ABC Music News

Sammy Hagar honored with star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Posted today at 5:00pm

Sammy Hagar was honored with the 2,779th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, with friends John Mayer, Guy Fieri and manager Tom Consolo on hand to help celebrate.

“Sammy is driven by having fun,” Mayer shared in his speech. “Sammy has the kind of fun that we only dream about letting ourselves have if only we could get out of our own way and simply enjoy the fact that we’re alive and on this planet for a relative blink of an eye.”

He added, “Every time I think of him a thought comes to mind that I’d like to share with you today. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, Sammy Hagar is having way more fun than you.”

Sammy thanked his four kids and his wife during his speech, along with the late Eddie Van Halen and Ronnie Montrose. He also thanked Van Halen's Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, who were both there to lend their support to Sammy.

“The idea of where I came from in life and where my beginnings were and to have this here, the amount of people I’d have to thank, it would be impossible to do in one day,” Hagar shared during his speech. “You can’t do all this, you can’t achieve all this without people’s help. If I stood here and said I did this all myself — I wouldn’t be here ... so it’s an honor.”

Barbra Streisand explains Ozempic comment: "I forgot the world is reading!"

Posted today at 5:00pm

Melissa McCarthy and Barbra Streisand in 2016; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BSB

While she was around when it was invented, Barbra Streisand still doesn't seem to understand how social media works. After being dragged online for a seemingly insensitive comment she made on a friend's post, she's now apologizing.

On April 29, actress Melissa McCarthy posted a couple of photos on Instagram of herself at an event with director Adam Shankman. Streisand responded by commenting, "Give him my regards did you take Ozempic?" She later deleted the comment, but not before it was captured by the Comments by Celebs account and captioned, "Babs!!"

One user responded, "Omg Babs, you can’t just ask people if they’re on Ozempic." Another addressed the legendary singer directly: "you’re such a boomer. I cringed reading your question."

Another user wrote, "Maybe STFU and keep these thoughts in your own head? It’s none of your business unless someone wants to share. My god. And as a woman in the industry completely judged for her looks, you think Babs would have some empathy."

On April 30, Streisand posted an explanation of what many saw as a brutal comment.

"OMG - I went on Instagram to see the photos we'd posted of the beautiful flowers I'd received for my birthday! Below them was a photo of my friend Melissa McCarthy who I sang with on my Encore album."

"She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment," she continued. "I forgot the world is reading!"

But McCarthy doesn't seem to bothered. Asked by a TMZ photographer what she thought of Babs' Ozempic comment, the Bridesmaids star said, "I think Barbra is a treasure and I love her."

New documentary looks at 1969’s Rock N Roll Revival music festival

Posted today at 4:00pm

A new documentary will give music fans a behind-the-scenes look at Toronto’s 1969 Rock N Roll Revival music festival, which featured John Lennon’s first time performing outside The Beatles.

The documentary, Revival69: The Concert That Rocked The World, details how promoters John Brower and Kenny Walker were able to book Lennon for the show and how his appearance almost didn’t happen. In the end he took the stage for a debut performance of The Plastic Ono Band, which featured Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and Alan White.

The documentary also features footage from the festival’s other performers — Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Doors. It includes interviews from The Doors’ Robby Kreiger, Voormann and White, Alice Cooper and Rush’s Geddy Lee, who attended the festival.

The film features archival footage from the late director D. A. Pennebaker, who shot the festival for the 1969 documentary Sweet Toronto.

Revival69: The Concert That Rocked The World will be released in theaters and digitally on June 28.

The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood doesn't need drugs or alcohol for a tour high

Posted today at 3:00pm

While The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood may have been a big partier back in the day, these days, he gets his high in totally different ways.

He tells The Sun that getting to play in front of thousands of fans each night is all the high he needs now.

“The adrenalin high is stronger than any drug or alcohol,” Wood shared. “The natural high is the best one you can have, it exceeds drugs or alcohol.”

The Rolling Stones just kicked off their ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour in Houston on Sunday, April 28, and Wood says it's important for him to keep a much healthier routine while on the road.

“I like to have my green juices now and I do workouts with my trainer just light workouts and stretches to keep my circulation going, which is what you need when you’re older," the 76-year-old says.

Wood says being on tour is still “a big party,” but he makes sure to enjoy some "quiet time," which apparently includes catching up on Netflix. “I’m addicted to Ripley,” he notes, referring to the series based on Patricia Highsmith's book The Talented Mr. Ripley, which was turned into a movie in 1999.

In the same interview, Wood reveals that Sir Paul McCartney helped the Stones out with the tour, sharing that he came to rehearsals in Los Angeles and “gave us some really nice input.”

“Paul is so great and really supportive. Paul threw me and (my wife) Sally a going away party from L.A. He invited Neil Young as my surprise guest at the dinner,” he says, adding, “It was so lovely."

The Rolling Stones will play Jazz Fest in New Orleans on May 2. A complete list of tour dates can be found at RollingStones.com.

Squeeze announces summer dates with Boy George

Posted today at 2:00pm

Squeeze is returning to the U.S. this summer for a new tour, where they’ll be joined by Boy George.

