Posted by Administrator on April 1st, 2025
The Sex Pistols and their current collaborator Frank Carter have announced a North American tour that will kick off at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Tex. in September, then visiting cities including Washington D.C., Philadephia, Brooklyn, Montreal, Toronto, Denver, and San Francisco before the final date at Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium on Oct. 16. The "God Save the Queen" rockers haven't performed in the US at all since 2008 and last toured there in 2003, but now guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock and drummer Paul Cook have announced on Instagram that "we're comin to the USA and Canada." The irreverent rockers reformed in 2024 for a UK tour with the Gallows frontman Carter as vocalist in place of John Lydon, and Jones revealed Carter was the only singer they tried working with. "Frank was the first singer we [tried], because me, Cookie and Glen wanted to play. It just worked straight away," said Jones, 69. "He's a lot younger than us. He's 40, so he has all that energy and us old farts can just jam at the back! It was so much fun and people loved it, and I loved looking at people loving it." - Music-News.com, 3/28/25...... 
At the end of a Sony Pictures CinemaCon presentation on Mar. 31 in Los Angeles, it was revealed that the "Fab Four" in the studio's upcoming Beatles series of films -- one each dedicated to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- will be Harris Dickinson (as Lennon), Paul Mescal (as McCartney), Joseph Quinn (as Harrison), and Barry Keoghan (as Starr). In another blockbuster announcement, project director Sam Mendes revealed that all four films will arrive in Apr. 2028, though not at the same time. Sony Pictures head Tom Rothman added that the franchise will be titled The Beatles - A Four-Film Cinematic Event, and that the films will mark the first "bingeable moment in cinema." Mendes, who has not confirmed the order in which the four films will be released, confirmed that filming all four films will take over a year, but is confident for an Apr. 2028 launch. Mendes says he toyed with the idea of a Beatles mini-series but ultimately decided that "the story was too huge to fit into a single movie." Each of the four films will be told from the perspective of one of the four Beatles. It is also the first-ever film to be granted music rights to the Beatles' discography. The films were first announced back in Feb. 2024. Sony Pictures has also posted on X announcing the full cast. - New Musical Express, 4/1/25...... In other Beatles-related news, a YouTuber named Ian Hartley has uploaded a rare studio recording of the '70s prog rock band Yes covering the Fab Four's "Eleanor Rigby" to YouTube. The intense cover of the 1966 Beatles classic is said to have been recorded by Yes and producer John Anthony at London's Polydor Studios in Feb. 1969. "This particular recording has never been publicly released before," Hartley noted. "Here is the first (failed) take of the ER run-throughs as recorded in raw form at the time. Apart from some speed correction, no remastering was done to the master tapes." The uploader added: "Depending on reactions to this, further such things might follow." There are three known takes of Yes recording "Eleanor Rigby" in the studio, according to the Yes Fans forum, but none have been released officially. The exact origins of the Hartley's Yes audio are not known. Back in 2009, however, Bonhams auction house in London listed a tape recorded with John Anthony on Feb. 14, 1969. This included three other songs: Yes' cover of Stephen Stills' "Everydays," their take on Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's "Something's Coming," and Yes' own composition "Dear Father." Yes released their self-titled debut album later in 1969 via Atlantic. None of the tracks known to have been recorded with Anthony made the final tracklist. However, versions of "Everydays," "Something's Coming" and "Dear Father" were featured as B-sides of Yes' first three single releases. At the time of writing, the Yes's "Eleanor Rigby" cover has been streamed on YouTube over 8,000 times. - NME, 3/31/25...... On Mar. 30 a teenage American Idol contestant -- and aspiring preacher -- caused one of the talent show's judges, Lionel Richie, to have a religious experience during a soulful rendition of Earnest Pugh's "I Need Your Glory." Seventeen-year-old Dallas native Canaan James Hill's pitch-perfect, run-filled version of the gospel track prompted Richie to jump out of his seat while Bryan mimed getting the chills during his performance. "Would you do that again?" Richie said, marching straight up to Hill after the song was over and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You are so blessed. That was something so spectacular, I just can't even describe what I heard." Not only did Richie and the other judges give Hill a unanimous "yes" for his audition, but Richie also presented him with the final platinum ticket of the season, meaning the hopeful gets to skip straight past the first Hollywood round. Hill's glorious Idol audition can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 3/31/25...... 
Roger Daltrey shocked The Who's fans during the first of two Who shows at London's Royal Albert Hall on Mar. 27 when he opened up about his current medical condition. "The problem with this job is that you go deaf," he said from the stage. "And now I've been told that I am going blind." Referencing the band's 1969 rock opera title character, he added: "Thank God I've still got my voice. If I lost that I'll go full Tommy." The Who played another hits-packed show at the Royal Albert Hall the following night, with proceeds going to the charity concerts that Daltrey founded in 2000. Daltrey, who turned 81 in early March, announced in 2024 that he was stepping down as the TCT concerts curator, allowing The Cure's Robert Smith to take the reins. "I have to be realistic about my age... I'm on the way out," he told the London Times in 2024. "The average life expectancy is 83 and with a bit of luck I'll make that, but we need someone else to drive things," he said about the decision to step down from the curator role, instead opting to "work in the back room... talking to the government, rattling cages." During the Mar. 27 show, The Who performed their Who's Next track "Love Ain't For Keepin'" for the first time in 21 years. They also broke out classic tracks like "Pinball Wizard," "The Seeker," "My Generation" and "Behind Blue Eyes." Fan-shot footage of several performances can be streamed on YouTube. - NME, 3/29/25...... Longtime REO Speedwagon vocalist Kevin Cronin has taken to Facebook to share his thoughts on his lack of inclusion in an upcoming one-off REO reunion event. Cronin, who has been touring with his own Kevin Cronin Band, addressed a fan on Facebook who noted the singer's absence from REO's forthcoming concert in Champaign, Ill. on June 14, responding that organizers of the event could have picked a date when many of the band's former