Classic Rock News

Disney+ has announced a new documentary about U2‘s Bono and The Edge.

The film, titled Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, finds the longtime bandmates returning to their hometown of Dublin, Ireland, while being interviewed by famed talk show host David Letterman.

“Recently, I won a radio contest,” Letterman says in a statement. “Winner gets to visit Dublin with Bono and The Edge (radio contest part not true, but I feel like a winner). They showed me around, introduced me to their musician friends, and performed some of their greatest songs in a small theater.”

“It’s a great tour,” Letterman adds. “Get in touch with them — I’m told there are still availabilities. I’m the luckiest man on the planet. (There are no availabilities).”

A Sort of Homecoming premieres on March 17, which is not only St. Patrick’s Day, but also the release date for U2’s upcoming album, Songs of Surrender, which features rerecorded versions of 40 of the band’s songs.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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The lineup for the 2023 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has been announced, and it looks like it will be jam-packed with plenty of great music. 

The 52nd annual Jazz Fest is set to take place at the New Orleans Fair Grounds over two weekends from April 28 to May 7. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Steve Miller Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band and more are confirmed for the first weekend, with Dead & Company, Santana, Melissa Etheridge, John Hiatt and the Goners, Buddy Guy and others playing weekend two. 

Other artists on this year’s bill include Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers and H.E.R.

Weekend passes are currently on sale, with single-day tickets going on sale in the coming weeks. More information on tickets and the complete lineup can be found here.

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Stevie Wonder has paid tribute to guitar legend Jeff Beck, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 78.

“He was a great soul who did great music,” Wonder told the Detroit Free Press. “I’m glad that I was able to meet him and have him in my life, giving some of his gift to my music.”

Wonder and Beck met in 1972 as Wonder was recording Talking Book, the follow-up to his classic Music of the Mind. They wound up working together on some tracks. 

“I really didn’t know too much about him,” Wonder said. “But then I heard him play in New York. We were working on ‘Lookin’ for Another Pure Love’ (in the studio) and I said to him, ‘Why don’t you play on this?’ He thought that would be great. He laid one part down, then another part and another part. It was just amazing.”

Wonder added, “It was just a wonderful thing, the whole deal. … It was great. He put his touch on it. It was just really cool.” 

This relationship led to both Wonder and Beck recording the classic “Superstition.” In fact, it was Wonder who encouraged Beck to record the tune, which appeared on the 1973 self-titled debut of Beck’s band Beck, Bogert & Appice.

Wonder’s version wasn’t supposed to be Talking Book‘s lead single, but the label insisted, and it wound up being released before Beck’s and went on to be a huge hit. While some have suggested it caused tension in their relationship, Wonder says that’s not true. In fact, the pair came together to perform it at a 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert.

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As previously reported, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were among the people who gathered together in Malibu earlier this week for a “Celebration of Life” for their Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie, who passed away in November. In an Instagram post Thursday, Mick shared the eulogy he wrote for her.

Calling it a “beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman and an incredible talent,” Mick first shared a poem he wrote for McVie after she passed away: “This is a day where my dear, sweet friend Christine McVie has taken flight. And left us Earthbound folks to listen with bated breath to the sounds of that ‘songbird.’ Part of my heart has flown away today … I will miss everything about you Christine McVie. Memories abound … they fly to me.”

Mick said he believes Christine “would have been truly amazed at all the attention and celebrations of her music around the world,” noting, “She is being remembered everywhere. Just as her song says, ‘I want to be with you everywhere,’ and she is.”

“It’s with a sense of gratitude and thanks to the Fleetwood Mac family that we are a part of … and losing such a magical component has sparked a celebration of what Christine means to us,” he concluded. “We all miss her as a family member, as a friend, an artist, a performer, and God knows, a writer of excellence. And those years sharing life together will always be remembered.”

Read the complete eulogy here.

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At November’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, the members of Duran Duran read a letter from their original guitarist Andy Taylor, revealing he has stage four prostate cancer. Now, in a new interview, he’s opening up about his cancer battle.

