queen frontman’s good friend Mary Austin. Fifty-nine lots went up for sale Wednesday, with Mercury’s baby grand Yamaha piano bringing in the highest bid, $2.2 million.

Meanwhile, a Victorian-style silver snake bangle bracelet sold for $881,000, 100 times more than its lowest estimated bid. The item actually set a record for the highest price paid for an item of jewelry once owned by a rock star, surpassing John Lennon’s leather and bead talisman, which sold for $368,000 in 2008.

Other hot items included handwritten lyrics to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which revealed an alternate title, selling for $1.7 million; lyrics to “We Are The Champions,” which sold for over $400,000; the signature crown and cloak Mercury wore during Queen’s last live show in 1968, which sold for over $800,000, 10 times more than the lowest estimate; and a still operational 1941 Wurlitzer jukebox, which sold for over $512,000, more than 20 times its estimate.

There was also a Cartier onyx and diamond ring that was a gift to Mercury from Elton John. It sold for over $344,000, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Elton John Aids Foundation. 

And this is only the first of six total Mercury auctions happening at Sotheby’s. The next one, “On Stage,” is happening Thursday, September 7. Sotheby’s says a record 2,000 people from 61 different countries registered to bid in the auction.

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The Rolling Stones’ new album, Hackney Diamonds, is set to drop October 20, and the track list has now been revealed by their producer, Andrew Watt.

Hackney Diamonds contains 12 songs, including the just-released single “Angry.” Lady Gaga is confirmed to appear on the song “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” while The Stones previously shared that the tunes “Mess It Up” and “Live by the Sword” will feature their late drummer Charlie Watts, who passed away in 2021.

Watt has plenty of experience working with Rock & Roll Hall of Fame artists like The Stones. He previously produced Eddie Vedder’s 2022 solo album, Earthling; Ozzy Osbourne’s Grammy-winning album Patient Number 9; and Iggy Pop’s recent release, Every Loser.

During The Stones’ special media launch event in London for Hackney Diamonds, Mick Jagger talked about working with Watt, noting he “kicked us up the a**.” 

Here is the track list for Hackney Diamonds. It is available for preorder now.

“Angry”
“Get Close”
“Depending on You”
“Bite My Head Off”
“Whole Wide World”
“Dreamy Skies”
“Mess It Up”
“Live by the Sword”
“Driving Me Too Hard”
“Tell Me Straight”
“Sweet Sounds of Heaven” (Ft. Lady Gaga)
“Rolling Stone Blues”

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