Pulse Music

Definitive Doc On Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett Hitting Theaters In June

Just announced is the theatrical release for the definitive documentary on Pink Floyd co-founder Sid Barrett. Have You Got It Yet?: The Story Of Syd Barrett And Pink Floyd, was directed by award-winning filmmaker Roddy Bogawa and Barrett's close friend and the late, legendary album cover designer Storm Thorgerson. Have You Got It Yet? premieres tonight (April 27th) at London's Everyman King's Cross cinema. The film, which runs across England next month, hits North American theaters in late-June.

Syd Barrett retired from Pink Floyd in 1968, and due to his growing emotional problems exacerbated by heavy drug use, he only recorded sporadically in the years immediately following his departure. He died on July 7th, 2006 from complications arising from diabetes at 60-years-old.

According to the documentary's official announcement, "Intimate interviews with band members David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Roger Waters uncover Barrett's ongoing impact on the group. The film also features original band managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King, as well as the Who's Pete Townshend and Blur's Graham Coxon." For more information, log on to https://www.sydbarrettfilm.com/

Alice Cooper recalled sharing the bill with Pink Floyd in 1967 at L.A.'s Cheetah Club. He told us that he knew instinctively that something was definitely off with Syd Barrett during one of the gigs: "I remember the one night -- and in fact, I mentioned this to Roger Waters, and he says, 'That was the night we knew Syd was in a lot of trouble mentally' -- during their first song, he hits a chord, and he gets a shock, and then he just stops playing. The rest of the set, he just stands there and stares, for about an hour-and-a-half. Never played another note -- just stood there and stared. And the band just played."

Roger Waters explained that with Syd leaving the group, the creative rug was truly pulled out from under Pink Floyd: "It was very difficult after that, because Syd was absolutely the core of everything when Pink Floyd first started its professional career -- 'cause he wrote 90 percent of the songs. I think I wrote one song on the first album, well, maybe two -- but basically, it was in his hands."

Fellow Pink Floyd co-founder Nick Mason told us that he and his bandmates -- along with all of Barrett's legion of fans -- will always wonder where Barrett would've gone if he had wrestled himself from the clutches of madness: "There's always that wondering if things had played out differently whether Syd would've continued on and done more wonderful things. Y'know, there's an element of the James Dean thing -- 'What could he, or might he have done if he'd had that opportunity?'"

Police Helicopter Abruptly Ends Machine Gun Kelly's Birthday Party

Machine Gun Kelly's 33rd birthday party over the weekend ended with a police helicopter and a bullhorn. It wasn't clear how the authorities got involved, but the party did consist of a lot of fire.

In a video posted by MGK, he's seen shooting flames 6 feet into the air, out of what looks like a long gun. At the same time, you can hear the police over a speaker say, "the party's over… you guys need to leave."

TL;DR:

  • Machine Gun Kelly's 33rd birthday party over the weekend ended with a police helicopter and a bullhorn.
  • He was shooting flames 6 feet into the air.

Quickies: Selena Gomez, Toni Braxton

Selena Gomez has picked up another Emmy nomination. This time, for her HBO Max cooking show called Selena + Chef in the category of Outstanding Culinary Series. Nominations were announced Tuesday (April 26). The singer-actress previously received a Primetime Emmy nod when Only Murders in the Building was up for best comedy series at last year's awards.

Seven-time Grammy award winning singer, actress, executive producer, and entrepreneur Toni Braxton has inked a new all-encompassing production deal with Lifetime and A&E. Specifics were not revealed, but she will oversee multiple projects. Lifetime and Braxton have had a long history of collaboration, including producing the movie, A Christmas Spark.

Flashback: Paul McCartney Disbands Wings

It was announced 42 years ago (April 27th, 1981), that Paul McCartney's solo band Wings had disbanded. McCartney and his first wife Linda had formed the group in the summer of 1971 with drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist and Moody Blues co-founder Denny Laine. The McCartney's and Laine remained the nucleus of the band's ever-changing line up throughout their decade-long run. At the time of Wings' split the band included Wings' third lead guitarist Laurence Juber and fourth drummer Steve Holley.

The same day the announcement was leaked to the press, McCartney, along with Linda and their four children, joined his bandmates from his other band, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, at Ringo's wedding to actress Barbara Bach in London.

