Classic Rock 93.9

New York is going to get the first screening of the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is set to premiere at the 63rd New York Film Festival. The film will be the festival’s Spotlight Gala selection, premiering Sept. 28.

The Boss is expected to attend the premiere, along with director Scott Cooper, and the film’s stars, Jeremy Allen White, who plays Springsteen, Jeremy Strong, who plays his manager Jon Landau, and Odessa Young.

“The New York Film Festival has always felt like a spiritual home for the kind of cinema I believe in,” Cooper shares. “To now arrive with a film about Bruce Springsteen—an artist whose music shaped not just a country but my own sense of storytelling—is something I could never have imagined.”

He adds, “Getting to know Bruce, to explore his world and his spirit, has been one of the most profound creative experiences of my life. To share that experience with New York audiences, in a city that defines artistic possibility, is both an honor and a responsibility I hold with deep gratitude.”

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere follows The Boss’ efforts to make his 1982 solo album Nebraska. It also stars Stephen Graham, Paul Walter Hauser and Gaby Hoffmann.

The New York Film Festival is happening Sept. 26-Oct. 13. Tickets for the Deliver Me From Nowhere premiere go on sale to the general public on Sept. 18 at 12 p.m. ET.

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The members of U2 have shared a post on Instagram offering their thoughts on the current Israeli-Palestine conflict.

“Everyone has long been horrified by what is unfolding in Gaza – but the blocking of humanitarian aid and now plans for a military takeover of Gaza City has taken the conflict into uncharted territory,” reads the post’s caption. “We are not experts in the politics of the region, but we want our audience to know where we each stand.”

The post includes separate detailed statements from Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton, with Bono’s lasting 10 slides. The first slide of the post simply notes it shares their thoughts “On Gaza.”

U2 previously commented on the situation in the Middle East during their Las Vegas residency at the Sphere. Following the Oct. 7 attacks at the Novo music festival in Israel the band performed “Pride,” with Bono changing the lyrics to “Early morning, October 7/ as the sun is rising in the dessert sky/ Stars of David they took your life/but they could not take your pride.” 

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Styx has debuted a new video for the track “Forgive,” from their recently released album Circling From Above.

The video kicks off with a child drawing figures of a man and a woman with black marker on white paper, when the images suddenly begin moving. The clip then uses animated drawings to tell several stories of forgiveness, including a couple on the brink of a split, friends who get into a fight, and soldiers during battle, the latter featuring the faces of the members of Styx.

“Forgive” is the second track Styx has released from Circling From Above, their first album of new material since 2021’s Crash the Crown. They previously released the tune “Build and Destroy.”

Styx are currently on their Brotherhood of Rock tour with REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin and Don Felder, which hits Saratoga Springs, New York, on Tuesday. A complete list of dates can be found at StyxWorld.com.

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Bobby Whitlock, the pianist, guitarist and songwriter who played on three of rock’s most legendary albums — Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, All Things Must Pass and Exile on Main Street — has died. He was 77.

A statement provided to ABC Audio by his manager Carole Kaye reads, “With profound sadness, the family of Bobby Whitlock announces his passing at 1:20am on Aug. 10 after a brief illness. He passed in his home in Texas, surrounded by family.”

Born and raised in Memphis, Whitlock played on recordings by Sam & Dave and Booker T. & the M.G.’s as a teen and was the first white artist signed to Stax Records. In 1969, he played on the album Accept No Substitute by Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett and joined their touring band, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. 

Eric Clapton and George Harrison subsequently joined the band as guest “Friends,” which led to Whitlock and Clapton backing Harrison on the former Beatle‘s landmark 1970 album All Things Must Pass.

While working on Harrison’s album, Whitlock and Clapton formed Derek and the Dominos with fellow Friends Carl Radle and Jim Gordon. Whitlock wrote or co-wrote seven of the 14 songs on their now-iconic album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, including “Tell the Truth” and “Bell Bottom Blues.” 

After Derek and the Dominos split in 1971, Whitlock released two solo albums and played uncredited on The Rolling Stones’ 1972 album Exile on Main Street. He also played on albums by Dr. John and Manassas.

Whitlock, who was inducted into Memphis’ Beale Street Walk of Fame in 2024, continued to record and release albums throughout his career, later accompanied by his wife and musical partner CoCo Carmel Whitlock.  He is survived by Carmel Whitlock, sister Debbie Wade and children Ashley Brown, Beau Whitlock and Tim Whitlock Kelly.

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Billy Joel has debuted another archival performance, and this one is a real throwback.

The “Piano Man” shared a video of him performing the track “Long, Long Time” on the PBS station WSIU on Feb. 10, 1972.

The clip is from such an early point in his career that during the intro the host notes that Joel and his backing band have been together “less than a year,” but adds that the “maturity of sound is there.”

“Long, Long Time” is actually a song that didn’t appear on any of Billy’s original studio albums. A performance of it does appear on the 2011 Legacy Edition of his sophomore album Piano Man.

Joel began releasing archival rarities to his YouTube account following the release of his HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, with many of the clips found during the making of the film.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes is now streaming on HBO Max

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Mick Fleetwood is marking two years since the devastating wildfires that destroyed parts of Maui, Hawaii.

The Fleetwood Mac drummer and founder shared a picture on Instagram of the fire scorched sign from his restaurant, Fleetwood’s on Front Street, which was lost in the fires writing, “Two years ago today, the heart of Lahaina was devastated by fires…..Taking with it not just our beloved Fleetwood’s on Front Street, but so much of what made this town!!”

