Classic Rock News

Model Pattie Boyd, who was married to both George Harrison and Eric Clapton, made over $3.6 million auctioning off her personal possessions, including love letters Clapton wrote her while she was still married to Harrison.

According to Christie’s, the item that brought in the most money was the original artwork Clapton used for the Derek and the Dominos album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, which Clapton acquired because he thought the image looked like Boyd. It sold for over $2.5 million, well above the original estimate of between $40,000 and $60,000.

Two handwritten love letters from Clapton were also hot items. One, written on the opening page of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, sold for just over $153,000. In it, Clapton wonders why Boyd won’t be with him, asking “am I a poor lover, am I ugly, am I too weak, too strong?” In the second, addressed to “Dearest L,” he asks Boyd if she still loves Harrison and if she still has feelings for him. It sold for almost $137,000. Both were estimated to sell for between $13,000 and $19,000.

“I am completely blown away by the enthusiasm of international bidders for these special treasures that I have always loved,” Boyd shares. “I am so happy that new hearts will now enjoy them, as they enter into their next ‘chapters.’”

She adds, “I am lucky that my life today continues to bring me joy and different adventures – I would encourage people to follow their passions and live their lives with gusto!”

Other big ticket items include photographs of The Beatles in India, which sold for close to $68,000, and handwritten lyrics to Harrison’s “Mystical One,” which sold for over $60,000.

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The Who’s Pete Townshend still takes the stage with his bandmate Roger Daltrey, most recently performing at the Teenage Cancer Trust shows in London earlier this month. But even though he’s onstage playing The Who’s music, it doesn’t sound like he’s necessarily loving it. 

In an interview with The New York Times to promote the new reimagining of the musical Tommy, Townshend indicates that he might be ready to let go of touring as the band, noting that his wallet is the only reason he keeps doing it.

“It feels to me like there’s one thing the Who can do, and that’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die,” he says. “I don’t get much of a buzz from performing with The Who. If I’m really honest, I’ve been touring for the money.” 

Besides, Pete doesn’t really consider performing with Roger the same as performing with The Who.

“The Who isn’t Daltrey and Townshend onstage at 80, pretending to be young. It’s the four of us in 1964, when we were 18 or 19,” he says.

He does offer a hint about what might be in store for The Who in the future, sharing, “If you want to see the Who myth, wait for the avatar show. It would be good!”

The Who’s Tommy opens March 28 at the Nederlander Theatre in New York City. More information on tickets can be found at tommythemusical.com.

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Courtney Love is hosting a new show on BBC Radio 6.

Titled Women, the eight-episode series will find the Hole frontwoman embarking on an “intimate and unfiltered, era by era journey through her life and the music that made her.” She’ll also tell stories about her late husband, Kurt Cobain, the attempt to “creatively matchmake Stevie Nicks and Billy Corgan,” and “hanging out with Debbie Harry at a Limp Bizkit album launch at the Playboy Mansion.”

Joining Love on Women will be writer Rob Harvilla, who also hosts the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the 90s. Love memorably guested on the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” episode, during which she debuted Cobain’s previously unpublished early lyrics for the era-defining hit.

Women will broadcast in two parts from April 8-11 and April 15-18, and will be available via BBC Sounds. In between, BBC Radio 6 will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hole’s 1994 album, Live Through This, on April 12.

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band brought their tour to Las Vegas on Friday, March 22, and got a little inspiration from their location.

According to setlist.fm, The Boss kicked off the show, his first concert in Vegas in over 20 years, with the Human Touch track “Roll of the Dice,” fitting for the gambling mecca. It is the first time Bruce has played the song on this tour and the first live performance of the track since 2017.

But that’s not all: Later in the show, Bruce broke out the Elvis Presley classic “Viva Las Vegas,” another tour debut, which also marks the first time he’s played the song since 2022.

The set list also included the Darkness on the Edge of Town classic “Racing in the Street” and The River’s “Hungry Heart,” the first time either have been played on this tour.  

All of these great treats were witnessed by at least one celebrity Bruce fan. Video posted to social media shows Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav meeting Bruce backstage. When he’s introduced, he bows down to The Boss, hugs him and is heard saying, “This is such an honor man.” He adds, “Thank you for all of the years of good music and leadership.” In another clip, he can be seen rocking out in the audience to the Springsteen hit “Dancing in the Dark.”

Bruce and the E Street Band next hit San Diego on Monday, March 25. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

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On This Day, March 25, 1947…

Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born in Pinner, Middlesex, England. In 1967, he began using the name Elton John (he legally changed it to Elton Hercules John in 1972) and would go on to become one of the most beloved and successful recording artists in the world.

Elton’s long and successful partnership with songwriter Bernie Taupin, which started in 1967, has produced more than fifty top 40 hits, including nine #1 singles in both the U.S. and U.K. He’s also had seven Billboard #1 albums in the U.S., his first being 1972’s Honky Château.

Known for being a dynamic live performer, Elton wrapped his touring career in July, playing the final date of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in Sweden. The tour, which launched in 2018, grossed over $939.1 million and is the second highest grossing tour of all time. 

Elton has won numerous awards throughout his career, including five Grammys, two Academy Awards and a Tony Award. In 2024, he won his first Emmy Award, making him one of only 19 entertainers to win the EGOT.

