Classic Rock News

U2 has donated a prize package of merch from their Las Vegas residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, to raise money for a trio of Irish charities.

The package includes a poster, two T-shirts and a pair of “Bono Fly Sunglasses,” as well as a tour program, which they say features “a very rare collection of signatures.” It’s rare because in addition to Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton, it includes the signature of drummer Bram van den Berg, who filled in for Larry Mullen Jr. during the residency.

The package is one of the many items up for grabs at the Lord Mayor’s Charity Auction in Dublin, which is part of the upcoming Lord Mayor’s Charity Ball, taking place April 27. The auction is raising money for Breast Cancer Ireland, the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and the mental health charity A Lust For Life.

U2 isn’t the only artist to donate an auction item. Also up for grabs are Gold Circle tickets to Rod Stewart‘s May 26 concert in Dublin, complete with hotel accommodations; four tickets to see Bryan Adams in Dublin on May 21, with a hotel stay; and two tickets to see Bruce Springsteen at his show at Dublin’s Croke Park on May 19.

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If you live near an independent record store, you may be able to hear Pearl Jam‘s Dark Matter album early.

Record Store Day has announced that select shops across the U.S. will be playing Dark Matter in full on Sunday, April 14, nearly a week before the record drops on Friday, April 19.

For a list of participating stores, check out the RSD Instagram.

Dark Matter is the 12th Pearl Jam album and the follow-up to 2020’s Gigaton. The title track and the cut “Running” are out now.

You can also hear Dark Matter ahead of time during a worldwide theatrical event, taking place in cinemas on April 16.

Pearl Jam will launch a U.S. tour in support of Dark Matter in May.

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Lenny Kravitz is giving fans a sneak peek at the music video for his latest single, “Human,” which is set to debut Friday, April 5, at 12 p.m. ET.

The rocker shared a brief snippet of the clip on social media, which sees various people with their heads buried in their phones. The camera then cuts to a bus rider on his phone, before a phone is suddenly thrown through the window of the vehicle. That’s followed by a quick shot of a shirtless Kravitz showing off his chiseled abs.

“Human” is the second single from Lenny’s upcoming album, Blue Electric Light, which comes out May 24. The album is available for preorder now.

Lenny is getting ready to hit the road in support of the album this summer. He kicks off a European tour in Hamburg, Germany, on June 23. So far, no U.S. tour dates have been announced. A complete list of shows can be found at lennykravitz.com.

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Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler has just released the official video for “Two Pairs of Hands,” the latest single off his upcoming album, One Deep River.

The black-and-white clip is set in the studio with the cameras getting closeups of Knopfler and his band performing the track.

“Two Pair of Hands” is the third single Knopfler’s released off One Deep River, following “Watch Me Gone” and “Ahead Of The Game.”

One Deep River, dropping April 12, is Knopfler’s first album since 2018’s Down The Road Wherever. It will be released digitally and on CD, cassette and as a two-LP set. There’s also a box set featuring the standard CD and two-LP release, along with a bonus CD and bonus vinyl, three guitar picks, a lithograph print and more.

All formats are available for preorder now.

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Sammy Hagar is set to make an appearance at Sunday’s CMT Music Awards. 

The former Van Halen frontman will take part in a tribute to the late country star Toby Keith, which will also feature Lainey Wilson and Brooks & Dunn, backed by Keith’s longtime band. Lukas Nelson and former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens will also make special appearances to honor Keith.

“I’m honored to be part of this tribute to my dear friend Toby Keith,” Sammy wrote on Instagram. “I’m thinking ‘I Love This Bar’ would be the appropriate song choice,” a reference to Keith’s #1 hit.

Keith passed away February 5 following a two-year battle with stomach cancer. Sammy paid tribute to Toby on social media following his passing, writing, “I can’t find the words at this time. RIP, Toby.”

The 2024 CMT Music Awards air live from Austin, Texas, on Sunday, April 7, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.

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Paul McCartney is letting fans know that he more than approves of Beyoncé‘s cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” 

“I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird,’” McCartney shares on Instagram. “I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place.” 

He adds, “I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out. You are going to love it!”

Bey’s version of the song, retitled “Blackbiird,” includes acoustic guitar and foot tapping by McCartney, taken from the song’s original backing track.

