Classic Rock 93.9

One year ago Elton John gave what he said would be his final U.K. performance by making his first-ever appearance at England’s legendary Glastonbury Festival. On Wednesday he posted a video documenting what went into creating that performance, which received rave reviews.

The video starts at rehearsal week before the June 25, 2023, performance, during which Elton runs through songs like “Tiny Dancer” and “Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters,” coordinates with his special musical guests and talks about changing up the set list from his regular show.

Then we go to the day of the performance and get a peek inside Elton’s green room, where we see him greeting Emily and Michael Eavis, the daughter and father who run the festival. We also see footage of Elton performing with his guests, including The Killers’ Brandon Flowers and Stephen Sanchez. Then there’s footage of Elton performing, with a massive fireworks display and the crowd going wild.

“All I can do is do what I do: bring people together with my music,” he says.

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E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt has been friends with Bruce Springsteen ever since starting out in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and he realizes a friendship like that is very rare.

“You just don’t have that many friends for 60 years. I think the fact that it survived some ups and downs, it says something about our nature,” the rocker tells People. “The nature of the importance of friendship in general, which is what attracted me to being in a band rather than a solo show business person.”

Van Zandt, who is the subject of the new documentary Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple, currently streaming on Max, says fans can see that friendship on display when they take the stage together.  

“Fifty years later, how are we still playing to 300,000 people in one country in one week?” he says. “I think we’re communicating that friendship, which is real with me and him. When they see us on the same microphone, that isn’t an act. Nobody’s that good an actor to keep this act up for 50 years.”

He adds, “I think that’s something that you cannot take for granted.”

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street kick off a two-night stand in the Netherlands on Thursday. The tour returns to North America on Aug. 15 in Pittsburgh. A complete list of dates can be found at brucepsringsteen.net.

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Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy Kilmister may reunite in animated form.

As Sharon Osbourne tells Arizona’s The Entertainer! magazine, a cartoon about the Prince of Darkness and the late Motörhead frontman is in the works.

“They are superheroes,” Sharon says of the show’s premise. “It’s very, very funny. It’s irreverent and funny. Hopefully somebody will buy that and that’ll go out. We’re excited about it.”

Ozzy and Lemmy were friends in real life, and they collaborated on the former’s 1991 album, No More Tears. In 2021, Ozzy released a new version of his song “Hellraiser,” which was later recorded by Motörhead, featuring both his and Lemmy’s vocals.

Meanwhile, Ozzy and his family were set to appear at Phoenix’s Mad Monster Party horror convention in July, but the Osbournes have since had to cancel. However, Ozzy and Sharon’s son, Jack, will still attend.

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Queen’s Brian May and ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons lend their musical talents to Friendlytown, the new album from Booker T and the MG’s guitarist Steve Cropper and his band The Midnight Hour.

May sings and plays guitar on the first single released from the record, “Too Much Stress,” which also features Gibbons on guitar.

Cropper notes, “It was heaven playing with those two.”

The album, the follow-up to Cropper & The Midnight Hour’s 2021 Grammy-nominated album, Fire It Up, also features a guest appearance by guitarist Tim Montana. 

“If your booty is not shaking in the first two bars of this album you’re already dead in a chair,” Cropper shares. “I feel so good about this batch of songs. They’re packed with radio hooks, and we have Billy Gibbons, Brian May, and Tim Montana playing on the album—it’s like guitar heaven.” 

Friendlytown, due out Aug. 23, is available for preorder now.

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While Taylor Swift seemingly attracted some shade recently from Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, she’s now gotten some major praise from a woman who’s opening for Foo Fighters this summer: Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer responsible for hits like “Back on the Chain Gang” and “I’ll Stand By You” wrote on Instagram, “I saw Taylor Swift (you may have heard of her) in concert the other day. Just shows you what a girl with a guitar can do.”

“Last time I loved a show that much was Aldous Harding,” Chrissie continued, referring to the female indie folk singer/songwriter from New Zealand. 

“So, if you haven’t already – go out there and get yourselves a guitar,” Chrissie concluded. “You’ll never be alone again as long as you have it by your side.”  

Apparently, Chrissie did more than just see Taylor onstage. There are photos of her leaving a restaurant in London where, according to the caption, she “dined with Taylor Swift” on June 11.

Starting in July, Chrissie and the Pretenders will open several stadium shows for Foo Fighters, in addition to doing their own headline shows. Incidentally, many fans believe Grohl’s comments about Taylor not playing live were just a joke.

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Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman is back with new music.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will release his ninth studio album, Drive My Car, on Aug. 9. It will be his first new album since 2015. 

