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U2 is getting ready to launch their U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere residency at The Venetian in Las Vegas on September 29, but it seems they’re already making their presence known in Sin City.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Irish rockers debuted a brand new song, “Atomic City,” on Fremont Street, shooting a video for the tune on a flatbed trailer that traveled along the famous downtown Las Vegas street.

“I’ve got the key to the cages, waiting for my dice,” Bono sang in the Vegas-themed tune. “I came here for the fight. I’m front row in Las Vegas. And there’s a big one on tonight.” He described the song as a “a rock ‘n’ roll 45 in the tradition of ’70s post-punk, Blondie, the Clash, some ’70s punk … We’ll take it from everywhere.”

The lineup for the video included drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who’ll be sitting out of the residency to recover from surgery; drummer Bram van den Berg will fill in his place. 

“The four of us recorded the song. Sadly, Larry Mullen Jr. won’t be with us at The Sphere,” Bono shared. “He doesn’t listen to doctor’s orders. Neither do many of us. But he is here tonight … Give it up for Larry Mullen Jr.!”

About 250 paid extras witnessed the video shoot and even got a bonus, with the band performing a stripped-down version of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” the video for which was shot on Fremont Street back in 1987.

 “Let’s just try it as a country song,” Bono told the crowd. “It’s sort of a Saturday night-Sunday morning kind of a deal anyway. It’s a confession.”

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Fans of the Grateful Dead now have a new drink to help them relax while enjoying the music of their favorite band. Gnarly Head wines and the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have joined forces for a new line of limited-edition vintage wines.

The new vinos include the 2021 Gnarly Head x Grateful Dead Old Vine Zinfandel and the 2021 Gnarly Head x Grateful Dead Cabernet Sauvignon, with both featuring iconic Dead images on the label. The zinfandel’s label features The Dead’s beloved Dancing Bears, which glow under blacklight. The cabernet is decorated with The Dead’s “Steal Your Face” design, with a skull that also glows under blacklight.

“The music of The Grateful Dead has always invoked connection and authenticity rooted in passion and creativity, much like the California wines crafted by Gnarly Head,” Grateful Dead archivist and legacy manager David Lemieux shares. “We hope to continue to inspire existing and new fans alike to jam out and rejoice in some great music and wine.”

The new Gnarly Head Grateful Dead wines will be available at most major retailers in September and sell for about $12 a bottle. More info can be found at gnarlyhead.com.

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Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner has been removed from the board of the Rock & Roll of Fame, a rep for The Hall tells The New York Times. Wenner’s removal comes in response to comments he made in a Times interview that were deemed racist and sexist.  

While promoting his new book The Masters, Wenner tried to explain why it didn’t include interviews with any Black or female artists, saying there were no women “articulate enough on this intellectual level.” Regarding Black artists, he acknowledged the genius of Stevie Wonder, but noted, “I suppose when you use a word as broad as ‘masters,’ the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level.”

After receiving a ton of backlash online, Wenner issued an apology. “In my interview with The New York Times I made comments that diminished the contributions, genius and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks,” read the statement issued by his publisher Little, Brown and Company, adding the artists featured in the book, “were not meant to represent the whole of music and its diverse and important originators but to reflect the high points of my career and interviews.”

He notes, “I totally understand the inflammatory nature of badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences.”

Wenner was part of a group that founded the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1983. Although there has been an improvement in recent years, the Hall has often been called out for its lack of female and minority inductees.

His book, The Masters, featuring interviews with Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Jerry Garcia, Bono and Bruce Springsteen, comes out September 26.

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Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner is being blasted over comments he made that some are deeming racist and sexist.

Wenner is releasing a new book, The Masters, on September 26, featuring interviews with seven rock stars —Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Jerry Garcia, Bono and Bruce Springsteen. Notably, all of them are male — and none are people of color. In the book’s intro he explains there are no interviews with Black artists because they’re not part of his “zeitgeist,” something The New York Times found hard to believe.

The paper asked Wenner to clarify his comments; he defended himself, noting the artists featured in the book weren’t a “deliberate selection,” saying it just “fell together.”

“The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them,” he said. “Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.” He argued Joni Mitchell “was not a philosopher of rock ‘n’ roll.”

“She didn’t, in my mind, meet that test. Not by her work, not by other interviews she did,” he said. “The people I interviewed were the kind of philosophers of rock.”

As for Black artists, Wenner acknowledged Stevie Wonder’s genius, but noted, “I suppose when you use a word as broad as ‘masters,’ the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level.” 

“Maybe I should have gone and found one Black and one woman artist to include here that didn’t measure up to that same historical standard, just to avert this kind of criticism,” he said. “Maybe I’m old-fashioned and I don’t give a [expletive] or whatever.”

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Heart’s Ann Wilson is sharing new music with fans.

The Rock & Roil Hall of Famer just released the new track “This Is Now,” the first taste of her upcoming album, Another Door. It features the band Tripsitter, made up of Tony Lucido on bass, Ryan Wariner on guitars, Sean T. Lane on drums, and Paul Moak on guitars and keyboards.

