"FireAid" Confirms Venue Lineups
The “FireAid” benefit concert has finalized the lineup for its concert. The concert is raising funds to help those impacted by the fires in Los Angeles. A ton of artists wanted to do their part and help out…and what was going to be a concert at one venue had to add a second
venue because so many people wanted to help out! Now we know the lineup of artists performing at each venue.
·At the Kia Forum…Pink, Alanis Morissette, Dave Matthews & John Mayer, Green Day, Stevie Nicks, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joni Mitchell, and more will perform. Doors open at 5PM. The show starts at 6PM at the Kia Forum.
·At the Intuit Dome…Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, Jelly Roll, Stevie Wonder, Gracie Abrams, and more will perform. Doors open at 5PM. The show will start at 7:30PM at the Intuit Dome.
Tickets go on sale starting today at 12PM Pacific. The shows are set for January 30th. Fans worldwide can also stream and donate through various platforms like Apple Music, Netflix, and Prime Video, and it will also be broadcast on 860 iHeartRadio stations.
BILLY IDOL, JOAN JETT: Teaming Up for Tour
Billy Idol and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are teaming up for a North American tour.
It's broken up into two legs. The first uns April 30th in Phoenix through May 23rd in Toronto. The second starts August 16th in Philadelphia and wraps up September 25th in Inglewood, California. Ticket go on sale Friday, and five dollars from every ticket sold to the Inglewood show at the Kia Forum will be donated to the American Red Cross to support Southern California Wildfire Relief. Idol will also personally match this donation. Idol, his guitarist Steve Stevens, comedian Matt Rife, and Joan star in a video to announce the trek, which is called It's a Nice Day...to Tour Again! Watch it on YouTube.
Peter Frampton Announces "Let's Do It Again!" Tour
Peter Frampton has announced his “Let's Do It Again!” tour for the Spring. "I am so thrilled to be able to come out and play again for you. It's been a spectacular year, looking forward to seeing everyone soon,” Frampton shared in a post on social media. The tour kicks off on March 30th in Uncasville, Connecticut. He’ll hit cities including Niagara Falls, Atlantic City, and Chicago before wrapping it up on April 19th in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday at 10AM local time. Check out the tour dates below, the announcement on the right, and more info at Peter Frampton’s website Frampton.com.
·March 30 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
·April 1 - Port Chester, NY - The Capitol Theatre
·April 3 - Bethlehem, PA - Wind Creek Event Center
·April 5 - Atlantic City, NJ - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City - Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
·April 7 - New Brunswick, NJ - State Theatre New Jersey
·April 9 - Niagara Falls, ON - OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
·April 11 - Carmel, IN - The Center for the Performing Arts - The Palladium
·April 15 - Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater
·April 17 - Chicago, IL - The Chicago Theatre
·April 19 - Mount Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort – Outdoor Summer Concert Series
SAMMY HAGAR: Clarification
Earlier this month, in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sammy Hagar once again said what he told us last November -- he'd rather do a residency than tour. But once again, people were only half-listening, thinking he said he's done performing, which is not the case. So, he's taken to social media to reiterate what he said.
"I didn't say I'm not gonna tour anymore. I was referring to the residency coming up in May with Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, Kenny Aronoff, Rai Thistlethwayte, the same Best of All Worlds band, Best of All Worlds tour. We're gonna do a residency [at] MGM Park [in Las Vegas]. And I'm hoping that that will be a lot easier for me than packing bags every day and getting on an airplane, flying to the next city, checking in the hotel, running a soundcheck, trying to get something to eat, go to the meet-and-greet, get to the show and then doing a show. Without all that crazy travel and all that extracurricular stuff, it should be easier for me... I'll be chomping at the bit when it comes showtime, because I will be well rested without all that travel... Maybe I will able to squeeze 50, a 100 more shows out of this voice and this body... "Hopefully the residency will be the answer to be able to continue on for many more years, because if not, touring is getting tough, and I will be doing less and less. And eventually, I probably won't be able to do it at all. I mean, it's inevitable. I'm only human... "Anyway, it's all good. I'm not gonna stop performing ever. I will play music — live music — as long as I can. I love it..." Again, exactly what he told us in November.
***SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME: Class of 2025...
The Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2025.
In the Performing Songwriters category those elected are:
·George Clinton
·Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons of The Doobie Brothers
·Mike Love of The Beach Boys
Non-Performing Songwriters:
·Ashley Gorley - "I Had Some Help"
·Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins - "Say My Name"
·Tony Macaulay - "Baby Now That I’ve Found You," "Build Me Up Buttercup"
To be nominated, a songwriter "with a catalog of notable songs" qualifies for induction 20 years after their "first significant commercial release of a song." The ceremony will be held in June in New York City. Unlike the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, there is no physical Songwriters Hall of Fame.
DEAD, KAHAN, VAMPIRE WEEKEND: Play MusiCares Tribute
Noah Kahan, Sammy Hagar, Vampire Weekend and Norah Jones will be among the acts taking part in the MusiCares Persons of the Year tribute to the Grateful Dead on January 31st at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The rest of the lineup includes a performance by Dead & Company -- which features Grateful Dead co-founders Bob Weir and Mickey Hart plus John Mayer -- Dave Matthews, Mick Fleetwood with Stewart Copeland, Maren Morris, Sierra Farrell and Lukas Nelson, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Strings, My Morning Jacket, The War and Treaty, Zac Brown, Wynonna Judd and The War on Drugs. Previous Grateful Dead collaborator Bruce Hornsby will also appear, and the event will be hosted by Andy Cohen.