McCartney first broke Wings in by playing small, unannounced university gigs throughout Britain in early 1972. Gradually, he began booking the group into theaters and arenas across Europe, Australia, and America as the group started racking up Top Ten hits such as "Hi, Hi, Hi," "Live And Let Die," "Helen Wheels," "Jet," "Junior's Farm," "Let 'Em In," and "Goodnight Tonight," along with the Number Ones "My Love," "Band On The Run," "Listen To What The Man Said," "Silly Love Songs," "With A Little Luck," and "Coming Up."

In 2001 McCartney released his Wingspan documentary chronicling the group's career. He admitted at the time that he was horrified by at the public and critical beating Linda took after marrying and co-founding Wings with him: "She took some s*** -- major league. Not only from the critics, (but) from the fans. I mean, we had stuff daubed on our front wall in large letters, and it was highly offensive, y'know? So, she had to put up with that. Luckily, she was a very strong woman, and was able to overcome it and the period passed, and as she went on, people started to appreciate more and more."

Denny Laine says that despite the band's success, being an active member of top act like Wings is hardly as easy as it looks: "Well, there's a lot of pressure on you when you're in a band like Wings -- to come up with the goods, to be continually working. It's not like taking it easy and taking it at your own pace. Y'know, you're out there and you've got to do what the public expects you to."

The Beatles' late-engineer Geoff Emerick, who went on to work on several Wings projects, including the One Hand Clapping film and the Band On The Run and London Town albums, told us that above all the members, it was Linda that was really the unsung hero of the group: "Wings was Wings, and Linda was such an integral part of that -- if you took Linda's vocals out of those harmony voices -- it wasn't Wings anymore."

Wings' final lead guitarist, Laurence Juber, told us that although the band was specifically not brought on for McCartney's Tug Of War sessions, they remained an active studio unit for McCartney's other recording work -- including his still-unreleased outtakes project, Cold Cuts: "George Martin didn't want it to be a Wings album, that's what I was told. Paul called up and said, 'George wants to make this a 'Paul McCartney' album and thanks, but no thanks.' But subsequently, we were still back in the studio as Wings, 'cause during January of '81 we were loosely working on what was called Cold Cuts."

Beatlefan magazine publisher Bill King had covered all of McCartney's exploits leading up to Wings calling it quits -- including his infamous January 1980 Tokyo drug bust which curtailed Wings' second proposed world tour. We asked King if he was shocked by the announcement signaling the end of the band: "I was mildly surprised but after the who Japanese thing, that was sort of a major demarcation in his life and career. 'Cause we had heard the reports that the last British tour was underwhelming. Everybody remembered Pete Townshend's comment about him getting out there with an 'under-rehearsed band.' I seem to recall that my feeling was that this had run its course, it was a good time for him to try something different, and to basically record with a whole bunch of different people."

McCartney biographer Christopher Sanford feels that there was probably no clear moment at which McCartney decided that Wings was an unworkable situation: "His solo album (McCartney II) that came out in May of '80 was sort of an organic process. I don't think there was a 'big bang' moment where he decided to demolish Wings. And I think it developed in the first six or seven months of 1980. And I suspect that John's murder had -- among many other horrible repercussions -- a disinclination to go out on the road immediately. I mean, for one thing, you're more vulnerable physically; and secondly it's hard to go out and sing with the best will in the world 'Silly Love Songs' and the other upbeat stuff when you're grieving your best friend."

Metallica Kicks Off 2023 Tour Tonight

Metallica is geared up and ready to kick off their 2023 tour dates tonight (April 27th) at Amsterdam's Johan Cruijff Arena. The band has European dates on the books through June and will launch their North American run in August.

While appearing on the Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend podcast, Lars Ulrich spoke candidly about getting in shape for the road at age 59: "It doesn't get any easier whatsoever. It takes twice the effort, or more, just to reach the same level. Just to plateau, so it's not. . . Y'know, I'm on the Peloton an hour-and-a-half a day, and I'm working out and I'm watching what I'm eating and I'm being healthy and all that to get better -- it's just to stay the same at this age. Y'know, I take it seriously, and the main thing is that when we get up on that stage we wanna be there for the other guys in the band and obviously for the audience and be the best we can be." SOUNDCUE

Blackpink 'Forever Grateful' For The Chance To Perform At Coachella

BLACKPINK is "forever grateful" for the opportunity to perform at Coachella.

