Classic Rock 93.9

The National Symphony Orchestra is set to pay tribute to the late Leonard Cohen with a very special night of music.

Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, taking place April 26 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.,  will feature artists like Don Henley, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi performing Cohen’s classic songs backed by the orchestra, conducted by Vince Mendoza.

The concert will feature performances of tunes like “Hallelujah,” “Suzanne” and “Famous Blue Raincoat,” with JD Souther, Ben Folds, Trisha Yearwood, Bill Frisell, Gregory Porter and Madison Cunningham also confirmed for the event.

The concert was inspired by the tribute album Here It Is from Cohen’s friend and Grammy-winning producer Larry Klein. “It helped keep him in the air around me,” he says of the creation of the album, “the musical language we developed together makes the songs connect with people in a new way.”

Tickets for Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen go on sale Friday, December 22, at 10 a.m.

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Billy Gibbons has added one more show to his 2023 schedule. The ZZ Top rocker is set to headline a concert at New York’s City Winery, with the gig billed as “Billy Gibbons & Friends.”

The show is happening Saturday, December 30, at 8 p.m., and while there’s no word on who those “friends” will be, the show also promises an “all-star jam with surprise special guests.”

Tickets are on sale now.

The City Winery show isn’t the only gig Gibbons has left this year. He’s also set to play Antone’s nightclub in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, December 28.

And ZZ Top also has plenty of live performances planned for 2024, including a second leg of the Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour, with Lynyrd Skynyrd, which kicks off March 8 in Savannah, Georgia. A complete list of dates can be found at zztop.com.

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Blur’s Damon Albarn recently blasted The Rolling Stones and their album Hackney Diamonds, specifically calling out the video for the first single, “Angry,” because he felt it “objectified” actress Sydney Sweeney. Well, Sweeney doesn’t see it that way.

“I felt hot,” she tells Glamour about the video, in which she rides around Los Angeles in a convertible while rocking out to the song. “I picked my own outfit out of racks and racks of clothes. I felt so good in it.”  

Albarn isn’t the only person to call out the video, but Sweeney doesn’t really understand all the backlash.

“One of the questions I get is, ‘Are you a feminist?'” she says. “I find empowerment through embracing the body that I have. That’s sexy and strong, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”

She noted, “I’m in a Rolling Stones video. How cool and iconic is that? I felt so good.”

“I mean, who else gets to roll around on the top of a convertible driving down Sunset Boulevard with police escorts? It’s the cool things in this career that I had no idea I’d get to do,” she adds.

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A company called Marquis Who’s Who, founded in 1898, publishes annual lists of the most important people in every major field — from politics to religion to entertainment. This year, in honor of its 125th anniversary, Marquis has come out with a list of the Most Influential People Over 125 Years, with artists like Bruce Springsteen and Nirvana making the cut.

The list is broken down by decade, with The Boss getting recognized in the 1980s, the decade he released such albums as The River, Nebraska, Tunnel of Love and, of course, his mega hit Born in the U.S.A. Other influential artists of the ’80s include Tina Turner, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton.

Nirvana is recognized in the 1990s, the height of the grunge era, when they released their breakthrough album, Nevermind, as well as the follow-up, In Utero.  

Other musicians earning a Most Influential honor include Elvis Presley in the 1950s, Aretha Franklin and Sonny & Cher in the 1960s, and Stevie Wonder in the 1970s. More recently, the 2020 list includes such artists as Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Billie Eilish and Rihanna.

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Two Dave Grohl drawings are going up for auction.

The pieces were done by the Foo Fighters frontman during the band’s headlining set at New Jersey’s Sea.Hear.Now festival in September.

One drawing is titled “How to Make a DIY Beer Bong,” while the other is called “How to Sneak Hash into a Concert,” both of which we think are pretty self-explanatory. The auction is open now through December 27 at 3 p.m. PT via the platform Propeller.

Proceeds will benefit various local charities. For more info, visit Propeller.la.

