U2 releases “Sweetest Thing” installment of their ‘Deep Dives and B-Sides’ digital series

June 28, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

U2 has released the next installment in their digital series, U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides. The latest is dubbed “Sweetest Thing,” after the fan favorite B-side that appeared on their compilation The Best of 1980–1990.

The latest is the seventh installment in the collection, and includes a 2024 remastered version of the single, as well as live performances of “Out of Control” and “Stories for Boys,” from Boston in 1981, and of “Twilight” and “An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart” from Red Rocks in 1983. They also shared a video of the “An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart” performance.

And to coincide with the playlist, U2 has released a limited-edition 2024 reissue of a “Sweetest Thing” T-shirt. It is available for preorder now.

U2 to Love and Only Love – Deep Dives and B-Sides will consist of 12 newly remastered collections, released throughout the year, which are made up of songs that until now were only available on vinyl, CD or cassette. They launched the series in April and so far released collections dedicated to “Discothèque,” “Staring at the Sun,” “Last Night on Earth,” “If God Will Send His Angels,” “Please” and “Mofo,” all from their ninth studio album Pop.

Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” turned into sound waves art for a good cause

June 28, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rod Stewart’s classic song “Forever Young” has been turned into art that’s helping raise money for a good cause.

Rod has teamed up with artist Tim Wakefield and the Soundwaves Art Foundation for an art piece made from sound waves of the 1988 single, which contain the tune’s lyric, “be courageous and be brave.”

Rod has autographed four soundwave originals that are already sold out, as well as 100 prints, which sell for $470 each. There are also 100 unsigned prints, which sell for $75 each. They are on sale now at soundwavesartfoundation.com.

All money made from the sales will be donated to War Child UK, which supports children caught up in war zones around the world.

“Forever Young,” from Rod’s fifteenth studio album Out of Order, was a top 20 hit for the rocker, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Farewell means farewell: Elton John & husband say they “want to be present” during sons’ teen years

June 28, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Elton John has traveled the world throughout his legendary career, but these days he’s looking forward to time at home.

When asked if he plans to hit the road again following the end of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour nearly a year ago, the “Rocket Man” singer recently told Entertainment Tonight a flat “no.”

“We’ve got our sons, you know, they’re getting into their teenage years now,” Elton’s husband, David Furnish, chimed in, referring to their sons Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11. “We don’t want to miss anything. We want to be present for that. It’s sort of a key decade, I think, in a child’s life.”

David added, “He’s been doing it for 60 years, so it’s nice to have that time to spend at home with the family.”

Elton noted, “We went out on the biggest high, just the way I wanted to, and there’s no going back [after] that.”

But Elton’s still plenty busy: He’s got a new musical, Tammy Faye, hitting Broadway in previews on October 19, and another musical, The Devil Wears Prada, opening on London’s West End in October.

Plus, there’s always new music to make. Elton has a new album completed, according to Bernie Taupin, and David wants Elton to team up for a song with “Hot to Go” singer Chappell Roan, who they recently had dinner with.

“Such a brilliant, authentic pop voice and a great lady who is so much fun. I would love to see her and Elton collaborate,” he gushed. And Elton seems to be here for it.

“Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Gracie Abrams — all the girls are cracking!” Elton told ET. “They’re killing it and it’s so fantastic to see. It’s all the girls and it’s about time and they’re all doing great stuff.”

U2 welcomes Taylor Swift back to their hometown: “Leave some of it standing!!!”

June 28, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Taylor Swift has officially arrived in Dublin, Ireland, for her Eras Tour shows this weekend, and she got a warm welcome from a few of the city’s favorite sons: U2.

On her Instagram Story, Taylor posted a photo of a beautiful bouquet of flowers, along with a note. It reads, “Dear Taylor, Welcome back to our hometown … leave some of it standing?!!!!”

It’s signed “Your Irish fan club, Bono, Edge, Adam and Larry.”

She captioned the pic, “Already feeling that Irish hospitality!! @U2, thanks for always being the classiest and the coolest.”

Turns out this is a bit of a tradition: Back in 2018 when she toured Ireland, U2 sent her roses, signed, “from your Irish fan club.” And in 2022, Bono proclaimed himself a Swiftie when he and Taylor both appeared on The Graham Norton Show.

Patti Smith is covering Lana Del Rey in concert

June 28, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Patti Smith is on tour in Europe and she’s added a surprising cover to her set list.

Fan shot footage posted to social media shows Smith performing a cover of Lana Del Rey’s hit “Summertime Sadness.” According to one post, Smith told fans Lana’s tune made her think about times she shared with her husband Fred “Sonic” Smith, who passed away in November 1994.

Smith’s tour continues Friday with her second show in Dublin, Ireland, and she has dates in Europe booked throughout July and then again in September. She also has three U.S. shows happening in October. A complete list of dates can be found at pattismith.net.

Foo Fighters jam Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” alongside Geezer Butler during England show

June 28, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Foo Fighters welcomed a hometown hero to the stage during their concert in Birmingham, England, on Thursday.

The show featured a surprise appearance by Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, who joined Dave Grohl onstage for a performance of the Sabbath classic “Paranoid.”

