Pulse Music

Only hours before showtime, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band announced the postponement of last night's (March 9th) concert in Columbus, Ohio. The Nationwide Arena venue posted a message on its website stating, "Due to illness, tonight's Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band concert at Nationwide Arena has been postponed. We are working on rescheduling the date so please hold on to your tickets as they will be valid for the rescheduled show."

Over the course of the tour, covid has sidelined several bandmembers, forcing the band to play shows without Steven Van Zandt, Soozie Tyrell, Nils Lofgren, and Jake Clemons. There's been no word as to the reason for the postponement, or which member of the ensemble has fallen ill.

Nils Lofgren, who initially replaced Steven Van Zandt in 1984, says that Bruce Springsteen absolutely values having the world's most dependable band at his disposal both on the road and in the studio, and genuinely loves to play with them: "Not putting words into someone's mouth, if I was the caretaker of something like that, I would. . . I know Bruce takes it very seriously. It kind of an extraordinary thing to be the caretaker of."

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's next gig is set for Sunday, March 12th at Uncasville, Connecticut's Mohegan Sun.

On Thursday (3-9), Ed Sheeran shared a new song called "Eyes Closed" on TikTok. He posted a short clip on all of his socials encouraging fans to listen to it and make their own "silly videos with it" because he "finds them funny."

According to a press release, the entire album was written against a backdrop of personal grief and shows his vulnerability and honesty.

It was written last February when his pregnant wife was told she had a tumor and his best friend Jamal, died suddenly. During that month, he was also in a court battle defending his integrity as a songwriter.

He describes the album as "last February's diary entry" and his "way of making sense of it."

The song will officially be released to radio on March 24 and Subtract will be out on May 5.

TL;DR:

• Ed Sheeran shared a new song called "Eyes Closed" on TikTok.
• He encouraged fans to make their own "silly videos with it" because he "finds them funny."
• The song will officially be released to radio on March 24 and Subtract will be out on May 5.

BTS' Jimin has revealed photos for his new album called, Face.

According to a press release, the images "portray Jimin's resolution to move forward after facing himself entirely."

Several photos were posted online, including one of him wearing a black leather jacket and in the others, he's shirtless, exposing his tattoos.

More photos will be released on March 11 and Jimin's solo album, Face will be out March 24.

TL;DR:

• BTS' Jimin has revealed photos for his new album called, Face.
• One of him wearing a black leather jacket and in the others, he's shirtless, exposing his tattoos.

Happy Birthday to legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor, who turns 75 on Sunday (March 12th)!!! James Taylor kicks off his next series of tour dates over two nights -- May 25th and 26th -- at Woodinville, Washington's Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery.

In 2020 Taylor released his latest album, titled American Standard. The covers collection features tunes culled from the "great American Songbook," including, "My Blue Heaven," "Ol' Man River," "Pennies From Heaven," "The Nearness Of You," and "God Bless The Child," among others. With album hitting Number Four on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Taylor became the first artist to earn a Top 10 album in each of the last six decades.

James Taylor will forever be remembered for his string of classic hits, including "Fire And Rain," "Sweet Baby James," "You've Got A Friend," "Up On The Roof," "You Can Close Your Eyes," "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight," "Handy Man," "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," "Mockingbird," "Mexico," "Shower The People" "Her Town Too," "Your Smiling Face," and "Carolina In My Mind," among many more.

Taylor, along with former-wife Carly Simon, was one of the driving forces behind the early-'70s singer-songwriter era and admits that's he's still comfortable writing about his life: "That's the kind of work I do. I mean, sometimes, I've felt, y'know, that I wish I wasn't so, uh, sort of personal or confessional. But that just seems to be the kind of stuff I write."

Carole King's early-'70s singer-songwriter heyday will always be tied to her work with James Taylor due to their early joint tours and recording sessions, which resulted in Taylor's 1971 chart-topping cover of King's "You've Got A Friend." King addressed the fact that people are always curious about two performers of the opposite sex collaborating in a tight knit fashion: "First of all, you can ask me about James any time, because I love him (laughs) so much. It's that real . . . y'know everybody says, 'Were you a couple? -- No. Y'know, 'Do you ever think about it?' -- No. The first connection was musical."

James Taylor told us that despite the pressures of the music business, he's never felt any competition with his peers, or himself, when writing or recording new music: "It's impossible not to sort of think about your position when you've finished an album and you're releasing it, and trying to promote it and announce it and stuff. It's hard not to think of it in the marketplace. But for me, it's not a competitive sport, y'know, and you just have to do your best and then let go of the result -- and just be thankful to be able to continue."

