The surviving members of Led Zeppelin — Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones — reunited to perform at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. They were backed on drums by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham.
The set included Zeppelin hits “Kashmir,” “Heartbreaker,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Misty Mountain Hop” and “Stairway to Heaven.”
Other artists who performed at the concert included Genesis, Wilson Pickett, Paul Rodgers, Yes, Bee Gees, Foreigner and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Zeppelin reunited for the final time in December 2007 at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 Arena in London, again with Jason Bonham on drums.
Crosby, Stills and Nash‘svast catalog of music was celebrated Monday, May 13, at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The Music of Crosby, Stills and Nash, the 19th annual tribute series hosted by Michael Dorf Presents, featured a special appearance by Graham Nash along with performances by Todd Rundgren, Steve Earle, Shawn Colvin, Rickie Lee Jones, Grace Potter and more, all sharing their take on CSN classics.
According to setlist.fm, Rundgren covered “Almost Cut My Hair”; Earle performed “4+20″; Colvin performed “I Won’t Stay For Long,” and Jones played “Carry On.” Yola performed “Wooden Ships,” while Potter played two tunes: “Helplessly Hoping” and “Woodstock” with Leslie Mendelson, a tune that was written by Joni Mitchell but recorded for CSN’s second studio album, Déjà Vu.
The night also featured a special performance of the classic “Teach Your Children” by students from Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock).
Fan-shot footage posted to YouTube shows Nash coming out at the end of the show to thank all the artists who participated. “My only sadness is that I wish Crosby was here to listen to this wonderful night,” he shared, referring to the late David Crosby, who passed away in January 2023.
Nash then performed his CSN classic “Our House,” with the audience helping out during the chorus, and then led the night’s artists in a performance of the Stephen Stills-penned track “Love the One Your With.”
Dorf’s annual tribute shows have raised about $100,000 annually and $2 million in total for nonprofit organizations dedicated to music education. Proceeds from the Crosby, Stills & Nash concert will benefit music education for underserved youth through such organizations as Grammys in the Schools, Theatre Within and VH1 Save the Music.
A rare abstract painting created by Bob Dylan is one of the many items up for sale at RR Auction’s Marvels of Modern Music auction, featuring over 300 rare pieces of rock memorabilia.
The Dylan painting was done during his Woodstock years, around 1968. It features an abstract bull head at the center, along with other shapes and patterns both inside and out of the head, including a red man in a brimmed hat, music notes and bow ties. It also has Dylan’s faint signature on the back, with musical notes just below it.
Bidding for the painting is currently at more than $80,000; it is expected to sell for over $100,000.
Other items in the Marvels of Modern Music Auction include a typed and signed letter written by The Doors frontman JimMorrison to musician Tony Glover; a rare signed photograph of Janis Joplin; a Beatles signed “Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You” 45 RPM single; a rare recording of an unknown Jimi Hendrix backing Little Richard in 1965; and Prince‘s stage-used Yamaha C5 grand piano from the Piano & a Microphone Tour.
The Marvels of Music auction is set to run through May 23. More info and a complete list of auction items can be found at rrauction.com.
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea was red hot about his love for Denny’s during John Mulaney‘s Everybody’s in LA live comedy series.
During the six-part show’s final episode on Friday, May 10, Flea proclaimed that the home of the Grand Slam is a “microcosm” of Los Angeles.
“Denny’s is a magical place and is a sanctuary in this town,” Flea said. “It transcends all cultural and ethnic and economic boundaries. It’s a beautiful place.”
In a social media post alongside a clip of his Denny’s speech, Flea wrote, “I very much enjoyed being on John Mulaney’s show this evening. He is a nice man.” The Denny’s account then replied, “Can’t tell you how many times we’ve [listened] to this since the show ended.”
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band are getting ready to kick off the latest leg of their tour, and even though Ringo just released a new EP, Crooked Boy, fans won’t be hearing those songs at the shows.
Ringo tells Variety there’s a very good reason he and his bandmates — Steve Lukather, Edgar Winter, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette — don’t play any new songs during the tour.
“I promise you, any band out there, say ‘I’d like to do something from my new LP, EP, CD,’ and you can feel the vibe of people going to the toilet, or going to find some T-shirts,” Ringo shares. “This, with the All Starrs, is so great because (playing the hits) is why we’re there.”
He adds, “We’re the best 1-800 band in the land right now.”
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band return to the road on May 22 in Las Vegas, with dates confirmed through September 25 in New York. A complete list of dates can be found at ringostarr.com.
Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes has added a new show to his Now Is The Time Tour, which features The Warren Haynes Band and The Dreams and Songs Symphonic Experience.
The new show will take place at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Tuesday, September 10. Haynes will be backed by The Warren Haynes Band, made up of John Medeski, Kevin Scott, Terrence Higgins and Greg Osby,along with the Colorado Symphony, led by conductor Christopher Dragon.