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004. In March, he and Taupin received the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Elton is also well known for his philanthropic work, having raised over $375 million for the fight against HIV/AIDs through his Elton John AIDS Foundation, which he started in 1992.

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An electronic dance music festival may seem like the least likely place you’d be able to catch a performance by Jon Bon Jovi, but Billboard reports that he unexpectedly popped up onstage in Miami on March 24 during the Ultra Music Festival 2024.

He wasn’t crashing the stage, either: He was joining as legendary DJ Armin van Buuren debuted a remix of the Bon Jovi classic “Keep the Faith.” According to Billboard, van Buuren introduced the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer by saying, “I remember being a little kid and buying this guy’s album.”

Jon then came onstage in jeans, sneakers and a white T-shirt and sang along with the track. You can watch the moment on Instagram.

Billboard quotes van Burren as saying in a statement, “It’s an incredible honor to remix this track and to share the stage with Jon Bon Jovi, as I’ve been a massive fan for years.”

“Keep the Faith” was a top 20 hit for Bon Jovi in 1992. The band’s new album, Forever, is due June 9.

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The newly reimagined version of The Who’s Tommy is set to open on Broadway Thursday, and director Des McAnuff, who also directed the original production, says the idea to bring it back was sparked by another Tommy project.

McAnuff tells ABC Audio he and The Who’s Pete Townshend were working on a movie version of the musical when the idea of bringing it back to the stage came up.

“I think we came to the realization that the world has perhaps caught up to Tommy Walker,” he explains, noting, “The piece seemed to take on a whole new kind of pertinence.” He adds, “It’s not so much that the piece changed radically, it’s that the world around us had changed.”

Based on The Who’s 1969 album and 1975 film, the original production of Tommy opened on Broadway on April 22, 1993. It won five Tony Awards, including Best Direction for McAnuff and Best Original Score for Townshend.

McAnuff says that even though it’s been 30 years since the original production, the story of Tommy is particularly relatable in our current climate, specifically in the second act, “when Tommy becomes this imam, guru, political leader, a rock star and has a kind of an epiphany about that.” He notes that it’s something “one would hope more leaders would do.” 

As for Townshend’s involvement, McAnuff says the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is “wildly enthusiastic about the piece,” sharing that after decades of working together he sort of knows what Pete likes.

But, McAnuff says, “I would not consider doing anything without his blessing.” 

Tommy The Musical opens March 28 at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre. Tickets are available now.

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Last year, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame opened a special exhibit dedicated to Billy Joel. Now, the Hall will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a June tribute concert celebrating the Piano Man’s music.

The June 7 show will take place at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post in Brookville, Long Island, New York. On the bill will be Billy’s daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, as well as Debbie Gibson, The Rascals‘ Felix Cavaliere, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC, legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb and Mike DelGuidice, who is Billy’s guitarist and also leads his own tribute band, Big Shot.

Webb, McDaniels and Gibson are all in the Hall of Fame, as are two other acts on the bill: Zebra and two former members of Blue Öyster Cult.

Advanced presale tickets will be available starting March 25 at limusichalloffame.org. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting March 27.

It’s entirely possible that Billy himself might attend, considering he has to be in the area on June 8 for a show in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

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Over the years, Black Sabbath‘s lead singers have included metal icons Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio. But a new box set aims to turn the spotlight on an era when the band was fronted by a third man: Tony Martin.

The box set, Anno Domini 1989-1995, arrives May 31. The set, available on four CDs or LPs, documents the albums that Martin made with Sabbath, starting with 1989’s Headless Cross, which also featured founding guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Cozy Powell and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls.

That album was followed by 1990’s Tyr, which added bassist Neil Murray. That lineup was put on hold in 1992 while Ronnie James Dio temporarily reunited with the band, but in 1994, Martin was back for the album Cross Purposes, as was founding Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. Bobby Rondinelli of Rainbow played drums on that release.

Martin also sang on 1995’s Forbidden, which saw the return of Powell and Murray. It was the group’s last for nearly 20 years — in 2013, Iommi and Butler reunited with Ozzy to record the band’s final studio album, 13.

Some of these four albums are making their vinyl debuts in the LP version of the box set. The CD version includes three bonus tracks: a B-side called “Cloak & Dagger” and two Japan-only releases, “What’s the Use” and “Loser Gets It All.” A booklet, poster and replica tour program round out the set.

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Country star Dierks Bentley has released a cover of Tom Petty‘s “American Girl” for an upcoming tribute album, and in the video for the song, he’s playing one of Petty’s guitars.

Shot at Nashville’s Clementine Hall, the video features Bentley and his band performing Petty’s 1977 classic, with Bentley playing the late rocker’s signature Rickenbacker guitar, which was flown in specially from Tom’s archives in California.

“Holding an instrument that carries so much musical history and significance was surreal, you could almost feel the stories resonate from it as I played it,” says Bentley in a statement. “Tom Petty’s lyrics and delivery were a huge part of what made his music so impactful.” 

“American Girl” is the lead track from the all-star tribute album Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty. The project’s release date and track list will be revealed in the coming weeks.

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