Taylor recalled being among one of the first signings to Apple Records as a dream come true: "Well, I was signed by the Beatles in 1968 to their Apple Records label. I was a huge Beatles fan -- they had a massive impact on me and what I thought I'd like to write."

Although James Taylor is rated among the top composers of the singer-songwriter era, he credits his vocal and guitar styles for much of his success: "If you listen to the original of 'Handy Man,' or 'Up On The Roof,' or 'Everyday,' and then listen to my version of it, the arrangement gets redone. I have a vocal style that tends to lay the thing back a little bit in many cases. The other thing is that I have this sort of vocabulary on guitar -- kind of preferred chord changes, and I'll play these songs over years going back to when I was a teenager."

It was 35 years ago today (March 10th, 1988) that Andy Gibb died. Andy, who was the younger brother of the Bee Gees -- Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb -- died just five days after his 30th birthday from an inflammatory heart virus exacerbated by years of substance abuse. Andy, who was almost a decade younger than his brothers, had desperately wanted to become part of the group, but because of his age he missed out on the Bee Gees' first era of success in the late-'60s. By the time he was 19, he had emigrated from Australia to be with his brothers, who helped him sign with Robert Stigwood, who managed the group and owned their record label, RSO.

Success for Andy came fast, with his brother Barry's songwriting and producing help. He racked up three Number One hits -- "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" in 1977, and "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" and "Shadow Dancing" in 1978 -- all before his 21st birthday.

The long shadow of the Bee Gees was never far from Andy when discovering his own musical success: "I don't honestly think I'd be here now if it wasn't for them, if they hadn't come along first. Well, who knows how it would've worked out? But my brother Barry gave me my first break. He produced my first records -- he wrote most of my hits, so, who's to say? If it hadn't been for him first. . ."

Andy Gibb was briefly married to his high school sweetheart, Kim Reeder, and they had a daughter named Peta in 1978. By 1980, Andy, who had previously been romantically linked with Susan George, Marie Osmond, and Olivia Newton-John, became involved with Dallas star Victoria Principal. With his musical career drying up, he turned to TV, serving as the host of the syndicated music show Solid Gold. As his substance abuse problems increased, he began performing such musicals as The Pirates Of Penzance and Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat, but frequent absences due to drug problems ended all his stage runs prematurely.

Victoria Principal recalled realizing that drugs were playing a major role in Andy's life: "Well, it was became very apparent to me that his behavior was becoming erratic and that he was very, very thin. And Andy was a very kind person and a very gentle person, and some of his behavior seemed the antithesis of who I knew him to be. And over a period of (laughs) deduction, I finally realized that it had to be drugs."

In 1982, once back on track doing the rounds on the comeback trail, Andy publicly blamed his addictions on Principal leaving him -- rather than acknowledging the fact that she had left because of his drug use: "I want to tell a story now -- I turned to drugs for a month. I did quite. . . an awful lot of cocaine -- which I no longer do. I gave up everything. I started missing tapings of Solid Gold -- I would not turn up for tapings. A very bad boy. I didn't care. I didn't care about people, I didn't care about life. I thought so much of the girl -- and I still do -- it just, I just fell apart."

In the last years of his life, Andy was forced to perform a cabaret act based around Bee Gees hits and was supported almost completely by his brothers.

Singer Marilyn McCoo, who co-starred with Andy on Solid Gold, said that he had a tough time living up to his famous brothers: "Andy was fragile. Andy wanted so desperately to be successful like his brothers. Y'know, he was the youngest brother in the 'Brothers Gibb.' So, when Barry decided to produce him, he ended up having some hits on his own, he was very excited about it."

In the mid-'80s, after the hits had dried up, Andy was able to take a long hard look at what his brothers had famously termed "First Fame": "It certainly made me very spoiled. I thought that it was always going to be that way and there would always be those Number One hit records and stuff. Also, I mean, y'know, I'd be foolish to deny it -- you suddenly do get an ego and you've got to come back down to Earth and control that. It was a pretty wild roller coaster ride for those two or three years."

At the time of his death Andy was penniless, living at his brother Robin's estate in England, and had been working on demos for a comeback album to be released in conjunction with the Bee Gees' One album. Tentative plans were in the works for a 1989 Bee Gees/Andy Gibb world tour, after which Gibb would become a permanent member of the Bee Gees -- providing he could get clean.

