Bob Dylan ended his show in Nottingham, U.K. on Friday night by paying homage to rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, who died earlier that day at age 87.
According to a recap posted at MaximumVolumeMusic.com and shared by Dylan’s Facebook page, the legendary singer/songwriter announced to the audience at the near of the gig, “Jerry Lee is gone, but he’s in all our hearts, so we are going to play one of his songs.”
Dylan and his band then proceeded to play “I Can’t Seem to Say Goodbye,” a song written by Don Robertson and first recorded by Lewis in 1969. Jerry Lee’s version appeared on his 1970 album A Taste of Country and was released as a single that peaked at #7 on the Billboard country chart.
As Variety points out, Lewis previously recorded a Dylan song called “Rita May” and released it on his self-titled 1979 album. “Rita May” was a rarity that Bob co-wrote with lyricist Jacques Levy during the sessions for his 1976 album Desire.
Dylan continues his U.K. tour with a show Monday night in Glasgow, Scotland.
Meanwhile, Bob is set to release his new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, on Tuesday. The book, which can be preordered now, features essays about over 60 different tunes by various artists and songwriters that have impacted Dylan over the years.
Adele has won 15 Grammys, an Oscar and an Emmy, so she just needs to win a Tony to complete the EGOT.
When the British singer chatted with fans at an event celebrating her “I Drink Wine” music video, she was asked if she’s interested in obtaining EGOT status.
According toBroadway World, the singer confessed, “I thought that. I can’t lie guys, I’m not a massive Broadway fan… I’m talking about musicals though because I’ve been seeing a couple of plays but I don’t think I’ve seen enough.”
That doesn’t mean she’s fully closed the door on becoming an EGOT winner. Adele revealed there is a role from the musical Gypsy that caught her eye when she saw it in London.
“I did love the role of the mum [Rose] in it,” the singer explained. “She has a song when she was like, ‘I wanted to do all of this’ and she’s jealous of her own daughter and she’s really caught up about it.”
The song she’s referring to is the powerhouse number “Rose’s Turn,” which Adele feels she “could nail.” The singer then saluted one of her “idols,” the famous Bette Midler, who took on the iconic role in the 1993 TV film.
According to Adele, Midler warned her about Broadway’s demanding world. “She was like, ‘You would never be able to keep up with the schedule on Broadway.’ Because I’m so lazy. I’m so notoriously lazy,” Adele said. “I would not be able to do matinees and all that. I don’t have the stamina for that.”
What Adele does have the stamina for is a Las Vegas residency, which kicks off next month. Weekends With Adele will run November 18 through March 23.
Luke Bryan is lending a helping hand to those affected by Hurricane Ian.
During his stop in Jacksonville, Florida for his Raised Up Right Tour on Friday, he announced his plans to donate proceeds from his upcoming Estero, Florida concert to the Florida Disaster Fund.
The “One Margarita” singer, who had to reschedule three tour dates due to the storm, was joined onstage by Governor Ron DeSantis for the pledge.
The Florida Disaster Fund is a “private fund established to provide financial assistance to communities as they respond to and recover from times of emergency or disaster. In partnership with public, private, and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities,” according to a press release.
In addition to announcing the donation, Luke also presented DeSantis with a Georgia Bulldogs jersey bearing the number 19 — the number of player Brock Bowers. The Bulldogs are the rivals of the Florida Gators.
In response to social media comments made about DeSantis’ appearance, with some people praising Luke’s donation and others disappointed he brought the controversial political figure onstage, Luke has issued a statement.
“I understand Governor DeSantis is a very polarizing figure. But I grew up in a country where if a governor [asks] you if they can come and raise awareness to help victims of a natural disaster you help,” Luke says, adding that he’s “generally stayed out of politics.” “The more important piece was if I am going to come back there a few weeks after a large portion of people have been affected by a natural disaster in a state where people have been good to me this felt right.”
Bryan will close out his Raised Up Right Tour in Tampa on November 5.
Taylor Swift revealed the question that sparked her 10th studio album, Midnights, which was: What keeps you up at night?
The singer was a guest on The Graham Norton Show, and she shared some backstory on her newest effort. “It’s a concept album and the main question is ‘What keeps you up at night?'” she explained.
