Music News

David Lee Roth returns to the stage in Las Vegas

Daniel Knighton/Getty Images

David Lee Roth made his return to performing last week, taking the stage at a private corporate event in Las Vegas.

According to Consequence, the former Van Halen frontman joined the all-star cover band Royal Machines at a party for Home Depot at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, where he performed the Van Halen classic “Panama.”

Royal Machines is made up of musicians Billy MorrisonMark McGrathDonovan Leitch Jr., Chris Chaney and Josh Freese, and they were joined by Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens. The event also featured special appearances by Idol, Run DMC’s Darryl McDaniels and Linda Perry.

It’s been a while since we saw Roth onstage. In 2022 he was supposed to headline a residency in Las Vegas, which were to be his last shows before retiring from performing. He wound up canceling them.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart backs up daughter at 'American Idol' audition

ABC/Eric McCandless

Sunday night’s American Idol featured a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, and we’re not talking about judge Lionel Richie.

In case you missed it, contestant Kaya Stewart came out to audition with an original song and got some help from her father, Eurythmics star Dave Stewart, on guitar. The pair performed “This Tattoo,” a song Kaya wrote with her dad.

“This is much more difficult than being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Dave joked.

And it turns out Kaya didn’t necessarily need her dad’s star power, because her voice earned her a ticket to Hollywood.

American Idol airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth describes David Byrne as “insecure”

Jim Spellman/WireImage

Talking Heads Tina Weymouth is sharing her feelings about the band's former frontman, David Byrne.

“I recently described David Byrne as Trumpian, which didn’t go down well with everybody,” Weymouth shares with the U.K. Sunday Times. “What I meant was that, from my experience, everything with David is transactional – he will use you until he has no more use for you.”

She says when she and husband Chris Frantz were in the band with Byrne “he always seemed very insecure about himself,” noting he would “try to blame other people if things went wrong.” She explains, “Chris and I loved him dearly and we did our best to overlook these disastrous character flaws, but it seemed obvious that Talking Heads wasn’t going to last.”

And if Byrne is as happy as he's said he is in interviews, Weymouth wonders why he refuses to refer to his former bandmates by their names and instead refers to them as “people he used to play with.”

“I’ve been around the block a few times and I’ve realized that people act like animals,” she offers. “Some are doves: beautiful and peaceful, like Chris. Unfortunately, some are sly foxes.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Madonna adds Nashville tour stop, with proceeds going to trans rights organizations

Courtesy Live Nation

Madonna is taking a stand against legislation she says targets the LGBTQ+ community in Tennessee and other states.

The Queen of Pop has announced an additional concert on her upcoming Celebration Tour: She'll perform in Nashville on December 22. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go to trans rights organizations. Tennessee recently passed a bill restricting drag performances in public spaces or "in the presence of children."

Addressing the more than 100 bills before state legislatures that some allege are anti-LGBTQ+, Madonna says in a statement, "The oppression of the LGBTQ+ is not only unacceptable and inhumane; it’s creating an unsafe environment; it makes America a dangerous place for our most vulnerable citizens, especially trans women of color." 

She adds, "These so-called laws to protect our children are unfounded and pathetic." She tells fans that she'll "see you from the stage in Nashville where we will celebrate the beauty that is the queer community.”

In addition to the Nashville show, Madonna has added seven new tour dates: in Philadelphia, Sacramento, Palm Springs, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, San Francisco and Las Vegas. All those new dates will take place between December 2023 and January 2024.

Tickets — except for the Philly show — go on sale March 31 at 10 a.m. local time via madonna.com. Madonna's fan club members have a presale on Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time. A presale for Citi cardholders begins Tuesday at 12 p.m. local time. 

(A previous version of this story was published on 3/27/23. This version has been updated to further clarify certain details.) 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Nick Mason on Roger Waters’ rerecorded 'The Dark Side of the Moon:' “Annoyingly, it’s absolutely brilliant”

Sony Music

Roger Waters is in the midst of rerecording Pink Floyd's classic album The Dark Side of the Moon, as previously reported, and while some fans may be upset about it, he’s getting the support of his former bandmate Nick Mason.

According to NME, at a playback of the classic album at London’s Dolby Atmos Immersive Studio last week, Mason shared his thoughts on Waters’ project and seems totally OK with it.

“I heard the rumor that Roger was working on his own version of it,” he said, referring to the album, which turned 50 earlier this month. “There was this suggestion that this was going to be a spoiler and Roger was going to go head-to-head with the original version and so on.” 

