Classic Rock 93.9

Paul McCartney appears in the new promos for this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, ahead of his stint as the show’s musical guest.

In the opening clip, this weekend’s host Will Ferrell and SNL star Marcello Hernandez introduce themselves as “who cares,” while McCartney gives his name. Ferrell then notes, “I’ll be hosting the season finale of SNL but you don’t care, you’ll tune in for Paul McCartney.”

McCartney chimes in with, “that’s not true,” with Ferrell replying, “it is true,” before McCartney concedes, “it is true.”

There’s also one promo video where McCartney admits he’s a “huge fan” of Hernandez’s mom, and another where the pair ask Sir Paul what it’s like being a knight.

“It’s an honor. I’m so lucky that so many people have enjoyed my music over the years,” he says, before adding, “and one time I killed a dragon,” which excites Ferrell and Hernandez

The final promo has Ferrell and Hernandez trying to guess what McCartney is going to perform on SNL, and they both choose “Despacito (Remix)” featuring Justin Bieber, with McCartney replying, “Damn, how did you know?”

In addition to Saturday Night Live, McCartney is set to appear on the BBC Radio 2 podcast Tracks Of My Years with Vernon Kay on May 25, where he’ll discuss his favorite records. In a preview posted to Instagram, McCartney talks about meeting Elvis and playing with The Rolling Stones, and even sings a bit of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me.” The clip ends with McCartney about to explain why John Lennon’s “Imagine” made his list, before cutting off.

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The Smashing Pumpkins have announced a mysterious livestreaming event.

The stream is set to air Sunday at 5 p.m. PT via the Pumpkins’ YouTube channel. It was announced by the Live Nation Instagram alongside a flyer reading, “In Memoriam Zero 1995-2026.”

“Here lies emptiness,” the flyer continues. “A private requiem with The Smashing Pumpkins.”

“Zero,” of course, is the name of a song off The Smashing Pumpkins’ hit 1995 album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. It also came to represent a sort of persona adopted at the time by frontman Billy Corgan, who would often wear a shirt with the word “Zero,” as seen in the video for “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.”

We’ll presumably learn more on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Pumpkins are preparing to headline the upcoming Lollapalooza and Darker Waves festival, and Corgan will be bringing his A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness tour to the U.K. and Europe in September.

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After filming their new music video in Mexico City, the members of U2 — Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. — stuck around to attend the 2026 Street Child World Cup Finals Tournament in Texcoco, Mexico.

Mullen even handled the coin toss for the game.

The tournament is put on by Street Child United, an organization that uses the power of sports to give street-connected young people a voice. It saw 30 teams from around the globe compete.

“We’re here in Mexico City and as usual loving every minute of it,” says The Edge. “As supporters of Street Child United, we wanted to come along today to support this great cause, see some football and soak up the atmosphere. There’s no better town to host such a brilliant event.”

Earlier in the week, U2 took over a street in Mexico City, near Plaza Santo Domingo, to shoot a music video for “Street of Dreams.” The upcoming single from their yet-to-be announced studio album is expected out later this year.

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On This Day, May 15, 1982 …

British rock super group Asia – made up of King Crimson’s John Wetton, YES’ Steve Howe and Geoff Downes, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Carl Palmer – went to #1 their self-titled debut album.

The album, which spent nine weeks atop the Billboard 200 Albums chart, featured the lead-off single “Heat of the Moment,” which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Another single, “Only Time Will Tell,” peaked at #17 on the Hot 100.

Asia would go on to be the #1 album in the U.S. for 1982, and was certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA.

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The new exhibit Paul McCartney and Wings opens at Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Friday. It’s the first major museum exhibit to explore McCartney’s post-Beatles band, which featured him, his wife Linda McCartney and a rotating lineup. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame President Greg Harris tells ABC Audio the exhibit sheds light on this integral part of McCartney’s post-Beatles artistry.

“It’s a chance for people to reexamine their impact and their legacy,” Harris says of the band, which scored multiple hit singles and albums before breaking up in 1981.

“The songs are incredible, but we also talk about that approach that they took, that DIY approach, and Linda’s integral role with the band,” Harris says of the exhibit.

That “DIY approach” refers to the fact that when Wings first formed, they embarked on a low-key tour of U.K. universities, showing up unannounced in a van and offering to perform for next to nothing.

The exhibit includes “the largest assemblage of Paul McCartney materials ever,” says Harris, including instruments, clothing, artwork and lyrics. “It’s all gonna be an immersive experience with lots of video, lots of photos, lots of images and of course sound,” he adds.

While McCartney is a two-time Rock Hall nominee, as a solo artist and as a member of The Beatles, Wings has yet to appear on the ballot. Might this exhibit be a precursor to a future nomination? “They’re certainly eligible,” Harris says. “And their impact, of course, and influence as told in this exhibition is super powerful.”

As for whether Sir Paul intends to drop by, Harris says, “We’re optimistic that we’ll get him to visit it sometime this spring, and we can share it with him and celebrate it with him.” 

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Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, are among the celebrities recognized on the Time 100 Philanthropy list, which the magazine says highlights the “world’s most influential givers, leaders, advocates, and thinkers.”