Oldest brother Barry spoke about Andy's death in the 2000 official Bee Gees biography, Tales From The Brothers Gibb, saying, "To me Andy's problems were not drugs and booze -- to me they were a massive insecurity, psychological problems, compounded by drink and cocaine. Maybe they also caused it, but at the end of the day (he) had no confidence in himself, yet had a lot of talent. . . he seemed to have lost the will or desire to use it."

Barry Gibb explained that the severity of Andy's heart condition was kept a secret from his brothers: "We would play tennis and we would play five or six sets and he'd get very, sort of, flushed and red -- and I didn't know why, y'know? And what he wasn't telling me was that -- he really shouldn't be doing it."

Marilyn McCoo was aware of the substance abuse problems that had been shadowing Andy prior to his death, but says that she thought he was on the road to recovery: "I did not foresee Andy dying the way he did. I hadn't heard from or about Andy in some time at the time that he passed. He was really getting his life together, it seemed like he was on the path toward self-discovery and peace. And so, it was really tragic to see that happen."

Barry Gibb recalled his last heartbreaking conversation with his baby brother: "The last thing that happened between me and Andy was an argument, which is devastating for me, because I have to live with that all my life. And there was a phone call between him and me and I was, sort of, saying, 'Yeah, you've really gotta get your act together. . .' and '. . . this is no good.' Instead of being gentle about it -- I was angry, because someone had said to me at one point -- 'Tough love is the answer,' y'know? So, for me, it wasn't, because that was the last conversation we had. That's my regret. That's what I live with."

Andy Gibb was survived by his daughter, his brothers, his sister Leslie, and his late-parents Barbara and Hugh.

Barry, who produced the majority of Andy's work, has been working on a box set of his demos, outtakes, and works-in-progress for sometime in the near future.

In 2009 the Bee Gees released the four-disc set called Mythology with Barry and Robin selecting the tracks for their own personal discs, Maurice's wife and two children handpicking the songs for his disc, and the songs for Andy's disc selected by his daughter Peta in her first official role acting on behalf of her father. The collection marks the first time Andy Gibb's work was presented alongside his older brothers' catalogue.

The adult children of Barry, Maurice, Robin, and Andy Gibb joined forces to record an album, the 2017 album, Please Don't Turn Out The Lights. The group has been named Gibb Collective, and features Peta; Barry's sons Stephen and Travis; Robin's sons Spencer and Robin John; and Maurice's children Samantha and Adam, who cover their father's classic songs. Peta Gibb covers his Shadow Dancing deep cut "Fool For Love."

Robin Gibb died of kidney failure at the age of 62 on May 20th, 2012 after battling colon and liver cancer.

Maurice Gibb died on January 12th, 2003 at age 53 after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery in Florida.

In 2021, Foo Fighters paid tribute to Andy Gibb on the Rock-N-Relief charity livestream, by performing "Shadow Dancing" with their late drummer Taylor Hawkins singing lead.

2022 saw the first-ever standalone biography of Andy Gibb. The unauthorized Arrow Through The Heart: The Biography Of Andy Gibb by author Matthew Hild features new and exclusive interview with friends and colleagues shedding new and important light on the doomed pop sensation.

Less than a week after surgery, Travis Barker let fans know that he's doing ok. He posted a photo showing a deep purple, M-shaped scar that expands 2/3 of his left ring finger. Along with the photo, he simply wrote, "Hi."

The procedure took place on March 3 and he was out of the hospital the next day. He had injured himself while rehearsing for the Blink-182 tour, which is now on hold.

TL;DR:

• Travis Barker posted a photo showing a deep purple, M-shaped scar that expands 2/3 of his left ring finger.
• Along with the photo, he simply posted, "Hi."

It was 54 years ago Sunday (March 12th, 1969) that Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman were married in London. The couple met in 1967 at London's Bag O'Nails nightclub when Linda, already a noted rock photographer, was out for the night with members of the Animals. Paul made a point of introducing himself to Linda, and planted the seeds to one of rock n' roll's most famous and enduring relationships, which continued until Linda's death on April 17th, 1998.

McCartney remembered that the night before the couple tied the knot, tensions were running high between him and Linda: "I'm not sure that there is a perfect marriage, but yeah, we did have a row, strangely enough. And it was like, 'Oh, forget it! Let's go get married.'"

Upon marrying Linda, Paul legally adopted her six-year-old daughter Heather from her previous marriage, and eventually the couple raised three additional children, Mary (born in 1969), Stella (born in 1971), and James (born in 1977).