Mason added, “He actually sent me a copy of what he was working on and I write [sic] to him and said, ‘Annoyingly, it’s absolutely brilliant!’ It was and is. It’s not anything that would be a spoiler for the original at all, it’s an interesting add-on to the thing.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Night Ranger updates fans on Jack Blades' health

Brent N. Clarke/FilmMagic

Night Ranger was forced to postpone three shows after bassist/vocalist Jack Blades was hospitalized, as previously reported. Now the band is giving fans an update on his health, and it’s all good news.

“He is now out of the hospital and feeling great,” the band shares on Instagram. “Last week he was admitted due to heart irregularities, followed by a successful procedure. We are so happy everything went well. Jack can’t wait to get back out on the road and neither can we!”

The band notes that they are aiming to continue their tour as scheduled, and went on to thank fans for the support and also the “doctors, nurses & staff at Garden Grove & Orange County Global Medical Centers.”

Night Ranger’s next show is scheduled for April 14 in Chandler, Arizona. A complete list of dates can be found at nightranger.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Eric Clapton announces short North American tour

Courtesy of Eric Clapton/photo credit George Chin

Eric Clapton is returning to North America this fall. The guitar great has announced dates for a short tour, featuring special guest Jimmie Vaughan.

The five-city tour kicks off September 8 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and hits Toronto, St. Louis and Minneapolis before wrapping September 16 in Denver, Colorado. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 31, at 10 a.m. local time.  

These five dates will be the only shows Clapton will be doing in North America in 2023. More info can be found at ericclapton.com

Next up for Clapton, he's headlining a six-night stand at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, starting April 15, followed by two Jeff Beck tribute shows at Royal Albert Hall in London, May 22 and 23.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Billy Joel joined by ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons at MSG residency

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks

Billy Joel returned to New York this weekend for the 88th show of his Madison Square Garden residency and brought out a special guest for the occasion – ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons.

According to Stereogum, the two Billys joined forces for the ZZ Top tracks “La Grange” and “Tush,” with Joel telling the audience the experience was “a fantasy come true.”  

You can watch fan-shot videos of both performances on YouTube.

Joel’s next MSG residency show is set for April 22, and he’s inching ever closer to his milestone 100th show. He recently announced his 94th concert at MSG will take place September 10, with presale tickets set to go on sale March 29 at 10 a.m. ET and the general sale happening March 31 at 10 a.m. ET.

A complete list of Billy Joel tour dates can be found at billyjoel.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


On This Day, March 27, 1987: U2 films the video for “Where the Streets Have No Name”

On This Day, March 27, 1987 …

U2 filmed the video for “Where the Streets Have No Name,” the third single off their album The Joshua Tree. Inspired by The Beatles’ 1969 rooftop concert, U2 took to the roof of a downtown Los Angeles liquor store to perform the song. 

The production attracted more than 1,000 fans who gathered to watch the performance, prompting the police to try to shut them down — something the band was hoping for in order to add drama to the video.

The band actually performed an eight-song set during the video shoot, including four performances of “Where the Streets Have No Name.”

The video went on to earn U2 a Grammy for Best Performance Music Video.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


U2 lands 13th 'Billboard' top 10 album with 'Songs of Surrender'

Island Records/Interscope

U2 has another top 10 hit. The band’s latest release, Songs of Surrender, debuts at five on the Billboard 200 Albums chart this week. The Irish rockers moved 46,500 equivalent album units of Songs of Surrender to land their 13th top 10 record.  

With the new chart placement, U2 is now the fourth group to chart a top 10 album in each decade from the 1980s to the 2020s. The others are AC/DCDef Leppard and Metallica.

As previously reported, Songs of Surrender, which has U2 rerecording and reimagining 40 of their classic hits,  has already topped the U.K. Official Albums chart, making it their 11th U.K. number one.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Madonna adds Nashville tour stop, with proceeds going to trans rights organizations

Courtesy Live Nation

Madonna is taking a stand against legislation she says targets the LGBTQ+ community in Tennessee and other states.

The Queen of Pop has announced an additional concert on her upcoming Celebration Tour: She'll perform in Nashville on December 22. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go to trans rights organizations. Tennessee recently passed a bill restricting drag performances in public spaces or "in the presence of children."

Addressing the more than 100 bills before state legislatures that some allege are anti-LGBTQ+, Madonna says in a statement, "The oppression of the LGBTQ+ is not only unacceptable and inhumane; it’s creating an unsafe environment; it makes America a dangerous place for our most vulnerable citizens, especially trans women of color." 

