Former Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth told a Las Vegas newspaper on Oct. 1 that he plans to retire from performing after the completion of five concerts at Las Vegas' House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in early January 2022. "I am throwing in the shoes. I'm retiring," the 66-year-old singer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "This is the first, and only, official announcement. You've got the news. Share it with the world." Roth added that he wasn't "going to explain the statement" and that "the explanation is safe... these are my last five shows." Reflecting on the Oct. 2020 passing of his former bandmate Eddie Van Halen, Roth said, "I thought he might have been first, frankly. I might have thought the Marlboro Man would've got me. Hey Ed, objects in the rear-view mirror are probably me. And my doctors, my handlers, compelled me to really address that every time I go on stage, I endanger that future." He concluded the interview by saying, "I've given you all I've got to give. It's been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody. I'll miss you all. Stay frosty." Roth is scheduled to perform at House of Blues in Las Vegas between Dec. 31 and Jan. 8, 2022. Tickets are currently on sale. - Billboard, 10/2/21...... 
Queen drummer Roger Taylor says his new solo album Outsider comes from a somewhat different vantage point than his first solo effort 40 years ago, Fun In Space. "Maybe I'm older, wiser," Taylor says. "I actually think maybe I'm just growing up, that the whole atmosphere of the album is more adult than maybe what I've done before, maybe a little more sophisticated than before. And let's face it -- I am a lot older and maybe a little wiser, although I would hope some of it is nicely irresponsible and rock n' roll," he added. Released on Oct. 1, the 12-song Outsider is a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, born when Taylor and his wife were "locked away" by the seaside in Cornwall, a planned three-day visit turning into four months of quarantine. The situation spawned a song called, appropriately, "Isolation," and before long Taylor was off and running, compiling material that he took back to his home studio in Surrey. He added a few older tracks such as "Absolutely Anything," which he created for the 2015 romantic comedy of the same name, a new mix of his "Foreign Sand" collaboration with Yoshiki (a top 30 U.K. hit during 1994), and a cover of Shirley Ellis' "The Clapping Song," which was also recorded by the Belle Stars in 1982. Taylor begins a 14-date U.K. tour behind the new album on Oct. 2, and with Queen's touring plans temporarily on hold (the 2021 European leg of its Rhapsody World Tour has been moved to 2022), he and Brian May have been spending the year celebrating the 50th anniversary of its foundation, primarily via weekly episodes of Queen The Greatest on YouTube, each one touching on a key moment in the group's career. - Billboard, 9/29/21...... A newly unearthed interview with John Lennon reportedly reveals the Beatles were considering replacing George Harrison with Harrison's close friend and fellow musician Eric Clapton. The revelation comes from more than 120 hours of unheard audio and 50 hours of unseen footage made during director Michael Lindsay-Hogg's "fly-on-the-wall" film of the recording of the band's Let It Be album. The tape hears Lennon threaten to replace Harrison with Clapton after Harrison temporarily quit the band in Jan. 1969 during the recording of Let It Be, which would become the Beatles' final LP release. The sudden departure of Harrison -- who felt that his songs weren't getting as much attention as those of Lennon and Paul McCartney -- worried McCartney and Ringo Starr. Lennon, however, while sympathetic, was also practical about the situation, and suggested that Clapton could be a possible replacement. Lennon said that Harrison's attitude had been "a festering wound and we allowed it to go deeper and we didn't even give him any bandages." "I think if George doesn't come back by (next week) we ask Eric Clapton to play," Lennon said. Harrison, who had been to see his mother in Liverpool, returned to the studio with the band six days later. Peter Jackson's upcoming new Disney+ documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, will focus on the making of Let It Be and will showcase their final concert as a band, on London's Savile Row rooftop, in its entirety. Disney+ has confirmed the documentary will arrive in three separate parts on November 25, 26 and 27. Each episode is approximately two hours in length. Ahead of the documentary's release a The Beatles: Get Back book will arrive on Oct. 12, featuring transcriptions of the band's recorded conversations and hundreds of exclusive, never before published photos from the three weeks of sessions. - New Musical Express, 10/2/21...... In other Beatles-related news, Paul McCartney's pal and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has revealed that Paul gave his daughter her very first piano lesson in his upcoming memoir, The Storyteller. "We have wine and pizza and we were hanging out, and it was time for Paul to go," Grohl told The Graham Norton Show in an interview which has been shared on YouTube. "Paul and [his wife] Nancy were leaving and there was a piano in the corner of the room, and he just can't help himself. So he sits down at the piano and starts playing 'Lady Madonna'... My daughter Harper, who I think was five at the time, is watching Paul McCartney on the piano and she goes to the kitchen and gets a coffee cup, puts some change in it and puts it on top of the piano like it's a tip jar. She'd never taken a lesson to play any instrument at that point and she sat down and watched his hands. They sat down together, and he was showing her what to play, and they wrote a song together." Grohl's book is due out Oct. 5 via Dey Street Books. Meanwhile, McCartney has been revealed as the person behind a set of "Grandude" ads which have recently appeared in local newspapers across the UK. The advertisements have run in the classified section of papers such as the Manchester Evening News, Liverpool Echo and Scotland's Daily Record over the last week of September. "Grandude and chillers seek information leading to the whereabouts of Nandude," the ad begins. The "Grandude" in question refers to the main character in McCartney's range of children's books, which began with the picture book Hey Grandude! in Sept. 2019. - NME, 10/2/21...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, a recording of John Lennon playing an unreleased song in Denmark in 1970 has sold for £43,000 at auction in Copenhagen. The audio, which was recorded after a press conference as John and wife Yoko Ono were spending time with his wife Yoko Ono's daughter Kyoko who was living with her father in Jutland, includes a conversation between the four teenagers, Lennon and some local journalists. After their chat, Lennon played a number of songs for them, including a track called "Radio Peace," which remains unreleased. The artefact went under the hammer in Copenhagen on Sept. 28, and while it was expected to fetch between 27,000-40,000 (£23,000-£34,000), the final figure it sold for was £43,000 (370,000 Danish kroner). Meanwhile, Ringo Starr says he's unsure about his touring plans for 2022 because the Covid-19 situation is still "dodgy." Starr, 81, says he had no choice but to call off all his All-Starr Band shows in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, and that he is still wary about risking his health. "I'm not going out this year. They've sent me the itinerary over for next year but it's impossible to say if it's on. I'm saying in my heart it's on, but let's see where we are," said Ringo, who recently released a new EP called Change the World. - NME, 9/29/21...... 