McCartney also reveals in his post that he had a FaceTime conversation with Bey about the song, noting, “[S]he thanked me for writing it and letting her do it.” He says, “I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song.”  

McCartney also shared his feelings about the song still being so relevant today.

“When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I can’t believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now,” he continues. “Anything my song and Beyoncé’s fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud.”

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Neil Young has revealed some exciting news for fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. In a post on his Neil Young Archives site, the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer revealed that a live album featuring an early concert by CSNY is in the works.

The concert in question took place in September 1969 at the Fillmore East, not long after Young was brought into the group by his former Buffalo Springfield bandmate Stephen Stills. 

“The acoustic set was soulfully sung and played, full of great songs and then unknown gems. Staggering harmonies. Happiness,” he writes. “The electric set quickly moved to a new space.”

Neil says the stage performance was recorded in eight-track analog, with the audience recorded in four-track analog, and those recordings are now being turned into an album.

“Now, we have the tapes, and they sound so real,” he shares. “We’re staying all analog throughout the production with a goal of creating a live double vinyl album. Pure. Analog. No digital.” 

Young indicated that there actually will be a digital release, but recommends listening to it in analog, noting, “You can feel it in analog. That’s a real thing. That’s what I think music is. A feeling.” 

So far there’s no word on when the album will be released.

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On This Day, April 4, 1964 … 

The Beatles made chart history by holding the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. 

The songs in the top five were “Please Please Me” at #5, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” at #4, “She Loves You” at #3, “Twist and Shout” at #2 and “Can’t Buy Me Love” at #1. 

The Beatles went on to become one of the most successful acts in the history of the U.S. charts.

Over the course of their career, they have had 20 number one hits and 35 top 10 singles. The latest is their 2023 release “Now and Then,” which used vocals John Lennon recorded on a demo in the late ’70s, along with guitar the late George Harrison recorded in the mid-’90s, and new recordings from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

The Beatles’ last number one single was in 1970 with “The Long and Winding Road,” from the Let It Be album.

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KISS is the latest group to sell their catalog.

The rockers, who wrapped their final tour in New York in December, have made a deal with Pophouse, the Swedish company behind ABBA’s London hologram show, Voyage. Pophouse will acquire their music catalog, including master recordings and publishing rights, as well as their brand name and likeness. 

Johan Lagerlöf, head of investment at Pophouse, said in a statement that the company’s aim is “to fulfill the band’s vision to become immortal, and to let new generations discover and be part of the KISS journey and carry it forward.”

“We will safeguard and enrich this legacy through future global endeavors, by breathing new life into their characters and personas while also leveraging and elevating the visual world of KISS,” Per Sundin, CEO at Pophouse, adds.

The deal will include the development of the already announced KISS avatar show, which is set to debut in 2027. 

“We have always been breaking new ground in popular culture, and this partnership will ensure that we continue to do so for years to come,” KISS’ Gene Simmons shares. “The future could not be more exciting!”

Paul Stanley adds, “As we embark on this venture, we aim to weave our legacy into the tapestry of different worlds, ensuring that the KISS experience continues to captivate both our devoted fans and those yet to discover the thrill. This partnership is not just a chapter; it’s an eternal symphony of rock ‘n’ roll immortality.”

While Pophouse and KISS did not disclose the terms of the deal, The Associated Press reports that Pophouse paid more than $300 million for the catalog.

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The Rolling Stones are giving music fans a chance to own an autographed guitar that’s actually been played by Ronnie Wood, and it’s all for a good cause. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have teamed up with REK Trust for a new sweepstakes in which a lucky winner will get to take home a Duesenberg Starplayer TV Phonic electric guitar in Venetian White that has been played by Wood and signed by all the members of the band. 

Entries start at about $6, but the more you enter the more chances you have to win. Proceeds from the sweepstakes benefit REK Trust, a charitable organization dedicated to mentoring and educating emerging artists.

The sweepstakes is open now and will close April 16 at 7 a.m. ET to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the U.K. release of The Stones’ self-titled debut album.

More info can be found at rekognitionsound.com.

Fans of The Rolling Stones have a lot more to look forward to in April. The band is set to launch their Hackney Diamonds tour on April 28 in Houston, Texas. A complete list of dates can be found at rollingstones.com.

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