Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on March 18th, 2018

CBS announced on Mar. 13 that a previously recorded all-star Grammy tribute to Elton John will air on the network on Apr. 10 at 9:00 P.M. EDT. Elton John: I'm Still Standing - A Grammy Salute, which runs two hours, will showcase musicians from multiple genres performing some of Elton's biggest hits, including Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Kesha, Little Big Town, Chris Martin, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, among others. John also takes the stage at the end to perform a medley of his hits, including "Bennie and the Jets," "Philadelphia Freedom" and "I'm Still Standing." - CBS.com, 3/13/18...... Legendary '70s singer Rita Coolidge performed at Coopers BBQ during the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Tex., on Mar. 16. After opening with "Late Again," the "Higher and Higher" singer announced that she wasn't going to "play it safe" by only performing her hits, but that she was going to "do a bunch from my new album, 'cause that's why we're here." Coolidge was referring to Safe in the Arms of Time, her new album which is due May 4 via Blue Elan Records, which hosted the showcase. The album is Coolidge's first release of original material in 13 years, and Coolidge wo-wrote three of its 12 tracks. The 72-year-old songstress didn't completely ignore her past however, treating the audience to "We're All Alone" and closing her set with "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher." - Billboard, 3/17/18...... English heavy metal icons Judas Priest have just scored their highest charting album ever in the US with their latest effort, Firepower. The band's 18th studio album, Firepower debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Hot 200 album chart for the week ending Mar. 15, moving 49,000 units according to Nielsen Music. The album surpasses the Priest's previous chart high, logged when 2014's Redeemer of Souls debuted and peaked at No. 6. "Lightning Strike," Firepower's first single, has risen to No. 21 on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, making it the band's highest charting single on the tally since 1982, when their classic hit "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" peaked at No. 4. - Billboard, 3/18/18...... Also achieving his highest charting album ever on the Hot 200 is former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, whose American Utopia has climbed to No. 3 with 63,000 equivalent album units earned in the Mar. 15 chart. American Utopia is Byrne's 12th charting solo album, and its arrival was enhanced by sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with his current tour, which started earlier in March. American Utopia was led by its first single, "Everybody's Coming to My House," which has reached No. 5 on the Adult Alternative Songs airplay chart. - Billboard, 3/18/18...... Five months into its run, Bruce Springsteen's Broadway show "Springsteen On Broadway" played host to a star-studded SiriusXM event at Walter Kerr Theatre on Mar. 14 in New York City. The audience included SiriusXM subscribers (including devotes of the E Street Radio channel) and more than a few celebrities, including Howard Stern, Stephen Colbert, Ricky Gervais, Jenny McCarthy, Donnie Wahlberg, Liev Schreiber and Emmylou Harris. Debuting in October 2017, "Springsteen on Broadway" finds the 68-year-old New Jersey rocker reading passages from his memoir and singing 15 songs that tangentially relate to the text. - Billboard, 3/15/18...... A new David Bowie statue is set to be unveiled in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in the town's Market Square on Mar. 25. The statue sees Bowie dressed as his Ziggy Stardust persona with various other versions of Bowie looking on. Meanwhile, a resident of Aylesbury has started a petition to change the town's name from Aylesbury to "Aylesbowie." David Stopps notes a name change would not be out of the ordinary as Aylesbury has had several names over the years. "Since records began there have been 57 variations of the town's name," he said. A spokesman for Buckinghamshire County Council called it an "interesting idea" and added "perhaps on 25 March we could all think 'Aylesbowie' -- just for one day!" - New Musical Express, 3/16/18...... Barbra Streisand was honored with an Icon Tribute during the kickoff to the 35th annual PaleyFest LA at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Mar. 16. Ryan Murphy was on hand to a lead an in-depth conversation with the diva about her life in television, which began in 1961 with an appearance on The Tonight Show. "I have to look up everything about myself because I forget," Streisand said. "I don't remember. I asked my assistant today, 'Did I win the Emmy for that? I don't remember that.'" Streisand also said she never experienced a "#MeToo moment." "I wasn't one of those pretty girls with those nice little noses," she said, adding, "We're in