members were readily available to attend. "Instead they chose June 14, 2025, a date where it was public knowledge that I was previously committed to perform with Styx and Kevin Cronin Band in Bend, Oregon," Cronin wrote. "Bottom line, I am being asked to participate in an event on a date when I can't possibly be there in-person. And then being falsely accused of turning down the invitation. I am deeply disturbed and hurt by all of this. After all I have done to help build the legacy of REO Speedwagon, I feel I have earned and deserve to be included in any event honoring that legacy. Instead, I have been knowingly excluded." Cronin joined REO Speedwagon in early 1972, taking over from Terry Luttrell who reportedly left due to personal issues with guitarist Gary Richrath. Though Cronin was himself briefly replaced by Mike Murphy the following year, he returned in 1976 and remained in the band until their end, performing on tracks such as their two Billboard chart-toppers "Keep On Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling." In late 2024, REO Speedwagon announced that they would cease touring as of Jan. 1, 2025. In a note shared to fans, the group explained that bassist Bruce Hall had not recovered sufficiently from previous back surgery and his inability to tour led to "irreconcilable differences" between Hall and Cronin. REO Speedwagon played their final live performance on Dec. 21 at The Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas, but in March announced they would be playing a special one-off show at the State Farm Center in their hometown of Champaign, Ill. on June 14. Officially titled as an event "Honoring the Legacy of REO Speedwagon," the show is described as a "concert retrospective featuring special guests & former members." Two former REO members (Luttrell and Murphy) are confirmed to attend, and a special tribute will be held to late members Richrath and Gregg Philbin. - Billboard, 3/30/25...... David Bowie's old childhood home in Bromley, Greater London, has been put on the market for £449,500. The late rock icon moved with his family into the two-bedroom terraced house for a year, before they moved to the East End section of London, where they settled at 4 Plaistow Grove. According to a property listing for the house, it has "two double bedrooms, one bathroom, a dining room, living room, small kitchen and moderate back garden." "Possibly the least eye-catching house I have featured architecturally, but interesting because this is David Bowie's childhood home in Bromley, Greater London, which is now up for sale," realtor WowHauser posted on X on Mar. 28. He building is also affectionately described as a "charming two-bedroom period terraced house, located in a quiet residential position close to the heart of Bickley on the borders of Bromley... This Victorian property exudes a sense of peace and tranquillity, making it the perfect place to call home." Meanwhile, Bowie is set to be one of the featured artists in London's brand new Live Odyssey immersive experience that's set to kick off in May 25 in Camden, UK. The attraction -- which combines a show, an exhibition museum and live experience together -- will take attendees through six decades of music via a two-and-a-half-hour adventure that captures the evolution of British music, from the early anthems of the '60s and '70s to the Britpop explosion of the '90s and today's cutting-edge hits. - NME, 3/28/25...... 
Bachman-Turner Overdrive announced on Mar. 28 they are "takin' care of business" again with the release of "60 Years Ago," a new sentimental single that was penned by BTO frontman Randy Bachman and his son Tal Bachman during their pandemic YouTube show Bachman & Bachman Friday Night Train Wreck aspart of a father-son album that has not yet been released. But after hearing that a highway section in Randy's native Winnipeg was to be renamed the Bachman-Turner Overpass -- with the dedication on Apr. 18, the day before BTO plays the city -- inspired the Bachmans to revise the song and make the song public. "I thought, 'I'll go and get "60 Years Ago," and I'll give it back to Winnipeg as a thank-you,'" Randy Bachman says. "There was no great plan for this song, y'know. But maybe they'll play it on Winnipeg radio, and if you live in Winnipeg maybe you'll want to download it and drive around singing '60 years ago, so damn cold, so much snow' and that kind of stuff. And I have a million BTO fans, followers on Instagram and my web site, so maybe some of them will download it. I have a lot of people asking me, always, 'Is there anything new? Is there anything new?' So now yes, there is." With its remembrances of the Winnipeg music scene of the mid-'60s, Bachman further torqued up "60 Years Ago" with some appropriate guests - childhood friend and fellow Winnipegian Neil Young, whose guitar solo can be heard at the end, and BTO co-founder Fred Turner who, despite spates of bad health, contributed vocals to the song. Both men are name-checked in the lyrics, along with Bachman's The Guess Who partner Burton Cummings and, as Bachman notes, Winnipeg's frigid climate. "60 Years Ago" comes as BTO prepares to hit the road on Apr. 1 for an extensive 22-date Canadian tour, followed by summer dates in the U.S., both on its own and with the Marshall Tucker Band, Jefferson Starship and The Outlaws from July 18 through Aug. 22. He's also hoping that Takin' Care of Business, a documentary about finding his stolen Gretsch 6120 guitar while in the midst of a serious cancer battle a couple of years back, will see wider release after running on the film festival circuit. - Billboard, 3/28/25...... On Mar. 27, London's legendary Abbey Road Studios celebrated its recent extensive restoration with an event called Synergy In Motion, which combined contemporary dance and music in a unique event. The choreography was helmed by Royal Ballet choreographer Joseph Toonga and set to the film scores of composer Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), remixed and arranged by Jordan Rakei, Abbey Road's Artist in Residence. The studio has now reopened and is in operation for recording sessions. Abbey Road Studio One is described by the northwest London studio as "world's largest purpose-built recording studio," and can comfortably host 100-piece orchestras. The room is primarily used for the recording of classical and movie scores, with the soundtracks to a number of blockbusters having been recorded in in the space, including much of John Williams' movie canon, such as Raiders of The Lost Ark, Star Wars: The Return of The Jedi, as well as the Harry Potter movies. The premises was first built as a residential townhouse in 1831, and was converted into a recording studio a century later, reopening as EMI Studios in 1931. A number of classical greats including Edward Elgar and Sergei Prokofiev recorded there; in 1958, Studio Two was opened, with a number of influential acts like The Beatles and Pink Floyd recording in the space. The studio is currently owned by Universal Music imprint Virgin Records. - Billboard, 3/27/25...... 
