U2 shared a performance of their latest single, “Atomic City,” at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, and they followed that up by releasing another new remix of the tune, this time by DJ/producer David Guetta.
This is the second “Atomic City” remix U2 has released. The first, from producer Mike WiLL Made-It, dropped in December.
U2’s Grammy performance marked the first televised broadcast from the new state-of-the-art venue the Sphere, where U2 is currently headlining their 40-show residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.
The Irish rockers released “Atomic City” in September just ahead of the residency kickoff. It was accompanied by a video shot on Vegas’ Fremont Street, the same location where they shot the video for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” back in 1987. The clip includes drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who has been sitting out of the residency as he recovers from surgery.
U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere is set to run until March 2. A complete list of dates can be found at u2.com.
After more than 60 years in music, Paul Simon announced his decision to retire from touring.
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer said time away from his family and the death of his longtime guitarist, Vincent Nguini, played a role in his decision.
But Simon didn’t give up the road without one more tour. In May of the same year, he launched Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour, a four-month trek that took him to North America and Europe, and wrapped in his home borough of Queens, New York.
While the show marked the end of Simon’s final tour, he said he wasn’t giving up performing all together and suggested he could perform live again. He did just that in August 2019, when he headlined San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival.
The 66th annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, aired live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS Sunday, February 4.
Here’s the complete list of winners:
Record of the Year
“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus
Album of the Year Midnights, Taylor Swift
Song of the Year
“What Was I Made For?” [From the Motion Picture Barbie] — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
Best New Artist
Victoria Monét
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Jack Antonoff
Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical
Theron Thomas
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Ghost in the Machine,” SZA featuring Phoebe Bridgers
Best Dance/Electronic Recording
“Rumble,” Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan
Best Dance/Electronic Music Album Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022), Fred again..
Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical
Theron Thomas
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Ghost in the Machine,” SZA featuring Phoebe Bridgers
Best Pop Vocal Album Midnights, Taylor Swift
Best Pop Dance Recording
“Padam Padam,” Kylie Minogue
Best Dance/Electronic Recording
“Rumble,” Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan
Best Dance/Electronic Music Album Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022), Fred again..
Best Rock Album This Is Why, Paramore
Best Alternative Music Performance
“This Is Why,” Paramore
Best Alternative Music Album The Record, boygenius
Best Rock Performance
“Not Strong Enough,” boygenius
Best Metal Performance
“72 Seasons,” Metallica
Best Rock Song
“Not Strong Enough,” boygenius
Best R&B Performance
“ICU,” Coco Jones
Best R&B Album Jaguar II, Victoria Monét
Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Good Morning,” PJ Morton ft. Susan Carol
Best R&B Song
“Snooze,” SZA
Best Progressive R&B Album SOS, SZA
Best Melodic Rap Performance
“All My Life,” Lil Durk featuring J. Cole
Best Rap Performance
“Scientists & Engineers,” Killer Mike ft. André 3000, Future, and Eryn Allen Kane
Best Rap Song
“Scientists & Engineers,” Killer Mike ft. André 3000, Future, and Eryn Allen Kane
Best Rap Album Michael, Killer Mike
Best Country Solo Performance
“White Horse,” Chris Stapleton
Best Country Album Bell Bottom Country, Lainey Wilson
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“I Remember Everything,” Zach Bryan ft. Kacey Musgraves
Best Country Song
“White Horse,” Chris Stapleton
Best American Roots Performance
“Eve Was Black,” Allison Russell
Best Americana Performance
“Dear Insecurity,” Brandy Clark ft. Brandi Carlile
Best American Roots Song
“Cast Iron Skillet,” Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Best Americana Album Weathervanes, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Best Bluegrass Album City of Gold, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Best Traditional Blues Album All My Love for You, Bobby Rush
Best Contemporary Blues Album Blood Harmony, Larkin Poe
Best Folk Album Joni Mitchell at Newport [Live], Joni Mitchell
Best Regional Roots Music Album Live: Orpheum Theater Nola, Lost Bayou Ramblers & Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
Best Latin Pop Album X Mí (Vol. 1), Gaby Moreno
Best African Music Performance
“Water,” Tyla
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television) Oppenheimer, Ludwig Göransson, composer
Best Song Written for Visual Media
