Lynyrd Skynyrd to perform at Maryland’s Let’s Go! festival in June with The Outlaws

February 8, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Lynyrd Skynyrd will headline the first day of of the Let’s Go! Music Festival, scheduled for June 3-5 in the Annapolis, Maryland, suburb of Crownsville.

Joining Skynyrd on the event’s June 3 bill is another veteran Southern rock band that emerged during the 1970s — The Outlaws.

The festival’s other headliners include country star Billy Currington and pop-rockers the Goo Goo Dolls, who will perform on June 4 and 5, respectively.

Single-day and three-day passes for the festival are available now at Etix.com. Visit LetsGoFest.com for more information.

Lynyrd Skynyrd currently only has a few other confirmed 2022 performances on their schedule. On April 9, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers will be performing in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the RockYard venue as part of the 25th anniversary Arizona Bike Week event. On May 13, the band will headline a concert at the LA County Fair in Pomona, California. Lastly, on September 23, Skynyrd will be playing a show at the Nugget Resort Casino in Sparks, Nevada.

Auction of Julian Lennon’s Beatles- and John Lennon-themed NFTs brings in over $150K

February 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Auction of Julian Lennon’s Beatles- and John Lennon-themed NFTs brings in over 0K — Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions

The recently announced auction of six one-of-a-kind Beatles– and John Lennon-themed NFTs focusing on memorabilia from the personal collection of Lennon’s son, Julian, took place today, bringing in an impressive $158,720.

Among the audio/visual digital tokens sold was one that featured the animated image of Paul McCartney‘s handwritten studio notes for “Hey Jude,” which fetched $76,800 — the highest price ever paid for a Beatles-related NFT at an auction.

In addition, NFTs of a Gibson 1959 guitar that John gave to Julian as a gift, as well as an Afghan coat that Julian’s dad wore during the filming of the Magical Mystery Tour special, both sold for $22,400, while NFTs of a black cape that John wore in the Beatles film Help! and a Gibson Les Paul copy guitar that he gave to Julian as a Christmas present in 1973 brought $12,800 each.

The sixth NFT, which focuses on a Gibson Les Paul 25/50 guitar that John gifted to Julian, sold for $11,520.

A portion of the proceeds raised by the “Lennon Connection: The NFT Collection” auction will benefit Julian’s White Feather Foundation, and will be used to support the charity’s efforts to help reduce global carbon emissions. You can check out full details of the auction at JuliensLive.com.

The sale was organized by Julien’s Auctions in partnership with the YellowHeart NFT marketplace.

Julien’s Auctions president and CEO Darren Julien says, “It’s been an honor partnering with Julian Lennon and YellowHeart in this first-ever event which confirms the growing interest and value of Beatles memorabilia as one-of-a-kind NFT collectibles.”

Foo Fighters playing post-Super Bowl virtual reality concert

February 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Foo Fighters have announced a virtual reality concert set to take place after the Super Bowl this Sunday.

The show will air February 13 at 8 p.m. PT — or following the end of the game, whichever comes later — via Horizon Venues, a VR app for Oculus devices.

“Foo Fighters love a challenge,” says frontman Dave Grohl. “From playing the biggest stages in the world to the tiniest clubs to making movies and miniseries…We’ve pretty much done it all.”

He adds, “But we’ve never collaborated with [music video director] Mark Romanek on a conceptual set of songs (including one being played live for the first time ever) for a worldwide audience, where everyone has the best seats in the house thanks to the most bad*** VR tech… until now.”

“Join us when we cross that one off the FF bucket list!” Grohl declares.

For more info, visit Oculus.com.

Billy Joel pledges $1.5 million to Long Island High School for the Arts

February 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Billy Joel pledges .5 million to Long Island High School for the Arts — Myrna M. Suarez/WireImage

Billy Joel has always been a huge supporter of the arts, as well as a huge supporter of his home base of Long Island, New York. Now, he’s shown once again why these two things are near and dear to his heart.