The tour kicks off August 14 in Eugene, Oregon, hitting such cities as Phoenix, Austin, Houston, Boston, Atlantic City and New York, before wrapping September 22 in Orlando, Florida.

A ticket presale will launch Thursday, May 2, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday, May 3, at 10 a.m.

Squeeze previously toured the States in summer 2023 with The Psychedelic Furs.

Squeeze has a pretty busy 2024 ahead of them. Their next show is happening May 30 in Horsham, England, and then they'll open for Heart in the U.K. starting July 1 in London. They're also set to launch a U.K. leg of their 50th anniversary tour starting October 4 in Sheffield, England.

A complete list of all Squeeze dates can be found at squeezeofficial.com.

Tribeca announces Storytellers Series talk with Michael Stipe

Posted today at 1:15pm

New York City's Tribeca Festival has announced a talk with R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, which will be part of their 2024 Storytellers Series.

Stipe is set to appear at the SVA Theatre on June 12. As for what he’ll be talking about, you'll have to attend to find out, but he has been working on his debut solo album.

The Tribeca event is set to take place one day before Stipe and his R.E.M. bandmates — Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry — will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 13 during a ceremony that will also take place in New York City.

For more info, visit TribecaFilm.com.

Deep Purple releases “Portable Door,” the first single from upcoming album '=1'

Posted today at 12:30pm

Deep Purple has shared the first preview of their upcoming album, =1.

The band just dropped the new single “Portable Door,” along with a video that has them performing the track in front of a backdrop of the album’s artwork.

“The new album will reflect what the five of us create in the rehearsal room. Many of the songs, like ‘Portable Door’, were written in the first sessions and literally came together in five or 10 minutes,” guitarist Simon McBride, who joined the band in 2022, shared in a recent interview. “It all was so easy and natural.”

Ian Gillan added, “Throughout Deep Purple’s history, our best songs have always been those that were written in no time at all. We’ve played what felt good and developed songs as we have always done.”

You can listen to “Portable Doors” now via digital outlets.

=1, Deep Purple's first album of new material since 2020's Whoosh!, will be released July 19. It is available for preorder now.

Joni Mitchell’s 'The Asylum Albums (1976-1980)' to be released in June

Posted today at 11:30am

Joni Mitchell is once again revisiting her archives for a new collection coming in June.

The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) will feature remastered versions of four albums: 1976’s Hejira, 1977’s Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, 1979’s Mingus and the 1980 double live album Shadows and Light.

Fans are getting the first preview of the set with a remastered version of the Hejira track “Coyote," which is available now via digital outlets.

The collection will feature cover art of a Mitchell landscape painting and include an essay written by lifelong Mitchell fan, Oscar-winner Meryl Streep.

“It’s not just the artifact – music and lyrics – that Joni gives us. Her artistry leaves us, ourselves, changed,” writes Streep. “She has shifted things around inside us. And that’s how artists change the world.”

The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) will be released June 21 in a variety of formats, including digitally, as a five-CD set and as a limited edition six-LP set with only 5,000 copies available. All formats are available for preorder now.

Joni previously released The Asylum Years (1972-1975) in September 2022, which focused on her first four albums with the label. Then in October 2023, she released Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975), featuring never-before-heard demos, performances, and early and alternative versions of songs from three of her albums: 1972’s For the Roses, 1974’s Court and Spark and 1975’s The Hissing Of Summer Lawns.

Joni's Archives series is set to continue with the next installment, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 4, which will focus on unreleased and live Joni recordings. More info on the set is expected later this year.

'The Who’s Tommy', David Byrne earn Tony Award nominations

Posted today at 10:30am

Nominees for the 2024 Tony Awards were announced on Tuesday, April 30, with The Who’s Tommy and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne both earning nominations.

The Who’s Tommy is nominated in the Best Revival of a Musical category. The 1993 original run won five Tony Awards, including Best Direction for Des McAnuff and Best Original Score for The Who's Pete Townshend.

Byrne and Fatboy Slim earned a nomination in the category of Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre for Here Lies Love, about the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines. Also nominated in that category is former Arcade Fire member Will Butler for the Stereophonic.

This isn't Byrne's first time being recognized by the Tonys. In 2021, he won an honorary Tony Award for his production American Utopia.

The Tony Awards, hosted by Ariana DeBose, will air live on CBS on Sunday, June 16, at 8 p.m. ET and stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

On This Day, April 30, 1977: Led Zeppelin set new attendance record at the Pontiac Silverdome

Posted today at 10:00am

On This Day, April 30, 1977...

Led Zeppelin set a new attendance record when 76,229 fans came out to see them perform at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.

According to Guinness Book of Records, it was the largest attendance to that date for a single act show. It surpassed previous record holder The Who, who set a record with an audience of 75,962 people at the same venue.

The night’s set list featured performances of such Zeppelin classics as “The Song Remains the Same,” “The Battle of Evermore,” “Going to California,” “Kashmir,” “Stairway to Heaven” and more.