“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie the Album, Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano) Génesis, Peso Pluma
Best Alternative Jazz Album The Omnichord Real Book, Meshell Ndegeocello
Best Jazz Performance
“Tight,” Samara Joy
Best Jazz Vocal Album How Love Begins, Nicole Zuraitis
Best Jazz Instrumental Album The Winds of Change, Billy Childs
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album Basie Swings The Blues, The Count Basie Orchestra Directed By Scotty Barnhart
Best Latin Jazz Album El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2, Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Bewitched, Laufey
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album As We Speak, Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer ft. Rakesh Chaurasia
Best Musical Theater Album Some Like It Hot
Best Gospel Performance/Song
“All Things,” Kirk Franklin
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
“Your Power,” Lecrae & Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Best Gospel Album All Things New: Live In Orlando, Tye Tribbett
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album Church Clothes 4, Lecrae
Best Roots Gospel Album Echoes of the South, Blind Boys of Alabama
Best Música Urbana Album Mañana Será Bonito, Karol G
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album Vida Cotidiana, Juanes
Best Tropical Latin Album 14 de Mayo 2022, de Puerto Rico
Best Global Music Performance Pashto, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain ft. Rakesh Chaurasia
Best Global Music Album This Moment, Shakti
Best Reggae Album Colors of Royal, Julian Marley & Antacus
Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album
Carla Patullo ft. Tonality and the Scorchio Quartet, So She Howls
Best Children’s Music Album
123 Andrés, We Grow Together Preschool Songs
Best Comedy Album
Dave Chappelle, What’s In A Name?
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
J. Ivy, The Light Inside
Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording
Michelle Obama, The Light We Carry: Overcoming In Uncertain Times
Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Various Artists, Barbie The Album
Best Music Video
The Beatles, “I’m Only Sleeping”
Best Music Film Moonage Daydream
Best Recording Package
Luke Brooks & James Theseus Buck, Stumpwork
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package For The Birds: The Birdsong Project
Best Album Notes
Various Artists, Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos (album notes by Robert Gordon & Deanie Parker)
Best Historical Album
Various Artists, Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Victoria Monét, Jaguar II
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Contemporary American Composers
Producer of the Year, Classical
Elaine Martone
Best Remixed Recording
Depeche Mode, “Wagging Tongue (Wet Leg Remix)”
Best Immersive Audio Album
Alicia Keys, The Diary of Alicia Keys
Best Instrumental Composition
John Williams, “Helena’s Theme”
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
The String Revolution ft. Tommy Emmanuel, “Folsom Prison Blues”
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
Säje ft. Jacob Collier, “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning”
Best Orchestral Performance
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Adès: Dante
Best Opera Recording
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus, “Blanchard: Champion”
Best Choral Performance
Uusinta Ensemble; Helsinki Chamber Choir, “Saariaho: Reconnaissance”
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
Roomful Of Teeth, Rough Magic
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Yuja Wang; Teddy Abrams, conductor (Louisville Orchestra), “The American Project”
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Julia Bullock, soloist; Christian Reif, conductor (Philharmonia Orchestra), Walking In The Dark
Best Classical Compendium
Alex Brown, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds, Edward Perez, Neal Smith & A.B. Spellman, Passion For Bach And Coltrane
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Jessie Montgomery, composer (Awadagin Pratt, A Far Cry & Roomful Of Teeth), “Montgomery: Rounds”
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Joni Mitchell has won another Grammy. The 80-year-old took home Best Folk Album during Sunday’s award ceremony for Joni Mitchell at Newport Live, a recording of her 2022 comeback concert at the Newport Folk Festival.
Joni now has 12 Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award; she performed at the Grammys for the first time Sunday, the classic “Both Sides Now” with the help of Brandi Carlile and others.
Other winners Sunday included The Beatles’ animated video for the Revolver track “I’m Only Sleeping” for Best Music Video, the David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream for Best Music Film and Metallica‘s 72 Seasons for Best Metal Performance.
And Joni wasn’t the only knockout performance of the evening.
U2 gave fans a taste of their Sphere residency, rocking out to their latest single, “Atomic City,” marking the first televised broadcast from the Las Vegas venue.
Tracy Chapman joined Luke Combs for her classic “Fast Car.” It came 35 years after she first performed the song at the Grammys.