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Elton John isn’t touring anymore, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t traveling around performing: He did a private gig for 900 people on December 19 at the iconic opera house in Venice, Italy.

On the 20th anniversary of a performance he did at Le Gran Teatro La Fenice to commemorate its reconstruction after a 1996 fire, Elton returned to the famous stage for the solo gig, organized by yacht company Ferretti Group. You can see footage of it on Ferretti Group’s Instagram.

The concert was a benefit for Save Venice, which works to preserve the city’s artistic heritage. Elton reportedly owns an apartment in Venice.

According to Italy 24 News, Elton played for about 90 minutes, performing hits like “Your Song,” “Rocket Man” and “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.”

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On This Day, December 20, 1969…

The Rolling Stones had a new U.K. #1 with their album Let It Bleed.

The album, the follow-up to 1968’s Beggars Banquet, failed to produce any charting singles, although tracks like “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” went on to become Stones’ classics, and staples at their live shows. 

Let It Bleed was the last album The Stones made with founding member Brian Jones, as he was fired in the middle of the sessions due to his erratic behavior. In the end he appeared on only two songs.

Jones died July 3, 1969 before the album’s release.

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Billy Joel got into the holiday spirit at his Tuesday, December 19, concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the 97th show of his residency at the venue.

Billy performed several holiday tunes during the pre-Christmas show, starting off by bringing out his two young daughters, Della, 8, and Remy, 6, for “Jingle Bells.” The little surprise guests were decked out in bright green dresses for the occasion.

According to setlist.fm, the show also featured performances of such holiday staples as “Deck the Halls,” “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Silent Night” and “Hark The Herald Angels Sing.” 

But those weren’t the only surprises in store for Joel’s fans at MSG. The show also featured a guest appearance by Elvis Costello, with the pair performing Elvis and The Attractions‘ “Pump It Up,” followed by Billy’s “Allentown.”

Billy also threw in covers of “Barbara Ann,” “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and a partial cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up” — Billy even attempted his best Mick Jagger moves.

Joel is getting ready to wrap up his MSG residency in 2024, with the final show set to happen July 25. A complete list of dates can be found at billyjoel.com.

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Buddy Holly’s life and career are the subjects of a new book, Words of Love, being released by Genesis Publications in collaboration with Holly’s widow, María Elena Holly, and the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation.

The book, conceived in 2017 by The Who’s Roger Daltrey, shares Holly’s life and legacy through never-before-seen photos and personal items, along with stories by María Elena and contributions from artists like Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Pete Townshend, Van Morrison and Brian May.

Along with their contributions, each artist adds a handwritten dedication to Holly.

The book is available for preorder in three limited-edition collectible box sets, with original cover art by The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood.

The most expensive of the three is the Luthier edition, numbered 551 to 559, which sells for over $13,000. It includes a leather-bound copy of the book with gold foiling and gold edging, signed by Daltrey, Townshend and María Elena. It comes with a limited-edition replica of Holly’s Gibson J45 guitar, on which he wrote such songs as “Send Me Some Lovin'” and “Everyday,” and a 7–inch vinyl with two rare home recordings by Holly.

Proceeds from book sales will be donated to Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America, the cancer charities co-founded by Daltrey and Townshend.

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A planned series about the early days of The Rolling Stones has hit a snag. The show was originally in production at FX, but now its producer, Andy Harries, tells Deadline he’s looking for a new home for the show.

“It’s not in with FX [anymore], unfortunately,” Harries, CEO of Left Bank Pictures, which produced Netflix’s The Crown, tells the site. “It did take a tumble out because of the cutbacks at Disney. It was just too expensive and too ambitious for the immediate agenda.” 

The planned series was first announced in 2020, with The Stones giving permission for their music to be used in the show. It was expected to cover the band from its formation up until about 1972. 

As for its current status, Harries notes, “It really needs a writer with a specific vision for it. It needs a showrunner attached who’s got the time and the energy and is totally absorbed by it.”

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