Carlos Santana says his latest effort, Sentient, is a metaphor for floral arrangements. "When I go to the lobby in hotels in Europe, they always have these incredible flower arrangements," Santana told Billboard. "They hire some people to come in and arrange the flowers in the lobby. That's how this album was made -- that's how I make all my albums. I feel like a florist who is trying to combine the right colors and textures and create a beautiful ornament. That's what Sentient is, an ornament of flower arrangements -- colors, passions, textures, emotions." The 11-track set, which dropped on Mar. 28 and is the follow-up to 2021's Blessings and Miracles, includes three previously unreleased tracks, while the rest are remastered songs drawn from various points in the musician's career, including collaborations with friends living (Smokey Robinson, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and his wife Cindy Blackman Santana) and deceased (Michael Jackson, Miles Davis). After Sentient's release Santana will begin a nine-date Oneness Tour beginning April 16 in Highland, Calif., and wrapping May 1 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. His next residency at the House of Blues Las Vegas runs May 14-25, and a European Oneness Tour leg begins June 9 in Poland and runs through Aug. 11 in Copenhagen. The original 1969 Woodstock veteran says he's also working on a multi-day, multi-act worldwide festival with the utopian perspective of Woodstock. "I want to create a global concert that goes around the world and (promotes) unity, harmony, oneness," he says. - Billboard, 3/27/25...... Iconic '80s hitmakers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are set to receive the 2025 ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award at the annual Chapin Awards Gala on June 4 at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. The 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and longtime activists, who have been married since 1982, will become the second married couple to receive the award. R&B songwriting greats Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson received it in 2010. The Chapin Awards Gala will include a cocktail reception, dinner, and live music, and additional honorees will be announced in coming weeks. The award's namesake, Harry Chapin, was an early music industry advocate for the world hunger movement. The "Cat's in the Cradle" singer co-founded WhyHunger, for which the ASCAP gala benefits, a full decade before music industry titans came together as USA for Africa to record "We Are the World" in 1985. Chapin gave tirelessly gave of his time and talents to perform at benefits and events in support of a range of social causes before his life was tragically cut short when he was killed in a car crash in 1981 at age 38. (On the afternoon he was killed, he was driving to a benefit, where he was slated to perform.) Previous ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award recipients include the likes of John Mellencamp, Kenny Loggins, Yoko Ono, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Judy Collins, Barbra Streisand and Peter, Paul & Mary. - Billboard, 3/27/25...... Late Alice star Linda Lavin, who died unexpectedly on Dec. 29 at age 87 due to complications from lung cancer that had been recently discovered, will be honored with a "brutally honest" episode of her new Hulu series Mid-Century Modern. "It was a directive actually from Linda... When she was diagnosed with [lung cancer], she was like, 'I don't know how I'm going to respond to this, but whatever it is, write it into the [Sybil Schneiderman] character," reveals cocreator David Kohan (Will & Grace). How fitting that TV's most iconic waitress knew just what to order. Mid-Century Modern launched its series premiere on Hulu on Mar. 28. - TV Guide, 3/24/25...... Bruce Glover, a prolific character actor known for playing icy villains and no-nonsense lawmen, including an assassin who goes after Sean Connery in the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever and a private dick who works with Jack Nicholson in the 1974 neo-noir classic Chinatown, died on Mar. 12 at a hospital in Los Angeles. He was 92. His son, actor and director Crispin Glover, announced the death but did not cite a specific cause. Mr. Glover, a streetwise Chicago native who said he spent years trying to get rid of his "dese, dems and dose" accent, appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, building his resume in the 1960s and '70s with roles on Perry Mason, Adam-12, Mod Squad and Gunsmoke," among other westerns and crime dramas. Although he dabbled in comedy, making a cameo as an eccentric wheelchair-user in Terry Zwigoff's 2001 film Ghost World, he was typically cast as crooks, cops and other assorted tough guys. He played a Tennessee sheriff's deputy in the hit crime movie Walking Tall (1973), reprising the part for two sequels, and was a mob boss trying to recoup a debt from a hustler in the boxing film Hard Times (1975), starring Charles Bronson and James Coburn. He remained best known for his villainous turn in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), the sixth Bond film to feature Connery as the suave secret agent. Mr. Glover played a deceptively polite henchman, Mr. Wint, who teams up with fellow assassin Mr. Kidd (played by the mustached jazz musician Putter Smith) to protect a smuggling operation run by the cat-loving supervillain Blofeld (Charles Gray). For years, Mr. Glover painted and taught acting when he wasn't performing on the stage or screen. His approach was instinctual -- practical, not theoretical -- and honed during his early years performing in summer-stock theatre, when he sometimes did a play a week. "No 12, no 25 steps," he said of his approach. "Think the thoughts of the character. Have a conversation. That's how simple it is." In addition to his son Crispin, survivors include a brother. - The Washington Post, 3/31/25...... 
Legendary actor Richard Chamberlain, the handsome leading man who thrilled women as the young star of Dr. Kildare and then centered the epic, melodramatic miniseries Shogun and The Thorn Birds, died on Mar. 29 in Waimanalo, Hawaii, of complications following a stroke, according to his publicist. He was 90. On the big screen, Mr. Chamberlain played Julie Christie's brutal husband in Richard Lester's Petulia (1968), the woman-loving Aramis in a trio of Three Musketeers films and the fortune hunter Allan Quatermain opposite Sharon Stone in King Solomon's Mines (1985) and Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986). Mr. Chamberlain started off his miniseries career by starring as trapper Alexander McKeag in James Michener's 16 1/2-hour, 12-episode saga Centennial, which aired on NBC in 1978-79, and he was the first actor to portray Jason Bourne onscreen when he starred as the Robert Ludlum character in an ABC miniseries in 1988. Raised in Beverly Hills, Mr. Chamberlain was a rather inexperienced actor when he was hired to play James Kildare, an earnest intern with terrific bedside manner -- and the mentee of Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey) -- on Dr. Kildare. The NBC drama was based on popular MGM radio and film serials (Lew Ayres portrayed the character on the big screen). Female viewers quickly fell for the suave Mr. Chamberlain, and he received upward of 12,000 fan letters a week, more than anyone had ever received at MGM, even Clark Gable. The show aired for five seasons, from Sept. 1961 until Aug. 1966. "I went through life pretending to be perfect, and that helped me play Dr. Kildaire, because he was close to perfect," he once said. In the early 1980s, Mr. Chamberlain gained a reputation as the "king of the miniseries" for his starring roles in Shogun, The Thorn Birds and Wallenberg: A Hero's Story. He received Primetime Emmy nods for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or a special for all three productions. In the Australian-set The Thorn Birds based on Colleen McCullough's novel and which aired on ABC over four nights in Mar. 1983, he portrayed Father Ralph, a Catholic priest who is involved in a tortured romance with the ravishing young Meggie (Rachel Ward), who seeks solace from a ranch hand (Bryan Brown, her future real-life husband). James Clavell's Shogun was originally envisioned as a feature starring Robert Redford. NBC got the rights after those plans fell through and wanted Sean Connery to star as the tempestuous Englishman John Blackthorne. The network then cast Mr. Chamberlain, who had read the book and pushed for the part. He spent six months shooting the miniseries in Japan, and it aired for 12 hours over five nights in 1980. Shogun earned Mr. Chamberlain a best actor Golden Globe and Emmy nomination, and for The Thorn Birds, he took home another Globe for best actor in a miniseries or motion picture for TV. George Richard Chamberlain was born in Los Angeles on Mar. 31, 1934, the youngest of two sons and raised in Beverly Hills, but on the "wrong side of Wilshire Boulevard, the wrong side of Beverly Drive, in an extremely normal neighborhood," he noted. He attended Beverly Hills High School, where he appeared in such plays as "I Remember Mama." His film resume also included Twilight of Honor (1963), Joy in the Morning (1965), The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969), Julius Caesar (1970), The Music Lovers (1971), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella (1976), Peter Weir's The Last Wave (1977) and The Swarm (1978). More recently, Mr. Chamberlain guest-starred on Nip/Tuck, playing a gay millionaire who forces his younger lover to have plastic surgery so as to resemble himself; recurred on Brothers & Sisters as a former love interest of Ron Rifkin's character; hilariously portrayed Craig Ferguson's mom, Maggie Wick, on The Drew Carey Show; and appeared on the Twin Peaks reboot. In his liberating 2003 autobiography Shattered Love, Mr. Chamberlain, then 69, came out as gay. "When you grow up in the '30s, '40s and '50s being gay, it not only ain't easy, it's just impossible," he told The New York Times in 2014. Mr. Chamberlain learned while growing up "that being gay was the worst thing you can possibly be. I assumed there was something terribly wrong with me. And even becoming famous and all that, it was still there." - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/30/25.