A trailer for the new movie The Matrix Resurrections featuring the Jefferson Airplane's classic 1967 psychedelic rock hit "White Rabbit" has been shared on YouTube. "White Rabbit," written by JA member Grace Slick, has provided cosmic context for numerous movies and TV shows, from the spooky Platoon scene with Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe smoking from opposite ends of a rifle to a paranoid and jittery moment in the Hunter S. Thompson biopic Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. But few have been as literal as the trailer for the new Matrix, whose labyrinthine plot matches Slick's opening lyric: "One pill makes you larger/and one pill makes you small." Slick and her fellow surviving JA members Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady gave permission for the song's use as long as they could approve the final cut, and Casady said, "I was really surprised how much I liked it and I had absolutely nothing to complain about... That song has always had an atmosphere. They give you a visual to that atmosphere. It works out great." "White Rabbit," which peaked at No. 8 on the Billlboard charts when it was released in 1967, has experienced a resurgence in downloads and lyrics searches after the new Matrix trailer was released, with more than 158 million Spotify plays and 64 million YouTube views. - Billboard, 9/29/21...... The long-awaited collaboration between Elton John and Stevie Wonder arrived on Sept. 30 as the Rocket Man released his new single "Finish Line," one of the new songs on Elton's upcoming star-studded album The Lockdown Sessions. John and Wonder both deliver a soulful performance on the track, which speaks of overcoming times of darkness with the help of a friend. The song also contains heavy gospel influences and features The Sunday Service Choir, the group that Kanye West has famously used for his Sunday church services. In an interview with Apple Music 1, John said that he has "always loved collaborating with Stevie, and I'm delighted that after 50 years of friendship we finally get to do a full-blown duet." Wonder, who also participated, said that "it is both a joy and honor to sing, play piano and harmonica for Elton." "He has truly been one of the great spirits of music, life, friendship and love, who I've met on this journey! True artistry and music like love equals a forever commitment lasting many lifetimes," Wonder added. Fans can watch the interview and listen to "Finish Line" on YouTube. - Billboard, 9/30/21...... Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner is reportedly "stable and resting" after having emergency heart surgery during the last week of September. "Richie underwent major emergency heart surgery. He is stable & resting," Faulkner's partner Mariah Lynch posted on Instagram on Sept. 28, captioning the post after thanking her followers for their well wishes. "If you know him, you know how tough & strong he is. So tough that he finished the show & kept the hair flips coming. There's no one like him. We'd be lost without him #HotDad." Judas Preist's lead vocalist Rob Halford echoed her sentiments on his own Instagram page, writing, "'good news metal maniacs as you may have seen via Ritchies beautiful @mariahklynch our Falcon is stable and resting after undergoing extensive heart surgery.'" According to the band's official website, Judas Priest's North American Tour would have concluded in November with a three-show run in Canada. The European leg of the tour was set to resume on Jan. 26, 2022, at Berlin's Mercedes Benz Arena. It remains unclear if their European dates are impacted by Faulker's hospitalization and recovery. - Billboard, 9/29/21...... 
One of the holy grails of David Bowie fandom, his legendary unreleased 2001 album Toy, is finally set for release this fall. "Depending where you are on the planet, if it's 29th September you might be streaming the radio edit of "You've Got A Habit Of Leaving" from the forthcoming Toy album, via your favourite streaming service. More details regarding that and the rest of the Era Five box, later today," Bowie's official Twitter page announced. A version of Toy leaked in 2011 featuring the new songs "Uncle Floyd," "Afraid" and the title track, as well as new takes on "Baby Loves That Way," "I Dig Everything," "Conversation Piece," "Let Me Sleep Beside You" and "Silly Boy Blue." The collection was shelved and instead Bowie released the anxious collection Heathen in 2002. According to a release from Parlophone Records/ISO announcing the project, David Bowie 5: Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) will drop on Nov. 26, followed on Jan 7, 2022 by a separate release of Toy only. The collection will be available in 3-CD or 6x10" vinyl formats, with a 16-page, full-color book featuring previously unseen photographs by Frank Ockenfels. - Billboard, 9/29/21...... Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp have teamed up for some new recordings, including a brand new single called "Wasted Days." The first of three songs recorded by Mellencamp for his upcoming album featuring Springsteen, "Wasted Days," dropped on Sept. 29. The acoustic ramble featuring two of the nation's most beloved chroniclers of the American dream/nightmare sounds like a pair of old friends sitting around a fire, strumming their acoustics and wondering "how many more times they'll be able to do this thing." "How many summers still remain?/ How many days are lost in vain?/ Who's counting out these last remaining years?/ How many minutes do we have here?," Mellencamp, 69, sings on the first verse of the ballad. The song, written and produced by Mellencamp, features Springsteen on vocals and electric guitar, with the pair teaming up to weave their world-weary voices together on the chorus: "Wasted days/ Wasted days/ We watch our lives just fade away to/ More wasted Days." After a violin break, The Boss, 72, leans into the second verse with an urgent series of questions about what it's all about. "How much sorrow is there left to climb?/ How many promises are worth the time?/ And who on Earth is worth our time?/ Is there a heart here that I can call mine?" he sings. Though the two American singer-songwriter icons have shared stages before, this is the first time they've hit the studio together. The video for the new single, which was directed by Springsteen long-time collaborator Thom Zimny and filmed in New Jersey in early September, has been shared on YouTube. In other Springsteen-related news, "the Boss" has been confirmed to be among the headliners at the 15th Annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit concert. The event, which will also feature Jon Stewart, Nate Bargatze, Jim Gaffigan, Grace Gaustad, Nikki Glaser, Sing Harlem and Donnell Rawlings, is set for Nov. 8 and will take place at Alice Tully Hall in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts instead of its usual Madison Square Garden location. - Billboard, 9/29/21...... Pink Floyd's David Gilmour has shared a demo version of the song "Yet Another Movie" ahead of the "Remixed and Updated" reissue of the band's 1987 album A Momentary Lapse of Reason. The album, which was the band's first following the departure of Roger Waters, will be reissued on Oct. 29 via Sony on vinyl, CD, DVD and more. Discussing "Yet Another Movie," which can be heard on YouTube, in a statement, Gilmour said: "Pat Leonard and I met up at Astoria in September 1986 a couple of days after I had played on a Bryan Ferry track that he was producing. We had a glass or two of wine and jammed for hours. For some reason that I can no longer remember I had chosen the fretless bass as my instrument of the day. It turned into a beautiful song." - New Musical Express, 9/28/21...... Bob Dylan, who turned 80 on May 24, seems confident about his future by billing his upcoming tour the "Dylan World Wide Tour 2021-24." Dylan has announced he plans to return to live performing Nov. 2 in Milwaukee, Wis. He has 21 concerts scheduled through Dec. 2, hitting cities like Chicago, New York, Boston and Washington, as well as Moon Township, Pa., and Knoxville, Tenn. The concert business is slowly ramping up after the pandemic pause, which grounded Dylan's so-called "Never Ending Tour." He toured every year from 1988 until 2019. - AP, 10/1/21...... 