The K-pop group wrote on Instagram Tuesday (April 25th), "Still feels surreal that we did this! Thank you @coachella for having us! And to all BLINKs out there, we could've never done this without you guys. We are forever grateful. Thank you again for these unforgettable two weeks and hope to see you all again!"

Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo, and Rosé took the main stage for two weekends in a row to become the first K-pop group to be named headliners in Coachella's 24-year history.

Kesha To Drop New Album In May, Including A Song About Ending Her Secret Marriage

Kesha's new album, Gag Order, drops on May 19th.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the "TikTok" singer revealed that one of the album's tracks, "Too Far Gone," was written for after ending a secret engagement to a man she won't name, who she says is still a friend.

According to an Instagram announcement, Kesha will release the album's lead singles, "Eat The Acid' and "Fine Line" this Friday (April 28th).

Meghan Trainor And Daryl Sabra Are Having Another Boy

Meghan Trainor and Daryl Sabra revealed on The Kelly Clarkson Show Tuesday (April 25th) that they are having a baby boy.

This will be the second child for the couple, who are already parents to two-year-old Riley.

The Dear Future Mama author posted a TikTok of family the same day with the text, "So excited for Riley to have a baby brother."

Miley Cyrus Congratulates SZA On Topping The Billboard Hot 100

Miley Cyrus congratulated SZA for claiming the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Tuesday (April 25th).

The "Flowers" singer responded to a tweet about the "Kill Bill" singer's chart victory, writing, "Congrats to Sza for going #1 on Billboard's Hot 100…Love you!"

Cyrus's smash hit "Flowers" spent eight weeks at the summit earlier this year.

Vintage Billy Joel Concert Spotlights Early Classics

Out now is Billy Joel - Live At The Great American Music Hall - 1975. The album was originally issued back in 2021 as part of the multi-disc Billy Joel - The Vinyl Collection, Vol.1, with the new issue marking its first standalone release.

The concert was captured back on June 8th, 1975 at San Francisco's The Great American Music Hall during Billy's tour behind his third album -- 1974's Streetlife Serenade. The show features the earliest available recordings of future Turnstiles classics "James" and "New York State Of Mind" -- along with Billy's between-song, loving imitations of Joe Cocker, Elton John, and Leon Russell.

Billy Joel became a master imitator early on -- mainly because he hated his own singing: "I don't think of myself as a singer. People have said, ‘Oh, I like your voice.' Just my personal. . . It's all subjective -- I don't like my own voice. I'm always trying to sound like somebody else. I'm trying to sound like Little Richard, I'm trying to sound like Ray Charles, I'm trying to sound like the Beatles, I'm trying to sound like anybody but that little ‘schnook' from Levittown. I don't like his voice."

Billy Joel next performs on May 5th at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Katy Perry 'Grateful' For Opportunity To Perform At King Charles' Coronation

Katy Perry is "so grateful" for the opportunity to perform at King Charles' coronation on May 6th.

She told Entertainment Tonight, "I met His Majesty-to-be a few years ago and he named me as one of the ambassadors to his organization, The British Asian Trust, which is an organization that helps fight to end child trafficking.

"I'm also an ambassador for UNICEF, and it really aligned with my values. That's mostly why I'm going, to be an ambassador and to say, ‘Hey, this is me from the USA.'"

Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel, Take That, Freya Ridings, and Alexis Ffrench are also set to perform at the royal event.

King Charles' Coronation 'Songlist' Features The Beatles, Queen, The Who, Bowie, & ELO

A "Coronation songlist" list has been published spotlighting music to be played in celebration of King Charles III's May 6th Coronation at London's Westminster Abbey. Loudersound reported The Department for Culture, Media and Sport unveiled the list -- which will not be played during the actual investiture -- featuring songs by the Beatles, the Who, the Kinks, ELO, Tom Jones, David Bowie, Queen, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Spice Girls, Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart, Kate Bush, Madness, and Spandau Ballet, among others.

Back in 2018, Ringo Starr followed Paul McCartney in becoming the second of the Beatles to be knighted. The BBC asked Ringo if receiving the ultimate Royal honor from then-Prince Charles lived up to expectations: "Well, it means a lot, actually. It means recognition for things we've done, musically and in life. So, I was really pleased to accept this award. . . It all started in Liverpool. And last week, Paul and I had dinner in L.A. together and we were talking about from Liverpool to here. Y'know, it's like, mad."