Bob Dylan kicked off his 2025 "Rough & Rowdy Ways" tour on Mar. 25 at the Tulsa Theater in Tulsa, Okla., opening with "All Along The Watchtower" (which according to Dylanologists is his most played track, racking up a total of over 2,285 times performed live), then treating the audience to 16 additional tracks, including performances of "It Ain't Me," "I Contain Multitudes," "Black Rider," "My Own Version of You," "To Be Alone With You," "Watching The River Flow," "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" and more. A bulk of the night's performance saw the icon play the majority of his 2020 LP 
Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham has teamed up with his former bandmate Mick Fleetwood once again, with the pair reuniting in the recording studio recently. News of the pair's musician reunion was detailed on Threads by Swedish producer Carl Falk, shared a photo from the studio where Fleetwood has been working on a new solo album. The sessions have ostensibly also seen Fleetwood working with The War on Drugs' Adam Granduciel. "Slightly unreal moment to sit with Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood to play Lindsey the album we have been working on," Falk wrote. "And to see his genuine happiness for Mick to finally do his own album and offering to play guitar and to sing on it. Can't wait to finish this one." Another post shared by Falk captured Buckingham in the studio with his guitar in hand. "Mick and Lindsey together again, what a flawless guitar player," the caption wrote. Currently, no official details from Fleetwood have been announced in regard to the content or release of the forthcoming album. Buckingham departed Fleetwood Mac in 1987, but rejoined in 1997 as part of the band's classic lineup reunion of himself, Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Christine McVie. He remained with the band until the 2018 announcement he would no longer be touring as part of Fleetwood Mac. The departure occurred almost a year after the release of 
Just 15 months after performing their final concert, KISS have announced their return to the live stage with a one-off "unmasked" concert as part of the KISS Army fan club's 50th anniversary celebrations. The show was announced via an email sent to fans (viewable on 
The '60s "British Invasion" band The Searchers, who are known to be "longest-running band in pop history," are set to play their last ever show at the Glastonbury 2025 music festival. The Liverpool band, best known for their their version of The Drifters' hit "Sweets For My Sweet," "Sugar And Spice," "Love Potion No. 9," and "Don't Throw Your Love Away,", will end nearly 70 years of touring with their debut at Worthy Farm on the Acoustic Stage on June 27, after the line-up was announced on Mar. 22. Founding member John McNally told BBC News: "A Glastonbury debut at 83, can anyone top that? I don't think life gets any better, does it? There will be a few nerves, but in a good way, and we'll be nicely warmed up from our shows in June. We can't wait to see our fans again for this incredible final farewell." Bassist and singer Frank Allen, who joined the group in 1964, added: "I have played shows across the world with The Searchers for over 60 years; Glastonbury has always been an ambition that has eluded us -- until now. The Searchers are finally performing at the greatest music festival of them all. What a way to round off a tour and a career. I can't wait to get up on stage and give our fans one final blast." - NME, 3/23/25...... Legendary crooner Johnny Mathis announced his retirement from live performing via a Facebook post on Mar. 26. "As many of you may already be aware, Johnny Mathis is approaching his 90th birthday this year," the statement reads. "So, it's with sincere regret that due to Mr. Mathis' age and memory issues which have accelerated, we are announcing his retirement from touring and live concerts." The post notes that all shows scheduled after June 2025 will be canceled, as his final show will take place May 18 at the Bergan Performing Arts Center in Englewood, NJ. Known for such tunes as "Wonderful! Wonderful!" and "It's Not for Me to Say," Mathis was honored by the Recording Academy with the Lifetime Achievement Award and he was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three separate recordings: in 1998 for "Chances Are," in 2002 for "Misty" and in 2008 for "It's Not for Me to Say." His achievements also include more than 70 albums on the Billboard Hot 200 LP chart (including the No. 1s Johnny's Greatest Hits, in 1958, and Heavenly, in 1959), 34 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart (including the No. 1 "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" with Deniece Williams in 1978) and 50 entries on the Adult Contemporary airplay chart. His Greatest Hits project spent 490 weeks on the Billboard 200, and was the longest-charting album by a solo artist until 2020. - Billboard, 3/26/25..... The '70s ska revival band The Specials have shared a new single to honour the "fallen heroes" of ska. The new track, "When A Light Goes Out," was aired for the first time during a special event at the 2 Tone Museum in London. It is co-written by founding members of The Specials -- Lynval Golding, Mark Adams and Nikolaj Torp Larson -- and pays respects to giants of the ska genre. Proceeds will go to the Specialized Project & Tonic (Music For Mental Health) charities. The event came just days after the late Specials frontman Terry Hall would have celebrated his 66th birthday. Hall died in Dec. 2022 after being diagnosed with cancer months earlier. He was 63 years old. The rest of the band celebrated the milestone with a post on Instagram, wishing the singer a "happy heavenly birthday." - NME, 3/21/25....... Another beloved '70s UK band, Madness, announced on Mar. 25 they'll embark on a major "Hits Parade" UK arena tour this December. Kicking things off at Sheffield Utilita Arena on Dec. 4, the Nutty Boys will perform 13 dates across the country, culminating with a special hometown show at London's The O2 on Dec. 20. Madness will also be joined by very special guest Squeeze. Celebrating their biggest hits that have defined their lengthy career, Madness will be performing all the classics from their iconic, extensive back catalogue and fan favourites including "Our House," "It Must Be Love," "House Of Fun," "Baggy Trousers," "One Step Beyond," and more. Throughout their career, the band have had 11 UK top ten albums, 15 top ten singles and have won a multitude of awards including a prestigious Ivor Novello. Known for their high energy, raucous sets, Madness have performed on the top of Buckingham Palace as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations and set the record for the biggest ever audience for the BBC's Live New Year's Eve Broadcast -- the most watched TV music event of 2018. - Music-News.com, 3/25/25...... 