a strange time now with men and women and the pendulum is swinging this way and that way and it's going to have to come to the center." Streisand said has seen parts of the upcoming remake of A Star is Born directed by and starring Bradley Copper opposite Lady Gaga. "It's very very good," she said. - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/17/18...... Don McLean is reportedly dating a Playboy model and 24-year-old media star named Paris Dylan who is 48 years his junior. The "American Pie" singer was spotted with Dylan while on a recent promotional tour in the U.K., according to People magazine. Dylan seemingly confirmed the romance by sharing several photos from television and radio studios in Manchester on Instagram on Mar. 15. "Don was on BBC Breakfast today and the whole entire production crew had to run out after to get photos with him," she captioned an image of her linking arms with McLean while sat on a sofa with BBC Breakfast hosts Louise Minchin and Charlie Stayt. "Such a nice time in Manchester!" The new couple then headed to Ireland, and Dylan shared backstage shots of McLean performing on CBS' The Late Late Show with James Corden on Mar. 16. Paris Dylan is the first woman McLean has been linked to since his split from Patrisha Shnier, his wife of 29 years, in 2016. In January of that year he was arrested at his home in Maine for domestic violence against Shnier. McLean later pleaded guilty to misdemeanour counts of domestic violence assault, domestic violence criminal threatening, criminal mischief, and criminal restraint as part of a "deferred disposition," meaning the charges would be dismissed if he complied with the court's orders over the next year. The charges were then dismissed last July. - WENN.com, 3/18/18...... Keyboardist Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers has announced a solo show at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles, but says his concert will not include any other members of Petty's band. "Absolutely not. It means I hope some of my friends show up to play along, but who knows? It definitely does not mean any Heartbreakers," Tench responded on Twitter when asked whether other members of the band will perform. The Heartbreakers have not performed together since Petty's death in October. - Billboard, 3/16/18...... Bob Dylan has been added to Japan's three-day Fuji Rock Festival Lineup, set for July 27-29 at a ski resort in Naeba, Niigata prefecture, about 200 miles from the iconic Mt. Fuji. Other previously announced headliners include Kendrick Lamar, N.E.R.D., Skrillex and Vampire Weekend. - Billboard, 3/15/18...... NRA Spokesperson Dana Loesch apparently has it in for Neil Young, regularly tweeting anti-Neil (and sometimes, by proxy, anti-Canadian) sentiments comparing Young's voice to "a dying cow fart." Young responded to Loesch's hatred of his music at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Tex., where he's promoting his new film Paradox. "The spokesperson? That woman? She doesn't like me?" Young laughed, before declaring that he was "glad [he] got under her skin." In response to Loesch's questionable metaphor of the "dying cow," Young said: "Why doesn't she just shoot me?" Young then qualified the statement: "You know, I hate to say that because I have kids and I really don't want anybody to shoot me. I've still got to bring up my kids, so don't take that seriously!" Young also recently commented to Rolling Stone on the recent announcement of "farewell tours" by the likes of Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne and Paul Simon, calling them "bullsh*t." "I'm going out with Cher. Cher and I are doing a retirement tour. When I retire, people will know, because I'll be dead... 'm not gonna say, 'I'm not coming back.' What kind of bullsh*t is that? I could go out and play if I felt like it, but I don't feel like it." - Spin.com/Rolling Stone, 3/15/18...... Former Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes will be performing Deep Purple only material in Ireland at the Waterfront in Belfast on Sept. 29 and the Olympia in Dublin on Sept. 30. "I'm excited to be touring the "Classic Deep Purple Live" in Ireland this September," Hughes says. "I first toured Classic Deep Purple Live in Australia and New Zealand last year and it went down like a storm. We're also touring the show throughout South America in April, and festivals throughout the summer. By the time we tour Ireland in September, we'll be on fire." Tickets for the shows went on sale on Mar. 16 at seetickets.com. - Noble PR, 3/14/18...... Grammy-nominated guitarist Joe Bonamassa, who completed a UK and European tour on Mar. 17, has announced the release of British Blues Explosion Live on May 18 on CD/DVD/Blu-Ray & 3LP via Mascot Label Group in Europe and J&R Adventures in North America. The DVD and Blu-ray includes bonus content such as Joe performing "Taxman" Live at the Cavern Club, Joe being honoured with a "Brick In The Wall", the "British Blues