The "Coronation songlist" as compiled by Britain's Department for Culture, Media and Sport is:

1. The Beatles - Come Together
2. Boney M - Daddy Cool
3. Coldplay - A Sky Full Of Stars
4. David Bowie - Let's Dance
5. Ed Sheeran - Celestial
6. Elbow - One Day Like This
7. Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky
8. Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed
9. Emeli Sandé - Starlight
10. George Ezra - Dance All Over Me
11. Grace Jones - Slave To The Rhythm (Hot Blooded Version)
12. Harry Styles - Treat People With Kindness
13. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
14. Madness - Our House
15. Michael Bublé - It's A Beautiful Day
16. Pet Shop Boys - All Over The World
17. Queen - We Are The Champions
18. Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart - People Get Ready
19. Sam Ryder - SPACE MAN
20. Spandau Ballet - Gold
21. Spice Girls - Say You'll Be There
22. Take That - Shine
23. The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset
24. The Who - Love Reign O'er Me
25. Tom Jones - Green Green Grass Of Home
26. Years & Years - King

Roger Daltrey Recalls Ending The Who To Save Pete Townshend

Roger Daltrey recalled making the decision to end the Who in 1982 in an effort to save Pete Townshend's life. Although by the time of the that year's It's Hard album and its subsequent North American tour Townshend had regained his sobriety -- Daltrey was adamant that the damage done and the pressures Townshend was burdened with would only cause him harm.

Daltrey shed light on the period, telling Record Collector, "I think Pete knew he'd made a mistake around 1980. He was going downhill with substance abuse and all that kind of stuff. And I decided at the beginning of that (1982) tour to pull the plug on the band and for it to be our last, because I was really frightened at the time of finding him dead on the bathroom floor, or dead in bed in the hotel room. It was one of those situations. I thought the only way to stop this is to come off the road. It was a difficult decision, but I felt it was the only way forward. We'd gone backwards."

Although the Who reunited for tours in 1989 and 1996/97, the band didn't become an ongoing concern again until 1999.

Roger Daltrey told us that in the years following John Entwistle's 2002 death, he's learned to work as Pete Townshend needs him, while taking on some of the less glamorous aspects of running the band: "'Just have to be there if he needs you. That's the function. I'm just an instrument for him -- and I accept that, I'm quite happy with that. But I do all the other stuff behind the scenes, the business side of it. I deal with the interviews when he doesn't fancy doing them, and a whole raft of other stuff that has to do with Who business that Pete doesn't do, that I do. So, y'know, we do kind of share the load in different ways."

The Who kicks off its European tour on June 14th in Barcelona, Spain.

Flashback: Paul McCartney Releases 'Tug Of War'

It was 41 years ago today (April 26th, 1982) today that Paul McCartney released his critically acclaimed Tug Of War album -- which marked his last chart-topping set in the U.S. until 2018's Egypt Station. The collection -- which was the first to be released following John Lennon's December 1980 murder -- marked both his first album released since Wings' 1981 split, and McCartney's reunion with legendary Beatles producer, the-late George Martin.

Tug Of War featured cameo appearances by such heavyweights as Ringo Starr on the album's second single -- the Top 10 "Take It Away," childhood hero Carl Perkins, and Stevie Wonder, who appeared on two songs -- including the pair's seven week chart-topper "Ebony And Ivory." The track marks the final time a song composed solely by McCartney hit the top spot. The album also featured McCartney's poignant tribute to Lennon, "Here Today," which McCartney has performed on every tour since 2002.

George Martin had previously worked with McCartney during the '70s as an arranger on select tracks from his 1971 Ram album and his 1973 blockbuster "My Love" -- but had only co-produced the former Beatle once for the 1973 Top Two Oscar-nominated theme to Live And Let Die. Shortly before his 2016 death, Martin remembered worrying if McCartney had been his own boss for so long that he would be above or beyond any musical direction: "He had been used to working by himself for seven or eight years and wasn't used to having a producer telling him: 'That's no good, or you should do this again.' And I wondered how he would react to it. And he said, 'Oh, we know each other so well, I don't think it'll be a problem. (Laughs) The first thing that happened was, I said, 'First of all, I think we ought to look at your material and see what the songs are like.' And he said, 'Well, do you mean I've got to pass an audition?' (Laughs) So, I could see that that was. . . might've been a problem, but in fact, it worked out fine. We got into a method of working where we weren't rubbing each other up the wrong way too much. There's gotta be a certain amount of abrasion."

