Foreigner’s Kelly Hansen shares the benefits of playing a Las Vegas residency

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Foreigner is heading to Las Vegas for their residency at The Venetian next week, and for frontman Kelly Hansen, these shows are a totally different experience than the ones they play when they are out on tour. 

“The Vegas residency is a casino, and in that sense it’s different because people are coming from all of the country, and in some circumstances all of the world, to one venue to come see you,” he says. “Which is an unusual and unique occurrence for us, which means we’re having a much broader audience at those shows.”

He adds, “I mean, these people make arrangements and spend a lot of time and money and effort to come see us play, so it’s really important that we’re there and not sick, and we’re taking care of ourselves and doing a good show.” 

And there are certainly some things he loves about playing Vegas. “For us it’s really great because we can just walk in from the hotel, and we’re very rested, we’re ready for an energetic show,” Hansen shares. “Sometimes, I have to admit, here and there, you know, after five or six shows in a week, that last one you’re going, ‘Oh how am I going to do this show tonight?’” 

Foreigner’s Las Vegas residency kicks off Friday, March 24. A complete list of Foreigner dates can be found at foreigneronline.com.

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Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen issues statement on Florida attack

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rick Allen, the drummer of Def Leppard, issued a statement exclusively to ABC News on Sunday in response to being violently assaulted in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week.

“Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. Your love and prayers are truly helping. My wife Lauren [Monroe] was thankfully not with me at the time of the incident. We are together now, and working on recovering in a safe space,” the statement said, adding they are focused on “healing for everyone involved.”

“We ask you to join us in our effort to move from confusion and shock to compassion and empathy,” the statement continued. “We understand this act of violence can be triggering for so many people. To all of the fans, veterans and first responders in our global community, we are thinking of you all. Together with love, we can all get through these difficult times.

Police arrested Ohio teenager Max Hartley, 19, after he allegedly attacked the 59-year-old drummer outside of the Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale on March 13, a day after the band played at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel, according to authorities.

Allen, who lost his arm in an accident in 1984 and has played the drums with one arm ever since, hit his head after Hartley allegedly came up from behind and threw him to the ground, according to a police report reviewed by ABC News.

A woman who reportedly tried to interfere in the incident was also allegedly attacked by Hartley, who began hitting her and dragging her by her hair, according to police.

Hartley was caught shortly after the incident and has since been charged with four counts of criminal mischief, a felony; one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of aggravated battery, according to a Fort Lauderdale police incident report.

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Paul McCartney “very happy” with New York concert tribute

Bob Gruen

Paul McCartney was celebrated with a musical tribute in New York earlier this week, as previously reported. While he wasn’t there to see it himself, it certainly appears that he approved of what went down.

The Music of Paul McCartney, a benefit show put on by New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf, featured performances by Patti SmithGraham Nash, Nancy WilsonWings guitarist Denny LaineBruce Hornsby, Natalie Merchant and more. McCartney took to social media to show his appreciation. 

The Beatles legend shared the Rolling Stone article about the concert, adding the comment, “Last night’s tribute concert made this boy from Liverpool very happy.” 

And it was all for a good cause, with the concert raising money for organizations that provide music education programs and opportunities for underserved youth.

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U2’s Bono & The Edge rock Tiny Desk concert

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Bono and The Edge are used to playing big stadiums and arenas, but they just took over a much smaller space. To promote U2’s latest release, Songs of Surrender, the pair stopped by NPR’s offices to perform a Tiny Desk concert. And they certainly seemed to enjoy themselves. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers performed four songs from 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind: “Beautiful Day,” “In A Little While,” “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” which Bono said was written for the late INXS frontman, Michael Hutchence, and “Walk On,” which they rewrote for, and dedicated to, the people of Ukraine. 

But Bono and The Edge weren’t alone for the performance. They were joined by a teen choir from Washington, D.C.’s, Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Songs of Surrender, featuring 40 reworked and rerecorded U2 classics, is out now.

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The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde blasts the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

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Chrissie Hynde is the latest female artist to call out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Following Courtney Love’s tweet and op-ed in The Guardian blasting the lack of female representation in the Hall of Fame, Hynde shared her thoughts — and let’s just say she’s not a fan. 

“If anyone wants my position in the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame they are welcome to it,” Hynde, who was inducted in 2005 with The Pretenders, writes on Facebook. “I don’t even wanna be associated with it. It’s just more establishment backslapping. I got in a band so I didn’t have to be part of all that.” 

Hynde says when she found out The Pretenders were to be inducted she was living in Rio and “my heart sank because I knew I’d have to go back for it as it would be too much of a kick in the teeth to my parents if I didn’t. I’d upset them enough by then, so it was one of those things that would bail me out from years of disappointing them. (like moving out of the USA and being arrested at PETA protests and my general personality).” 

Neil Young was on hand to induct The Pretenders at the annual gala and even performed with them. Hynde says that was the only good thing about the evening. “The whole thing was, and is, total bollocks,” she offers. “It’s absolutely nothing to do with rock ‘n’ roll and anyone who thinks it is is a fool.”

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Paul Rodgers says goodbye to Gary Rossington; Lynyrd Skynyrd music sees bump following guitarist’s death

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Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s Gary Rossington passed away earlier this month, as previously reported, and now it appears he’s been laid to rest.