Explosion Explained" by Mick Wall and a photo gallery of the British Blues Explosion UK Tour. Bonamassa will play the Hampton Court Palace Festival in London on June 12. - Noble PR, 3/7/18...... Performing at a recent solo show in Las Vegas, The Who's Roger Daltrey warned those in the audience that they should "take your f***ing earplugs" to gigs because "now I'm very, very deaf." "I advise you all -- all you rock-and-roll fans -- take your fucking ear plugs to the gigs," and revealed that he now relies on lip-reading. However, Daltrey vowed to keep on performing "for a long time," saying he is "lucky to be doing what I do -- so thank you." Meanwhile, Daltrey is preparing to perform a headlining show at one of his own Teenage Cancer Trust shows at London's Royal Albert Hall on Mar. 22. He'll be joined by Dr Pepper's Jaded Hearts Club Band, a supergroup that includes members of Muse and Blur performing Beatles covers. Nile Rodgers & Chic, Def Leppard and UB40 will also perform during the two-day event. - New Musical Express, 3/14/18...... Legendary British physicist Stephen Hawking, the author of the worldwide best-selling book A Brief History of Time and the subject of the Oscar-nominated film The Theory of Everything, died on Mar. 13. He was 76. "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," his children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." A child prodigy, Hawking began his storied academic career in 1950, entering Oxford University at the age of 17. Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963 at the age of 21. At the time, his doctors gave him a life expectancy of two years. He would defy medical science and go on to have a long and distinguished academic career at Cambridge University. His condition gradually paralysed Hawking over decades and he was only able to communicate using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device. Despite his disability, Hawking became a leader in his field, becoming an expert on black holes. He achieved worldwide fame when his book A Brief History of Time became a worldwide bestseller and sold 10 million copies. Hawking's life was captured on the big screen in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne as Hawking and Felicity Jones as his wife Jane Wilde Hawking. The movie was nominated for five Oscars including best picture with Redmayne winning best actor. Hawking also made appearances on The Simpsons and Star Trek: The Next Generation. - Billboard, 3/13/18.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced it will release some of the best performances from its induction ceremonies between 2010-2017 in a variety of formats on Apr. 24. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: In Concert will arrive as four DVDs and two Blu-rays featuring 53 live performances from the likes of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Deep Purple, Rush, Yes, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, Journey and Joan Jett, among others. The video sets will also feature induction and acceptance speeches from the ceremonies. Five digital Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame: In Concert digital albums, each covering two ceremonies, will drop the same day, with bonus performances by Alice Cooper, Donovan, Dr. John, Heart, the Hollies, Darlene Love, Leon Russell, the Stooges, Tom Waits, the Small Faces/Faces, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. Meanwhile, the 2018 Rock Hall induction ceremony is set for Apr. 14 in Cleveland, honoring Bon Jovi, the Cars, Dire Straits, the Moody Blues, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. It will be, as usual, filmed by HBO for subsequent broadcast. - Billboard, 3/13/18...... Former AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson made a surprise appearance at a Hawaiian restaurant owned by Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood on Mar. 6 for a jam of the R&B standard "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66." After Fleetwood introduced Johnson at his Fleetwood's On Front St. restaurant in his home of Maui, Hawaii, Johnson told the intimate audience it was a "a big honor" to join his idol Fleetwood onstage. Mispronouncing his name as "Flick Meetwood," Johnson joked that he was "breaking these teeth in for a friend," then sang the 1940s track with Fleetwood and his band. In 2017, Johnson announced he was retiring from AC/DC due to hearing problems. He was replaced by Guns 'N Roses' Axl Rose as guest vocalist, though it was reported in February than Rose will continue touring and recording with the Aussie hard rockers. - New Musical Express, 3/7/18...... Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson dropped by the offices of Teen Vogue magazine on Mar. 7 to reveal the "soundtrack of my life," which included a plethora of oldies from different genres, including Andy Williams' "Moon River," the Eagles' "Peaceful Easy Feeling," Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke," Elton John's "Daniel," and the more recent "Concrete Wall" by Zee Avi. The 19-year-old model, who will soon be making her onscreen debut in the new Joel Edgerton-directed crime-drama film Gringo, said that "Music is everything to me. It's kind of all I know and the biggest form of connection I have with anything. It's all of the things that make you feel. Period. Not just good, but everything." - Billboard, 3/9/18...... On Mar. 9, the Rolling Stones announced two more final shows for their upcoming No Filter tour of the UK and Ireland. The Stones added shows in Southampton on May 29 and Coventry on June 2 for their 9-city UK tour, which begins on May 17 in Dublin. It will wrap on June 19 at London's Twickenham Stadium. The band last played London in 2013 at Hyde Park. The announcement comes after Stones fans in the UK were left disappointed last year when a lack of suitable venues meant that their European tour wouldn't visit their native Britain. "Sorry to our UK fans there are no UK dates on this run, due to lack of available venues because of sporting fixtures...hope to be their in 2018," the band said at the time. - NME, 3/9/18...... David Byrne appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Mar. 9 to deliver a riveting performance of "Everybody's Coming To My House" from his recently released LP, American Utopia. In the performance, the former Talking Heads frontman was joined by a variety of musicians and dancers, barefoot and all dressed in matching grey suits, with host Steven Colbert later joining in on the performance. Byrne was also interviewed on the show, where he told Colbert what he's been up to for the past decade, which included several musicals. He mentioned that Pres. Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner would be the one person in the White House he could write a musical about. Byrne previously announced he'll mount a world tour behind American Utopia later in 2018, tweeting that it will be "the most ambitious show I've done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense, so fingers crossed." - NME, 3/10/18...... British singer Dame Shirley Bassey, best known to American audiences for her top 10 rendition of the 1964 James Bond theme song "Goldfinger," is responding to a false report that she has passed away. A spokesperson for the 81-year-old Bassey told Wales Online that the claims were "completely false", "unfair" to fans -- and that she was very much "alive and kicking." Concern for Bassey spread after Manfred Mann singer Mike D'Abo told the audience at a Mar. 7 show in Cardiff in Bassey's native Wales that he had been informed that she had died, and he didn't know the cause of death. Dame Bassey was recently honored with the Nordoff Robins O2 Silver Clef Award for her lifelong commitment to music and outstanding achievements. Her last studio album was 2014's Hello Like Before. - New Musical Express, 3/9/18...... Netflix's redo of the 1974 flick Benji finds the titular street pup with a penchant for strawberries befriending a pair of kids who look past his scruff and see the hero/detective within -- which comes in handy when PG Benji foils some very PG-13 crooks. Benji begins streaming on Netflix on Mar. 16. - Entertainment Weekly, 3/23/18...... Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert, NBC's latest live musical, is of biblical proportions. The 1971 Broadway rock opera gets the all-star treatment with John Legend as Jesus Christ, Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene, and rock icon Alice Cooper as King Herod. With lyricist Tim Rice and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber exec-producing, you can expect a spectacle that remains true to the original production but still fills you with that holy Sunday feeling. Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert airs on NBC on Apr. 1 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. - Entertainment Weekly, 3/23/18...... The spooky battle over who gets ownership of notorious cult leader Charles Manson's body has been determined by a California judge. After Manson died on Nov. 19 after more than 40 years behind bars for masterminding the murders of actress Sharon Tate and several others in 1969, a slew of people sought ownership of his ice-packed remains, including Manson's grandson, Jason Freeman, longtime Manson pen pal Michael Channels, a musician named Matt Lentz who claims to be his son, and another dude named Michael Brunner who also claims to be his son. Lentz claimed that Manson fathered him during a Wisconsin orgy and was named as his sole beneficiary in a 2017 will that Manson purportedly signed. Channels also claimed to be Manson's sole beneficiary in a will filed in 2002 that disinherited the cult leader's natural born children including Freeman's father, Charles Manson Jr. On Mar. 13, Kern County Superior Court Judge Alisa Knight ruled that the "lucky winner" will be Jason Freeman, who says his plans plans for disposing of his grandpa