Remembering the artists we lost this year, the in memoriam kicked off with Stevie Wonder performing a duet of “For Once In My Life” with a video of Tony Bennett, followed by Stevie’s take of “The Best is Yet To Come.”
Annie Lennox paid tribute to Sinéad O’Connor with a rendition of “Noting Compares 2 U,” although she ended her performance on a controversial note, shouting, “Artists for cease-fire! Peace in the world!”
The segment wrapped with a tribute to Tina Turner, introduced by Oprah Winfrey. Fantasia Barrino brought the house down with her performance of “Proud Mary,” which got the audience up and dancing.
And finally, Billy Joel brought his new single, “Turn the Lights Back on,” to the Grammys and closed the show with his classic “You May Be Right.”
Following an initial tribute from Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, more rock musicians have shared their thoughts following the passing of Wayne Kramer. The influential MC5 guitarist died of pancreatic cancer Friday, February 2 at age 75. Here are some of the posts:
Jack White: “We lost one of Detroit’s greatest, brother Wayne Kramer of the MC5. The first guitar solo I ever sat down and learned was Wayne’s from the 5 song ‘Looking At You.’ He was definitely part of the solution as he changed rock and roll and broke the ground wide open in Detroit for the rest of us. Thank you brother Wayne for all that have done and will continue to do forever.”
Slash: “My life was forever changed for the better when I met this man. & I’m going to miss him immeasurably. The embodiment of all things Rock n Roll. & a really f****** great human being. RIP Wayne, you will live on in our hearts.”
Duff McKagan: “Rest in Peace @waynekramer. Just a supremely sweet man, and one hell of a rock and roll fire-starter.”
Alice Cooper: “I’ve known Wayne since 1968 in Detroit, and we’ve worked together often and as late as last year. He had a big life, and I always respected how passionate he was about his charity Jail Guitar Doors which helped give prisoners access to music, guitars and often hope for their future. [Producer] Bob Ezrin and I considered Wayne one of our favorite people, and we will miss collaborating with him tremendously.”
William DuVall: “I’ve been struggling all evening for words about the passing of @waynekramerofficial. He was a childhood idol who became a friend. As rock-n-roll bands go, it just doesn’t get any cooler than the MC5. Brother Wayne on lead guitar was a force of nature onstage – face-melting licks and James Brown splits all in one swaggering turbo-powered Detroit animal machine. Just swipe and you’ll see: Gonzo attitude. Zero compromise.”
Jon Bon Jovi was honored on February 2 in Los Angeles as the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Person of the Year — with a whole host of A-listers on hand to celebrate the rocker for his philanthropic work.
Bruce Springsteen‘s appearance seemed to be up in the air following the news of his mother Adele’s passing on January 31, but he still attended, which meant a lot to Jon.
“I want to thank my hero, my friend, my mentor Bruce Springsteen,” he said, according to Forbes. “Bruce’s mom passed two days ago. When I first got the news, he was already on the airplane on the way here. But he wanted to be here tonight for MusiCares. And he wanted to be here tonight for me, and I’m forever grateful to you.”
The night kicked off with Bon Jovi performing “Legendary,” a song from their upcoming album, although despite rumors original guitarist Richie Sambora would join the festivities, he was a no-show. The band was then joined by Springsteen for “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” and Springsteen’s “The Promised Land.”
Among the night’s other performances: Melissa Etheridge and Larkin Poe performed “Blaze of Glory”; Jelly Roll performed “Bad Medicine”; Maneskin‘s Damiano David sang “Keep the Faith”; Mammoth WVH played “Have a Nice Day”; Sammy Hagar performed “You Give Love A Bad Name,” and Shania Twain sang “Bed of Roses.”
In addition to the performers, Paul McCartney was in the house for the celebration, with Lenny Kravitz, Gayle King, and Kylie Minogue acting as presenters. Jon also got video wishes from the likes of John Mayer, Pink, Ed Sheeran and others.
The night ended with Bon Jovi back on the stage, joined by many of the night’s performers, for a finale of the Jersey rockers’ biggest hit, “Livin’ On A Prayer.”
A painting created by all four members of The Beatles has sold at auction for a little over $1.7 million.
The untitled piece of art, which has become known as Images of a Woman, was completed in 1966 by Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison as they were holed up at Tokyo’s Hilton Hotel during their five-night stand at Nippon Budokan that June and July. Each Beatle painted one corner of the canvas, working their way toward the middle.