The album features five songs written by Wyman, who notes, “It’s not something I do every day, but sometimes I just see a guitar in the corner of the room, pick it up to play around and then something clicks into place.”

It also features covers of songs from Bob Dylan, John Prine and Taj Mahal.

The rocker cites musician JJ Cale as a big inspiration for the sound of the record, noting “his laidback groove has always appealed to me.” He adds, “Friends I’ve played it to have said things like ‘it really sounds like you,’ and that makes me happy. I’ve never tried to be anyone else – I’m Bill, basically.”

And Wyman is giving fans their first preview of Drive My Car with the release of the album’s title track, which is now available on digital outlets.

Drive My Car will be released digitally, and on CD and vinyl. The CD and digital releases will feature two bonus tracks.

Here is the track list for Drive My Car:
“Thunder On The Mountain”
“Drive My Car”
“Bad News”
“Storm Warning”
“Light Rain”
“Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody”
“Rough Cut Diamond”
“Wings”
“Two Tone Car”
“Fools Gold”

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Music fans are getting a look at some intimate footage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in a brand new video for the new ultimate mix of “Aisumasen (I’m Sorry).” 

The video features never-before-seen home movies, shot by Lennon on a Sony Portapak camera and reel-to-reel recorder. It shows the pair at their apartment in the Dakota Building on New York’s Upper West Side.

The new mix of “Aisumasen (I’m Sorry)” will be featured on the newly expanded Mind Games – Ultimate Collection, set to drop July 12. The collection was produced by Sean Ono Lennon, who oversaw the project, with the blessing of his mom, Yoko. It will include six different listening experiences, featuring unreleased outtakes, stripped down mixes, instrumentals, demos, rehearsals and even what’s described as “studio chatter.”

Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, June 27, 2002 …

One day before the start of The Who’s U.S. tour, bassist John “The Ox” Entwistle died of a cocaine-induced heart attack. He was found dead in his room at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas by the groupie and stripper he had spent the night with.

He was 57.

“The Ox has left the building—we’ve lost another great friend,” The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend shared in a tribute after Entwistle’s death. “Thanks for your support and love. Pete and Roger.”

The Who decided to go on with their tour and resumed their shows on July 1 with bassist Pino Palladino taking Entwistle’s place.

In addition to his time with The Who, Entwistle released several solo albums, which were the subject of a new box set, The Ox Box Set, released in May. A compilation of rarities, Rarities Oxhumed – Volume Two, is due out in August.

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Eddie Vedder has released a cover of The English Beat‘s song “Save It for Later,” recorded for the newly released third season of The Bear.

The FX on Hulu series, which is set in Chicago, has long featured music by Pearl Jam and Vedder. While Pearl Jam was formed in Seattle, Vedder has a close connection with the Windy City, having been born in nearby Evanston, Illinois. He’s famously a big Chicago Cubs fan, which is explored in the 2017 Pearl Jam concert film Let’s Play Two.

You can listen to the “Save It for Later” cover now via digital outlets.

The Bear season 3 premiered Wednesday night. Its first episode was scored by Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Disney is the parent company of Hulu and ABC News.

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Elton John has found yet another way to raise money for his AIDS Foundation: He’s selling stuff on eBay.

Specifically, Elton is selling pieces from his famous wardrobe as part of a 10-day shopping event called Rocket Man Resale. It features hundreds of items from his recently sold Atlanta apartment, including shirts, hats, pants and shoes by Gucci, Versace, and Prada, plus more affordable lots, like concert t-shirts and baseball caps. The auction is live now, and 100% of the proceeds go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 

“Giving new life to the cherished items from my wardrobe has always been special to me. For decades
I’ve donated my closet’s treasures to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation,” Elton says in a statement. “This Pride Month, I’m excited to share my Atlanta treasure trove on eBay, hoping these items will inspire you to express your unique spirit and bring you as much joy as they’ve brought me.”

“Whether you’re after high-end luxury or something more laid-back, there’s a perfect find for everyone,” he adds. “Even better, every dollar goes to supporting the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s work to end LGBTQ+ stigma.”

At 1:10 p.m. ET on the eBay app, Elton’s pal Stephen Sanchez and entrepreneur Emma Rogue will host a livestream shopping event featuring Elton and his husband David Furnish.

The shopping event will also feature items from Donatella Versace, Andy Cohen, Robin Roberts, Brandi Carlile and more. If you’re in New York City, there’s a pop-up featuring some of the items at 51 8th Avenue from 2 to 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.

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