consist of cremating him, as well as holding a "small family ceremony." He says he also intends to extend an invitation to Brunner and Channels on the basis that he "wouldn't want them to miss out." Still up for grabs, however, are Manson's writings, drawings, and music compositions, ensuring that various other battles over his property will be waged for many more decades to come. - Jezebel.com, 3/13/18...... British comedian Ken Dodd, a titan of British comedy whose peak fame in the U.K. rivaled that of the Beatles, died after a battle with a chest infection at his home in Liverpool -- the same house where he was born in 1927 -- on Mar. 10. He was 90. Instantly recognizable for his unruly mop of hair and snaggletoothed grin, Mr. Dodd came up through the hardscrabble ranks of Britain's variety circuit, where performers kept demanding crowds entertained with songs, a bit of dance and a slew of jokes. He was famous for his rapid-fire one-liners, surreal imaginative flights of fancy, use of fanciful words like "tattyfilarious" and marathon stand-up shows. Even in his 80s, Mr. Dodd's shows often ran three to four hours. In the 1960s, he held the Guinness world record for the longest joke-telling session: 1,500 jokes in three-and-a-half hours. In his 1960s and '70s heyday, Mr. Dodd played a record 42 straight weeks at the London Palladium, hosted primetime TV shows and hit the music charts with songs including his signature tune "Happiness." Mr. Dodd was knighted in 2017 by Queen Elizabeth II, becoming Sir Ken Dodd. He gave his final performance in Liverpool at the end of December. On Mar. 12, Paul McCartney tweeted a picture of the Beatles with Mr. Dodd in the 1960s, alongside a statement bidding "farewell to my fellow Liverpudlian the tattyfilarious Ken Dodd. Beloved by many people in Britain and a great champion of his home city and comedy. We met him on a few occasions as The Beatles and always ended up in tears of laughter. Today it's tears of sadness as well. See you Doddy." - AP, 3/13/18...... Grammy Award-winning album cover artist Gary Burden, who designed the covers of such famous Classic Rock albums as Neil Young's After the Gold Rush, The Doors' Morrison Hotel, Joni Mitchell's Blue, and Crosby, Stills Nash & Young's Déjà Vu, has died at age 84. In more recent years, Mr. Burden helped design the covers for Monsters of Folk's self-titled album, My Morning Jacket's Evil Urges and Circuital, and several Conor Oberst albums. In 2010, Mr. Burden won a Grammy Award for best boxed or special limited edition packaging for his work on Neil Young's The Archives Vol. 1 1963-1972. Young, with whom Burden collaborated for decades, shared a lengthy tribute on his Neil Young Archives website. "My friend for life, Gary was my art director, creating album covers with me for almost 50 years, beginning with After the Gold Rush and ending with Paradox and Roxy, my next two albums... I still have some covers for unreleased albums that we made together," Young wrote. "I have so many memories of Gary and I doing these album covers. He was a great man and a true artist. Rest in peace my old friend," he added. - Stereogum.com, 3/10/18...... Nokie Edwards, lead guitarist with the legendary instrumental rock combo The Ventures, died on Mar. 12 following complications with hip surgery. He was 82. Born into a musical family on May 9, 1935 in Lahoma, Okla., Mr. Edwards was playing stringed instruments at age 5. The Ventures were formed in Tacoma, Wash., in 1958 when core members Bob Bogle (initially on lead guitar) and Don Wilson (rhythm) came together with Edwards and drummer Howie Johnson. Early on, Mr. Edwards played bass before switching to lead with the new group, which was known as the Impacts and then Versatones, before they agreed on The Ventures. The Ventures explored their musical boundaries through the '60s and tapped into surf-music and psychedelic rock. They even made recordings exclusively for the Japanese market, as "they are highly revered in that country, even outselling the Beatles there in their heyday," according to the Recording Academy, which inducted The Ventures into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. The Ventures' hits included the No. 2 "Walk--Don't Run" in 1962 and the the surf-rock classic "Hawaii Five-O," which reached No. 4 in 1969. Mr. Edwards left the band in 1968 to pursue a solo career, before returning in 1972, where he remained until late 1984 when he would leave once more to follow a music career in Nashville, Tenn. The guitarist had been active on the live circuit until recently, and he would occasionally join The Ventures (currently led by Don Wilson) for concerts. "He was an innovator and one of the greats on guitar, so much so that he influenced many young players over the course of his career," The Ventures posted on their official website. - Billboard, 3/13/18.

