U2 recently turned down $10 million for a single gig, promoter claims

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

The fact that many top artists — like Coldplay‘s Chris Martin and Beyonce — are available to hire for weddings and birthday parties if the price is right is one of the worst-kept secrets in the music industry. But some artists just flat-out refuse to do them, even if the money is insane. Case in point: U2.

Jay Siegan, whose company specializes in organizing private gigs by big stars, tells The Times of London, “We recently made an offer to U2 of $10 million to perform on an island in the Caribbean for a private client. They quickly declined.” Other acts who “never” do private shows include Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, Taylor Swift, The Cure and Depeche Mode.

Of course, those acts don’t exactly need the money. Just think of how much U2 must have raked in during their recent residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, which grossed some $256 million.

In other U2 news, the group has just released the 10th edition of its ongoing digital playlist series, To Love and Only Love — Deep Dives and B-Sides. The remastered collection is comprised of songs that until now were only available on vinyl, CD or cassette.

The latest playlist is centered around “Elevation,” from their 2000 album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind. The 10 tracks include six different mixes of “Elevation,” including the “Tomb Raider Mix” from the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. There are also live versions of “New York,” “I Will Follow” and the Ramones cover “I Remember You,” plus a remake of Johnny Cash‘s “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town,” which was the original B-side of “Elevation.”

Watch Lenny Kravitz’s new video for “Fly,” an update of his 1998 hit “Fly Away” featuring Quavo

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Lenny Kravitz‘s 1998 Grammy-winning hit “Fly Away” has been reimagined by Lenny, producer Andrew Watt and rapper Quavo, best known as a member of the hip-hop trio Migos.

The new version, “Fly,” has its origins at a Grammy event earlier this year called the Black Music Collective’s Recording Academy Honors. An all-star band made up of Quavo, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White, P-Funk‘s George Clinton and super-producer Andrew Watt performed “Fly Away” as a tribute to Kravitz.

The song went over so well that Watt and Quavo decided to record an updated version with rapped verses by Quavo and a newly recorded vocal from Lenny. The song’s frenetic black-and-white video shows Lenny playing guitar and trading verses with Quavo, whose dreadlocks are nearly as impressive as Lenny’s.

“Put some feathers on my drip ’cause I’m fly,” they sing. “Diamonds twinkle every time I’m outside/ They almost brighter than the stars and the ice.”

The single is just the latest project for Watt, who most recently produced The Rolling Stones‘ Hackney Diamonds and Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter.

New York street officially named after Jimi Hendrix

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

When the “Crosstown Traffic” gets too heavy in New York City, drivers can now turn onto Jimi Hendrix Way.

A block in Greenwich Village that includes 52 West 8th St. — the address of Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios — was temporarily renamed after the iconic guitarist on Aug. 8. Attendees at the unveiling ceremony included E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt; Hendrix’s sister Janie; and Hendrix’s recording engineer Eddie Kramer, who helped conceptualize the studio and who worked with everyone from The Beatles to the Stones to Bowie to Zeppelin.

The renaming was done in conjunction with the new documentary Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision, which tells the story of the legendary studio — the first recording studio ever owned by an artist. The film officially opens Aug. 9 in New York and will then hit theaters worldwide.

As previously reported, the doc includes previously unseen footage and photos, and includes interviews from recording engineer Eddie Kramer, Experience bassist Billy Cox, original Electric Lady staff members and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood, who took part in Hendrix’s first session at the studio.

The countdown is now on to see if someone steals the sign before it’s officially removed.

Dead Heads for Kamala fundraiser scheduled for Aug. 13

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Following virtual fundraisers with names like Comics for Kamala and White Dudes for Harris, another one is scheduled featuring yet another specific group: Dead Heads.

Dead Heads for Kamala: Get on the Bus with Us! will take place Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. ET. You can register at events.democrats.org. According to a press release, the event will “encourage all attendees to embrace unity under the guiding question, ‘Are you kind?’”

“Are you kind?” is, of course, a lyric from the Grateful Dead‘s “Uncle John’s Band.”

According to organizers, there will be performances by “notable bands and artists” — none of whom have been revealed yet — in between “notable Grateful Dead enthusiasts” talking about the political issues at stake in the election. According to organizers, those enthusiasts include “musicians, entertainers, educators, politicians and athletes.”

It’s not clear if the members of the Grateful Dead or Dead & Company have any connection to this event; they are not among the organizers.

Live Gregg Allman album from late rocker’s personal archives coming in September

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

A Gregg Allman live album recorded in 1983 is the first release from the late rocker’s personal archives. Gregg Allman Band — Uncle Sam’s is due out Sept. 20.

Recorded at a small club called Uncle Sam’s in Hull, Massachusetts, on July 1, 1983, the album features Allman and his band performing Allman’s solo songs, as well as Allman Brothers Band classics like “Midnight Rider,” “Dreams” and “Melissa,” and renditions of favorites like “Trouble No More” and “Statesboro Blues.”

You can listen to “Midnight Rider” from the album now.