Taylor provided some examples about what prevented her from falling asleep. “You could be up at night because you’re reeling from just having met someone and you’re falling for them or you could be plotting revenge,” she listed off, adding, “You could be thinking about what could have been!”
“You can think of it as a creative writing prompt, which is what I did,” Taylor continued. “That’s where the album came from.”
Taylor also revealed the original thought that encouraged her to re-record her first six albums that “were sold away from me.” She remarked, “I just figured if I made them the first time, I can make them again.”
Elsewhere during the interview, Taylor floated the idea of collaborating with Bono of U2. Bono was also a guest on Graham Norton because he is currently promoting his new book, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.
The two sat next to each other on the signature red couch and were asked if they ever worked together.
“Not yet… We’re gonna talk about it later,” Taylor teased. That led to Bono declaring, “I’m a Swiftie!” Apparently, the U2 singer had sent Taylor roses when she performed in Dublin, and she never forgot the kind gesture.
“He’s just that great and thoughtful, just the best there is,” she lauded.
Fans are hoping this means Bono will feature on an upcoming “From The Vault” track on Taylor’s next re-recorded album.
(WASHINGTON) — When the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade — the landmark decision that guaranteed the right to abortion — it was thought the decision would drive voters to the polls for the midterm election.
Surveys have indicated younger female voters strongly oppose restrictions and care more about abortion rights than any other issue.
Democrats were banking on abortion rights being a key issue going into the midterm elections, but a large percentage of Americans say it is not critical to their vote.
According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Sept. 25, abortion is not the most top-of-mind issue for most voters, Democrat or Republican.
Among all voters, the economy was the top issue, with 84% saying it was highly important. This was closely followed by education and schools, with 77% calling it highly important; inflation, with 76%; and crime, with 69%.
Abortion came fifth on the list, with 62% referring to the issue as an important one.
“I’m a little skeptical of the recent polling on this. I think we don’t know the impact of the abortion issue, because it’s not your usual public policy issue,” Elaine Kamarck, founding director of the Center for effective Public Management at the Brookings Institute, told ABC News.
Why abortion is not top-of-mind
Oklahoma State Rep. Jim Olsen, a co-author of one of the state’s anti-abortion bills and a Republican, told ABC News his constituents are concerned with what affects them directly.
While an estimated one-in-four women will have an abortion by age 45, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group focusing on sexual and reproductive health, Olsen says abortion doesn’t concern the majority of the population.
“My wife, my daughters, my mother, my mother-in-law, none of them have ever had an abortion,” he said. “It’s not an issue that directly touches us because none of them would have made that choice, legal or illegal. But what touches a lot of people is the skyrocketing inflation.”
Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, a nonprofit organization that has supported abortion-restricting laws in the state, told ABC News she hears state residents more concerned about the economy. A recent Wallethub study found the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area had seen inflation rise the most of all U.S. cities, with a 13% increase in prices over the last year.
“Arizonans are concerned about the economy,” she said. “The Phoenix area has one of the highest rates, if not the highest rate of inflation in the country. … That’s top of the mind for voters.”
But Supermajority, a group focused on mobilizing female voters co-founded by Cecile Richards, a former president of Planned Parenthood, told ABC News even though its polling suggests women are not single-issue voters, the group has seen a surge in volunteer sign-ups and there are indications of an increase in voter registration in some states.
In Michigan, where an abortion question is on the ballot, women are out-registering men by a margin of 8.1% and Democrats are out-registering Republicans by 18%, according to data analysis conducted by TargetSmart.
Amanda Brown Lierman, director of Supermajority, also told ABC News that on the ground, a lot of women were shocked by the court’s decision. She said there is “a lot of rage out there” and that abortion has become a highly motivating issue for them.
Could abortion be a sleeper issue?
Although polling indicates abortion is not a top of mind issue, the September ABC News/Washington Post poll found 64% opposed the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the public trusts Democrats to handle abortion over Republicans by a wide 20 points.
Researchers told ABC News abortion could be a sleeper issue that may have an impact at the polls.
