Steely Dan winds down its current U.S. trek, The Earth After Hours Tour, with a three-show residency this week at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees have revealed that each of the shows, scheduled for Wednesday night, Friday and Saturday, will feature them playing a different album from their catalog in its entirety.
Wednesday night’s concert will include a full performance of Steely’s Dan’s sixth studio album, 1977’s Aja, which features such classic tunes as the title track, “Deacon Blues,” “Peg” and “Josie.”
The August 12 show will feature a performance of the group’s entire fifth album, 1976’s The Royal Scam, which includes “Kid Charlemagne” and “Haitian Divorce.”
Bringing the residency, and the tour, to a close, the August 13 concert will feature a performance of Steely Dan’s 2021 live album Northeast Corridor, which was recorded during recent tours by the band at four venues in the Northeastern U.S. The album showcases renditions of some of Steely Dan’s most popular tunes, including “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Hey Nineteen,” “Aja,” “Peg” and “Reelin’ in the Years.”
Opening all three shows with be jazz outfit The Dave Stryker Trio.
Visit TheCapitolTheatre.com to purchase tickets to the concerts and for more details.
Mad Man veteran Jon Hamm is joining another acclaimed series.
Apple TV+ announced the addition to the cast, noting the Emmy winner will play Paul Marks, a “corporate titan who sets his sights” on the network on which the series’ The Morning Show airs.
The show’s second season centered on drama within UBA, the fictitious network on which the series’ AM chat show airs, and also the personal struggles of both Reese Witherspoon’s anchor Bradley, and her disgraced colleague Alex, played by Jennifer Aniston.
The network says season three of the show, starring and produced byWitherspoon and Aniston, gets underway later this month.
(NEW YORK) — Three towns on Maryland’s Eastern Shore will pay $5 million to the family of a Black teenager who was killed in an encounter with police officers almost four years ago, according to the attorneys for the family.
Anton Black, a 19-year-old former star high school athlete, died on Sept. 15, 2018, after being restrained by three officers from the Centreville, Greensboro and Ridgley police departments who held him face down for about six minutes, pinning his shoulders, legs and arms, according to a lawsuit filed in federal district court in Baltimore in late 2020.
“I had to watch those police officers kill my son, while he pleaded for his life and called out to me. There are no words to describe the immense hurt that I will always feel when I think back on that tragic day, when I think of my son,” Black’s mother, Janell Black, said in a statement Monday.
Under the settlement, the three towns have also agreed to make changes in their police departments’ training of officers in order to avoid future deaths of this nature, according to the family’s lawyers.
The changes include an overhaul in “use of force” policies for the three Eastern Shore municipalities, more resources for police confronting mental health emergencies and mandated officer training in de-escalation, intervention and implicit bias, the lawyers say. The policy changes also strengthen hiring transparency and public complaint reporting.
The federal lawsuit was filed after local prosecutors declined to pursue charges over Black’s death. The police officers involved argued that they did not use excessive force and that drug use or Black’s mental illness instead contributed to the cardiac arrest that ended his life.
On the night of his killing, a woman called 911 claiming that Black was fighting with another boy, according to the lawsuit. Another witness said the boys were engaged in “ordinary roughhousing,” according to the lawsuit.
Black had been diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder just months before the incident, the lawsuit said. At the time of the 911 call and police response, Black was enduring a mental health crisis, according to the lawsuit.
Black ran when confronted by a responding police officer, the lawsuit said. The other officers and a bystander then chased him, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit said that the officers used a taser to get him on the ground, where he was pinned face-down until he went unconscious.
One of the officers wrote in a court affidavit that he and another officer had to struggle with Black in order to keep him restrained and handcuffed.
That lawsuit argued that the officers involved used excessive force and then tried to cover up the killing by using false claims that Black was under the influence of marijuana that was laced with another drug, leading to the officers accusing Black of demonstrating “superhuman” strength.
A toxicology report released months after Black’s death showed no drugs in his system, according to the lawsuit.
David Fowler, the state medical examiner at the time, released an autopsy four months after the incident that instead blamed congenital heart abnormalities for Black’s death, classifying the death as an accident. Fowler said there was no evidence that the police officer’s actions had caused the death.
Black’s family is still pursuing litigation against the medical examiner’s office and Fowler, who have been linked to the cover-up of Black’s killing, according to the family’s lawyers.
Lawyers representing Fowler and the medical examiner’s office have not yet responded to ABC News’ request for comment. A response from Fowler to the family’s lawsuit said that his and his office’s actions were “reasonable and legally justified.” The response stated that Fowler is not liable for Black’s death and neither are the officers involved.