At the time of the sessions, McCartney spoke about the game plan for how Tug Of War was recorded: "I'm not working with Wings, I'm working with various people. Really on the idea of sort of casting the particular piece of music, rather than just using a group for everything. Wings, anyway, had a few lineup changes and stuff. The idea is that if we ever wanna get back together again we will and we're just keeping it really loose. But for this album, I'm not working with them. I'm just working with other people. Really, 'cause I just fancy the change and I thought it was getting a bit limiting just working with the same group of people all the time."

Although Wings was still in operation during the beginning of the Tug Of War sessions in the fall of 1980, Wings lead guitarist Laurence Juber -- who was working other sessions for George Martin -- told us that he was ready to try things out on his own: "I was part of a particular era. That era had, y'know, time had moved on. There certainly. . . there was no reason for me to hang around and kind of ingratiate myself into the sessions, 'cause I wanted to move on. Y'know, I got my masters from 'McCartney University.' I had an impulse to get on with my life."

Paul McCartney talked to the BBC's Dermott O'Leary and shed light on his state of mind going it alone as a solo artist: "I was a little bit nervous, ‘cause you're, sort of, now starting a new period; but it's exciting ‘cause you've written some new songs, you wanna get in the studio. And I was getting in with George Martin, so that was really exciting, starting to work with George again. So, I knew I loved working with him, he's just a fantastic person. I mean, in truth, I always think it's an exciting time to make music, no matter what's going on, ‘cause the focus to me is the making of the music. But that time it was good, because -- as we said before -- it was a new phase for me. It was something I was going to be working on my own as a solo artist. And what was that going to bring me? Was that going to work, or was it not? Y'know?"

Returning to the fold for Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace was the Beatles' late-great, engineer Geoff Emerick. Emerick had been behind the boards for several Wings projects, including the Band On The Run and London Town albums, as well as the long-unreleased One Hand Clapping film project. He maintained that it was actually McCartney's decision not to use Wings on the Tug Of War sessions: "No. No, I don't think George said ‘I don't wanna produce a Wings album' at all. I mean, I wasn't privy to any conversations between Linda and Paul as to whether you should be doing your own album, or it should be a Wings album. Yeah, I think we started it off as just being Paul's album."

Although McCartney's longtime second banana Denny Laine contributed musically to the Tug Of War sessions, a loose tongue with a reporter ultimately cost him his decade-long job of a lifetime. When it came time for vocal overdubs, he was replaced by 10cc's Eric Stewart -- McCartney's right-hand man for the next four years.

We asked McCartney about the state of their relationship after parting ways in 1981: "Denny Laine, no, I'm not -- we're not big friends. Y'know, we had a bit of a fall out. And he sold his story to the newspapers -- which is never gonna make a great friend with those kind of people, y'know? He says he was drunk when he did it and stuff -- and he probably was. But, he's okay. He's okay, but we don't see much of each other, y'know?"

Bassist Stanley Clarke, a legend in the jazz world, was a long-time favorite of McCartney, and was part of the album's sessions on the West Indian island of Montserrat, where George Martin's Air Studios was situated. He told us that in the weeks following Lennon's murder that McCartney was unable to escape the madness which followed his former partner's killing: "Y'know, we went to some island somewhere, I think it was. . . the Tug Of War record, that was right after or during the John Lennon (murder) -- 'cause I remember those interviews, when they interviewed Paul McCartney, I think we were recording at that time. Yeah, 'cause I remember we were on this island and then the secret service came in and they wanted us to wear some (bullet-proof) vest, 'cause some people were saying -- y'know, there was pranks, they were saying 'We're gonna bomb the island,' this is 'Kill a Beatle week,' and all that kind of mess, y'know? And he was cool. It's like, there's a price when you're really famous, y'know? Like that kind of fame."

The 'Take It Away" video made McCartney a huge player on early MTV -- and marked the first of several videos which would feature Ringo Starr over the years: "'Take It Away,' it's lovely to see him. And he very kindly agreed to be the drummer. It was just fabulous, y'know, George Martin even appears."