She adds, "These so-called laws to protect our children are unfounded and pathetic." She tells fans that she'll "see you from the stage in Nashville where we will celebrate the beauty that is the queer community.”

In addition to the Nashville show, Madonna has added seven new tour dates: in Philadelphia, Sacramento, Palm Springs, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, San Francisco and Las Vegas. All those new dates will take place between December 2023 and January 2024.

Tickets — except for the Philly show — go on sale March 31 at 10 a.m. local time via madonna.com. Madonna's fan club members have a presale on Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time. A presale for Citi cardholders begins Tuesday at 12 p.m. local time. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston credits the audience with keeping things “fresh” on the road

from left to right: Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, John McFee. Photo by Clay Patrick McBride

The Doobie Brothers resume their 50th anniversary tour this week, and guitarist and co-founder Tom Johnston says the most important thing about the shows is the people who come to see them.

“The thing that keeps everything fresh is the crowd,” he tells ABC Audio. “Each night a crowd can react differently in a different part of the country and you don’t really know what that’s gonna be like.” 

Johnston says most fans are there to hear the classic Doobie hits like “Listen to the Music,” “China Grove,” “Takin’ to the Streets” and more, and he's OK with that. “You would think you get tired of those,” he says. “The one thing that keeps those fresh is the reaction from the crowd, so it’s like playing them for the first time every night.”

This leg of the tour will hit Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and while Johnston expects most audiences to react similarly to those in the U.S., that’s not the case in Japan. 

“They have a whole unique way of responding,” he says. “They're very polite, they listen to what you're doing, and they applaud like crazy and then they stop, and they sit down and they're quiet.” He adds, “It's something you had to get used to, but that's the way they are, and it's, it's kind of cool." 

The Doobie Brothers, featuring Johnston, Pat SimmonsJohn McFee and Micheal McDonald, return to the road March 29 in Singapore and bring their 50th anniversary tour back to the States in May. A complete list of tour dates can be found at thedoobiebrothers.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Stephen Stills shares performance of "49 Bye-Byes" and "For What it's Worth" from upcoming live album

Iconic Artists Group/Omnivore Recordings

Stephen Stills is giving fans a taste of his upcoming live album, Stephen Stills Live at Berkeley 1971, dropping April 28. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has shared a piano medley of the Crosby, Stills & Nash tune “49 Bye-Byes” and the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth.”

As previously reported, Stills Live at Berkeley 1971 was recorded during Stills’ first solo tour. It features 14 previously unreleased live performances, recorded August 20 and 21, 1971, at Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, California, including two songs with Stills' CSN bandmate David Crosby

Stephen Stills Live at Berkeley 1971 is available for preorder in a variety of formats, including two-LP, CD, digital and a deluxe package that contains photos by famed photographer Henry Diltz, a numbered limited-edition self-portrait, framed lithograph and more.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


U2 scores their 11th U.K. number one album with 'Songs of Surrender'

Island Records/Interscope

U2 has a new number one album in the U.K. The Irish rockers' latest release, Songs of Surrender, tops the U.K. Official Albums chart, outselling their closest competition, The Weeknd’s Highlights, two to one.

Songs of Surrender is the band’s first U.K. number one since 2009’s No Line on the Horizon and their 11th overall, tying David Bowie, who also had 11 number ones. (The Beatles still have the most with 15.)

U2’s Songs of Surrender, featuring 40 rerecorded and reimagined U2 classics, is also the most popular vinyl seller in the U.K., topping the Official Vinyl Albums chart this week.

The new album gave a bump to one of U2's previous releases: 2006's greatest hits compilation U218 Singles is back at 38 this week.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


'Queen The Greatest Live' episode 10 highlights classic “Tie Your Mother Down” performance

Queen Production Ltd.

Queen is back with episode 10 of their YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live, this time focusing on a classic performance of their iconic track “Tie Your Mother Down.”

Continuing last week’s look at the importance of lighting, this week’s episode features a performance of the 1976 track at the band’s famous concert at Milton Keynes Bowl in June 1982. 

At the time of the show, Milton Keynes Bowl was one of the U.K.’s largest open-air venues, which had the band a bit concerned. “It’s a big field,” Roger Taylor says in a backstage interview. “I hope it goes well.” Brian May adds, “Outdoor gigs are fraught with all kind of unexpected things.”

The Milton Keynes Bowl show turned out to be a classic Queen concert, with Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl, a DVD and CD of the concert, released in 2004.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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