Larry Tamblyn, founding member of the '60s garage band The Standells and brother of actor Russ Tamblyn, died of as yet undisclosed causes on Mar. 21. He was 82. The frontman and keyboardist's death was announced by his nephew, Dennis Tamblyn, in a Facebook post. "My uncle Larry Tamblyn passed away today," Dennis posted. "I have very fond memories of him and his family over the years. He lived an incredible life. He was in a band called The Standells, whose hit song 'Dirty Water' is still played to this day whenever the Red Sox or the Bruins win a home game. They also played on an episode of The Munsters." Tamblyn continued: "A few years ago, The Standells played at Hotel Congress here in Tucson, Ariz., and Larry stayed with me. It was so great to hang out with him and catch up. He was still making music well into his later years. You will be missed, Uncle Larry." Mr. Tamblyn, who is the younger brother of Twin Peaks actor Russ Tamblyn and uncle of actress Amber Tamblyn, was born in Los Angeles on Feb. 5, 1943. The Standells were formed in 1962 by Tamblyn, guitarist Tony Valentino, bassist Jody Rich and drummer Benny King. In 1966, they recorded their most famous hit 
The Eagles have added eight more dates to their ongoing residency at Las Vegas' Sphere. Their remaining dates at the mind-bending venue will be on Apr. 4, 5, 11 and 12, with four late summer dates on Sept. 5, 6, 12 and 12. Their original string of gigs kicked off on Sept. 20, 2024, and feature ticket prices beginning at $175. Ensuring that they get into the hands of fans, presale registration is available now at https://eagles.com, and begins Mar. 25) at 1 p.m. ET. Live Nation and SiriusXM presales will launch on Mar. 26 at 1 p.m. ET. Limited VIP ticket packages will go on sale on Tuesday as well at 1 p.m. ET and include premium seats, exclusive merch and parking. Vibee, the hotel & experience package partner for the Eagles Sphere residency, has packages including a concert ticket and two-night stay at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas -- the only resort attached to Sphere -- with guests receiving priority entry to the venue, commemorative keepsakes and more. Vibee packages for the existing and newly announced dates are available now at Eagles.vibee.com. When the Eagles began their residency at Las Vegas' Sphere in September, they also debuted a "Third Encore" fan experience at the neighboring Venetian Resort. The space allowed fans to go inside a re-creation of the famed West Hollywood Troubadour venue where the California rockers got their start in the 1970s and where legend has it that Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Live Nation's travel and music company Vibee expanded the VIP experience to include a Hotel California pop-up, paying tribute to the band's 1976 album and its immortal title track. The most interactive piece of the space is three hotel room doors that open to three different moments in the song, with each room number representing the time code of the corresponding lyrics. Room 052 takes you to a "dark desert highway," with a circa-1970s car dashboard leading the way; room 118 has a "mission bell" hanging above the doorway; and room 354 leads to a spooky mirrored hallway in search of "the passage back to the place I was before." - Billboard, 3/18/25...... Speaking of Sin City, on Mar. 19 Rod Stewart announced another six-pack of residency shows at Las Vegas' the Colosseum for this fall. "Las Vegas! You wanted more, so here we go I've added more shows! I'll be back at @colosseumatcp this September and October, Can't wait to see you all for another round of unforgettable nights," Stewart wrote on 
'70s stars Queen and Herbie Hancock will be among the 2025 recipients of Sweden's prestigious Polar Music Prize. The Polar Music Prize, founded in 1989 by ABBA manager/publisher/lyricist Stig "Stikkan" Anderson, is presented at a ceremony in Stockholm in the presence of the Swedish royal family. Each Laureate will receive a cash award of one million Swedish Krona (approx. 74,082 GBP and $93,897 USD). Previous prize Laureates include Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Chuck Berry, Led Zeppelin, Patti Smith, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Elton John, among others. This year's ceremony will be held on May 27, at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm and is set to broadcast live in Sweden on TV4 at 8 p.m. CET. "We are highly and deeply honoured to be given the Polar Music Prize this year," the three surviving Queen members -- Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon -- said in a statement. "It's incredible, thank you so much." Hancock, 84, said: "The Polar Music Prize is a prestigious honour, and I am both thrilled and humbled to be a recipient. The Laureates who have come before me have left an indelible mark on humanity through their profound examples of inspiration and dedication." - Billboard, 3/18/25...... In related news, Elton John has been named the 2025 recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize, which was established in 1987 by The Glenn Gould Foundation to honor the legacy of legendary Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. Gould, whose 1956 album Bach: Goldberg Variations is considered a classic, died in 1982 at age 50, and he received a posthumous lifetime achievement award from the Grammy Awards' Recording Academy in 2013. "After spending decades admiring the virtuosity of Glenn Gould's work, I am awestruck and honored to receive this award," Sir Elton said in a statement. The Glenn Gould Prize is awarded biennially and includes a CDN$100,000 cash award for the Laureate, who also selects an exceptional young artist to receive the CDN$25,000 Glenn Gould Protege Prize. The prize will be presented to John during a special gala celebration to be held in Toronto this fall. Previous recipients include Philip Glass, Leonard Cohen, André Previn, Pierre Boulez and Yo-Yo Ma. In other Elton news, a concert special showcasing the Rocket Man and his recent collaborator Brandi Carlile, An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile, will air on CBS on Apr. 6 at 8-9 p.m. ET/PT and stream on Paramount+. In a concert filmed on Mar. 26 at London's iconic Palladium Theatre and accompanied by a live band, John and Carlile perform songs from their new album, Who Believes in Angels?, which is due Apr. 4 via Interscope Records. The musicians will also play a selection of their individual greatest hits, and an unreleased track by Carlile. Between these solo and duo performances, the two stars will engage in an intimate sit-down conversation on stage that promises to "pull back the curtain on their 20-year friendship, the journey behind their latest collaboration and share intimate footage from their process," according to the press release. Additionally, throughout the evening, those closest to the stars -- who are both LGBTQ icons -- will pay tribute to the artists' careers. John and Carlile are also set to be the musical guests on NBC's Saturday Night Live on Apr. 5 in an episode hosted by Jack Black. It will be John's fourth time on SNL, after musical performances in 1981 and 1992 and a hosting/performing double stint in 2011. - Billboard, 3/20/25...... 