Metallica Hits Number One On 'Top Hard Rock' And 'Top Rock' Albums Charts

Metallica's latest album, 72 Seasons, has topped Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Rock Albums charts. The collection, which is the band's 11th studio set, peaked at Number Two on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

James Hetfield spoke about the band's mindset during the album sessions on the official "72 Seasons - So What! Interview": "I think the trust factor in each of us and the acceptance of who we are and how we go about things is becoming easier the older we get. And we all have our ways of over-thinking stuff, under-thinking stuff, not being prepared -- being over-prepared. Y'know, we all can tend to go back to our 'default' (emotions). And at the end of the day, it's more important just to be heard than to actually have it happen, y'know? So, allowing the voice, you learn even more about that person -- and they learn a lot about themselves."

Metallica kicks off their upcoming tour on April 27th and 29th at Amsterdam's Johan Cruijff Arena.

Adele Reveals James Corden Influenced 'I Drink Wine'

Adele revealed in a new Carpool Karaoke clip that a conversation with James Corden influenced the first verse of "I Drink Wine."

She told the Late Late Show host and her real life BFF, "We'd been on vacation together with the kids, and we were on our way home and… I remember I said to you on the way home, 'What's wrong?' You just seemed down.

"And you let it all out to me and… we were having, what, a six-hour conversation about it? It was like the whole way home. But it got me thinking, I felt so unsafe with you feeling unsafe… And then I went to the studio a couple of weeks later and I wrote this and I remember I sang it into my phone and I remember I sent it to you and I do remember you saying, 'That's exactly how I was feeling.'

Corden's last show will air on Thursdasy (April 27th).

Taylor Swift Is 'Gooooood' After Injuring Hand During Eras Tour Stop

Taylor Swift is okay after injuring herself while changing costumes during her Eras Tour stop in Houston on Saturday (April 22nd).

She tweeted Monday (April 24th), "For those asking how I cut my hand, I'm totally fine and it was my fault completely - tripped on my dress hem and fell in the dark backstage while running to a quick change - braced my fall with my palm. It was all very Mercury in retrograde coded. Don't worry about me I'm gooooood."

U2 Rolls Out Initial Las Vegas Residency Dates

U2 has rolled out its initial Las Vegas residency dates. As of now, U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere will play at The Venetian on September 29th and 30th and October 5th, 7th, & 8th. With more shows still to be announced.

Fans can register now at U2.ticketmaster.com for a "Verified Fan Presale," starting on Wednesday, April 26th.

The upcoming Vegas shows will mark the band's first without drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., who is recovering from back surgery, and will feature stand-in Bram van den Berg for all the 2023 concerts.

In the original announcement for U2's Vegas run, the band spoke about the upcoming shows:

The Sphere show has been in the works for a long time. We don't want to let people down, least of all our audience. . . The truth is we miss them as much as they appear to miss us. . . our audience was always the fifth member of the band. Bottom line, U2 hasn't played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again. And what a unique stage they're building for us out there in the desert.

We're the right band, Actung Baby the right album, and the Sphere the right venue to take the live experience of music to the next level. That's what U2's been trying to do all along with our satellite stages and video installations, most memorably on the Zoo TV Tour, which ended in Tokyo 30 years ago this fall. The Sphere is more than just a venue, it's a gallery and U2's music is going to be all over the walls.

The Edge told us a while back that U2 has always tried to remain adventurous with the way they make music together: "I joke about it, but people really have to be on their toes to make it happen. When it becomes too easy, I think it just sounds that way, and the easy thing is just so unappealing. I mean, Rock n' roll has to have that sense of people really kind of working at the extent of their abilities and urgency. It gives it a certain feeling."

Official U2 onsale timings via U2.com:

- U2.com Subscriber Ticket Request: Monday, April 24 – Wed. April 26 (10am ET)
- Vibee Travel Packages On Sale: Monday, April 24 – 10am ET/7am PT.
- Verified Fan Registration: Continues from Monday, April 24 (with announcement) through Wed. April 26 (10am ET)
- Verified Fan Presale: Thursday, April 27th till Thursday, April 27th (10pm Local Times)
- General on sale: Friday, April 28th

Pete Townshend On The Who's Future: 'We Shall See'

Although Roger Daltrey doubts whether the Who will ever tour North America again due to the strain of the road and their advancing age, Pete Townshend isn't ruling anything out.