The mag notes that those who made the list are “representing the most compelling stories in philanthropy today, in a field that moves more than $1 trillion globally each year.”

Elton and David are recognized for their Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was founded in 1992, and is dedicated to eradicating HIV/AIDS by 2030. Since its founding, the organization has raised more than $650 million to help AIDS-related causes.

“We’re honoured to be named on the 2026 #TIME100Philanthropy list, alongside the most influential people shaping the future of giving,” reads a post on the pair’s individual Instagram accounts. “Philanthropy, at its heart, is solidarity. It’s funding the boldest, bravest ideas before anyone else will. It’s standing with the people the world has tried to push aside and refusing to accept that any life is worth less than another.”

“And that’s exactly what we are committed to doing through @ejaf’s mission: to end the AIDS epidemic and ensure that no one is left behind,” they add. “So thank you, @time. And more than anything, thank you to every person who has stood with us along the way. The fight to end AIDS is far from over. Neither are we.”

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Paul McCartney was a guest on this week’s Goalhanger podcast, The Rest is Entertainment, where he talked about the importance of his iconic Beatles tune “Hey Jude” in bringing folks together.

“Particularly these days, too, you do something like ‘Hey Jude’ and you see this whole audience singing together,” McCartney says. “I mean, in Trump’s America, and the Republicans and Democrats all at each other’s throats — when we do that song, they’re not.”

“They’re all loving it, and it’s like, wow, this is pretty amazing,” he adds. “You know, suddenly this room has forgotten all of that, and is not, you know, going to argue with each other, they’re just going to sing together. So those kinds of things, I think, are valuable.” He notes, “I like that, and I also like it for them.”

In talking about pleasing his audience, McCartney brought up Bob Dylan, noting he has seen him live a couple times and “I couldn’t tell what song the song was he was doing.” 

“I get it if he doesn’t want to do ‘Mr. Tambourine Man,’ you know, maybe he’s fed up with that, but I would like to hear it,” he says. “And I’ve paid.”

McCartney is set to appear on another Goalhanger podcast, The Rest is History, which debuts Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. During the appearance he discusses growing up in Liverpool, The Beatles’ creative process and more. He also debuts a clip of the new song “Salesman Saint” from his upcoming album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which will be released May 29.

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Ripley star Johnny Flynn has been cast to play Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Paul Simon in the new movie The Road Home, according to Deadline.

The film, directed by Bill Condon, is centered around trumpeter Hugh Masekela, played by South African actor Thabo Rametsi, who toured with Simon in support of his 1986 Grammy Award-winning album, Graceland.

The film will also star Cynthia Erivo as vocalist Miriam “Mama Africa” Makeba, who was married to Masekela in the ’60s and also toured with Simon, and Guy Pearce, who plays anti-apartheid advocate Archbishop Trevor Huddleston. Huddleston called for a boycott of Simon, claiming he violated the United Nations cultural boycott of the country by partially recording the album in Johannesburg.

“For me, there are very few stories that could come closer to home than this. I was born in Johannesburg and moved to London in 1985 – just before the album Graceland was released,” says Flynn, also known for his work in Emma and Lovesick. “The music of South Africa – and especially that of Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba IS the sound of my childhood. And Graceland was the most played cassette in our car growing up.”

He adds, “It’s such an honour to be invited to tell this story with artists that I admire so much. It’s the story of hope and the power of music.”

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Pink Floyd’s career and legacy are being honored with an official U.K. commemorative coin by The Royal Mint.

The coin, created by Henry Gray, is designed around the iconic prism imagery from the band’s multi-Platinum album The Dark Side of the Moon. The coin comes in silver and gold, with a selection of them featuring a colored rainbow prism effect similar to the cover of the album.

“Pink Floyd are one of those truly rare bands whose music and imagery have transcended generations and the moment you see this coin, you know exactly who it celebrates,” Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin, The Royal Mint, says. “The iconic prism is instantly recognisable to fans around the world, and Henry Gray has done a remarkable job of bringing it to life with the craft and detail this band deserves.”

She adds, “Their influence on music, art and culture is immeasurable, and we’re incredibly proud that The Royal Mint can play its part in preserving that legacy forever.”

The Pink Floyd coins are part of The Royal Mint’s Music Legends series, with artists like Queen’s Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, John Lennon and Paul McCartney previously being honored with their own coin.

The Pink Floyd commemorative coins are available now.

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The Rolling Stones are embracing their younger selves in the video for their latest single, “In the Stars.”

The official music video, directed by Francois Rousselet, is out now, with the clip centered around the band performing the song surrounded by other musicians, singers, and dancers from different eras and all walks of life. It also features Marty Supreme actress Odessa A’zion.

But it’s not The Stones of today that we see performing in the clip. The director uses deepfake technology, created by Deep Voodoo, to make it look like we’re watching ’70s-era Stones performing the track.

“Are you kidding me? It’s my dream,” A’zion says of appearing in the video. “The first record that I ever got that I listened to from start to finish was Tattoo You. I’m obsessed with The Rolling Stones. This is in my bucket list for sure.”

“In the Stars” is the first single off The Stones’ upcoming album, Foreign Tongues, which will be released July 10. The album is available for preorder now.

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