Long Island’s Newsday reports that Billy and his charitable foundation have pledged $1.5 million to the Long Island High School for the Arts, which provides programs in music and theater, as well as game design, audio and video production and digital film making.

“We are incredibly proud of LIHSA’s momentum and positive impact on the next generation of artists from Long Island,” Billy and his wife, Alexis, said in a statement.

When the school, founded in 1973, was on the verge of closing six years ago, Billy’s foundation kicked in a million dollars to save it. In 2017, the building that houses the music and theater programs was renamed in honor of Billy’s mother, Rosalind Joel.

Graduates of the school, which is located in the town of Syosset, have gone on to careers on Broadway, nationally recognized arts organizations and more.

Rod Stewart celebrates daughter’s engagement, pays tribute to the Queen

February 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rod Stewart spent the weekend celebrating two things: the engagement of his daughter, Kimberly Stewart, and the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II‘s ascension to the throne.

Kimberly, Rod’s daughter with his first wife, Alana Stewart, got engaged over the weekend to producer Jesse Shapira, People confirms. Kimberly has a 10-year-old daughter, Delilah, with her ex, Benicio del Toro.

On Sunday, Alana posted photos of herself and Rod having a celebratory dinner in LA with Kimberly and Jesse, as well as Kimberly’s brother, Sean, and Renee Stewart, Rod’s daughter with his second wife, Rachel Hunter. Rod has eight children by five different women, and maintains good relationships with all his kids, and most of their mothers.

Meanwhile, Sunday marked the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II‘s ascension to the throne, and the official start of her Platinum Jubilee year. Rod posted a few photos of himself greeting and chatting with Her Majesty over the years, and wrote, “She’s been a wonderful example of how to conduct yourself with integrity and grace for 70 years now (just like me!) and we should all look forward to acknowledging her magnificent service.”

“I remember quite vividly when I was invited to sing a few songs for Her Majesty at St James’s Palace for a charity event. It was without doubt the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Rod confessed. “Her Majesty looked somewhat terrified as well, I think she thought I was going to play a loud version of ‘Hot Legs’ or something(!) but I didn’t, choosing instead ‘What a Wonderful World’ from my American Song Book collection.”

Rod concluded, “Her Majesty smiled and looked extremely relieved. What a Lady…so cool!”

Bon Jovi’s David Bryan turns 60 today; receives Razzie nomination for ‘Diana the Musical’ film

February 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan celebrates his 60th birthday today.

Born David Rashbaum, Bryan is a co-founding member of Bon Jovi and also has co-written several of the New Jersey band’s songs, including “In My Arms,” a top-30 hit in 1993.

David was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band in 2018.

Outside of Bon Jovi, Bryan has forged a successful career as a composer for musical theater productions. Most notably, he wrote the music for Memphis, a Broadway musical that won four Tony Awards for the 2010 season, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

Bryan also co-wrote the music for the new Broadway production Diana the Musical, based on the life of the late Princess Diana. Unfortunately, the filmed version of the musical, which debuted on Netflix in October 2021, just earned the dubious distinction of receiving the most nominations for the 2022 Razzie Awards, “honoring” the worst in cinema.

Among the film’s nine nods is Worst Screenplay, with Bryan listed as a nominee alongside the film’s script writer and co-composer, Joe DiPietro, who also was David’s Memphis collaborator.

Back to David’s birthday, his longtime band mate Jon Bon Jovi tweeted a message to him in honor of the milestone, which reads, “Sweet 16 or sweet 60? We’re still doing it my friend!” The post also features a vintage photo that includes Jon and David that was taken when they were teenagers, and a pic of the current Bon Jovi lineup.

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong looking for help to recover stolen car

February 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Billie Joe Armstrong is looking for any help in recovering a car that was stolen from him.

In an Instagram post, the Green Day frontman put out a notice asking for any information on the whereabouts of the vehicle, a 1962 Chevy II.

“This car is near and dear to all our hearts and has been in the [Green Day] family for over 30 years,” Armstrong wrote in the caption.