GREEN DAY: Take Aim at Musk
Green Day took aim at Elon Musk during their first ever performance in Johannesburg, South Africa Monday night. Billie Joe Armstrong changed the “American Idiot” lyric from "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda" to “I’m not a part of an Elon agenda.” Watch the lyric change on
Instagram. Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa. Generally, Armstrong changes the original "redneck agenda" lyric to "MAGA agenda."
GARTH HUDSON: Last Member of The Band Dead at 87
Garth Hudson, one of the two keyboardists, and occasionally the saxophonist, of the group known simply as The Band, has died at the age of 87. He passed in his sleep Tuesday morning at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York
·Born in Windsor, Ontario on April 2nd, 1937
·A schooled musician, he played organ, piano, accordion and saxophone.
·Most associated with the Lowery organ, which he played throughout his career.
·Joined The Hawks, the backing band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins, in 1962.
·Stayed with them after they left Hawkins in 1964 as they became Bob Dylan's backing group in 1965.
·Played on all 10 Band studio and three live albums released between 1968 and 1999, plus two Bob Dylan studio and two live albums.
·In this century, he released two albums, a live duo album with his wife, Maud, and produced a Band tribute album with vocals from an all-Canadian cast of singers.
·Entered an assisted living facility in upstate New York in early 2022.
Among Hudson's honors as a member of The Band were induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Juno Awards Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canada's Walk of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also became a member of the Order of Canada, the country's second highest individual honor.
Hudson is the last member of original incarnation of The Band to die following:
·Richard Manuel - suicide in 1986
·Rick Danko - heart failure in 1999
·Levon Helm - cancer in 2012
·Robbie Robertson - cancer in 2023
DAVID BOWIE: Re-Discovered
Discarded recordings David Bowie made in 1974 at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia have been found. The unlabeled tapes were purchased in 2022 at a foreclosure sale by Max Ochester, a rare record collector and preserver of Philly music history. But he didn't find out until last June what was on them when he brought them to a recording session he had.
"I was going to tape over them,” said Max. “We baked them overnight and then [producer] producer Brendan McGeehan threw them up on the reel-to-reel. I just wanted to check there was nothing on the tapes before I erased them.” What he heard were some instrumentals followed by Luther Vandross singing “Foot Stompin’” by The Flares and that was followed by “Can You Hear Me” from Bowie’s Young Americans album. “That’s when I was just like, 'Holy [crap], what do I have?', because I knew it was a Bowie song. And I knew that Luther sang on Young Americans.”
Another tape featured Bowie singing Bruce Springsteen's “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City” over the riff from “Fame.” Also included on the three tapes is studio chatter between Bowie and his producer Tony Visconti, as well as a rough take of “Fascination.”
Dirk Devlin, one of Sigma's engineers who worked on the Young Americans album, says the reason why the tapes were unmarked and never heard is because of "one of our deceased compatriots. He was a squirrel. We knew for a fact that he had out-takes and tapes. He would stash them in the mic locker. We didn’t approve of the fact that he was taking people’s intellectual property home with him, but he wasn’t selling any of it. I think he just wanted to have it.” No word on what Max plans to do with the tapes.
Black Sabbath Set To Be Honored By Their Hometown
Black Sabbath's founding members…Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward…are being awarded the Freedom of the City from their hometown of Birmingham. The award is given to people in recognition of their service to the city. The recommendation to make each member a Freeman Of The City Of Birmingham will be given on January 28th to the city council. “Birmingham has a fantastic musical culture and Black Sabbath are a major part of that history, a pioneering band that still influences today's musicians. They have become synonymous with the city and have been true ambassadors throughout their phenomenal careers,” Councillor Sharon Thompson shared in a statement. Ozzy commented on the honor, sharing “I'm honored and, at the same time, shocked that I would have ever been considered for this very special commendation.” Tommy, Geezer, and Bill also shared their thanks for the honor.
Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson Finishes 13th In Fencing Tournament
Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is showing off his fencing skills.Over the weekend, the singer was in France for the Circuit Européen 2025 fencing competition. Of 31 participants, the 66-year-old finished 13th. His opponents included three-time Olympic medal winner Pascal Jolyot.Germany's Hans Martin Raeker won the competition. Dickinson is gearing up for the "Run For Your Lives" world tour with Iron Maiden, which begins on May 27th in Hungary.
Dave Navarro, Billy Morrison Postpone Benefit Concert Due To L.A. Wildfires
Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro and Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison are postponing the Above Ground benefit concert due to the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires. The show, which raises money for MusiCares, was scheduled to take place on January 25th in Hollywood. Previously purchased tickets will be honored at the rescheduled date, which hasn't been announced yet.
IN OTHER NEWS
Close Enemies, the new band from Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton, have released their debut single "Sound of a Train." Check it out on YouTube.
The latest John Lennon documentary, One to One: John & Yoko, will open in IMAX theaters on April 11th followed by HBO and streaming on Max later this year.
The Cure's Robert Smith quit X/Twitter over the weekend and suggested fans follow him on BlueSky and Instagram. He added that "any other account on Twitter claiming to be me is a lie." The Cure's official account is still active on the platform.
Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, Steve Porcaro of Toto, members of The Lovin' Spoonful and many more will perform at the Show of Helping Hands Fire Relief Concert January 28th at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California.