Kamarck argued it is a clearly delineated issue with Democrats supporting abortion rights and Republicans supporting some sort of abortion ban, which is not the case when it comes to things like inflation. She also said there is an intensity when it comes to how passionate voters are on the issue, regardless of their position, and that this is an issue of intense interest to women, who make up the majority of the electorate.
Unlike other voter demographics, “very small movements among the women’s vote turn into very, very big numbers,” Kamarck said.
Republicans candidates who were strongly anti-abortion are now “trimming their sails” and retreating from their previous positions to more moderate ones, according to Kamarck.
Republican Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had previously opened the door to a federal ban, stepped away from Sen. Lindsey Graham’s proposed 15-week ban in September, saying party members would likely prefer abortion be dealt with at the state level.
Graham including exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother in the bill is also a step back from his previous harsh stance on abortion, Kamarck said.
Oklahoma has one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation, with no exceptions for rape or incest, only if the life of the mother is in danger. Rep. Olsen said he’s seen a “little bit of a push” towards allowing more exceptions to the law, although it’s not something he supports.
Voters in Kansas, a traditionally red state, unexpectedly struck down an anti-abortion measure that would have removed protections for abortion rights from its state constitution earlier this year. The measure was defeated with wide margins — 59% to 41% — in the high-turnout primary, which was the first state-level test of voter movement on abortion since Roe was overturned.
“I think that’s a good measure of intensity and how this issue may transcend party identification, because not all Republicans are avidly pro-lifers,” Kamarck said.
Red Hot Chili Peppers channeled their anarchist cheerleader energy over the weekend for a live cover of Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
The “Californication” outfit rocked the grunge classic Saturday during a benefit concert supporting bassist Flea‘s music education organization, Silverlake Conservatory of Music.
As seen in YouTube footage posted by user RHCPtv1, the Peppers only played the first verse and chorus of the song, with frontman Anthony Kiedis handling vocals on the verse before guitarist John Frusciante came in to take on the chorus.
In a tweet following the performance, Flea shared, “Was so fun. Deep thanks to all who have supported The Silverlake Conservatory Of Music through the years.”
RHCP just got off the road after touring the U.S. in support of their two 2022 albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen. Next year, they’ll launch a tour of Australia and New Zealand with Post Malone.
John Mellencamp has released a rare track called “Smart Guys” from the sessions for his classic 1985 album Scarecrow as an advance track from the upcoming deluxe reissue of the record.
“Smart Guys” is available now via digital formats, while a lyric video for the tune has been posted at Mellencamp’s official YouTube channel. The clip features the same tattoo-covered young woman who appears in the video for “Carolina Shag,” another bonus song from the Scarecrow sessions that was previously released as an advance track from the expanded reissue.
In the “Smart Guys” clip, the woman appears as a school teacher wearing horn-rimmed glasses, as she reads a book, grades papers, spins a globe, and writes the song’s lyrics in marker on a white board.
“Smart Guys” and “Carolina Shag” are two of 11 bonus tracks featured on the deluxe versions of the Scarecrow reissue, which is due out this Friday, November 4. As previously reported, the expanded reissue, which can be preordered now, will boast a remixed and remastered version of the original album, as well as demos, outtakes and rough mixes of tracks.
Scarecrow, Mellencamp’s eighth studio album, was released in August 1985, and peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200. The album yielded features five top-40 hits — “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to ’60s Rock),” “Lonely Ol’ Night,” “Small Town,” “Rain on the Scarecrow” and “Rumbleseat.”
Meanwhile, next year, Mellencamp will embark on a 76-date North American trek dubbed the Live and In Person 2023 tour. The outing is scheduled to kick off with a February 5-6 engagement in Bloomington, Indiana, through a June 23-24 stand in South Bend, Indiana.
(NEW YORK) — Matthew Perry lays bare his struggle with addiction in his new memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, and told ABC News’ Good Morning America he “can’t wait” for people to read it.
“It’s really exciting that people will read this story and it will hopefully help a lot of people,” the actor said of the memoir, which is out Nov. 1.
In his book, Perry opens up about battling and overcoming years of drug and alcohol abuse. He said he hopes speaking out changes people’s perceptions of those experiencing addiction.