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the Grateful Dead's Bobby Weir suggested it's possible for the GD to reunite as a trio following the 2024 passing of bass player Phil Lesh. Lesh died in October, at the age of 84, and before his passing, Weir, 77, and bandmates Bill Kreutzmann, 78, and Mickey Hart, 81, had been planning a 60th anniversary reunion tour with Lesh. But should the band reunite, Weir admits he couldn't replace his beloved bandmate. "I think when Phil checked out, so did that notion, because we don't have a bass player who's been playing with us for 60 years now," he said. "And that was the intriguing prospect. I think you need somebody holding down the bottom. Phil had all kinds of ideas that were pretty much unique to him. I grew up with Phil holding down the bottom in his unique way." Asked about reuniting as a three-piece, he added: "I suppose I could go back out. I wouldn't put anybody in his place, so it would be a trio at this point. It'd be me and two drummers. I'd have to think about that. I haven't thought about it -- it's just now occurring to me that it's a possibility that we could do that, since you asked. I guess we'll just see what the three of us can pull together." In Dec. 2024, the trio turned up with Lesh's son, Grahame, to be honoured by then-Pres. Joe Biden at the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2015, Weir, Lesh, Kreutzmann, and Hart reunited for a "farewell tour," in which they claimed the five shows would be their last together. - Music-News.com, 3/21/25...... Stevie Wonder will headline the UK's BST Hyde Park festival for the third time when he performs on the Great Oak Stage on July 12. The R&B legend will join an already packed roster of BST Hyde Park 2025 headliners that includes the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Zach Bryan, Sabrina Carpenter, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, Jeff Lynne's ELO, the Doobie Brothers, Stevie Winwood and Dhani Harrison during various evenings from June 28-July 13. Wonder's U.K. tour will kick off his "Love, Light & Song" U.K. tour with a July 3 show at the Lytham Festival in Lancashire, followed by a July 5 gig at Co-Op Live in Manchester, a July 7 stop at Utilita Arena in Birmingham and a July 9 gig at Blackweir Field in Cardiff. Wonder was recently on hand at a memorial for Roberta Flack at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, N.Y. - Billboard, 3/17/25...... Alice Cooper is coming out for British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Cooper, who was inducted into the RRHOF himself in 2011, shouted out the band -- who are set to head out on the road this summer with their "Run For Your Lives" tour of the UK and Europe -- during a Q&A session on the Rock Legends Cruise in February. When the "School's Out" singer was asked which artists he'd like to see inducted into the Rock Hall, Cooper mentioned Maiden, saying: "I mean, come on -- Iron Maiden. How can you diss Iron Maiden? They have their own army out there." Alice also commented on the Rock Hall's pivot to include non-rock acts. "It's really hard for me to put somebody, let's say, like Missy Elliott in with The Who," he admitted. "I was in there going, 'Come on. It's rock and roll bands - that's what rock is. But then I kind of loosened up that idea. Even Dolly Parton said, 'I don't belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame,' but then she made a rock record. I don't think anybody begrudges her that, but I would still I would prefer to see an Iron Maiden in there before I would see some of these other ones." Iron Maiden have been eligible to join the RRHOF since 2004, although they've only been nominated twice, in 2021 and 2023. Cooper meanwhile has confirmed two upcoming shows for the UK later this summer, marking his only performances in Scotland and Wales for 2025. - NME, 3/17/25...... 
A Vancouver, B.C. record store owner has discovered he that he bought, unbeknownst to himself, a rare and unknown Beatles recording from 1962. A few years ago, Rob Frith of Neptoon Records bought a reel-to-reel tape labelled "Beatles demo." But he didn't bother to actually listen to it; he just assumed someone had put a Beatles bootleg on the tape. Recently as he was transferring some tapes at broadcaster Larry Hennessey's recording studio and brought along the Beatles tape. "All of a sudden, it was like the Beatles are in the room playing," he said, a sense of astonishment still in his voice. "The quality was that good." Turns out, it really was a Beatles demo -- a legendary session they recorded on Jan. 1, 1962, for Decca Records. Decca rejected the band, which is arguably the biggest mistake in music history. Instead, EMI signed the Beatles a few months later and they became a worldwide sensation. The tape features the Beatles' original drummer Pete Best, not Ringo Starr. Most of the songs are covers like "Money," "To Know Him is to Love Him" and "The Sheik of Araby." But there are three original songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney: "Like Dreamers Do," "Hello Little Girl," and "Love of the Loved." Not all 15 recordings in the Decca session have been officially released, although it's been widely bootlegged. Five songs from the session were officially released on the Beatles Anthology I in 1995. Whoever sold the Beatles tape probably didn't know what it was: they didn't hype it to Frith. "I actually can't remember who I bought it from," Frith said. "I think it was an engineer that worked in Vancouver for years and years that was moving." Frith won't be able to legally reproduce the music on the tape for copyright reasons. But it has value as an artifact: a copy of the Decca sessions that once belonged to Beatles manager Brian Epstein, which had only half the recordings, sold for 62,500 pounds (about CDN$117,000) in 2019. - Canoe.com, 3/19/25...... Marty Callner, an acclaimed TV and music video director responsible for numerous music videos, concert specials, and stand-up performances, passed away at his home in Malibu from natural causes on Mar. 17. He was 78. Helming specials featuring Robert Klein, Redd Foxx, Robin Williams and Myron Cohen, Callner also directed 1981's The Pee-Wee Herman Show, having discovered comedian Paul Reubens at The Groundlings in Los Angeles. Callner shifted his focus towards music with names such as Diana Ross, Paul Simon and Liza Minnelli, before rising to prominence as an unsung hero of the entertainment world through his prolific career directing music videos. Alongside videos for beloved names such as Stevie Nicks, Pat Benatar, Heart and The Bangles, Callner was responsible for some of the most memorable music videos in history. His impressive resum includes Cher,'s "If I Could Turn Back Time," Twisted Sister,'s "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock," Whitesnake,'s "Here I Go Again" and "Is This Love," Poison,'s "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," and numerous clips for Aerosmith,, including "Livin' on the Edge," "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," and "Love in an Elevator." His career would also boast numerous live concert specials, including a number of famed pop stars of the '90s and '00s, including Madonna, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and NSYNC. - Billboard, 3/20/25...... Former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, known as much for his gregarious personality as his vicious right hook, died on Mar. 21. He was 76 years old. A two-time heavyweight champion, he also won gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and later saw success, in his post-boxing career, pitching the now-omnipresent countertop grill that bears his name. Foreman's family announced his death in a post on Instagram, and they provided no cause of death. "A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, He was deeply respected -- a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name -- for his family," it reads. Born Jan. 10, 1949, Foreman was the fifth of seven children and grew up "in the toughest neighborhood in Houston," he wrote in his book George Foreman's Guide To Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down, which was published in 2003. "I didn't have a lot to look forward to in life," he wrote. "At least I didn't think I did. I was hungry all the time; I dropped out of school in the eighth grade; I relied on my size and my fists to make my way." At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Foreman, then 19, had already developed what ESPN would go on to call his "wrecking ball fists," and defeated Soviet opponent Jonas Cepulis. The referee had to stop the fight before the end of the second round. Foreman won his first heavyweight title at just 24 with a stunning knockout of the then-undefeated world champion Joe Frazier in 1973. Billed as "The Rumble in the Jungle," Foreman's most famous fight ended in his first professional loss to Muhammad Ali in Oct. 1974. He surrendered the heavyweight title in the knockout loss. But he would regain the belt after a 10-year retirement in a fight in 1994 against Michael Moorer at 45 years old. In the pivot to entrepreneur, Foreman saw success in the 1990s promoting the "George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine," a staple on TV infomercials and home-shopping channels, which was known for its ridged and slanted cooking surface that was designed to allow fat to slide off the grill. There's hardly a single lesson I've learned in life that didn't come the hard way... Everyone in life goes through a hard time sometime, but you can't let that define who you are," he wrote in his 2003 book. "What defines you is how you come back from those troubles and what you find in life to smile about." - ABC News, 3/21/25...... 