The auction took place at Christie’s on Thursday, with the auction house calling it “the only known substantial piece of art made by the four Beatles in their years together.”
And it was certainly a hot item, selling well above the initial estimate of between $400,000 and $600,000.
Dead & Company recently announced they’ll be doing a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and now drummer Bill Kreutzmann has shared his thoughts on the shows in a new Instagram post.
“Historically, it was always a psychedelic circus when the Grateful Dead pulled into Las Vegas,” he writes. “There’s a pulsing beneath those neon lights that Mickey (Hart) and I tapped into while Jerry (Garcia) led us on a wild carpet ride over the Aladdin Theater in the 1980s and down into the bowl of the Sam Boyd Stadium for 14 memorable nights in the 1990s.”
He notes that Grateful Dead shows have always been “about transformative experiences, so now, as our legacy evolves and as we continue to shape-shift into several different forms at once it’s great that that part of the tradition continues, with Dead & Company taking up residence in a transformative venue.”
Kreutzmann sat out Dead & Company’s final tour in 2023, with the band explaining at the time it was the “culmination of a shift in creative direction as we keep these songs alive and breathing in ways that we each feel is best to continue to honor the legacy of the Grateful Dead.”
While he hasn’t confirmed whether or not he’ll be doing the Vegas shows, he did end his post with a statement that could be interpreted as saying he won’t. He offered, “To all those who make it there, have a blast, my friends.”
Dead Forever – Live at Sphere will consist of 18 shows over six consecutive weeks, starting May 16. Fans can now register for the presale, which starts February 5 at 10 a.m. PT. The general on-sale starts February 9 at 10 a.m. PT.
Wayne Kramer, the guitarist for the highly influential Detroit proto-punk band MC5, has died. He was 75.
The news was announced Friday, February 2, in a post on Kramer’s Facebook reading, “Wayne Kramer passed away today peacefully from pancreatic cancer. He will be remembered for starting a revolution in music, culture, and kindness.”
Kramer was a founding member of MC5, which formed in 1963. The band was particularly known for their 1969 song “Kick Out the Jams,” the impact of which can be heard throughout the last 50 years of rock music, and they memorably performed for Vietnam War protesters during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
“Brother Wayne Kramer was the greatest man I’ve ever know,” Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello writes in an Instagram post. “He possessed a one of a kind mixture of deep wisdom & profound compassion, beautiful empathy and tenacious conviction. His band the MC5 basically invented punk rock music and was the only act to not chicken out and performed for the rioting protestors at the 1968 Dem National Convention.”
MC5 broke up in 1972, and Kramer fell into drug addiction and spent time in prison. He detailed his life in the 2018 memoir The Hard Stuff, and became a voice for recovery and prison reform in the rock community.
Kramer played in an MC5 reunion show in 1992 and reformed the band again in 2003. In 2018, Kramer spearheaded a tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Kick Out the Jams album, which featured Soundgarden‘s Kim Thayil on guitar.
In a December 2023 Mojointerview, Kramer revealed that he was working on a new MC5 album with guests including Morello and Slash.
“Whenever and wherever any of us kick out the jams, Brother Wayne will be right there with us,” Morello says.
Billy Joel told his audience on New Year’s Eve that he’d be spending more time in Florida in the future — but apparently, he doesn’t want to spend that time in his Palm Beach-area mansion.
The Palm Beach Daily News reports that Billy has put the mansion, located in Manalapan, near Palm Beach, up for sale for $54.7 million. If that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that he originally listed it in late 2022 for $64.9 million. The listing expired in August 2023, so now it’s back on the market at this lower price.
Billy’s owned the oceanfront mansion on 1.6 acres since 2015, when he bought it for just over $22 million. It has nine bedrooms, a two-bedroom guest house and a 10-car garage, as well as a wine cellar and theater.
As for where Billy plans to live once he sells this house, the paper reports that he bought a $9 million townhouse in Palm Beach in 2021. Other artists who have homes in Palm Beach include Jon Bon Jovi and Rod Stewart, with whom Billy will be touring this year.
Billy will be performing on the Grammy Awards Sunday night, singing his new song, “Turn the Lights Back On,” and one of his classic hits.