Paul confused and even angered fans when he formed his solo band Wings, and insisted on having Linda not only co-write the songs with him, but appear on stage singing lead and background vocals along with playing rudimentary keyboards.

McCartney credits Linda with playing an invaluable role in getting him to continue making music after the Beatles' breakup: "To have lost such a great job -- and it was really the only job I'd ever had, besides being second man on a truck when I was a kid, and a paper route -- it was quite a shock. So that took a little while, but Linda helped me out of that and encouraged me to sort of get back on my feet and said, y'know, 'What are you gonna do now?'"

Wings co-founder and original drummer Denny Seiwell told us that Linda was always an integral part of Paul life and music, and was especially important to him after his split from the Beatles: "They were such a couple. The two of them together, it was just totally inseparable, and I'm sure that he just had to have her there. And I believe -- from seeing some of this stuff that you've seen in the past years on TV, how he was just hiding away up there at the farm in Scotland when this Beatles breakup and all that stuff was going on -- I believe she was the reason that pulled him out of a slump and got him back into activity again, musical activity, writing and appearing live and all that, forming Wings, and all that, and he just needed her there."

Paul McCartney explained that having his wife in his band was really a no-brainer for him: "The thing is, we made a decision. It was kinda, y'know, we were in love, we wanted to be together. I think that was kind of like the central idea. And then it was like, 'Oh, well if you're going to be in the band than you'll need to learn a bit of instrument.' She played a little bit of piano -- but not since she was a kid. So, I would show her basic stuff. Most of what we were doing was not Tchaikovsky."

Included among the dozens of songs that Paul wrote for Linda over the years are "Two Of Us," "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Every Night," "My Love," "Best Friend," "I Am Your Singer," "Tomorrow," "Let Me Roll It," "You Gave Me The Answer," "Silly Love Songs," "Warm And Beautiful," "Daytime Nighttime Suffering," "Press," "This One," "Golden Earth Girl," "Calico Skies," and many more.

Paul McCartney married Heather Mills in 2002. A daughter, Beatrice Milly followed in 2003. The couple divorced in 2008 with Mills receiving a $48.6 payout from McCartney.

On what would have been John Lennon's 71st birthday -- October 9th, 2011 -- McCartney walked down the aisle for a third time with his girlfriend of four years, then-51-year-old New York socialite, Nancy Shevell.

Alternative rock icons, the Violent Femmes have just rolled out a string of 11 spring dates in celebration of the 40th anniversary of their self-titled 1983 debut. The "Blister In The Sun" legends will be performing the classic first album in its entirety, with the band still featuring founding members Gordon Gano on guitar and lead vocals and bassist Brian Ritchie. Jesse Ahern will be opening for the band.

This coming Record Store Day (April 23rd), the band's debut set will its first-ever picture disc vinyl pressing. Brooklyn Vegan reported, "It features the album art on one side, with the inner sleeve on the flipside."

Bassist Brian Ritchie spoke about the differences between the Violent Femmes playing abroad and back home in the States: "Any other country you go to outside of America has a more intelligent audience. Because Americans are kind of devolving into this short attention span, media-saturated, computer-overdriven and poorly-disciplined group of youth. So they show some enthusiasm, but they don't show a whole lot of intelligence."

JUST ANNOUNCED: Violent Femmes tour dates (subject two change):

May 6 - Ventura, CA - Ventura Music Hall
May 7 - Los Angeles, CA - Fonda Theatre
May 10 - San Diego, CA - Rady Shell at Jacobs Park (Violent Femmes only with San Diego Symphony)
May 11, 12 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriets
May 14 - Santa Fe, NM - Lensic Performing Arts Center
May 16 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
May 17 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
May 18 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheatre
May 19 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
May 21 - Denver, CO - Levitt Pavilion

Billy Joel revealed he's been sober for two years. During a chat with The Los Angeles Times ahead of his Friday night (March 10th) concert with Stevie Nicks at L.A.'s Dodger Stadium, the "Piano Man" was asked about his drinking these days, and admitted, "I stopped a couple of years ago. It wasn't a big AA kick. I just got to a point where I'd had enough. I didn't enjoy being completely inebriated, and it probably created more problems in my life than I needed."

When pressed about wanting to drink after a show, Billy said, "I don't need it now. I used to get offstage and be so wound up and adrenalized that I needed something to calm down to go to sleep. But I realized when you're drinking yourself to sleep, you're not really sleeping. You're just passing out. (After the show) I go to sleep. It takes all my strength these days just to get through a performance because it's hard work. I leave it all on the stage."