Jesse Colin Young, the co-founder and vocalist for late '60s folk-rockers The Youngbloods, passed away at his Aiken, S.C. home on Mar. 16, according to his wife/manager Connie Young. He was 83. Born Perry Miller in New York City in 1941, Mr. Young grew up in a musical household and was encouraged by his parents to learn piano from a young age. Attending Massachusetts' Phillips Academy on a scholarship, Mr. Young studied guitar but was expelled, later enrolling in Ohio State University after high school before transferring to New York University. Deciding to become a full-time musician in the early '60s, he adopted the Jesse Colin Young moniker from famed western outlaws Jesse James and Cole Younger, and Formula One innovator Colin Chapman. Mr. Young issued his debut album, The Soul of a City Boy, in 1964 via Capitol Records, before following it up with Young Blood on Mercury in 1965. That same year, Mr. Young teamed up with guitarist and folk singer Jerry Corbitt with whom he would form The Youngbloods, named for his recently-released album. The band's second single, "Grizzly Bear," from their 1967 self-titled debut album, gave them their first success when it reached No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The album also featured a version of the Chet Powers-penned 
Speaking to NYC radio station Q104.3 on Mar. 16, Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson revealed that several drummers reached out to his band to audition for late Rush drummer Neal Peart's job after Peart passed away in Jan. 2020 of brain cancer at age 67. Lifeson was asked if he and bassist Geddy Lee have considered reforming the band with a new drummer. "Oh, well, yeah, of course, because we're bombarded by it all the time," Lifeson said. "After Neil passed, it didn't take more than a few minutes before we started getting e-mails from all kinds of drummers who wanted to audition for the band, thinking that we were just gonna replace somebody that we played with for 40 years who wrote all the lyrics for our music." He continued: "I don't know what some of these people were thinking. So, yeah, we've had the conversation, because we can't avoid it." Rush last performed together for a farewell tour in 2015 playing 35 headline shows across North America. In 2022, Lifeson and Geddy Lee reunited in public to perform as part of the tribute shows in Los Angeles and London for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. The pair also participated in a Peart tribute concert in Los Angeles in Sept. 2020. Peart's full interview can be streamed on 
A new documentary claims that The Doors frontman Jim Morrison could still be alive. In Before the End, a new film created by Doors superfan Jeff Finn, conspiracy theories will be examined that suggest Morrison may have faked his own death after becoming disillusioned with the fame and attention his success had brought him. It will examine the "evidence" of the theories that Morrison may still be alive, including one revolving around a man named "Frank X," who works in maintenance in Syracuse, N.Y., but who some believe is actually Morrison in disguise. Morrison was found dead in the bathtub of his apartment in Paris by his girlfriend Pamela Courson on July 3, 1971. He was 27 years old at the time, with the official cause of death listed as heart failure. The trailer for Before The End has been shared on 
Canadian pop music legend Anne Murray will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Junos in Vancouver, B.C. on Mar. 30. Nova Scotia native Murray, the most Juno-awarded artist in the history of Canada's national music honours, has won 25 Juno Awards. "Canada's National Arts Centre has been honoured to support countless Canadian performing artists from the beginning of their careers to the international stage, including this year's honouree, Anne Murray," says Christopher Deacon, President and CEO of the National Arts Centre. Presented by the National Arts Centre/Centre National des Arts, Murray will be the first performer to receive the recognition since it was awarded to Pierre Juneau in 1989. Murray, the singer behind such classics as "Snowbird" and others has sold over 55 million albums and has won four Grammy Awards, including best female pop vocal performance in 1978 for 
Time to "turn it up to 11" once again. The highly anticipated sequel of the 1984 comedy, 
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell has told Guitar Player magazine that his "conscience is clear" and he "doesn't torture himself" over his bandleader Tom Petty's 2017 death from an accidental drug overdose. Petty's death at age 66 sent shockwaves through the rock community, especially after a coroner's report determined that a mix of opioids -- including fentanyl and oxycodone -- in his system contributed to a fatal "mixed drug toxicity." The rock legend had gone through periods of drug use throughout his life, but famously got clean in 1999 when his future wife, Dana York, convinced him to go to rehab. Campbell, 75, explained that while he recognized Petty was no longer sober near the end of his life, he felt it was impossible to get through to his longtime bandmate of over 40 years. "With Tom it was like, 'Your private life is yours, and mine is mine. I can see what you're doing, but out of respect for you, I'll trust you'll do the right thing. If you need me, call me,'" he recalled. "I could have gone to him and said, 'Hey, you've got to cut this s--- out,' which I kind of did once to the manager. But the thing with Tom was, you could say that and he would just look at you like, 'But I'm Tom Petty. I'm going to do whatever I f---ing want. Get out of my face.'" Campbell, who will release a memoir about his career with Petty called 
Former J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf has just released a new book, 
A first-of-its-kind jazz and super club in Chicago's West Loop built and designed in honor of legendary Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia was announced on Mar. 10 by venue impressario Peter Shapiro. Shapiro has long collaborated with original members of the iconic 1960s band through projects like the "Fare Thee Well" concerts honoring the band's 50th anniversary, and also worked as the long-time promoter for late GD founding member Phil Lesh. For the new club, he has enlisted the help of Garcia's family members, including his daughter Trixie Garcia, who said the inspiration for Garcia's was "a live music club with a comfortable atmosphere for artists and guests... A place where Jerry could get his musical fix without going on the road." The 300-capacity concert venue will feature a full bar and restaurant, according to Shapiro, adding that the concept for Garcia's comes from iconic old supper and jazz clubs of yesteryear, including New York's Birdland, Harlem's esteemed Bill's Place or the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans. A full list of shows at the new venue can be found at GarciasChicago.live. - Billboard, 3/10/25...... A two-hour Ringo Starr special, Ringo & Friends at the Ryman, is currently streaming on-demand on the Paramount+ channel for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers. The special, which premiered on Mar. 10 on the CBS network, celebrates the music and legacy of Starr through the lens of country music. The Beatles drummer brought his love of country to life with two concerts taped at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on Jan. 14-15. In an exclusive clip from Billboard on 