Sean Ono Lennon, Elvis Costello attend special screening of The Beatles’ 'Let It Be' in New York

Posted today at 9:45am

The restored version of The Beatles 1970 documentary, Let It Be, was shown at a special screening in New York City on Monday, April 29, with stars like Sean Ono Lennon, Elvis Costello and Paul Shaffer in attendance.

The evening included a special Q&A with the film’s original director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and Apple Corps Ltd.’s Jonathan Clyde.

The film, restored from the original 16mm negative by Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production, premieres May 8 on Disney+, marking first time the film has been available in over 50 years. The audience at the screening also got to see the premiere of the new trailer for the film, which is out now.

Originally released in April 1970, Let It Be takes Beatles fans inside the studio as they recorded their album Let It Be and includes footage from their January 1969 Apple Corps rooftop concert. It was released one month after the Beatles officially broke up.

Footage from the film was used in Jackson's 2021 Emmy-winning docuseries, The Beatles: Get Back, which also aired on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

This house is not for sale: Jon Bon Jovi has no interest in cashing in on his catalog

Posted today at 9:15am

Back in 2016, Bon Jovi released an album called This House Is Not For Sale, and that's currently where Jon Bon Jovi stands when it comes to cashing in on his catalog, as so many other artists have done recently.

While artists ranging from Bob Dylan and Justin Bieber to Sting and Bruce Springsteen have made multimillion deals to sell the rights to their music over the past few years, Jon tells Yahoo Entertainment, "I have no desire."

"Our catalog has done nothing but go up [in value] exponentially. I know matter of factly, it's really exploded to, like, 15-year highs, and [our new] record is not even out yet," he continues. "So I have no need to or desire to. Those are my babies.”

Another thing Jon has turned down is the chance to do a residency at the Sphere Las Vegas, where U2 recently completed an acclaimed run of shows. However, Jon notes there "are some benefits" to playing in one place for an extended period of time: "You’re doing 10, 15 nights in one venue and it gets nice. You can leave your shoes there at night. That's not bad.”

However, he tells Yahoo, "For me personally, the desert isn't all that appealing — to be out in Vegas for a long period of time. And the Sphere is otherworldly. That's a serious commitment. So, for me, not at this time.”

The four-part docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, documenting the band's 40-year history, is now streaming on Hulu and their new single, "Legendary," is climbing the charts.

He says, “That we can sit here and talk ... 40 years later, and we've got a hit record out ... it’s nothing short of a miracle.”

George Harrison’s sitar sells for more than $66,000 at auction

Posted today at 5:00am

George Harrison’s first sitar sold for more than expected at a recent auction.

The instrument, which The Beatles member used during the recording sessions for “Norwegian Wood,” sold for $66,993 at Nate D. Sanders Auctions, well above the minimum bid of $25,000.

Harrison purchased the sitar in 1965 at Indiacraft on Oxford Street in London. It would go on to inspire his further involvement, and lifelong passion, for Indian music, culture and the Hindu religion. In 1966 he became the first Beatle to travel to India, where he would study the sitar under musician Ravi Shankar.

Nate D. Sanders Auctions was also auctioning off a Keith Richards custom-made guitar, which was used during the Rolling Stones' Some Girls recording sessions, tour and music video, although it apparently failed to bring in its $400,000 minimum asking price. It is still available, though, on an offer basis.

Sting to play October’s United States Grand Prix

Posted yesterday at 5:00pm

Sting is set to headline the Germania Insurance Super Stage during the Formula One Pirelli United States Grand Prix, happening October 18-20 in Austin, Texas.

Sting is set to perform on Friday, October 18, with Eminem booked for Saturday, October 19.

Tickets to the Grand Prix include entry to the shows. Single-day tickets are on sale now.

Up next, Sting is set to headline Beachlife Festival in Redondo Beach, California, on May 3, followed by shows in St. Petersburg, Florida, May 9 and 10.

In addition to three shows with Billy Joel this fall, Sting will kick off his Sting 3.0 tour on September 17. The tour will have him backed by guitarist and longtime collaborator Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas. A complete list of dates can be found at sting.com.

Bill Wyman says it took two years for The Rolling Stones to accept his departure

Posted yesterday at 4:00pm

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman reveals that almost two years passed before his bandmates accepted that he had actually quit the band.

In a new interview with The Mirror, Wyman says that while he left the group in 1991, “they wouldn’t believe me.”

“They refused to accept I had left. It was not until 1993, when they were starting to get together to tour in 1994, when they said, ‘You have actually now left, haven’t you?’ And I said, ‘I left two years ago,’” he explains. “They finally accepted it, so they say I left in 1993.”

As for why he quit, Wyman shares, “I just had enough. It was half my life and I thought, ‘I have got other things I want to do.’” He added, “I just had this whole other life I wanted to live."

The Rolling Stones just launched their ’24 Hackney Diamonds tour, and while Wyman is no longer with them, he hasn’t forgotten what life on the road is like and even dreams about it.

“The weird thing is ever since I’ve left, up until the present day, I still dream I’m on tour, like we are in a dressing room or we are in a hotel,” he says. “I still dream those dreams and I dream of other friends like David Bowie. They are all very nice but very confusing.”

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