“No one deserves to be killed like this,” Black’s sister, LaToya Holley, said in a statement Monday. “Anton Black did not deserve this. He will never be forgotten. He was such a sweet, nice, and loving person. There will always be a part of him in my heart.”
The settlement reached with the towns also covered the family’s claims against individuals involved in Black’s death, including Thomas Webster IV, a former Greensboro police officer; Michael Petyo, the former chief of the Greensboro Police Department; Gary Manos, the former chief of the Ridgely Police Department; and Dennis Lannon, a former Centreville police officer.
Lawyers representing the defendants, and the three towns, did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.
“Today, we are hopeful that by reforming these local police departments, we will start to move a little closer in the right direction, away from white supremacy and closer to a nation of true equality and justice,” Richard Potter, a member of the Coalition for Justice for Anton Black which joined the lawsuit against the three towns, said in a statement Monday.
Even Post Malone gets starstruck — and he admits his nerves nearly got the best of him when meeting his biggest idol, Ozzy Osbourne.
In a new clip promoting his upcoming concert documentary, Runaway, which premieres August 12 on Amazon-owned Freevee, the singer geeks out when meeting the Prince of Darkness for the first time.
The clip starts with Post approaching Ozzy — who is sitting on a wooden throne — to shake his hand. The singer exclaims, “You look great,” while affectionately putting his hand on the rock legend’s shoulder.
“You excited?” Post asks. “You ready to party?” That earns a chuckle of approval from the rock star.
Post then has to get ready for his show, but he cannot stop looking back toward Ozzy, and gushes, “This is gonna be bada**, man!”
The documentary then flips to a one-on-one with the “Circles” singer, who recalls how he felt during that fateful moment.
“I was nervous meeting him. Not as much performing, but meeting him is terrifying because what the f*** do you say to Ozzy Osbourne? ‘I like your pants?’ I don’t know,” he admitted. You have no idea what the f*** to say to him.”
Post then geeked out just thinking about their performance. “It’s mind-blowing. It’s absolutely fucking mind-blowing being able to work with one of the biggest dudes in fucking rock and roll history. It’s pretty bada**,” he raved.
Cody Johnson is halting his weekend tour plans. The singer shared the news on social media, explaining that the cancelation is due to an illness.
“We understand the inconvenience this causes with travel, plans and with purchased tickets, and we apologize for this unforeseen circumstance,” the singer wrote in his post. “We very much appreciate your understanding and patience, and we will make every attempt to get back to these markets to make up the dates as soon as possible.”
The affected shows include a Thursday night appearance at the State Fair of West Virginia, plus a Friday night show in Richmond, Virginia, and a Saturday night show in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. According to Cody’s website, the shows in Richmond and Johnstown were sold out.
Randall King was scheduled to be the opening act for all three canceled sets, while Dillon Carmichael also planned to join the bill on Friday and Saturday.
Cody’s statement also indicates that fans who planned to attend those shows should be on the lookout for an email from their original point of purchase with details about their tickets.
The singer’s tour is scheduled to pick up again on August 18 in New York City. He’ll be supporting Zac Brown Band for that show.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs have premiered a new song called “Burning,” which will appear on the band’s upcoming comeback album, Cool It Down.
“‘Burning’ is a song about that feeling, smoke signals for the soul,” the “Maps” outfit says. “Begging to cool it down, just doing it the best we know how.”
You can listen to “Burning” now via digital outlets. Its accompanying video is set to premiere this Friday, August 12.
Cool It Down, which will be released September 30, is the first Yeah Yeah Yeahs album in nine years, following 2013’s Mosquito. It also includes the previously released single “Spitting Off the Edge of the World,” featuring Perfume Genius.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs will perform at Chicago’s Riot Fest in September, followed by headlining dates in New York City and Los Angeles in October.
If Taylor Swift needs any help, she can count on actor Ben Stiller, who came out as a proud superfan — or “Swiftie” for short.
Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the Night at the Museum star described how driving lessons with his daughter made him a Taylor fan.
Stiller said 20-year-old Ella was learning to drive in New York City, which is not the best place for a novice driver to learn the ropes. The actor compared driving on the West Side Highway to Mad Max: Fury Road.
“What really helped is she played her favorite artist on the iPhone,” Stiller revealed. “So we would just drive and play Taylor Swift. And I was a fan, but now I think I’m a total Swiftie.”
As for the music the Zoolander star enjoyed, he explained, “We got into the later stuff: [the albums] evermorefolklore — about ‘Cardigan,’ ‘Betty’ and ‘August.'”
Noting he’d “get deep into it,” Stiller went into fan mode and educated Colbert about the albums, saying the songs are “all about being in the same love triangle, but from different points of view. And the characters are named after Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively‘s kids.”
Stiller also raved about the 10-minute version of Taylor’s “All Too Well,” knowing that it came “from the vault.”