The album, dropping September 29, features all original songs with lyrics by Wilson, the first time she’s been sole lyricist on an album. “This is an exciting time in my creative life,” Ann shares, “so much new and fresh to remind me of why I love my calling!”

And fans will get to see Ann Wilson and Tripsitter performing some of those songs when the PBS special Ann Wilson & Tripsitter: Live in Concert debuts November 24. The show, taped last July in Nashville, has them playing tracks from Another Door, as well as Heart classics like “Barracuda” and “Crazy On You.”

Another Door is available for preorder now.

Ann Wilson and Tripsitter are currently on tour and are set to hit Dallas on September 24. A complete list of dates can be found at annwilson.com.

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Thin Lizzy is celebrating the 50th anniversary of their classic album Vagabonds of the Western World with a brand new box set.

Dropping November 17, Vagabonds of the Western World (Deluxe Re-issue) is being released as a three-CD/Blu-ray set with a Dolby Atmos mix. There will also be a four-LP edition, with both featuring rarities, radio sessions, live recordings, outtakes and unreleased music, including the just-released single edit version of the classic track “The Rocker.”

In addition, Vagabonds of the Western World will be released as a two-LP limited-edition purple vinyl. There will also be a special 7-inch single of their classic tune “Whiskey in the Jar,” sold only on their website. All formats are available for preorder now. 

Released September 21, 1973, Vagabonds of the Western World is considered Thin Lizzy’s breakthrough album. It was their third and final record; their iconic cover of “Whiskey in the Jar” was recorded during the sessions and released as a single, becoming their first top 10 hit. It was actually left off the final cut, but eventually released as bonus track on a 1991 Vagabonds reissue.

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Pretenders’ brand new album, Relentless, is out now, and they’ve just shared another single from the record,  “Losing My Sense Of Taste,” which was inspired by the pandemic.

“That song was more a take on the whole lockdown experience,” Chrissie Hynde shares. “It is called ‘Losing My Sense Of Taste,’ though, as a matter of fact, I never lost mine during the Covid period.” 

She adds, “But it did kick off the idea for the song – losing my sense of taste, my sense of smell, and sometimes the whole culture just seems tired. Not now of course, because there’s a new Pretenders album out.” 

Relentless is Pretenders’ first studio album in three years. “Losing My Sense of Taste” is the fourth single they’ve dropped from the album following “A Love,” “Let The Sun Come In” and “I Think About You Daily.” 

Pretenders currently have a handful of tour dates left for 2023. They play BBC Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester, England, on Sunday, September 17, and return to the U.S. with a set at the Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California, on October 1. A complete list of dates can be found at thepretenders.com.

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Queen is once again highlighting their connection to their fans in episode 33 of their weekly YouTube series, Queen The Greatest Live.

In this week’s episode, the band looks at one of their iconic stadium rock anthems “Radio Ga-Ga,” showing the fans’ contribution to their live performance. 

The clip features the band performing the Roger Taylor-penned track at their first Eastern European concert in Hungary’s Népstadion stadium while on the 1986 Magic Tour. It shows 80,000 fans clapping in the air in perfect unison during the chorus, something that happened every time the band performed the song.  

Released in January 1984, “Radio Ga Ga” appeared on Queen’s album The Works and peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song became a staple at Queen’s live shows, including at Live Aid in 1985, where all the fans in a packed Wembley Stadium clapped along.

Next week on Queen The Greatest Live: “Freddie Mercury.”

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Neil Young is reissuing the live album Time Fades Away in celebration of its upcoming 50th anniversary. 

Time Fades Away 50 will be released November 3 on limited edition clear vinyl. It will feature not only the original nine songs on the album but a bonus track, “The Last Trip To Tulsa,” which Young previously included on his Archives Vol. 2 box set.

Released October 1973, Time Fades Away came out after Young’s successful Harvest album and featured previously unreleased songs. It was recorded during the Harvest tour, with backing band Stray Gators, and also featured David Crosby and Graham Nash on harmony vocals and acoustic guitar. 

Time Fades Away was previously reissued in 2014 as part of Young’s Record Store Day Official Release Series Discs 5-8 Vinyl Box Set. It wasn’t released on CD until 2017. 

Time Fades Away 50 is available for preorder now at the Greedy Hand Store at Neil Young Archives. All purchases come with a high-res download of the album.

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Richie Sambora is once again getting Bon Jovi fans’ hopes up, suggesting in a new interview that his return to the band may happen.

Sambora recently appeared on the Shred With Shifty podcast, hosted by Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett, and he asked him whether a reunion with his old bandmates was going to happen, to which Sambora replied, “We’re talking about it.”

Shiflett then asked Sambora to clarify what that meant, wondering whether Sambora was saying he and Jon Bon Jovi are actually talking. Sambora replied, “Yeah, it’s that” and added, “There’s a demand out there for it, you know — especially outside of the USA.”

Sambora didn’t offer any further details, but if it does happen, it will be the first time he has played with Bon Jovi since 2013 when he left the group prior to a show in Calgary, Canada.

Back in February, he hinted that a reunion with Bon Jovi could be happening, telling Absolute Radio, “We’re talking about it. I don’t think there’s any reason not to at this point.”

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