Musician George Frayne, who as leader of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen enjoyed a cult following in the 1970s with such party and concert favorites as "Hot Rod Lincoln" and "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)," died on Sept. 26 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., according to his wife Sua Casanova, who did not immediately provide further details. Frayne was 77 and had been diagnosed with cancer several years ago. Formed in 1967, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen drew upon influences ranging from Western swing to jump blues. They became a popular touring and recording act during the first half of the 1970s, getting around the country in a converted Greyhound bus. They specialized in uptempo remakes, notably the top 10 hit "Hot Rod Lincoln"; "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)," a novelty song from the 1940s; "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" and "Diggy Liggy Lo." The sound was country-rock boogie and the mood lighthearted and ready to get wild, as defined by Frayne's witty talking-blues vocals. Frayne was a native of Boise, Idaho, who grew up in New York City and Long Island and had an early interest in piano and art and design. He attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate and graduate student and was still living in Ann Arbor when he helped form Commander Cody, lifting the name from old movie serials, along with Billy C. Farlow, Bill Kirchen and others he would call "neo-radicals who specialized in a form of quasi-social mayhem." The band broke up in the mid-1970s, but Frayne (still calling himself Commander Cody) continued to tour and record, performing with the likes of Jerry Garcia, Elvis Costello and Sammy Hagar among others and releasing such albums as Dopers, Drunks and Everyday Losers and Worst Case Scenario. He also painted, made films, and taught at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In 2009, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen was voted into Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. - AP, 9/30/21...... Dr. Lonnie Smith, a Hammond organist virtuoso who pushed musical boundaries and was recognized by fans and peers as one of the finest to ever play the instrument, died on Sept. 28 at home in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He was 79. Born in Buffalo, New York on July 3, 1942, Smith was turned on to gospel, blues and jazz, thanks to the guidance of his mom. As a teen, he tried his hand at the Hammond organ, an instrument he would soon master. Smith would make an immediate impression with the Blue Note label, initially with Lou Donaldson's band, on the saxophonist's album Alligator Boogaloo from 1967. Over time, Smith would record for many labels including Kudu, Groove Merchant, T.K., Scufflin', Criss Cross, Palmetto, and his own label Pilgrimage, and he'd stage a return to Blue Note in 2016. Earlier in 2021, Smith released what turned out be his final studio album, Breathe. Don Was produced the collection, Smith's third since his return to Blue Note. The cause of Smith's death was attributed to pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. - Billboard, 9/29/21.
The yearly tradition of Earth, Wind & Fire's 1979 classic "September" having a streaming surge on the 21st day and night of September (the day mentioned in the song's opening line) held strong in 2021, with the tune streaming 322% more than on Sept. 20, as well as 18% more than on the same famed day in 2020. On Sept. 21, "September" drew 1.5 million on-demand U.S. streams, according to MRC Data. That's a 322% surge over Sept. 20, when the song racked up 352,000 streams. Further, 1.4 million of the song's streams on the 21st were via on-demand audio streaming services. That's an 18% year-over-year gain on its big day: On Sept. 21, 2020, the track garnered 1.2 million clicks on-demand audio platforms. "September" also sold 2,500 downloads on Sept. 21, 2021, a 733% spike from the day before. Meanwhile, the song earned 2.5 million global on-demand streams Sept. 21, up 147% from Sept. 20. Removing the U.S. from the equation, "September" was streamed 974,000 times in non-U.S. territories, a 50% spike from the previous day. "September" was originally a Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 over four decades ago, hitting No. 8 in Feb. 1979, becoming EWF's fourth of seven career Top 10's. - Billboard, 9/24/21...... 
Bob Dylan announced on Instagram on Sept. 28 that he'll kick off his first tour since 2019 on Nov. 2 at Milwaukee's Riverside Theatre. The 21-date North American tour will then visit such markets as Chicago (11/3), Cleveland (11/5), Columbus, Oh. (11/6) and Cincinnati (11/9) in an itinerary that will included three shows at the Beacon Theatre in NYC (11/20,21,23) and two concerts at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. (11/23,24) and two-dates in Philadelphia's The Met (11/29,30) before wrapping in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 2. The shows were announced as the first leg of a world tour in support of Dylan's 39th studio album, Rough And Rowdy Ways, and set to run until 2024. It'll be the first time the musician has played to a live audience since Dec. 2019, with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic forcing him to pause his decades-long "Never Ending Tour." Dylan released the critically acclaimed Rough and Rowdy Ways last June which featured the singles "Murder Most Foul" (which earned Dylan his first-ever No. 1 on a US Billboard chart), "I Contain Multitudes" and "False Prophet." Dylan followed its release earlier in September with the 16th installment in his ongoing bootleg series, Springtime In New York. - New Musical Express, 9/28/21...... Judas Priest announced on Sept. 27 they've been forced to postpone the remainder of their 2021 U.S. tour after lead guitarist Richie Faulkner was hospitalized due to his "major medical heart condition." The band said in a statement that Faulkner "has major medical heart condition issues which have landed him in the hospital where he is being treated" and that "in the meantime, we are all sending love to our Falcon to wish him a speedy recovery... As soon as we have any updates from the doctors on when we can reschedule the dates, we will of course announce them - Tickets will be valid." Judas Priest's "50 Heavy Metal Years North American Tour" was set to wrap in November with a three-show stand in Canada, before the European leg would resume Jan. 26, 2022, in Berlin's Mercedes Benz Arena. It remains unclear if their European dates are impacted by Faulker's hospitalization. Meanwhile, Priest fans can occupy themselves with a new deluxe limited-edition box set from the band, Judas Priest - 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music, which is due from Sony Legacy on Oct. 15. - Billboard, 9/27/21...... The Rolling Stones honored their late co-founding drummer Charlie Watts on Sept. 26 as they kicked off the latest U.S. leg of their "No Filter" tour at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Mo. A video montage of Watts, who passed away on Aug. 24 at the age of 80, at the start of the set, and frontman Mick Jagger told the audience that he felt emotional watching it as he addressed Watts' death while holding hands with Richards at the front of the stage. "I just want to say that it's quite emotional seeing those images of Charlie up on the screen," Jagger said. "This is our first tour that we've ever done without him. The reaction from you guys, everything you've said and we've heard from you, has been really touching... And I want to thank you very much for all your appreciation. We all miss Charlie so much, on the stage and off the stage, and we'd love to dedicate this tour to Charlie. Here's to you, Charlie!" The Stones' hits-heavy 19-song set kicked off with "Street Fighting Man" and encored with "Gimme Shelter" and "Satisfaction." Other than a private warm-up gig in the fourth week of September, the show was the first concert the band has done without Watts since he joined the group in 1963. The Stones, with Steve Jordan handling drumming duties, now head to Charlotte, N.C. to play Bank Of America Stadium on Sept. 30, followed by Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Oct. 4. Other cities on the tour itinerary include Nashville, Atlanta, Detroit and Tampa, as well as Los Angeles where the band will play SoFi Stadium. Meanwhile, the band has dedicated a new music video for a rare track called "Living in the Heart of Love" to Watts. The song, which has been shared on YouTube, was recorded during the session for 1981's Tattoo You but not included on its official tracklist. The accompanying clip features actresses Marguerite Thiam and Nailia Harzoune enjoying a night of debauchery in Paris: skipping out on a bar tab, dancing in clubs and sharing a passionate kiss. - Music-News.com, 9/27/21...... 
Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne was honored at the 74th Annual Tony Awards at New York City's Winter Garden Theatre on Sept. 26 for his acclaimed Broadway production "American Utopia." Byrne was presented with a Special Tony Award for the production, based off his 2018 album of the same name, which was also adapted into a concert film directed by Spike Lee that premiered in late 2020 on HBO. Byrne also performed the Talking Heads' 1982 favorite "Burning Down the House" during the ceremony, and a clip of the performance has been shared on the CBS Twitter page. "American Utopia" began its Broadway run at the Hudson Theatre in Oct. 2019 before closing in Feb. 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The unique concert utilised cutting edge technology to free its dozen performers from being tethered to any cables, allowing Byrne and his live band members to move about the stage without restrain. Earlier in September, "American Utopia" returned to the stage for a six-month run, having relocated to the St. James Theatre. - NME, 9/27/21...... Parliament-Funkadelic mastermind George Clinton announced on Sept. 26 that his final U.K. tour will launch on May 22, 2022 in Nottingham. The funk-rock legend will also visit London (5/23), Glasgow (5/24), Bristol (5/26), Manchester (5/27) and Margate (5/28) before wrapping in Scarborough on May 29. Clinton, 80, had announced his retirement from the road almost two years ago, but due to the coronavirus pandemic his U.K. farewell tour was put on hold. "This has been coming a long time," Clinton said in a statement at the time. "Anyone who has been to the shows over the past couple of years has noticed that I've been out front less and less. Truth be told, it's never really been about me. It's always been about the music and the band. That's the real P-Funk legacy. They'll still be funkin' long after I stop," he added. - NME, 9/26/21...... On Sept. 25 Elton John participated in the virtual worldwide Global Citizen live event by performing a string of hits and delivering a strong message on Covid vaccinations. In Paris, Sir Elton treated his audience to a rendition of "Tiny Dancer" at the base of the Eiffel Tower, before sharing some heartfelt words about the coronavirus pandemic and how it's affecting those in poor areas of the world. "I have spent most of my life fighting the AIDS pandemic, and we made great progress for two reasons: one, we've always followed the science, two, we've put our arms around everyone to make sure no one gets left behind," John said. "These same lessons apply equally to the COVID pandemic. While most here today have been vaccinated against COVID, only four percent in Africa are. We must not leave anyone behind," he added. Elton went on to urge people to donate to the Go Give One vaccine equity campaign by the WHO Foundation, as donations up to $1 million would be matched. "Showing this love and solidarity for others during COVID, like we've done with AIDS, is how we'll make a better future," he added. Elton's Paris performance of "Tiny Dancer" can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 9/26/21...... The Tom Petty documentary Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers will be given a worldwide cinema release with surround sound for the first time on Oct. 20, which is the late singer's birthday. The uplifting documentary, which is focused on his classic 1994 solo set Wildflowers, looks at the "mastery and turbulent personal life" of the music icon, and is focused on the period of 1993-1995. During this time, Tom worked with revered producer Rick Rubin for the first time, making the project an exciting one for fans. Somewhere You Feel Free also features never before seen footage and new interviews with the likes of members of his band the Heartbreakers, including Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell, and many more. The documentary was first aired in March at SXSW 2021, where it won the festival's Audience Award. Tickets for Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers are on sale now at TomPettyFilm.com. - Music-News.com, 9/25/21...... A trailer for the Beatles documentary The Beatles and India has been shared on YouTube. The award-winning film explores the lasting legacy from the Fab Four's ground-breaking 1968 visit to Rishikesh, India. It sheds light on how India shaped the development of the greatest ever rock band and their pioneering role in bringing together two vastly different cultures. The film is set for its U.K. digital release on Oct. 4, courtesy of 101 Films. The documentary won Best Film Audience Choice and Best Music in Tongues On Fire at the 2021 UK Asian Film Festival, where it premiered earlier in 2021. The DVD and Blu-ray release from Cherry Red and an album Songs Inspired By The Film The Beatles And India will drop via Silva Screen Records on Oct. 29. - Music-News.com, 9/24/21...... 
Elvis Costello & The Attractions have scored their first entry on a Billboard Latin Albums chart with the Top 10 success of Spanish Model, which was released on Sept. 10. The album is a rework of Costello's 1978 This Year's Model LP and first with The Attractions which peaked at No. 30 high on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart in 1978. Spanish Model was recorded completely in Spanish and produced by Argentinean producer Sebastian Krys. The 19-track set features a roster of Spanish-speaking artists from all corners of the world: Fito Pez, Draco Rosa, Juanes, Jorge Drexler, Francisca Valenzuela, La Marisoul, Jesse & Joy, to name a few, each deliver their vocal performances set to the band's original instrumentation. In the U.S., Spanish Model launched with 2,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Sept. 16, according to MRC Data. Album sales makes up nearly all of the album's debut total, with one unit equal to one album sale. - Billboard, 9/23/21...... Willie Nelson has announced he'll release a new album, The Willie Nelson Family, on Nov. 19, his second LP release of 2021. The new album will feature members of the Nelson family, including Willie's sister Bobbie Lee, sons Lukas and Micah, and daughters Amy and Paula. Recordings on the album will also include contributions from Nelson's late longtime drummer Paul English, who died in February 2020. For the album, Nelson will revisit songs from his back catalog and cover songs written by the likes of George Harrison ("All Things Must Pas"), Hank Williams ("I Saw The Light") and Kris Kristofferson (Why Me). Coinciding with the album's announcement, Nelson has released a reworking of his song "Family Bible," which he wrote in the '50s but sold to Paul Buskirk. He later recorded it for his 1971 album, Yesterday's Wine. The new "Family Bible" version can be streamed on YouTube. Earlier in 2021, Nelson released That's Life, his second album of Frank Sinatra covers. - NME, 9/24/21...... Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's legendary 1979 "No Nukes" concerts film will be released worldwide on Nov. 19 for the very first time. Held on Sept. 21 and 22 of 1979 at Madison Square Garden in New York, the film features 10 performances and full footage of The Boss's entire setlist on those evenings. Both nights open with a trio of songs from the former and feature then-unreleased songs from the latter, like "Sherry Darling" and "The River," which got its live debut at "No Nukes." The film will be distributed globally in HD for digital download on Nov. 16, and it'll arrive Nov. 19 in physical formats, with bundles available on CD and DVD, CD with Blu-Ray, and vinyl. A project of Sony Music Entertainment's Premium Content Division, in partnership with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, the No Nukes Concerts will roll out for digital rental on Nov. 23. - Billboard, 9/23/21...... 