Talking to UK TV 5 News, Andy says he first realized something was wrong at age of 56 after experiencing an “arthritic sort of pain” while out jogging, and says he began to have these “symptoms, and didn’t recognize them for what they could be.” He then noticed “what felt like tumors” on his neck, and a biopsy revealed the cancer was stage four metastatic, which he called “a death sentence,” saying, “no one can be prepared” for that news.

The 61-year-old Taylor now hopes to encourage others to get tested, and suggests women, who he realizes comprise the bulk of the Duran Duran fan base, do their part to get their men to get tested, saying ladies should “give them a nudge, go get a test.” 

“Every minute is like an hour, every day is like a week,” Andy explains. “You really want to get the most out of life. And I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had so much in terms of living the dream.”

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Green Day has premiered a cover of the Elvis Costello classic “Alison.”

The minimalist recording shows a tender side of the punk trio, featuring Billie Joe Armstrong‘s singing backed only by guitar and harmonized vocals. You can listen to it now via digital outlets.

Green Day originally recorded “Alison” during the sessions for their 1997 album, Nimrod. It’ll be included on the upcoming Nimrod 25th anniversary edition, due out January 27.

The reissue also includes a variety of other previously unreleased demos, as well as a full live recording from a 1997 concert in Philadelphia.

The original Nimrod spawned the singles “Hitchin’ a Ride” and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” and has been certified double-Platinum by the RIAA.

Meanwhile, Green Day recently confirmed that they’ve been working on a new album to follow their latest effort, 2020’s Father of All…

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Metallica has shared the single-day ticket details for the band’s upcoming M72 tour.

You may recall that the itinerary for the worldwide outing includes two concerts in every city, with a totally unique set list and different opener for each night. When the tour was first announced, you could only buy tickets as a two-show package, but that will change next week.

Tickets to individual shows will go on sale next Friday, January 20, at 10 a.m. local time. If you’re part of Metallica’s Fifth Member fan club, you’ll have access to a presale beginning Monday, January 16, at 9 a.m. local time.

The M72 tour, which supports Metallica’s upcoming 72 Seasons album, will kick off in Europe in April and will come to the U.S. in August. Dates are currently scheduled through September 2024.

Opening bands include the reformed Pantera, Mammoth WVH, Five Finger Death Punch, Greta Van Fleet, Volbeat, Ice Nine Kills and Architects.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Metallica.com.

72 Seasons, the follow-up to 2016’s Hardwired…to Self-Destruct, arrives April 14. It includes the lead single “Lux Æterna,” which has spent five weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

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As previously reported, Peter Frampton is set to headline a free show in the Nashville area later this month, and fans who can’t make it will be able to enjoy it. At least at some point.

The already sold-out concert, presented by Sky Arts, is set to take place January 22 at Middle Tennessee State University’s Tucker Theatre in Murfreesboro. Frampton has now revealed that it’s being recorded for a special broadcast. So far there’s no word on when or where the broadcast will air.

Getting a chance to see Frampton perform these days is a pretty big deal for fans, especially since in 2019 he announced he was retiring from touring due to a progressive muscle disorder. His last performance was back in August at a Buddy Holly 85th birthday celebration.

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks continue to add dates to their co-headlining tour.

Billed as “two icons – one night,” the latest concert is set to go down October 7 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Tickets go on sale January 20 at 10 a.m.

The joint shows seem to be turning into a full-fledged tour. Billy and Stevie kick things off March 10 at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, with confirmed dates in Arlington, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Foxbourgh, Massachusetts; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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A new musical with a score by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim is headed to Broadway later this year, Variety reports.

Hear Lies Love, which originally played at New York’s Public Theatre 10 years ago, and had runs in London and Seattle, is described as a “disco pop” musical that puts audiences in an immersive setting. Its story is a dramatic telling of the Philippines’ former first lady Imleda Marcos‘ rise to power and then her hard downfall.

The musical will begin preview performances at the Broadway Theatre on June 17 and then open July 20. 

The immersive nature of the show has been an issue with making it to Broadway, but according to the announcement, the plan is to “transform the venue’s traditional proscenium floor space into a dance club environment, where audiences will stand and move with the actors.” Because of this, fans will be able to buy both standing and seating options to see the show.

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