Oscar-winning composer John Williams revealed during a Mar. 3 interview with California radio station KUSC that his next score for the upcoming Star Wars film Episode IX will be his last. "We know [director] J.J. Abrams is preparing one now for next year that I will hopefully do for him, and I look forward to it," the 86-year-old Williams said. "It will round out a series of nine and be quite enough for me." Williams said that when he scored the original 1977 Star Wars movie, later retitled A New Hope, that he had no idea there would be more films, "so it's developed in the most amazing way." Asked what his favorite Star Wars character was, Williams said it was Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, and he agreed to score Episode IX after being told by producer Kathleen Kennedy that Ridley would return. "She said yes, so I said yes," Williams said. In addition to the Star Wars franchise, WIlliams has also scored the Indiana Jones and Harry Potter series, JFK, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman and E.T, among many more, during his over six-decade career. - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/8/18...... Netflix announced on Mar. 7 that it has acquired the global rights to a new musical starring Neil Young called Paradox. The feature directional debut by Young's actress girlfriend Daryl Hannah, Paradox also stars Willie Nelson and Nelson's sons Lukas and Micah Nelson and is described as a "far-fetched, whimsical western tale of music and love" on the website of the SXSW Music Festival, where the film will premiere on Mar. 15. "Somewhere in the future past, The Man in the Black Hat hides out between heists at an old stagecoach stop with Jail Time, the Particle Kid, and an odd band of outlaws," according to the site. A Paradox soundtrack LP will also be released digitally and on vinyl that includes live performances from Young -- along with covers and exclusive music. - New Musical Express, 3/7/18...... Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, who will release his first solo album in 14 years on Mar. 9, has taken to social media to address criticism of not collaborating with any female artists on the LP, titled American Utopia. "I'd like to thank those of you who wrote for calling attention to this -- this matters a lot to me," Byrne wrote. "This lack of representation is something that is problematic and wide spread in our industry. I regret not hiring and collaborating with women for this album -- it's ridiculous, it's not who I am and it certainly doesn't match how I've worked in the past." Byrne continued: "I never thought of myself as being 'one of those guys,' but I guess to some extent I am. Your responses serve as a corrective. Thank you." Byrne has previously said that American Utopia's title "refers not to a specific utopia, but rather to our longing, frustration, aspirations, fears, and hopes regarding what could be possible, what else is possible." - NME, 3/5/18...... Queen + Adam Lambert's current tour of Australia and New Zealand has earned it the top spot in Billboard's Hot Tours roundup for the week ending Mar. 6. The band played Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on Feb. 21 and 22, the second stop on a trek through Australia and New Zealand that recently wrapped on March 6. Queen + Adam Lambert launched its tour last summer in North America with a 25-city run, kicking off in Phoenix on June 23. A European leg through 23 cities followed in November and December, and Queen will return to the continent for a second leg this summer before its finale in Dublin on July 8. - Billboard, 3/7/18...... Elton John has shared details of why he walked off the stage at a recent show at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in the middle of a performance of the set closer, "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting." "Thursday night in Las Vegas a fan put his hands on the piano keys while I was playing and continued to do so even after I asked him to stop," Sir Elton explained in a press release. "He then proceeded to reach over the piano and try to take pictures, completely disrupting the performance. I bring fans onstage every evening when we play 'Saturday Night' in the set, it is always a lovely part of the show where I get to meet them, shake their hands and have them right there with me while I play. They have always been very courteous to the fact we are in the middle of playing a song live. This guy was rude, disruptive and had no care or respect for our show and so I let him know how I felt, then left the stage until they had removed him." John will return for the next leg of his Vegas residency from Apr. 28 to May 17, before his extensive farewell tour begins in September. - Billboard, 3/3/18...... In a new inteview with the UK paper The Sunday Post, Mick Jagger downplayed rumours that the Rolling Stones' upcoming UK tour could well be their last. "I haven't really thought about this set of gigs being our last tour, to be honest," Jagger said. "There is going to come a point when we don't want to do it any more, for whatever