“We lost friends and neighbors, including two beloved members of Fleetwood’s on Front Street, Joel and Felimon, along with their families,” he adds. “We continue to mourn their lives, and all the lives lost. Their memory will live on.”

“What stands strong still is the spirit of Lahaina! And the resilience of this island,” he continues. “My thoughts and love continue to be with the people of Lahaina, as we honor the past and look forward.”

Fleetwood had been living on the island of Maui for almost 30 years when the 2023 fires destroyed his community and his restaurant. That September he took part in a star-studded #MauiStrong livestream that raised funds for Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund as well as the Recording Academy charity MusicCares.

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The Zombies are set to reissue their iconic sophomore album Odessey and Oracle. The band just announced that the album has been newly remastered in mono and will be coming out digitally and on vinyl and CD.

After it was recorded in 1967, Odessey and Oracle was remixed in a then-new stereo format, which according to a press release, “sacrificed key elements from the mono recording.” A post on Instagram notes that the new reissue will give fans a chance to “experience the album the way it was intended to be heard and seen: raw, rich and timeless.” It will also feature the album’s artwork restored to its original colors.

As a preview of the release, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have shared the mono remaster of the track “This Will Be Our Year,” featuring restored horn parts that were lost in the stereo mix. It is now available via digital outlets.

Odessey and Oracle Mono Remastered will be out Sept. 26, and is available for preorder now.

Released in April 1968, Odessey and Oracle was not a commercial success when it initially came out. In fact, The Zombies has already broken up by the time the album was released. But the album’s third single “Time of the Season,” became a hit in the U.S. almost a year later, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It went on to become an iconic song for the band.

The Zombies’ story is highlighted in the recently released documentary Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies, which is now available on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.

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Bonnie Raitt is showing her support for comedian Stephen Colbert, whose late night talk show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, was canceled by CBS.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer shared video on Instagram of some of her performances on The Late Show, writing, “In light of the shocking cancellation of @colbertlateshow with Stephen Colbert (set to end next May,) we want to send along our support and appreciation for what he means to us and the crucial right to have free expression in a healthy democracy.”

“We know his brilliant, beloved and important place in our culture will continue to evolve in some new, exciting way,” the post adds. “We wish him and his incredible team all the best and are so grateful for what they continue to give us all. He’s number 1 in the late night market for a reason. Unstoppable!”

Performances featured in the post include Raitt’s last appearance in June 2022, where she performed “Blame It On Me” from her album Just Like That…, as well as a 2019 performance of John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery,” which the post says was one of Colbert’s favorite tunes.

CBS announced in July that the network was canceling The Late Show saying it was a “financial decision.” The longtime franchise will end in May 2026 after more than 30 years on air. At the time of the announcement Paramount had been working to finalize a deal to sell Paramount to Skydance Media, which needed approval from the Trump administration to go through. The merger has since closed.

Raitt will kick off the next leg of her current tour on Aug. 20 in Port Chester, New York. A complete list of dates can be found at BonnieRaitt.com.

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The Beatles’ 1965 concert at New York’s Shea Stadium will be celebrated by the New York Mets at Citi Field.

According to the Associated Press, the team will mark the 60th anniversary of the historic concert with a special night at the stadium on Aug. 15 which will include a performance by cover band 1964 The Tribute in front of Shea Bridge, along with a special giveaway of a Shea Stadium replica to the first 15,000 fans who enter the stadium.

The Mets will be playing the Seattle Mariners that night, and the game will feature a first pitch thrown out by staff who worked the Beatles concert. There will also be special fireworks after the game.

Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr headlined Shea Stadium, home of the Mets from 1964-2008 and the New York Jets from 1964-1983, on Aug. 15, 1965. According to setlist.fm, they played a 12-song set that included such tunes as “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Ticket to Ride,” “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!” The show was turned into a 50-minute documentary, The Beatles at Shea Stadium.

Shea Stadium was demolished in 2009. Billy Joel performed the final concerts at the park on July 16 and 18, 2008, with the final show featuring a surprise guest appearance by McCartney.

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Director Amy Berg’s new documentary It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley is hitting theaters Friday, and it’s been a long time coming.

The director has been interested in making a doc about the late artist Jeff Buckley since 2006, telling ABC Audio that she was a fan of his critically acclaimed debut album, Grace.

“I just loved the album and I felt there was an enigma about Jeff that just kind of piqued my curiosity,” she says.

Buckley was the son of ’70s singer/songwriter Tim Buckley and was often compared to his father, although he didn’t really have a relationship him. He was raised by his mother, and Berg says that family dynamic was something she wanted to explore in the film. She notes she wanted to help explain “how that turned into Jeff Buckley, the voice and the album that we all know so well.”

Berg says that when it came to Jeff’s music, “there was so much personal intelligence in his lyrics and songs,” adding that one of the biggest misconceptions about him is “how he became who he was.”

“I think his music is on such a plateau,” she says. “He’s your favorite musician’s favorite musician.”

Buckley died in 1997 at age 30, as he was beginning to work on his sophomore album. But despite the sad end, Berg says she hopes Buckley’s story will inspire viewers.

“I would like for people to watch this film and find their own creative spirit,” she says. “That’s the best possible, you know, reaction to this film.”

“And I know it is sad, but it’s also uplifting if you look at it in that way,” she says. “So I think that’s the thing to embrace here.” 

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