In other pop idol news, '60s hitmaker Tommy James was forced to end a recent concert in Las Vegas an hour into the performance after suffering from exhaustion. James, 77, was singing "Do Something to Me" at the Golden Nugget casino on Mar. 7 when he was forced to stop the performance and take a breather before he could finish the 90-minute set. His rep said the reason was that he had been up early for his five-hour flight to Sin City. The rep confirmed the "Draggin' the Line" singer was back in New Jersey and doing "fine working on his Sirius XM radio show Gettin Together with Tommy James." James and his band The Shondells are next due onstage on Mar. 15 in Tulsa, Okla. The musician is best known as the frontman of the rock band, who had a string of hits in the '60s with "Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover" and "I Think We're Alone Now." James is a prolific artist, having released 12 solo studio albums and eight albums with the Shondells. More than 300 musicians have recorded renditions of his songs with three of the covers reaching the Top 10 on the hit parade in the 1980s: Joan Jett's "Crimson and Clover," Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now," and Billy Idol's "Mony Mony." - Music-News.com, 3/10/25...... Michael Jackson's eldest son Prince Jackson attended the Sydney, Australia opening night of "MJ: The Musical" at Lyric Theatre, Star City on Mar. 8. This isn't the first time Prince has shown his support for the production, which debuted on Broadway in 2022 and has since expanded globally. In Mar. 2024, he attended the London preview night alongside his siblings, Paris Jackson and Bigi Jackson, continuing their tradition of honoring their father's legacy. Two years prior, he and Paris made an appearance at the 2022 Tony Awards, where "MJ: The Musical" was nominated for multiple awards, including Best Musical. The siblings introduced the cast's performance of "Smooth Criminal "that night, with Prince reflecting on their father's deep love for musicals. "A lot of people seem to think our dad Michael Jackson changed popular music forever. And who are we to disagree?" he said during the awards show. "But what people may not know is that he loved musicals, on film and on the stage." Following its success in New York, the musical has expanded to London's West End, a U.S. national tour, and now Australia, where it will run in Sydney before moving to other cities. The four-time Tony Award-winning production transports audiences back to 1992, inside the high-stakes creative process of Jackson's "Dangerous World Tour." Through the lens of an MTV documentary crew, the musical explores not just Jackson's signature moves and music, but his relentless artistic vision and the challenges behind the scenes. Tickets for "MJ: The Musical" are available now at mjthemusical.com.au. - Billboard, 3/10/25...... Legendary KISS bassist Gene Simmons is giving fans the chance to live out their dreams of rock stardom by letting them be his roadie for a day with his Gene Simmons Band -- but it comes with a hefty price tag. As Simmons prepares to mount a tour with his band in April, the rocker has launched a handful of "Experiences" in which fans can purchase ahead of the upcoming dates. One of them is the "Gene Simmons Bass Experience," which allows you (and three guests) the chance to meet Simmons after the stage. The other of these experiences (dubbed "The Ultimate Gene Simmons Experience"') allows the purchaser to become "Simmons' personal assistant & band roadie for the day." This package costs a total of $12,495 (in addition to the original ticket price), and also includes a bass guitar that had been used by Simmons during a KISS rehearsal. Only one experience per concert is available, with 26 dates currently scheduled across North America between April and August. More info can be found at www.genesimmonsaxe.com. - Billboard, 3/10/25...... Native Englishman and current Connecticut resident Keith Richards is being honoured with a new Connecticut residents award. Richards, who has been living in The Constitution State since 1985, was awarded the Connecticut Governor's Award of Excellence on Mar. 5, which recognizes creativity, passion and generosity in the area. The Rolling Stones guitarist is the first person to receive this award, and he was given a custom-designed medallion during a ceremony at The Westport Library in Westport, Conn. Gov. Ned Lamont, a self-professed Stones fan, praised the veteran musician for his music career and his contributions to local charitable causes. "Well, thank you very much. And thank you Connecticut," Richards while accepting the award. "You kind of get lost for words with something like this around your neck. All I gotta say is, you know, I've been here for 40 years, and it's been a great place for me. The family's had a great life, The kids grew up great and incredibly happy about everything." Meanwhile, the Stones have been reported to be scrapping their plans to tour across the UK and Europe in 2025. According to the UK paper The Times, in late January the group announced they have opted against a return to touring later in the year. This reportedly came following a proposed multi-million pound stop at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium being rejected, amid other shows across Europe. - NME, 3/9/25...... 
Kraftwerk kicked off the North American leg of their "Multimedia" world tour at Philadelphia's Franklin Music Hall on Mar. 6, then performed on Mar. 8 at the Pittsburgh venue Stage AE Outdoors and on Mar. 10 in Montreal. Some of the tracks played by the German electronic-pop pioneers include "Autobahn," "Airwaves," Spacelab," "Neon Lights," and "Radioactivity." The encore at the Philidelphia gig included "The Robots" and "Planet of Visions." Ralf Hütter & co. announced the tour back in December. In total, 27 dates have been lined up for March and April 2025, including March stops in Montreal, Boston, Brooklyn, New York, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Kansas City, Mo. In April, they'll visit Denver, Portland, Ore., Vancouver, B.C., Indio, Calif, Salt Lake City, Indio, Calif., and Austin, Tex., before wrapping in Dallas on Apr. 24. Some fan-captured footage from the opening gigs have been shared on 
Punk rock pioneer Brian James, founding member of English band The Damned, died on Mar. 6. He was 70. The news of the guitarist's death was shared with fans via a post on