A guitar used extensively by the late The Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone is currently up for auction. Ramone, who died in 2004 following a five-year battle with prostate cancer, used the guitar from 1977 to 1996, playing it in all live performances, an estimated 1,985 shows in total. The 1965 Mosrite Ventures II electric guitar also features on all 15 live and studio albums by The Ramones during this period, including Rocket to Russia, End of the Century and Adios Amigos!, the iconic punk band's final album before breaking up in 1996. Currently, more than 20 bids have been placed for the guitar, the highest so far for $275,000. Bidding ends on Sept. 25, and a video showcasing the guitar by RR Auction has been shared on YouTube. - NME, 9/23/21...... Bassist Bob Moore, a member of Nashville's revered "A Team" group of session musicians, has died at age 88. Mr. Moore was known for the contribution of his signature bass style to enduring country hits including Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry" and "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," Marty Robbins's "El Paso," Conway Twitty's "Hello, Darlin'," and numerous other songs. Mr. Moore also played on several records for Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Wanda Jackson and others. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he played on Presley songs including "I Need Your Love Tonight," "It's Now or Never," "Little Sister," "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and more. In the early 1960s, Mr. Moore helped establish Monument Records, including leading sessions for Monument artists such as Roy Orbison. In 1961, Mr. Moore earned his own pop hit with a recording of Boudleaux Bryant's instrumental "Mexico," released via Monument. In 2007, Mr. Moore was celebrated by the Country Music Hall of Fame as part of its "Nashville Cats" series. At that time, Mr. Moore estimated that he had played on more than 17,000 songs. - Billboard, 9/23/21...... Pee Wee Ellis, a veteran jazz saxophonist and bandleader for the likes of James Brown, Van Morrison and more, has died at the age of 80. The news was revealed on the musician's official Facebook page, where a message read: "With great sadness we have to announce that Pee Wee passed away last night following complications with his heart. We are working on plans to celebrate his wonderful life and hope you will all take time to listen to his music and continue his legacy." Leading tributes to Ellis was Bootsy Collins, who kposted on Twitter: "We just lost another bandmate & legend, Mr. Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis. He was a member of James Brown's band in the 60s, recording many of Brown's recordings "Cold Sweat", "Say It Loud ". He also worked with Van Morrison. A silent genius & brilliant arrangements. Prayers to Family!" The Bradenton, Fla. native is credited with helping James Brown write some of his most famous songs, including "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" and "Cold Sweat." In 1979, he was part of the band that recorded Van Morrison's Into The Musicalbum, and also appeared on the iconic track "Summertime In England." Later in his career, he started his own group, called the Pee Wee Ellis Assembly, and was a member of Ginger Baker's Jazz Confusion from 2012. - NME, 9/26/21...... Alan Lancaster, the founding bassist of the U.K. hard rock band Status Quo, has died in Sydney, Australia, after a bout with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for some time. He was 72. Lancaster's death was announced by his close friend Craig Bennett, an Australian entertainment reporter who noted on his Facebook page that "Despite having MS and issues with his mobility, Alan participated in hugely successful reunion tours... He bravely played to thousands of adoring fans..and loved being back with the band and his loyal Quo army." Lancaster performed with Status Quo until 1985, appearing on 15 albums. Though never breaking through in America, Status Quo enjoyed more than 60 Top 40 hits in the U.K., had 25 U.K. Top 10 albums and released over 100 singles there, including hit songs such as "Down Down" and "Whatever You Want." Lancaster's last album with the band was 1983's Back To Back. He reunited with Status Quo for a U.K. tour in 2013, and his last ever show with the band was in Dublin in 2014. Lancaster had been living in Australia for 45 years, having migrated in the 1980s, and is survived by his wife, Dayle, whom he met on tour with Status Quo in Australia in 1973, their children, Alan Jr., Toni and David, and five grandchildren. - NME, 9/26/21...... 
Melvin Van Peebles, a groundbreaking filmmaker, playwright and musician whose work ushered in the "blaxploitation" wave of the 1970s and influenced filmmakers long after, died on Sept. 21 at his home in Manhattan. He was 89. Sometimes called the "godfather of modern Black cinema," the multi-talented Mr. Van Peebles wrote numerous books and plays, and recorded several albums -- playing multiple instruments and delivering rap-style lyrics. He later became a successful options trader on the stock market. He was best known for Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, one of the most influential movies of its time. The low-budget, art-house film, which he wrote, produced, directed, starred in and scored, was the frenzied, hyper-sexual and violent tale of a Black street hustler on the run from police after killing white officers who were beating a Black revolutionary. Made for around $500,000 (including $50,000 provided by Bill Cosby), the film grossed $14 million at the box office despite an X-rating, limited distribution and mixed critical reviews. The New York Times, for example, accused Van Peebles of merchandizing injustice and called the film "an outrage." Mr. Van Peebles, who complained fiercely to the Motion Picture Association over the X-rating, gave the film the tagline: "Rated X by an all-white jury." But in the wake of the its success, Hollywood realized an untapped audience and began churning out such box office hits as Shaft and Superfly that were also known for bringing in such top musicians as Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes to work on the soundtracks. In 1968, he was hired to direct and write the score for Watermelon Man, the tale of a white bigot (played by comic Godfrey Cambridge in white face) who wakes up one day as a Black man. His death came just days before the New York Film Festival is to celebrate him with a 50th anniversary of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. A box set of his films, Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films, was released by the Criterion Collection on Sept. 28. - AP, 9/22/21.