To report any sightings or tips, Armstrong asks that you call California’s Costa Mesa Police Department at 714-754-5280.

“Please re-post, let’s all help find this car!” Armstrong wrote.

Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band to kick off 2022 tour in Rama, Canada; Edgar Winter rejoins lineup

February 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Ringo Starr has unveiled updated plans for his 2022 North American tour with his All Starr Band that include a newly confirmed kickoff date and a lineup change.

The latest All Starr Band trek, which has been postponed twice since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, will get underway with a just announced May 27-28 engagement at Casino Rama in Rama, Canada.

This will mark the fifth time that Ringo and the All Starrs will begin a tour at the Canadian venue, after 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2014.

The group’s 2022 itinerary also features a new concert in Canandaigua, New York, on May 30 and a second show in Atlanta on June 21, which joins a previously announced June 22 Atlanta gig. In addition, previously confirmed concerts on May 31 in Asbury Park, New Jersey; June 3 in Worcester, Massachusetts; and June 21 in Richmond, Virginia, are no longer on the All Starr Band’s schedule.

As for the lineup change, veteran rocker Edgar Winter will be rejoining the group in place of founding Santana and Journey singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie, who had played with the All Starrs since 2012. Winter previously was a member of the All Starr Band from 2006 to 2011.

The rest of Ringo’s All Starr Band remains the same — Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, Men at Work frontman Colin Hay and former Average White Band guitarist/bassist Hamish Stuart, as well as sax player/percussionist Warren Ham and drummer Gregg Bissonette.

“I can’t wait to get back out on the road and play,” says Ringo. “This is the longest I’ve been off the road in years — up until 2020 I was touring every year with the All Starrs — and I’ve really missed it.”

Visit RingoStarr.com for more info about the trek.

Layne Staley & Mike Starr estates sell music rights to Alice in Chains songs

February 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

The estates of late Alice in Chains members Layne Staley and Mike Starr have sold their music rights to the music publishing company, Primary Wave.

According to a press release, Primary Wave now owns “a stake in [Staley and Starr’s] music publishing catalog, as well as master royalty income stream.” The deal includes royalties to AiC classics including “Man in a Box,” “Would?” and “Rooster.”

In a statement, Primary Wave Publishing Partner David Weitzman says, “Primary Wave is pleased to partner with the estates of Layne Staley and Mike Starr to honor their musical legacies as part of the classic era lineup of Alice in Chains, who created the amazing songs and records that comprise the albums Dirt and Facelift, and the acoustic EPs, Jar of Flies and Sap.”

“These projects represent the greatest works from one of the best artists of the iconic ’90s Seattle-based grunge era,” Weitzman adds.

Both Staley and Starr were original members of Alice in Chains. Frontman Stayley died in 2002, while bassist Starr, who left AiC in 1993, passed in 2011.

Elton John’s Oscar viewing party returns in person, will feature performance by Brandi Carlile , but no Elton

February 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Last year, Elton John‘s Oscar viewing party went virtual, but this year, it’s returning in-person.

The event on March 27 in West Hollywood Park will be the 30th annual installment of the event, which over the years has raised $515 million for Elton’s AIDS Foundation and the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

Last year, Elton John‘s Oscar viewing party went virtual, but this year, it’s returning in person.

Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, a good friend of Elton’s who appears on his Lockdown Sessions album, will perform at the bash. Other performers are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

In a statement, Elton says, “[My husband and manager] David [Furnish] and I are so grateful to celebrate 30 years of the Foundation and especially grateful to Brandi Carlile and the many fabulous guests supporting us for another magnificent night in West Hollywood Park.”

He continues, “Our success reflects the passion, commitment, and generosity of our supporters. Together, we are making a difference and bringing light and hope to people living with HIV around the world.”

Brandi adds, “Getting to perform for such a significant milestone of one of the most legendary Oscar Parties is an absolute honor.”

Elton currently has a concert scheduled for March 27 in Lincoln, Nebraska, so ABC News has confirmed that unfortunately, he won’t be able to attend the party himself.

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