Classic Rock 93.9

The Doobie Brothers had been scheduled to launch the 2022 leg of their 50th anniversary tour on June 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida, but now the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have announced plans to kick the trek of with a Las Vegas residency in May.

The eight-show engagement will take place at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and the dates are scheduled for May 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 25, 27 and 28. As with the band’s other 50th anniversary gigs, one-time Doobies singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald will join longtime core members Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee and the rest of the group’s current lineup at the Vegas concerts.

Tickets for the Las Vegas shows go on sale to the general public this Friday, December 17 at 10 a.m. PT. Members of Caesars Entertainment’s loyalty program, and Live Nation and Ticketmaster customers, will be able to buy pre-sale tickets starting Wednesday, December 15, at 10 a.m. PT.

The first leg of The Doobie Brothers’ 50th anniversary tour wrapped up in late October. Earlier that month, the band released Liberté, their first studio album of new original material in 11 years.

The 2022 tour leg is scheduled through a July 14 show in Noblesville, Indiana.

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Van Morrison is are among the artists in the running for the Best Original Song — Motion Picture honor for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards, nominees for which were announced this morning.

Morrison received his nod for “Down to Joy,” which he wrote for the movie Belfast.

Another Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Carole King, also is nominated in the category, for co-writing “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” from the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect. Jennifer Hudson, the star of Respect, and British songwriter and producer Jamie Hartman are nominated alongside Carole for co-writing “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home).”

Other Best Original Song nominees include Beyoncé for “Be Alive,” a song she co-wrote for the movie King Richard; Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas for “No Time to Die,” from the James Bond movie of the same name; and Lin-Manuel Miranda for “Dos Oruguitas,” a song he wrote for the animated film Encanto.

You can check out a full list of nominees at GoldenGlobes.com.

The Golden Globes will be handed out January 9, 2022.

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Back in October, Don McLean announced the initial dates for a 2022 U.S. tour commemorating the 50th anniversary of his classic anthem “American Pie” and his studio album of the same name. Now the singer-songwriter has unveiled about 20 additional North American shows.

The new dates run from an April 29 concert in Kansas City, Missouri, through a July 9 performance in Phoenix, Arizona, and stops in other cities including Indianapolis, Toronto, Nashville, Atlanta, St. Louis, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Denver, San Antonio and Houston.

“After spending the past 18 months at home, I am thrilled to be getting back on the road with my band,” says McLean in a statement. “2022 marks the 50th anniversary from when ‘American Pie’ landed at the #1 spot on the Billboard chart and we will be celebrating on tour all year long. We will be performing all the songs from the American Pie album plus many of the other hits that fans will be expecting to hear.”

As previously reported, McLean’s 2022 American Pie 50th Anniversary Tour kicks off with a three-show engagement, January 28-30, at The Blue Note club in Honolulu, and features several other U.S. concerts taking place in February.

Among the confirmed gigs is scheduled on February 3 at the historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. That of course is the venue where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper performed on February 3, 1959, before perishing in a plane crash later that evening. The tragic incident is now known as “The Day the Music Died,” and served as an inspiration for McLean to write “American Pie.”

Don also will perform on the 2022 Rock Legends Cruise, taking place February 14 to February 18.

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A revised and updated version of the authorized 1992 Queen biography Queen: As It Began, which told the story of the legendary British rock band through the 1991 death of frontman Freddie Mercury, will be published on March 24, 2022.

Queen: As It Began (Revised and Updated Edition) features new contributions from Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, including exclusive interviews with the two band mates, and adds to the story of the group through 1996.

The updated version of the book features a new foreword penned by May, as well as many additional photographs.

Queen: As It Began was co-written by respected Queen expert Jim Jenkins  and Jacky Smith, who has run the group’s official international fan club for 40 years.

The book offers an in-depth look at the band’s history, including the childhoods and early musical endeavors of its four members — Mercury, May, Taylor and bassist John Deacon — the band’s late 1960s origins as a group called Smile that initially featured May and Taylor, the emergence of Queen after the additions of Mercury and Deacon, the group’s path to global superstardom, Freddie’s tragic death at age 45 from AIDS, and its aftermath.

“A source of much pleasure to anyone who has an interest in the inside story of the making of that unusual phenomenon known as Queen,” May says of the book.

You can pre-order the updated version of Queen: As It Began now at the band’s official online store.

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Founded in 1969, Genesis has fans that range from those who discovered them in their early Peter Gabriel prog-rock years, to those who came onboard in their ’80s pop era. Since Genesis’ current The Last Domino? tour will reportedly be their last, it’s been crafted to please all segments of the band’s fandom.

The band’s Friday show at the shiny new UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. saw Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks — ably assisted by longtime tour guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer, two backup singers and Collins’ 20-year-old son Nic on drums — take fans through every era of their career in a masterful display of musicianship, accompanied by stunning visuals and lights.

Collins, who for medical reasons has been performing seated, still played the part of the ringmaster, introducing songs, cracking jokes and encouraging audience participation. His insistence on calling Elmont, N.Y. “Elwood” became a running joke.  While some songs were slowed down to accommodate him, his voice seemed to get stronger as the night progressed.

Faced with the daunting task of handling his dad’s complex and strenuous drum parts, Nic Collins passed with flying colors, earning wild, sustained cheers and applause from the crowd.

Fans of Genesis’ pop era cheered for the hits, from their sole U.S. number one — “Invisible Touch” — to “That’s All,” “Follow You, Follow Me,” “Throwing It All Away” and early ’90s singles like “No Son of Mine.” 1986’s “Land of Confusion” is, sadly, still timely, and album cuts like “Mama,” “Home by the Sea” and “Domino” still rock.