On Sept. 22 Elton John released "After All," a new single from 
Before launching into their first-ever performance since the death of longtime drummer Charlie Watts on Aug. 24, the Rolling Stones dedicated the Sept. 20 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. to their dear friend and bandmate. "It's a bit of a poignant night for us," an emotional Mick Jagger told the intimate audience of 300 at the show put on by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft as guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood draped their arms around the vocalist. "Because this is our first tour in 59 years that we've done without our lovely Charlie Watts. We all miss Charlie so much. We miss him as a band. We miss him as friends, on and off the stage. We've got so many memories of Charlie. I'm sure some of you that have seen us before have got memories of Charlie as well. And I hope you'll remember him like we do. So we'd like to dedicate this show to Charlie," Jagger said in the speech, which has been shared on his 
On Sept. 18, Eric Clapton performed a show at the Smoothie King in New Orleans, effectively undoing the stance he took earlier in 2021 against venues that require evidence of a Covid-19 vaccine or negative test result. In July, Clapton vowed never to perform at a venue that required proof of vaccination, shortly after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that vaccine passes would be required to enter nightclubs and venues in the country, with Clapton saying: "I reserve the right to cancel the show." But according to the Smoothie King's website, they require all those in attendance to have received at least one dose of a vaccine or provide a negative test result taken within 72 hours of attending an event, and to wear a mask while not eating or drinking. Although Clapton says he's been vaccinated, he has criticized the "propaganda" promoting the vaccine's safety, even claiming in May he had a "disastrous" reaction after experiencing side-effects. Clapton said that "my hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks, I feared I would never play again, (I suffer with peripheral neuropathy and should never have gone near the needle.)... But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone." - NME, 9/21/21...... Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA has launched a new initiative called Credits Due, which aims to tackle issues surrounding music royalties and metadata. Credits Due will attempt to ensure that "complete and accurate song metadata is attached to all recordings at the point of creation," leading to all songwriters and contributors being accurately and fairly paid for their work," according to a press release. It comes from a collaboration between The Ivors Academy and The Music Rights Awareness Foundation (MRAF), of which Ulvaeus is a co-founder, and was unveiled on Sept. 21 at the Ivor Novello awards. "I could think of no better event to launch the Credits Due initiative than at the Ivor Novello Awards," Ulvaeus said. "You could say that we celebrate all the great UK and Irish songwriters and composers by starting this open and inclusive collaboration with The Ivors Academy... It's very simple, music recordings must credit all involved and thus ensure that the right people get paid. People ask me why this isn't the case already and I don't know what to say," he added. In other ABBA news, member Agnetha Fältskog has revealed that the quartet's forthcoming "Voyage" concert experience may be their last. Speaking to Radio Sweden about the rehearsals, Fältskog: "None of us probably knew what to expect but we've worked with it a lot so you grew into it eventually. We stand there doing these songs with I don't know how many cameras and people. It felt great to do it in the end because it was so different. Also there was a vibe, one felt that maybe it's the last thing we do. Same thing with the album." When asked when the band will get together again in the future, she added: "I don't really dare to say. We're a bit older now, and have our minor ailments. But we struggle on. But I don't dare to say, because it's a bit uncertain. At the moment we feel happy that we got this together, and let's hope everything goes well in London, at the premiere over there." ABBA announced on Sept. 2 their new album 
Genesis kicked off their first tour in 14 years on Sept. 20 in Birmingham, UK. The prog-rock trio's "The Last Domino?" opener saw Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford perform a host of hits at the Utilita Arena including "Mama" and "Land of Confusion," "You're No Son Of Mine" and "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight," along with a trio of hits from 1980's Duke LP including "Behind the Lines," "Duke's End" and "Turn It On Again." The UK run of the tour, originally set for November and December 2020 before being pushed back to April and then again to September due to the coronavirus pandemic, precedes a newly announced North American run. After the tour begins in Birmingham opener, the band will head to Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool and Glasgow before the leg wraps up with three dates at The O2 in London on Oct. 11, 12 and 13. A North American run will then begin Nov. 15 in Chicago, also visiting Washington, D.C, Charlotte, N.C., Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York City, Columbus, Oh., and Elmont, N.Y.'s Belmont Park before wrapping on Dec. 13 in Pittsburgh. In a new interview with Mojo magazine, Phil Collins ruled out any further dates from the band, saying these will be the last Genesis shows ever. "This English and American tour, that will be enough for me," he said. Highlights from the Birmingham show, with Collins remaining seated throughout, have been shared by one fan on 
Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson has announced that he's releasing some stripped-back versions of several BB classics on a new album called 
Sarah Dash, best known as a singer and founding member of the '70s R&B trio Labelle passed away of as yet undisclosed causes on Sept. 19. She was 76. Born in Trenton, N.J., Dash linked up with Patti Labelle and Nona Hondryx for the first time in 1961 as part of The Ordettes, along with Sundray Tucker. Soon after, Tucker was replaced by Cindy Birdsong and the group had changed their name to Patti Labelle and The Bluebells. In the late 60s, Birdsong left the band to join The Supremes, and the trio once again rebranded themselves to simply Labelle, in what is their most recognizable lineup. Together, the trio released eight albums together, most recently 2008's Back To Now. They enjoyed particular success with the release of their seminal 1974 single, 
Elton John announced on Sept. 16 that he is postponing the remaining dates on his 2021 "Farewell to Yellow Brick Road" tour after he will undergo surgery for a hip injury he suffered over the summer. John, 74, said the dates for his European run will be postponed until 2023. "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I am forced to reschedule," John said in a statement shared on social media. "At the end of my summer break I fell awkwardly on a hard surface and have been in considerable pain and discomfort in my hip ever since." Though he's putting off the tour, Elton said will not cancel on his previously announced charity performance for Global Citizen, which is set to take place Sept. 25. "I don't want to let a charity down," he explained, noting that it's very different performing five songs versus nearly three hours every night. "After this I will be having the operation to ensure the tour can get back on the road in January of 2022 in New Orleans. It breaks my heart to keep you waiting any longer. I promise you this -- the shows will return to the road next year and I will make sure they are more than worth the wait," he added. John's ongoing "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, which was announced in 2018, has been billed as the five-time Grammy winner's "final" time on the road. As with other concerts around the world, it was postponed in 2020 due to the global coronavirus pandemic. On Sept. 1, he announced that his new album of collaborations with some of today's hottest rising artists, 
The Doors announced on 
Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, a 33-minute recording of John Lennon playing an unreleased song in Denmark in 1970 is going up for auction in Copenhagen later in September. The recording is being sold by four Danish men who met Lennon when they were teenagers as the international superstar was spending the winter of 1969-1970 in a small Danish town on the west coast wife Yoko Ono's daughter Kyoko, who was living with her father in Jutland. The audio, which was recorded after a press conference, includes a conversation between the four teenagers, Lennon and some local journalists. After their chat, Lennon plays a number of songs for them, including a track called "Radio Peace," which remains unreleased. The artefact will go under the hammer in Copenhagen on Sept. 28, and is expected to fetch between 27,000-40,000 (£23,000-£34,000). "The tape is totally unique because it's a conversation. It took place after a press conference with the four schoolboys and some journalists, and John Lennon plays a few songs for them," a spokesperson for the Bruun Rasmussen auction house says. "One of them, 'Radio Peace', has never been published. It's a little piece of Danish history and when we listen to it, we can sense that John Lennon felt cosy in Denmark. He could be left alone and just be," the spokesperson added.Elsewhere, a John Lennon tribute show called "Dear John" is set to be livestreamed in October. The online event will follow on from the release earlier this year of the Dear John tribute album, which featured Lennon covers by a range of artists and raised money for the War Child charity. A livestream tribute concert will now take place on Oct. 9 to mark what would have been Lennon's 81st birthday, with the event benefitting War Child once again. Participants will include Peter Frampton, Martin Freeman, Matt Lucas, Jack Savoretti, Fearne Cotton and Yola, among others. Tickets for the "Dear John" event can be purchased at 
Todd Rundgren has vented his frustration over working with rapper Kanye West on his recent album DONDA. In an interview with Classic Rock magazine, according to Rundgren he contributed to the record over a year and amassed "three albums worth of Kanye stems on my computer" and said he was initially put in touch with West via the rapper's longtime collaborator, 88-Keys. "I didn't mind working on his gospel stuff. If you want to sing about Jesus, go ahead, I don't care. I'll help ya do it, you know? If you want to sing about your troubles with your wife, go ahead and do it. I don't care," he said of the early sessions. But over time Rundgren said he grew frustrated with West. "When it got into the homestretch in July, I just said, 'That's enough for me. I have no idea whether any of this is being used.' You don't get much feedback from him regarding what it is," he said. "If I can contribute something, fine. If I can't, just let me know. I'm out of here... There is a possibility that I'm actually in there somewhere. There's so much junk in that record!," Rundgren added. He also criticized West for rush-releasing the album so he could release it before Drake's Certified Lover Boy. "He was too afraid that Drake would one-up him, so he hurried up and released the album the weekend before Drake could get his out," Rundgren said. "And in the end, Drake ate his lunch anyway." 'Certified Lover Boy' outstreamed 'DONDA' in just three days in the US. He's just a dilettante at this point. Nobody would regularly make records like that unless they had stupid money to throw around. Nobody rents a stadium to make a record in. Nobody flies in the entire world of hip-hop just to croak one syllable, just so you can say that everybody was on it," Rundgren added. Meanwhile, in the same interview Rundgren says he will not be attending the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in Cleveland in October, where he's set to be inducted alongside the likes of Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Tina Turner and more. Rundgren -- who has acknowledged that his relationship with the Hall of Fame has been "obviously... not copacetic" -- will instead be performing a show a few hours away in Cincinnati on the evening of Oct. 30. "I have offered to do something live for them from my venue. I will stop my show and acknowledge the award and mostly acknowledge my fans, because it's for them," Rundgren said. "They're the ones who wanted it. And now they've got it. So it's a celebration for them, not so much for me. I've been totally willing to do that. But for me to do something extraordinary for the Hall of Fame would just be hypocritical. You know, I'm too much on the record about my feelings." Rundgren has indeed been fairly vocal about his feelings towards the Hall of Fame, which run the gamut between broad indifference and labelling it a "scam" when speaking to Billboard in February. Despite his personal feelings towards the Hall of Fame, Rundgren said that he's tried to stay relatively quiet since his nomination was announced earlier this year. "A lot of artists take this seriously. Just because I don't, doesn't mean I should try and spoil it for them... I would just like it to elapse without any kind of bad vibes or anything being a result of it. I'd just like it to happen and be over with." - NME, 9/14/21...... Alice Cooper and The Cult announced details of a co-headlining UK arena tour that's set to kick off in Swansea on May 23, 2022. The six arena shows will also include stops in London (5/25), Manchester (5/27), Glasgow (5/28), Birmingham (5/30) and Leeds (6/1). - NME, 9/14/21...... During a press conference at the Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of her new documentary Don't Make Me Over, Dionne Warwick says she plans on approaching Taylor Swift to see if she's interested in recording new music with her. After confirming she had recorded a song with Chance The Rapper, Warwick said she would be "working with The Weeknd as well." It was reported earlier this year that Chance and Warwick had recruited The Weeknd for a charity single they were making together. - NME, 9/15/21...... 
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He may be a New Jersey native son but Bruce Springsteen has close ties to New York City, and on Sept. 11 the rock icon honored the victims of the 9/11/01 terrorist attack on the city with an emotional acoustic performance of his song "I'll See You in My Dreams" during a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the event. The Boss's unannounced appearance on that day, which has been shared on 
On Sept. 9 a Florida judge canceled the trial for Rod Stewart and his son Sean over an altercation the two had on New Year's Eve 2019 with a hotel security guard. Judge August Bonavita set a hearing for Oct. 22 regarding a plea agreement to close the case without them needing to appear in court for a trial, which had been set to begin on Sept. 14. Stewart and his son are accused of pushing and shoving security guard Jessie Dixon at the upscale The Breakers Hotel on Dec. 31, 2019, because he wouldn't let them into a New Year's Eve party. Dixon told Palm Beach police officers that Stewart's group was at the check-in table for a private party they weren't authorized to attend, according to the police report. Dixon said the group became loud and began causing a scene, and told investigators he put his hand on the younger Stewart's chest and told him to back up and make space. That's when Sean Stewart allegedly got "nose to nose" with Dixon. Sean, now 41, then shoved Dixon backwards. Rod Stewart, now 76, then punched Dixon in his "left rib cage area" with a closed fist, prosecutors allege. The arresting officer said he viewed security footage at the hotel and determined that the Stewarts were the "primary aggressors." If convicted, the Stewarts were facing a year in jail, or probation and a $1,000 fine. The terms of the plea agreement are not clear yet, and their attorney Guy Fronstin did not respond to the AP for comment. The Stewarts' battery charges have taken long to resolve because of the Covid-19 pandemic and settlement negotiations. - AP, 9/12/21...... Judas Priest kicked off their belated 50th-anniversary tour (delayed a year because the pandemic) on Sept. 8 in Reading, Pa. Dubbed "50 Heavy Metal Years," Priest's North American leg runs through Nov. 5. The English metal icons played their first concert in nearly 25 months on Aug. 15 before 20,000 metalheads at the U.K.'s annual Bloodstock Open Air festival, and judging from that setlist, fans in the U.S. can expect to hear some vintage songs resurrected for this trek (1974's "Rocka Rolla," 1978's "Exciter" and 1988's "Blood Red Skies" among them), plus tunes that have never been played live, specifically "Invader" from 1978's Stained Class, and "One Shot at Glory" from 1990's Grammy-nominated Painkiller. Meanwhile, Sony Legacy has announced the release of a 