Rocker Paul Rodgers seemed to reveal the news when he shared a picture of himself with his Free/Bad Company bandmate Simon Kirke on social media, writing, “Pilgrimage complete. Saying goodbye to Gary Rossington, a friend of 50 years!”

Meanwhile, Rossington’s death has sparked renewed interest in the band’s music. Billboard reports the band’s catalog has seen a 16% bump in streams since he passed away March 5 at the age of 71. They also moved 6,000 downloads in the week following his death, an increase of 103%.

Specific songs seeing boosts include the classic “Sweet Home Alabama,” which saw a 7% jump, up to 4.5 million streams from 4.2 million, as well as “Simple Man,” with a 5% increase, “Free Bird,” with an 11% bump, and “Gimme Three Steps,” up 8%.

The renewed interest helped put three of those songs back on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Rock Songs charts, with “Sweet Home Alabama” at 17, “Simple Man” at 21 and “Free Bird” at 24.

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Courtney Love pens essay calling for more women & Black artists in the Rock Hall

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After calling out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for its lack of female inductees in a tweet last week, Courtney Love has written an essay further questioning why so few women and Black artists have been enshrined.

In the piece, published by The Guardian, Love reiterates that only about 8.5% of the Rock Hall’s inductees are women and wonders why it took the institution so long to honor female artists, including Nina Simone, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Tina Turner and rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She also questions why it has continued to leave out women like Kate Bush and Chaka Khan, despite multiple nominations.

“The Rock Hall recognized Pearl Jam about four seconds after they became eligible,” Love writes. “And yet Chaka Khan, eligible since 2003, languishes with seven nominations.”

Bush is nominated again this year, as are Missy Elliott, Cyndi Lauper, Sheryl Crow, Meg White with The White Stripes and Gillian Gilbert with New Order.

“Meg White’s potential induction as one half of the White Stripes (in their first year of eligibility) has sparked openly contemptuous discourse online,” Love writes, referring to the Twitter firestorm about the drummer’s skills over the past week. “You sense that if voters could get Jack White in without her, they would do it today.”

Love adds that the Rock Hall’s induction record also “doesn’t look good for Black artists,” noting that Beastie Boys “were inducted … ahead of most of the Black hip-hop artists they learned to rhyme from,” such as the still-not-in A Tribe Called Quest.

“If so few women are being inducted into the Rock Hall, then the nominating committee is broken,” Love writes. “If so few Black artists, so few women of color, are being inducted, then the voting process needs to be overhauled.”

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Update: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band resume tour after postponing three shows

John Autey / MediaNews Group / St. Paul Pioneer Press via Getty Images

After postponing three shows due to illness, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band returned to the stage Thursday night for a show at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. 

According to the Asbury Park Press, The Boss didn’t talk about the illness that forced the postponement of the shows in Columbus, Ohio; Uncasville, Connecticut; and Albany, New York, or who it actually affected. 

Regardless, it sounds like everyone was healthy and raring to play, with the 73-year-old Bruce and the band rocking the house for two hours and 45 minutes. The set included “Prove It All Night,” “Letters To You,” “The Promise Land,” “Trapped,” “Backstreets,” “Thunder Road,” “Born To Run” and “Rosalita.”

“I love being in Philadelphia,” The Boss said during the show. “Philadelphia has meant so much to us for such a long time. Thank you for a beautiful reception.” 

The band’s next concert is happening Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. The first U.S. leg of the tour wraps April 14 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, before they hit Europe later in April. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

As for those postponed shows, Springsteen just announced the rescheduled dates, with Uncasville, Connecticut, set for September 16; Albany, New York, happening September 19; and Columbus, Ohio, set for September 21. Previously purchased tickets will be honored for all shows, and those who can’t make the new dates have until April 16 to request a refund from Ticketmaster.

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Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band resume tour after postponing three shows

John Autey / MediaNews Group / St. Paul Pioneer Press via Getty Images)

After postponing three shows due to illness, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band returned to the stage Thursday night for a show at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. 

According to the Asbury Park Press, The Boss didn’t talk about the illness that forced the postponement of the shows in Columbus, Ohio; Uncasville, Connecticut; and Albany, New York, or who it actually affected. 

Regardless, it sounds like everyone was healthy and raring to play, with the 73-year-old Bruce and the band rocking the house for two hours and 45 minutes. The set included “Prove It All Night,” “Letters To You,” “The Promise Land,” “Trapped,” “Backstreets,” “Thunder Road,” “Born To Run” and “Rosalita.”

“I love being in Philadelphia,” The Boss said during the show. “Philadelphia has meant so much to us for such a long time. Thank you for a beautiful reception.” 

The band’s next concert is happening Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. The first U.S. leg of the tour wraps April 14 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, before they hit Europe later in April. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

U2 announces 40-city ‘Songs of Surrender’ celebration

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U2 is celebrating the release of their new album, Songs of Surrender, all around the world, and fans can be a part of it. 

The band just announced what they are calling “40 songs, 40 cities,” which will run until Sunday, where fans can gather in 40 cities around the world to find “unique tributes to the 40 songs on the album.” 

In addition, in each location fans will have access to exclusive merchandise, along with “a bespoke photo filter.” U2 is asking fans to share photos to a virtual billboard.

U.S. cities that are part of the celebration include New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Nashville, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as well as overseas cities like London, Paris, Brussels, Dublin, Madrid and Vienna. A map of all the locations can be found at fortycities.u2.com.

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