Black Sabbath, of course, formed in Birmingham.

You can watch fan-shot footage of the Foozer Butler collaboration streaming now on YouTube.

Butler, by the way, was among the many guests that played the 2022 Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts. During the Los Angeles show, he joined the Foos alongside Sebastian Bach and Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich to perform “Paranoid” and fellow Sabbath tune “Supernaut.”

Foo Fighters are currently touring Europe in support of their latest album, 2023’s But Here We Are. They’ll launch a U.S. stadium tour in July.

As Elton John’s ‘Caribou’ turns 50, Bernie Taupin says it didn’t “measure up”

June 28, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Elton John‘s album Caribou turns 50 years old Friday: It was released in the U.K. on June 28, 1974. It topped the chart and produced two big hit singles, but looking back, the guy who co-wrote it — Bernie Taupin — doesn’t think it’s his and Elton’s best work. In fact, he thinks people have the wrong idea about a lot of the albums he and Elton released in the ’70s.

By 1974 Elton was a huge superstar, and he was also incredibly prolific. In ’74, he released Caribou and a Greatest Hits album, which both hit #1, and in ’75 he released Rock of the Westies and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, both of which also hit #1. But with that kind of output — plus nonstop touring — something had to give, and according to Taupin, it was the quality of the music.

“I don’t think Caribou or Rock of the Westies are great albums,” Taupin tells ABC Audio. “They’ve got good tracks on them.” Indeed, Caribou had “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and “The Bitch Is Back,” while Rock of the Westies had “Island Girl” and “Grow Some Funk of Your Own.”

But, Taupin notes, “People seem to lump that whole ’70s collective together and they always say, ‘Oh,’ y’know, the ’70s records were the classic albums.’ Well, there were some classic albums, but there were a couple that I don’t think measured up to the others and in total weren’t great records.”

He allows, “Yes, they had some classic tracks on them, but they also had a lot of filler.”

If you want an example, look no further than “Solar Prestige a Gammon,” a song on Caribou that’s entirely made up of nonsense words.

Pearl Jam cancels upcoming London show: “There was simply no other option based on our current health”

June 28, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Pearl Jam has canceled their upcoming concert scheduled for Saturday at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, citing “illness in the band.”

“This decision was the last thing we wanted to have to make, especially as we know so many of you made travel plans based on the tour schedule,” the band writes in a Facebook post. “There was simply no other option based on our current health and also having to avoid further damage.”

The post doesn’t specify the nature of the illness or which band member, or members, it’s affecting, but reviews of Pearl Jam’s last show, held Tuesday in Manchester, England, noted that frontman Eddie Vedder was feeling under the weather.

“We couldn’t be more disappointed to not play one of our favorite cities this tour,” PJ’s post continues. “Despite best efforts, rescheduling was not possible at this time due to existing schedule commitments. We are deeply grateful for your support and sincerely apologize to the incredible Pearl Jam community for the inconvenience and disappointment.”

Those who purchased tickets will receive refunds at their point of purchase.

The London show was just the third date on Pearl Jam’s European tour in support of their new album, Dark Matter. The outing is expected to resume July 2 in Germany.

Pearl Jam is set launch a summer U.S. leg of the tour in August.

New documentary to focus on Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios

June 28, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

A new documentary about Jimi Hendrix’s famed Electric Lady Studios in New York is expected to hit theaters this summer.

Abramorama has nabbed the global rights to Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision, directed by John McDermott, who also directed two other Hendrix docs: Electric Church and Music, Money, Madness: Jimi Hendrix Live In Maui.

According to the description, the film will look at “how the space rose from the rubble of a bankrupt Manhattan nightclub to become a state-of-the-art recording facility inspired by Hendrix’s desire for a permanent studio.”

The doc will feature previously unseen footage and photos, along with track breakdowns from recording engineer Eddie Kramer. It will also include interviews with Experience bassist Billy Cox, original Electric Lady staff members and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood, who took part in Hendrix’s first session at the studio.

Opened in 1970, Electric Lady Studios was the first commercial studio owned by an artist. It was constructed specifically for Hendrix, who died just weeks after its opening. The studio went on to be a go-to spot for musicians, with artists such as John Lennon, David Bowie, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and more recording there.

Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision will open in New York City on Aug. 9, with a wider release to follow.

Slash to perform at Seattle’s Easy Street Records

June 27, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Slash is set to make a special in-store appearance at Easy Street Records in Seattle on July 7.

The Guns N’ Roses guitarist will perform with his blues band, bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Teddy “ZigZag” Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome and vocalist/guitarist Tash Neal, as they celebrate Slash’s recently released blues album Orgy of the Damned.

Only a limited number of attendees will be allowed at the show, and spots can be reserved by pre-purchasing a copy of the record through Easy Street.

The in-store performance will happen ahead of the Redmond, Washington, stop of Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Blues Festival, which takes place July 8 and features performances by Warren Haynes Band, Samantha Fish and Eric Gales.

Orgy of the Damned, which was released in May, features guest appearances by AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson, Iggy Pop, ZZ Top‘s Billy F Gibbons and Demi Lovato.

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