In a rare interview, Phil Collins has updated fans on his ongoing health battles and their effect on his ability to perform. Collins, who has been suffering from nerve damage since a spinal injury in 2007 in which he damaged vertebrae in his upper neck, told the BBC Breakfast program that he is "kind of physically challenged a bit which is very frustrating because I'd love to be playing up there with my son," referring to his son Nic Collins who will be taking his dad's place behind the kit during Genesis' forthcoming reunion tour. When asked if he's still able to play, Phil said: "No. No, I would love to but, you know, I mean I can barely hold a stick with this hand, so there are certain physical things that get in the way." First announced in Mar. 2020 but delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the North American leg of the reunion tour will kick off on Nov. 15 in Chicago. It will see Collins reunite with Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, who last performed together in 2007 to mark Genesis' 40th anniversary. While Collins will sing, his son has been confirmed to take over on drums. "He plays a bit like me when he wants to," Collins said when the tour was first announced. - NME, 9/11/21...... Co-founding Jefferson Airplane member Jorma Kaukanen has reacted to the first trailer for the upcoming latest Keanu Reeves-starred The Matrix series installment The Matrix Resurrections, which features the JA's iconic 1967 hit single "White Rabbit" and has been shared on 
Michael Constantine, an Emmy-winning actor best known as the genial school principal on the popular '70s TV series 
Led Zeppelin mastermind Jimmy Page attended the 78th Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 4 in Venice, Italy, for that evening's premiere of the eagerly anticipated Led Zep doc Becoming Led Zeppelin. Producers Bernard MacMahon and Allison McGourty, both avowed LZ fans, obtained never-before-seen footage of some of the band's early U.S. and British concerts for the film, as well as an astonishing audio interview that drummer John Bonham gave to an Australian journalist before he died in 1980. The interview, concert footage and other archive material are spliced into contemporary interviews with the three surviving band members -- Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones -- to create a montage that maps the frenetic first two years of the band's existence and its early musical influences. Page says he turned down a lot of "pretty miserable" pitches over the years to make a documentary about his pioneering heavy metal band, but he finally consented when he received MacMahon and McGourty's deeply-researched proposal which focuses almost exclusively on the band's music and chronicling its birth in 1968 and its meteoric early rise. "When we first met we were probably a little nervous of each other. But the conduit was the storyboard," Page said. "And I thought they've really got it, they really understand what it was about. This one, it's everything about the music, and what made the music tick. It's not just a sample of it with a talking head. This is something in a totally different genre," he added. A teaser clip for the new documentary has been shared on 
On Sept. 8 Roger Daltrey announced a new set of solo U.K. tour dates this winter. The Who frontman's latest live show will consist of "a unique mix of music and conversation that is built around Roger's musical journey," according to a press release, with the singer performing a selection of tracks from across his nine solo albums on each night of the tour, alongside cuts from his 2014 album with Wilko Johnson and reinterpretations of Who classics and rarities. "The truth is singers need to sing. Use it or lose it," Daltrey said in the statement. "Throughout my life I have sung with so many great musicians, from the heavy rock of The Who and Wilko Jonson, to the Irish lilt of The Chieftains. On this tour I want to take the audience on a musical journey through my career as a singer, with a show of songs and sounds that explores and surprises. I look forward to having closer contact with my audience than festivals and arenas allow. Leaving time to chat," he added, noting that "it's important to get our road crew working again -- without these guys the halls would go silent." Daltrey's tour will launch on Nov. 7 in Birmingham, also visiting Manchester (11/9), Nottingham (11/11), London (11/15), Brighton (11/17), Southend (11/19), Oxford (11/21), Glasgow (11/24), Newcastle (11/26), Liverpool (11/29) and Portsmouth (12/1) before wrapping on Dec. 2 in Bournemouth. - NME, 9/8/21...... Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook have responded to their former bandmate John Lydon's comments following a recent lawsuit against his bandmates. Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, lost his legal battle against his former bandmates last month. Lydon was sued after refusing to license the group's music for inclusion in Danny Boyle's upcoming biopic series, Pistol. Following the verdict, Lydon issued a lengthy statement claiming that he didn't know about the proposed use of Sex Pistols music in the new series until "just a few hours" before it was announced, and he had no idea how the band would be portrayed in it. Now Jones and Cook have told Blabbermouth.com "despite Lydon's comments on his website, we reiterate that he was informed of the Pistol TV series, offered meetings with the director and to be involved in the show months before principal photography began." "He refused these offers and we were saddened he would not engage and at least have a conversation with the director Danny Boyle and co-showrunner Craig Pearce," they added. On Sept. 7, Lydon hit back at his former bandmates' statement during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, branding the pair "filthy liars" over their claim that he was informed about the Pistol series. "When they say I was 'informed', they don't certify a date... Two-faced hypocrites," he added. "How are you gonna do a documentary on punk without, hate to be pretentious about this, without Mr. Rotten?" - NME, 9/7/21...... After KISS recently postponed a run of shows when Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, Stanley has been spotted in public without a mask. Stanley was seen walking inside of a West Hollywood Hotel on Aug. 31 minus a face covering, and his photo was published in the U.K. paper 
The recently reunited The Faces have recorded 14 new songs together since reforming this summer, according to a new interview by Faces drummer Kenney Jones with BANG Showbiz. "We've done about 14 songs, it's a mixture of stuff we never released which is worthy of releasing and there's some new stuff which is really wonderful," Jones said. "Rod [Stewart] is writing the lyrics and he's really keen on it," he added. Jones then went on to tease the prospect of forthcoming arena shows from the band. "Whether or not we're going to go on a big extended tour remains to be seen. What we have decided is to do some really big gigs like [London's] The O2, Madison Square Garden, some other big venues in America." The surviving Faces members -- Jones, Stewart and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood -- announced in July that they would be reuniting to write new music after over 40 years apart. The Faces' last reunion performance was at the 2020 BRIT Awards, where Stewart, Wood and Jones closed the ceremony with a live rendition of "Stay With Me." Faces' founding keyboardist Ian McLagan died of a stroke in 2014, and bassist Ronnie Lane passed award more than a decade earlier in 1997. - NME, 9/5/21...... David Crosby has unleashed on his former Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmate Neil Young in a scathing new interview with the UK's The Guardian. According to Crosby, the quartet are being kept apart by some "petty-assed bullshit" that started when Crosby referred to Young's current girlfriend Daryl Hannah as a "predator." "Neil has got a genuine beef. I did say something bad about his girlfriend. I said I thought she was a predator. OK, he can be mad at me. That's all right." Despite admitting his mistake, Crosby went on to call Young "probably the most self-centered, self-obsessed, selfish person I know. "He only thinks about Neil, period. That's the only person he'll consider... We haven't talked for a couple of years. And I'm not going to talk to him. I don't want to talk to him. I'm not happy with him at all. To me, that's all ancient history, man," he added. Crosby also had some select words for CSN&Y member Graham Nash. "Graham just changed from the guy I thought was my best friend to being a guy that is definitely my enemy, so I don't see any future there at all," Crosby told the paper. - NME, 9/5/21...... The iconic Dodge Charger "General Lee" featured in the '70s series 
Freddie Mercury's legion of fans paid tribute to late Queen frontman on what would have been his 75th birthday on Sept. 5. The charismatic Mercury, who died of bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS in 1991, was born Farrokh Bulsara on Sept. 5, 1946, in Stone Town, Tanzania, and his seismic impact on music and pop culture has long been felt since his death. Fans have flocked to social media to share stories, tributes, photographs and more to mark the the singer's birthday. "Happy heavenly birthday dear beautiful angel, the beautiful songs and moments you shared with us will always speak of a great person that you were, you will never be forgotten I love you," one fan wrote on