“It’s almost cliche to say Red Rocks is a magical venue, but the truth is … it is,” Haynes shares. “Having played there dozens of times, I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad show there. So, when picking places to bring my retrospective Symphonic Experience show, the one place I knew we had to play was Red Rocks.”
A ticket presale for the show begins Thursday, May 16, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday, May 17, at 10 a.m.
The tour will have Haynes playing a full symphonic set, plus a regular set with WHB. It will have him exploring music from his entire career, including his time in Gov’t Mule, his solo work and his associations with the Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia.
Haynes has a full summer of tour dates ahead of him, including shows in Europe and dates with Guns N’ Roses‘ Slash on his S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival. A complete list of Warren Haynes dates can be found at warrenhaynes.net.
Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider wants the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to hurry up and induct deserving artists before they are no longer here to accept the honor.
The rocker made his feelings known on social media, and the comment seems to have been prompted by the May 9 death of drummer Dennis Thompson, the last surviving member of MC5, which is getting inducted into the hall this year.
“DEAR @rockhall RNR HALL OF FAME…There are bands who YOU KNOW are going to eventually be inducted because of their huge influence. How about NOT waiting until the entire band is DEAD?” Snider wrote. “The MC5 are being inducted next month. The last living member died yesterday. RIP MC5. #thatsucks.”
Snider later responded to a comment about MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, who passed away in February, sharing, “I had the honor to finally hang with Wayne a few years ago. It’s a damn sin that the @rockhall waited so long to induct MC5. RIP ENTIRE MC5 BAND!”
MC5 is set to be inducted this year in the Musical Excellence category. Jimmy Buffett, who died in September, is also getting in for Musical Excellence.
The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place October 19 in Cleveland and will stream live on Disney+. It’ll air during an ABC special at a later date and will be available to watch the next day on Hulu.
Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanborn passed away May 12, according to a post on his Facebook account. He was 78.
“It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn,” read the post, which revealed that he died “after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications.”
“Mr. Sanborn had been dealing with prostate cancer since 2018, but had been able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently,” the post continued. “Indeed he already had concerts scheduled into 2025.”
“David Sanborn was a seminal figure in contemporary pop and jazz music. It has been said that he ‘put the saxophone back into Rock ’n Roll,'” the post concludes.
Sanborn, an alto saxophonist, was well known not only in the jazz world, but in pop, rock and R&B, as well. He released his first album, Taking Off, in 1975, which landed in the top 20 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. He went on to win six Grammy Awards, and earn eight Gold albums and one Platinum album.
Sanborn performed and recorded with a whole host of musicians, including David Bowie on Young Americans; James Taylor on four albums, including the Gorilla song “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”; and Eric Clapton on the soundtrack to the movie Lethal Weapon.
Other artists he recorded with include The Who‘s Roger Daltrey, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, BruceSpringsteen, Elton John, Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead and the Eagles.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band brought their tour to Kilkenny, Ireland, on Sunday, where they paid tribute to the late Irish singer Shane MacGowan, who passed away in November at age 65.
Fan-shot footage posted to social media shows Bruce and the band performing “A Rainy Night in Soho,” the classic track by MacGowan’s band ThePogues.
When Shane died Bruce paid tribute to him on social media, sharing that Shane “was one of my all-time favorite writers.” He added, “The passion and deep intensity of his music and lyrics is unmatched by all but the very best in the rock and roll canon.”
According to setlist.fm, “A Rainy Night in Soho” was the first song of Springsteen’s main set, but fans who got to the show early got a surprise from The Boss. The rocker came out with his guitar to perform for the “early birds” in the audience, treating them to an acoustic performance of “This Hard Land.”
The rest of concert featured plenty of Springsteen classics, including “Born To Run,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Badlands” and “Thunder Road.” Springsteen also got up close and personal with the Kilkenny crowd, jumping into the pit during “Spirit in the Night.” Unfortunately he had a little issue getting out and needed a hand from security to lift him out.
Bruce has two more shows in Ireland: He plays Cork on May 16 and Dublin on May 19. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.
A pair of boots worn by Sir Paul McCartney are being auctioned off at Sotheby’s to raise money for Meat Free Mondays.
The black vegan suede boots, which McCartney designed with shoemaker Crispinians, were made for the rocker’s On The Run world tour and were worn during his finale performance at the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony.
“As it was time for me to get myself a new pair of boots I thought this might be a good way to help our Meat Free Monday campaign celebrate its 15th anniversary,” Paul shared. “Me and my boots have great memories of that special evening at the Olympic opening ceremony in London. It was a high to be involved with such an awesome and spectacular event. Something I’ll remember forever.”
The auction is set to begin on May 24, with the boots estimated to sell for between $12,000 and $19,000.
Meat Free Mondays is a nonprofit co-founded by Paul, Mary McCartney and Stella McCartney in 2009 to encourage people to help the environment by committing to eating at least one plant-based meal a week.
“It’s a great idea, and I urge you to try it, and if you like it then spread the word,” Paul says. “And if enough people do it, it really will make a considerable difference to the future of this planet.”
More info on the auction can be found at sothebys.com.