“There’s a stigma attached to it, and that’s got to end,” he said, noting that the disease “doesn’t care where it goes.”
“… Hopefully me telling my story will help that stigma end,” he added.
Perry said the book “just all poured out of me” and called writing it a “gratifying experience,” but one that forced him to look inside.
“It came easily to write it, but then I had to read it for [the audio version], and that was really hard,” he said.
These days, Perry is finding meaning by channeling his past into helping others fight back against addiction as a sponsor.
“What’s interesting about it is I’ve stood on a stage helping 100,000 people at the same time, but I get the same juice, I get the same thing, from helping one person,” he said.
Perry said he hopes his Friends co-stars read his book, revealing that he’s “gotten some really nice texts from a few” of them already.
If you or someone you care about is struggling with addiction, confidential and free help is available at: FindTreatment.gov, the SAMHSA National Helpline at 800-662-4357, or for immediate help in a crisis situation, call or text the national crisis lifeline at 988.
D.H. Peligro, longtime drummer for the punk institution Dead Kennedys and onetime member of Red Hot Chili Peppers, has died at age 63.
According to a tweet from the Dead Kennedys account, Peligro, born Darren Henley, passed away in his home on Friday, October 28.
“[Henley] died from trauma to his head from an accidental fall,” the tweet reads. “Arrangements are pending will be announced in the coming days. Thank you for your thoughts and words of comfort.”
Henley first joined Dead Kennedys in 1981. After the band broke up in 1986, Henley joined Red Hot Chili Peppers for a year in 1988. He has writing credits on several songs off RHCP’s 1989 album Mother’s Milk, which marked the band’s first record with guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith.
In his own tweet, Peppers bassist Flea writes, “DH Peligro forever and ever. The funnest, kindest and the rockingest. My dear brother I’m so grateful for our time I love you forever.”
Henley rejoined with Dead Kennedys when the band reunited in 2001. After taking a year off in 2008, he returned to the band in 2009 and continued to play with them until his death.
Monday is Halloween, but the stars spent the weekend celebrating. Here’s a roundup of some pop stars’ notable costumes:
Lizzo went all out, covering her body in yellow paint and donning a sky-high blue wig to portray Marge Simpson. “I AM HIM – HIMMY NEUTRON- MARGE HIMPSON,” she captioned one photo. In another photo, she’s still dressed as Marge but is miming to a clip of Family Guy‘s Lois Griffin yelling, “Peter!” She captioned that one, “The crossover episode y’all been waiting for.”
Ariana Grande and her Victorious co-star Elizabeth Gilliespaid tribute to the mockumentary Best In Show, about owners of show dogs. Ari dressed as a number of the movie’s stars, characters played by Eugene Levy, Linda Kash and JenniferCoolidge,who guest-starred in her “thank u next” video. Elizabeth played characters originally portrayed in the film by Jane Lynch, Catherine O’Hara and Larry Miller.
The two also shot multiple recreations of scenes from the film. According to Elizabeth, they filmed the whole thing back in May. Coolidge responded, saying it was “great” and joked she was going to dress as Ariana’s dog Toulouse.
Shawn Mendesdressed as Indiana Jones, complete with fedora, whip and half-open shirt.
Olivia Rodrigo dressed as iconic cartoon character Betty Boop in a tiny strapless red dress, black stockings and garter, with her hair in short curls.
Frankie Jonas trolled his brother Joe Jonas by recreating a scene from the Jonas Brothers’ 2008 concert movie Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience. In the scene, Joe and his then-girlfriend Taylor Swift sing Taylor’s song “Should Have Said No.” Frankie dressed as Joe while his girlfriend Anna Olson dressed as Taylor, with a shimmery dress. The two further poked fun at Joe by posting a photo of their hands adorned with “matching purity rings.”
Diddy went all out, making himself up as the spitting image of Heath Ledger‘s Joker.
Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Foxdressed as another famous rock star/movie star couple: Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson.
Kim Kardashian‘s children North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm Westcollectively dressed as musical icons ,the late singer Aaliyah, Snoop Dogg, Sade and the late N.W.A. rapper Eazy-E, respectively.