reason -- but I'm not thinking about that this summer." The Stones' "No Filter" tour has seen a huge demand for tickets, especially after drummer Charlie Watts was quoted as saying he "wouldn't mind" if the band split up. "I hope [when it ends] that everyone says, 'that'll be it'. I'd hate for it to be a bloody big argument," Watts told New Musical Express. "That would be a real sad moment. But to say this is the last show wouldn't be a particularly sad moment, not to me anyway. I'll just carry on as I was yesterday or today," he added. Meanwhile, many fans have also complained about the pricey tickets to the tour, which can total £451.95 for a premium standing ticket. The seating option, meanwhile, will see fans forking out up to £203. - New Musical Express, 3/5/18...... Canadian country music legend Ronnie Prophet, who scored 26 hit singles in Canada, five in the U.S., and hosted several television shows, died on Mar. 2 in Florida from cardiac and kidney failure. He was 80. Born in Hawkesbury, Ont., Mr. Prophet moved to Montreal at age 17 where he sang at various clubs. In the early '60s, he relocated to America, working in New York, Fort Lauderdale and eventually setting up in Nashville in 1969. There he performed at his eponymous nightclub, Ronnie Prophet's Carousel Club, for more than 16 years, all the while touring worldwide with such names as Kenny Rogers, Perry Como, Mel Tillis, George Jones and Charley Pride. In the '70s, he became a household name when he hosted CBC's Country Roads (1973), then CTV's The Ronnie Prophet Show (1974) and Grand Old Country (1975-1980). Mr. Prophet was known for his one-man shows, combining songs, comedy, impersonations and his guitar prowess. Guests on his shows included Dolly Parton, George Jones, Hank Williams Jr., Crystal Gayle and Don Everly. Mr. Prophet also appeared on several other talks shows, including those hosted by Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Alan Thicke and David Frost. Mr. Prophet also co-hosted the CCMAs from 1987 to 1989 and in 1999 was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Mr. Prophet had five songs on the Billboard charts from 1975 to 1977, beginning with "Sanctuary" and followed by "Shine On," "It's Enough," "Big Big World" and "It's Ain't Easy Lovin' Me." He also had a half-dozen hits with his wife, singer Glory-Anne Carriere. "He loved life, + friends, family + his fans were so important to him," she said. "His passion for music was part of who he was and it was always his wish to keep people smiling wherever he went." - Billboard, 3/3/18...... Actor David Ogden Stiers, best known for playing Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on the hit wartime sitcom M*A*S*H, died at his home in Newport, Ore., on Mar. 3 after battling bladder cancer. He was 75. Stiers filled in for actor Larry Linville on M*A*S*H after he left the show, playing a blue-blooded surgeon and straightman to the cast's practical jokers. Stiers was nominated for two primetime Emmys for his role as Winchester, in 1981 and 1982; he later won a primetime Emmy for his role as U.S. Olympic Committee founder William Milligan Sloane in the NBC miniseries The First Olympics: Athens 1896 in 1984. He also acted in the ABC series North and South and the 1987 Showtime TV movie J. Edgar Hoover. Aside from his live-action work, Stiers was a prolific voice actor, working in eight Disney animated features including 1991's Beauty and the Beast (in which he played Cogsworth), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (the Archdeacon), Pocahantas (Governor Ratcliffe) and Lilo & Stitch (Dr. Jumba Jookiba). He also voiced Kamaji in the English-dubbed version of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. Born in Peoria, Ill., Stiers moved with his family to Eugene, Ore. and graduated from North Eugene High School in 1960. In 1969 he moved to New York City and studied drama at Julliard and joined the Houseman City Center Acting Company. "My dear friend and client of 30 years is gone," representative Mitchell Stubbs of Mitchell K. Stubbs & Associates said. "David had wisdom and talent in so many different areas. I wish people could know the beautiful heart that he had. His friends and family knew, as he told us so." - The Hollywood Reporter, 3/4/18...... Bill Burkette, the original lead singer of American vocal group The Vogues, died on Mar. 1 at the age of 75. The Vogues were formed at the old Turtle Creek High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., calling themselves the Val-Aires. Burkette helped bring the quartet to national prominence with hit songs "You're The One" and "Five O'Clock World" in 1965. Other popular songs include "My Special Angel" and "Turn Around Look At Me." The Vogues appeared on such shows as American Bandstand, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson and The Mike Douglas Show. Burkette continued to tour with The Vogues in recent years, and his last performance was in Tucson in April 2017.