Meanwhile, instrumental showcases like “Duke’s End,” “The Cinema Show” and “Firth of Fifth,” snippets of fan favorites like “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” and full performances of deep cuts like “Duchess” and “Afterglow” were warmly received by old-school fans.

If this truly is Genesis’ final go-round, The Last Domino? did its best to keep all the customers satisfied.

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Finally, Billy Corgan is on Cameo.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman and his longtime partner Chloe Mendel have joined the site, which allows you to purchase personalized video messages from celebrities, to raise money for their hometown no-kill animal shelter PAWS Chicago.

Corgan, of course, is a longtime supporter of PAWS Chicago — you may remember the adorable photo of him and his cats on the cover of a 2014 issue of PAWS Chicago magazine.

The Cameos cost $250 for personal use, and $4,500 for business use, in case you’re hoping to use Corgan’s words to inspire your employees or customers.

For more info, visit Cameo.com/BillyCorgan.

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Micky Dolenz, now the last living member of The Monkees, has taken to social media to mourn his late bandmate, Mike Nesmith, who died on Friday at the age of 78.

“I’m heartbroken. I’ve lost a dear friend and partner,” writes Dolenz, along with a recent photo of the two men embracing onstage. “I’m so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together doing what we loved best – singing, laughing, and doing shtick. I’ll miss it all so much. Especially the shtick.”

“Rest in peace, Nez. All my love, Micky,” he finished.

Other celebrities who paid tribute to Nesmith included The Bangles‘ Susannah Hoffs, director Edgar Wright, comedian Patton Oswalt, magician Penn Jillette, the E Street Band’s Steve Van Zandt and “Cars” singer Gary Numan.

KISS’ Paul Stanley wrote, “WOW! Sometimes it’s hard to know why someone’s passing hits you a certain way but this is another one that hit me. I watch my world change as people that I thought to be timeless pass on, and that is sobering. Lives end and life goes on. RIP Mike Nesmith.”

And Beach Boy Brian Wilson wrote, “I’m sorry to hear about Mike Nesmith. The Monkees had some great songs, those were fun days. Love & Mercy to Mike’s family and friends.”

 

 

 

 

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Elvis Costello has released another track from his forthcoming album with The Imposters, The Boy Named If, due out January 14.

The new song, “Paint the Red Rose Blue,” is out now, and Costello describes it as “the account of someone who has long-courted theatrical darkness, only for its violence and cruelty to become all too real.”

“In its wake, a bereft couple learn to love again, painting a melancholy blue over the red of romance,” he adds.
    
As previously reported, in addition to the usual formats, The Boy Named If will also be available as an 88-page “hardback storybook edition,” each copy of which will be signed and numbered by Elvis.  It’ll feature 13 illustrated short stories, each one based on one of the album’s songs.

While he’s always been prolific, Costello’s been releasing albums at a steady clip since the start of the pandemic, beginning with Hey Clockface in October of 2020.  This past March, he put out an EP featuring new versions of six songs from that album sung in French by various people, including Iggy Pop. 

Then in September, Costello released Spanish Model, a Spanish-language version of his 1978 album This Year’s Model featuring famous Latin music artists.

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It was surprising enough that Elton John scored a number-one single this year, but now he’s racked up two.

“Merry Christmas,” Elton’s duet with Ed Sheeran, has topped the U.K. singles chart. It’s Elton’s second song to lead that chart in 2021, following his Dua Lipa duet “Cold Heart.”

However, Elton and Ed may soon find themselves competing with themselves to hold onto the top spot on the chart.  The reason why is pretty complicated, but here goes.

It’s a huge deal in the U.K. to have the song that’s number-one on Christmas Day. Each year, the competition for the “Christmas Number One” slot is intense.

For the past three years, a husband-and-wife duo billed as LadBaby have scored the Christmas number one with novelty songs about food — specifically, sausage rolls.  They donate the proceeds from the songs to the Trussell Trust, a charity that’s trying to end hunger in the U.K.

Now, Ed and Elton have teamed up with LadBaby to record a new song and video called “Sausage Rolls for Everyone” — a reworking of “Merry Christmas” with food-based lyrics. As before, 100% of the song’s profits will go to charity.

The song comes out next Friday, and the U.K. Christmas Number One will be announced December 24, so it just may come down to a battle between Ed and Elton’s original, and “Sausage Rolls for Everyone”

LadBaby said in a statement to the U.K.’s Official Charts Company, “Ed and Elton are pop royalty and they’ve both had huge success at Christmas, so we’re honored and excited to be coming together to help families this Christmas.”

“It’s time to bring back some Christmas magic with the power of sausage rolls!” Elton notes.

 

 

 

 

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A Washington home where Kurt Cobain spent part of his childhood is up for sale.

Located at 413 S Fleet Street in the city of Montesano, the house costs $279,000, and includes over 1,600 square feet of living space.

According to Rolling Stone, the realty team behind the sale didn’t initially realize the history of the address, where Cobain had lived from 1978 to 1982 with his father, Don.

“None of us knew it was until the photographer [Alicia Tisdale] took a picture of it,” realtor Colt Fairley tells Rolling Stone. “She knows Aberdeen pretty well. She was like, ‘Oh my god, this is Kurt Cobain’s house.’ His dad, Donald, tried to make the entire house into a ship.”

You can check out the listing via the site Redfin.com. But if you’re thinking of making a move, the realtor notes that they’ve already received three offers.

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