The band's latest concert collection, The Who With Orchestra Live At Wembley, peaked at Number One on the Billboard Classical charts. Amazingly, the album marks the band's sole chart-topper in America.

During a new chat with Record Collector, Pete Townshend spoke frankly about the future of the Who: "I don't have a clear picture into the distance. I suppose Roger and I, at some point, will look ahead and try to work out whether or not we want to do an Elton John and end it in some way. I would never do what he's done, but God bless him. I think Roger and I both prefer the scenario that we've lived in all our lives, which is that we shall see. When I've said in the past, 'I'm not doing this anymore, it's a crock of s***,' I've come back and done it. It's not that I look like a fool -- I don't care if I do -- it's that, in a sense, you betray your audience and you betray the faith that people have in you that you're going to take it seriously."

He went on to explain what it takes to head out on the road these days, admitting, "It's difficult to make a decision going forward because we don't know how well we're going to be or how fit we're going to be. Y'know, we're both old. That, in itself, has a downside, because apart from what you can or can't do on the stage, when you finish touring you come back to normal life -- seeing your grandchildren, spending time with friends, looking after your finances, doing charity work, writing stuff, doing interviews, working with other musicians, whatever it is that you decide to do to fill your time away from the road -- and it's harder and takes longer. So, life slows down because it's so much harder getting up and down the stairs, but it also speeds up."

In reagrd to the actual performing while on tour, Townshend added: "One of the things about me getting older has not been that it's harder for me to perform -- I'm a bit like Mick Jagger: I'm fit, I can jump about -- but I'm afraid of damaging myself, in a sense. And also, there's a sense of the dignity of jumping about like a lunatic and swinging my arm and doing all that stuff and thinking I look like an old git. It's like dad dancing."

Pete Townshend told us that after all is said and done -- now is a good time for the Who: "It's all fun, it really is, it's all play. Y'know, the studio stuff and the music stuff, for me, that's what I love to do and usually touring (wasn't) for me. These days, I don't find it hard, so, I don't dislike it the way I used to do when I was younger -- but I can't say that I love it the way that some people do. But, I'm kind of tickled by what we've taken on."

The Who kicks off its European tour on June 14th in Barcelona, Spain.

Sam Smith And His Crew Felled By The Flu

Sam Smith was forced to cancel multiple tour dates in the UK because they and their crew have been struck down by the flu.

First, the "Unholy" singer axed his April 21st stop in Glasgow, followed by his April 24th show.

They wrote on Instagram Monday (April 24th), "Sailors, I am so sorry to let you know that my team and I are still really not well, so unfortunately we need to reschedule our Birmingham show to the 27th May 2023."

Bruce Springsteen Drops Latest 'Live Series' Collection

Out now is The Live Series: Songs Of Character, Bruce Springsteen's latest "greatest hits" collection from his officially sanctioned archival live bootleg series.

The new 15-track compilation, features "The Boss" chronologically over the years -- both with and without the E Street Band -- spanning gigs from October 18th, 1975 in Los Angeles through February 7th, 2017 in Sydney, Australia.

Songs Of Character follows the other thematic Live Series sets Songs Of Location, Songs Of The Road, Songs Of Friendship, Songs Of Hope, Songs Of Love, Songs From Around The World, the two-volume Songs Under Cover, Songs Of Summer, and the all-acoustic comp -- Stripped. The collections are the joint product of the Legacy imprint of Springsteen's Sony label and Nugs.net, which produces and distributes his monthly archival sets.

Guitarist Steve Van Zandt told us that the E Street Band is built on spontaneity and is able to keep their shows so flexible because they don't fall into the same traps as other touring groups: "Y'know, I know a lot of bands, they just play the same sets, 'cause they have that (laughs) expensive production that has to be coordinated -- which we don't have. Y'know, we're like the light man, the sound man, (laughs) they'll catch up -- they'll figure it out by the second verse. We don't care. It's all about the music, it's all about the relationship with the audience and we kind of just go for it. I'm very proud that we're able to turn arenas, and even stadiums, into clubs."

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band next performs on April 28th in Barcelona, Spain.