Colbert flexed his Swiftie muscles, as he also is a fan of the singer, and revealed he spent a 14-hour car ride from New York to South Carolina playing just evermore on repeat. “I’ll just be muttering those lyrics on my deathbed,” the comedian quipped.
So, what happened with Stiller’s daughter? She thankfully passed her driving test, which he credited again to Taylor’s calming music.
Darius Rucker is the headliner for the next CMT Storytellers, a one-hour concert special featuring performances and never-before-heard stories about how some of the star’s biggest hits came to life.
“There have been so many nights when someone comes up to me after a show and tells me what a song means to them,” Darius recounts, “when they first heard it or how it became a song at a pivotal moment in their life, played at a wedding or even a memorial.”
After establishing himself as the frontman of rock group Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius turned to a solo career in country music in 2008. His episode of CMT Storytellers will feature songs from every era of his career, and underscore the special moments the songs create between the artist and his fans.
“The way music connects and how the story evolves for each person differently is perhaps the coolest aspect of music, which is what makes a show like CMT Storytellers so special as I think we can always use more moments of connection,” Darius continues.
CMT Storytellers: Darius Rucker will air on CMT on August 31 at 10 p.m. ET. Fans can catch five encore airings: August 31 at 11 p.m., September 4 at 12 p.m., September 9 at 8 p.m., and September 10 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
If you happened to be at Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill County Fair 25 years ago, you may have seen Halestorm‘s first-ever show.
In an Instagram post, frontwoman Lzzy Hale reflects on that debut performance, which took place August 9, 1997.
“It was just lil bro [drummer Arejay Hale] and I at the time,” Lzzy recalls. “We named the band Halestorm on the way to the gig, and stepped nervously on stage.”
“Well, I was nervous,” she adds. “I don’t think Arejay has ever been nervous in his life!”
During the set, the Hale siblings played a song called “Love Is Power,” which was the first track they’d ever written together.
“We were shaking with excitement after our performance, and to our surprise we even took home the 3rd place trophy!” Lzzy shares. “On the ride home and all throughout our family dinner that night, lil bro and I planned our mission.”
We’d like to see how many Grammys the first- and second-place winners have.
Halestorm is currently on tour in support of the band’s latest album, this year’s Back from the Dead.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday enacted legislation that will expand the Department of Veterans Affairs, providing health care support to millions of veterans — as well as their families and caretakers — who were exposed to toxic burn pits.
Known as the PACT Act, the package grants more time to enroll in VA-provided care for veterans exposed to the toxins while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the White House.
“This is the most significant law our nation has ever passed to help millions of veterans who are exposed to toxic substances during their military services,” Biden said in remarks during the bill signing ceremony in the White House’s East Room.
The legislation simplifies how the VA determines if someone’s service put them at risk, which the White House and veterans say is often difficult to prove on an individual basis.
Some veterans or their survivors diagnosed with one of 23 specific conditions will no longer need to prove a direct service connection, per the new law, which also invests in toxic exposure research, among other things.
Burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq could be “the size of football fields,” Biden said at the signing. The U.S. military used them to incinerate waste from operations there, which included “tires, poisonous chemicals, jet fuel and so much more,” he said.
The issue is personal for the president, who for years has wondered if late-son Beau’s brain cancer stemmed from exposure to burn pits during his deployment in Iraq.
“When they came home, many of the fittest and best warriors that we sent to war were not the same. Headaches, numbness, dizziness, cancer. My son Beau was one of them,” Biden said.
But the PACT Act, which the president called on Congress to take up last year, almost didn’t make it to his desk for a signature.
The proposal had faced uncertainty in the Senate after some Republican lawmakers changed their minds, voting against ending debate on the bill after they voted in favor of it weeks earlier — a convoluted timeline because a change to the text in the House required a re-vote.
It ultimately passed the Senate a second time, last Tuesday, with 11 Republican holdouts after protesters, many of them veterans, spent days advocating for their cause in front of the Senate steps. (GOP lawmakers had cited concerns about what they said were Democratic spending maneuvers bundled in the bill.)
Among the demonstrators urging PACT’s passage was actor and comedian Jon Stewart, who himself protested for hours outside the Capitol and walked the halls of Congress to meet with senators last week. He attended the bill signing Wednesday morning.
“What you’ve done matters,” Biden told Stewart, who received a standing ovation. “It really, really matters … And we owe you big.”
Some veterans and survivors who lobbied on the Hill last week also joined Biden and lawmakers at the signing.
Biden spoke with several of them before he left the East Room, handing out challenge coins to some, embracing others and thanking them for their service.
“This law is long overdue, but we finally got it done together,” he said.
ABC News’ Mary Bruce and Justin Gomez contributed to this report.