Here’s the album track list:
“Midnight Rider”
“Dreams”
“Sweet Feelin’”
“Hot ’Lanta”
“Queen Of Hearts”
“Trouble No More”
“Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’”
“Melissa”
“Statesboro Blues”

In related news, Allman’s son Devon has just released a new song called “You,” from his upcoming album, Miami Moon, due out Aug. 16.

David Gilmour releases new ‘Luck and Strange’ single, “Dark and Velvet Nights”

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

David Gilmour has released another track from his upcoming album, Luck and Strange, due out Sept. 6.

The song, “Dark and Velvet Nights,” was co-written by Gilmour and his wife, Polly Samson. He says in a statement, “The music sprang out one day. It was so exciting to have come across this groove. Polly had given me a beautiful poem for our wedding anniversary, which was sitting on the desk right next to me, so I picked it up and sang it on the track, to hear what it would sound like with words.”

“Dark and Velvet Nights” is the third song that Gilmour has shared from the album, following “The Piper’s Call” and “Between Two Points,” the latter of which features Gilmour’s daughter on vocals and harp. The title track, recorded in 2007, features late Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright, who died in 2008.

As previously reported, Gilmour has scheduled a series of live dates for this fall in Rome, London, LA and New York. Visit davidgilmour.com for a full list of tour dates.

On This Day, Aug. 9, 1986: Queen plays what would be their final show with frontman Freddie Mercury

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, Aug. 9, 1986 …

Queen headlined the final show of their Magic tour in Knebworth Park, England, which would turn out to be their last live show ever with frontman Freddie Mercury.

The concert had been added to the schedule after Queen sold out two nights at Wembley Stadium in London the previous month. Added demand warranted a third show but they were unable to book the same venue. The Knebworth concert wound up selling out, with 120,000 fans coming to see the show.

Following the tour, Mercury went on to work on solo projects, and the band came back together to release 1989’s Miracle, but did not tour in support of it.

After the Magic tour, rumors about Mercury’s health began to circulate in the tabloids. He had been diagnosed HIV positive in 1987, although he did not reveal his diagnosis until 1991.

He died Nov. 24, 1991, one day after publicly announcing his condition. He was 45.

George Harrison’s ‘The Concert for Bangladesh’ finally arrives on streaming services

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

More than 50 years after it was first released, George Harrison‘s all-star charity live album The Concert for Bangladesh has just arrived on streaming services.

The album documents the first major charity rock concerts in history: two shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden in August 1971. They were organized by Harrison in the wake of the humanitarian crisis caused by the Bangladesh Liberation War in what was then East Pakistan. The shows raised money for UNICEF in aid of the 10 million refugees who’d fled to India during the war.

In addition to George — who performed solo songs like “My Sweet Lord,” and The Beatles tracks “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun” — the concert featured Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, Billy Preston and Ravi Shankar. Notably, it marked the first time George and Ringo had played together in concert since 1966 and Dylan’s first major U.S. concert appearances in five years.

Released as a triple live album credited to George Harrison & Friends, The Concert for Bangladesh hit #1 and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. The new streaming version is based on the track list of the 2005 reissue of the album and also includes a bonus track, the original studio version of George’s song “Bangla Desh.”

Looking back on the event, Harrison, who died in 2001, once said, “The musicians were great. I mean, they completely put down their own egos to play together and to do something because the whole vibe of that concert was that it was something bigger than the lot of us.”

All net proceeds from the album will be donated to the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF, which helps children in need worldwide.

Listen to Eddie Vedder’s cover of Tom Petty’s “Room at the Top”

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Eddie Vedder has released his previously teased cover of the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers‘ song “Room at the Top.”

The Pearl Jam frontman recorded the 1999 song for the soundtrack to the upcoming Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey. He previously performed “Room at the Top” during the in memoriam segment of the 2018 Oscars and has played it live during his solo concerts.

You can listen to Vedder’s cover now via digital outlets. The Bad Monkey soundtrack, which consists mostly of Petty covers, is due out Oct. 4 and also includes contributions from Weezer, Nathaniel Rateliff and Fitz and the Tantrums.

Bad Monkey, starring Vince Vaughn, premieres Aug. 14. It’ll mark the second show of 2024 to spawn a Vedder cover — he previously put his spin on The English Beat‘s “Save It for Later” for the third season of The Bear.

Report: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish performing at Olympics closing ceremony

August 9, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Red Hot Chili Peppers will reportedly help Paris “Give It Away” to Los Angeles. And by it, we mean the Olympics.

According to Variety, the “Californication” outfit will play the 2024 Games’ closing ceremony, as will Billie Eilish. Rapper Snoop Dogg, who served as a torchbearer during the opening ceremony and has made headlines for his Olympic coverage, is also reportedly set to perform.

Variety says that the three will be part of pre-taped and live segments from Los Angeles as part of the ceremony’s “handing over” of the Olympics from its 2024 host to LA, which will hold the Games in 2028.

The 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony gets underway at 3 p.m. ET Sunday. You can watch on NBC and Peacock.

French bands Phoenix and Air were previously confirmed to perform.

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