The tracklisting to The Live Series: Songs Of Character is:

"Carol" (The Roxy, West Hollywood, CA - October 18, 1975)
"Kitty's Back" (Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ - September 19, 1978)
"Mona / Preacher's Daughter / She's The One" (Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA - December 15, 1978)
"Sherry Darling" (Wembley Arena, London, UK - June 5, 1981)
"Janey Don't You Lose Heart" (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA - September 27, 1985)
"Gloria's Eyes" (Boston Garden, Boston, MA - Dec 13, 1992)
"Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" (Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ - Nov 26, 1996)
"Maria's Bed" (The Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA - May 17, 2005)
"Bobby Jean" (Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden - June 25, 2005)
"Leah" (Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ - November 22, 2005)
"Mary Queen Of Arkansas" (HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY - November 22, 2009)
"Cynthia" (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ - September 22, 2012)
"Frankie Fell In Love" (Perth Arena, Perth, AU - February 5, 2014)
"Linda Let Me Be The One" (BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL - April 29, 2014)
"Long Tall Sally" (Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, AU - February 7, 2017)

Dave Davies Sheds Light On The Kinks' Creative Process

Newly released is the Kinks' compilation The Journey - Part 1, the first of a two-part anthology set in celebration of the group's 60th anniversary. Part 1 features such classics as "You Really Got Me," "All Day And All Of The Night," "Tired Of Waiting For You," "Waterloo Sunset," "Celluloid Heroes," and many more. The details for when Part 2 will drop and its tracklist are still TBA.

We caught up with Dave Davies and he spoke about the material featured on the new compilation and how he, brother Ray Davies and the rest of the band always broke a sweat in the studio when creating their slew of instant classics: "After a few years you get really used to the idea that the record company want an album. We have ideas and Ray's writing great stuff -- and it's work, in a way. You get used to it -- 'Oh, we'll get together and rehearse new songs that Ray's got and some more I've put together.' It's a process and it can be painful. A lot of shouting goes on but when I look back it's unbelievable."

Quickies: Miley Cyrus + Meghan Trainor!

MILEY CYRUS DEBUTS NEW BRUNETTE HAIRSTYLE: Miley Cyrus is no longer blonde. The "Flowers" singer unveiled her new hairstyle at The Daily Front Row's Seventh Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards. The pop star revealed her natural brunette color when she presented the Music Stylist of the year award to Bradley Kenneth.

MEGHAN TRAINOR APOLOGIZES TO TEACHERS: Meghan Trainor is sorry for the negative remarks she made about teachers on her podcast. The "Mother" singer issued an apology to her fans Sunday (April 23rd) on TikTok, saying, "I was bullied by some teachers so in that moment I got angry and said 'f teachers.'" She originally made the comment during a conversation with her co host about their plans to home school their kids.

Dwight Twilley Returns With 'Tulsa Years' Compilation

Renowned singer/songwriter and power pop icon Dwight Twilley returns with the new compilation, The Best Of Dwight Twilley: The Tulsa Years 1999-2016 - Vol 1. One of the bonus tracks already garnering attention is the remake of the beloved Dwight Twilley Band's "Could Be Love," which was but one of Twilley's classic pop confections sung by his late-friend and bandmate, Phil Seymour.

Following the 1994 Northridge earthquake in Southern California, Dwight Twilley returned home to his native Tulsa, Oklahoma and built his own recording studio. Between 1999 and 2016, the prolific Twilley released six new original albums, a cover collection, a Beatles' tribute album, a live CD/DVD, an original Christmas set, along with a compilation of unreleased tracks.

Dwight Twilley's classic hits "I'm On Fire," "Looking For The Magic," "Girls," and "Why You Wanna Break My Heart" continue to lure new fans to his vast catalogue due to their high profile placements in movies, TV, and commercials.

We recently caught up with Dwight Twilley and he gave us the backstory on the material featured on the new Tulsa Years collection, which was co-produced and engineered by his wife Jan Twilley: "We had it on-hand. Y'know, we've been working in our studio for months and months -- just cutting track-after-track. And pretty soon it was apparent that we had so many songs that were not out -- and what do you do with them? And we just decided to put them all together in one package."

One of the highlights on the entire Tulsa Years set is the classic Twilley ballad, "Goodbye," which fans first took notice of way back in 1999: "We were recording an album called Tulsa and doing it right here in Tulsa. For the album to be happy, you needed to throw a little 'Goodbye.' It didn't necessarily fit everything else. Sometimes that's exactly what an album needs to be happy."