Billy was asked about when he first met Stevie Nicks: "We met at a Fleetwood Mac gig in San Francisco probably 10 years ago. I just got to meet her backstage, but we've never worked together, even though we both kind of hit at the same time. So this'll be a completely new thing for me. I'll probably do one of her songs and she'll probably do one of mine. . . That's up to her."

Over the years, Billy's problems with alcohol popped up frequently in the press, resulting in his last stay at the Betty Ford Clinic in 2005. Two years before that, he appeared on NBC's Dateline and spoke candidly about his relationship with the bottle: "I can abuse alcohol if the demons get me. I'll go on a bender. It's happened to me before. That's why I went into rehab, I was on a binge, I was on a bender. And I said, 'This is stupid, I've got to stop.' Then I went and I did stop and I've learned to recognize what those signs are."

Lady Gaga will not be performing at this weekend's Oscars.

Glenn Weiss, one of the show's executive producers explained to press on Wednesday (3-8) that she's busy making a movie and felt that she couldn't give her performance the time and commitment it would need, to meet her expectations.

Since Gaga is nominated for best original song with "Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick, many thought she would be there. All five nominees were invited and she's the only one that can't make it.

She's currently working on the movie, Joker: Folie à Deux, where she plays opposite Joaquin Phoenix. The release date is Oct. 9, 2024.

TL;DR:

• Lady Gaga will not be performing at this weekend's Oscars.
• She's currently in production with Joker: Folie à Deux and felt that she couldn't give her performance the time and commitment it would need, to meet her expectations.

Bad Bunny is set to host Backlash, a WWE live event that will take place May 6, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As a long-time fan, he said, "In 2005 when I was a kid, I wasn't able to attend New Year's Revolution at el Coliseo. And now finally, 18 years later WWE

Bad Bunny's love for WWE is no secret. In 2021, he had a stint during a tag-team match against The Miz and John Morrison at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., for WrestleMania 37.

TL;DR:

• Bad Bunny is set to host Backlash, a WWE live event that will take place May 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• He is a long-time fan.

Miley Cyrus shared a clip on social media, talking about her next single, called "River." You can hear the music playing in the background as she talks about writing the song.

She said, "Sometimes we just need a dance floor banger." Then after being bleeped out a few times, she says, "It's nasty."

Her new single and album, Endless Summer Vacation, will be out on Friday, March 10.

TL;DR:

• Miley describes her next single, "River" as "nasty,'
• Her new single and album, Endless Summer Vacation, will be out on Friday, March 10.

Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx is feeling invigorated being back on the road with the band -- so much so that he wants them to keep going far beyond their current tour with Def Leppard.

Blabbermouth transcribed some of his recent chat with Brazil's A Radio Rock, in which he said, "Tommy (Lee) just had his 60th-birthday party (last October) down in Mexico, and he invited a small group of his very good friends. And I was there, and a bunch of (hi) cool friends. All of our wives were there. John 5 came in. And it was just cool to be able to not talk business, be in rehearsal, get on the phone, talk about the photo shoot or the video. It was just hanging out, walking on the beach. And we had some sweet conversations."

Sixx went on to say, "Me and Tommy and Vince (Neil) had this conversation. I said, 'What are you guys doing for the next eight years?' And everybody's laughing: 'I don't know.' I said, 'Why don't we just keep going? Let's just take it to 50 (years since the band's inception, which will be in 2031).' So this isn't a final tour. What does that look like? I have no idea. I'm just telling you, you have the band saying, 'We're having a blast. Why stop?'"

Nikki Sixx admitted to us that choosing the perfect setlist sometimes proves harder than one might expect: "Obviously people want to hear the hits, y'know, and if you don't play the hits, you're being one of those artists that go, 'We only play the new music.' Then the fans are disappointed. If you don't play any new music, fans are disappointed. So it's a balancing act. You have to struggle with how much time you have. That's the other problem, y'know? It's like, you're playing a festival, how much time do you have to actually play?"

With almost two years between albums, one Billie Eilish fan couldn't wait any longer and posted to her brother Finneas, "it's been one year and three months since this interview, you lie as much as your sister."

He was quick, polite, and to the point when he responded with, "Great things take time."

The post was in reference to an interview he did with Rolling Stone in December of 2021. Eilish had just released Happier than Ever and he told the publication that they were already working on the next album.

TL;DR:

• A Billie Eilish fan couldn't wait any longer and posted to her brother Finneas, "it's been one year and three months since this interview, you lie as much as your sister."
• He responded with, "Great things take time."

Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs has just released a new cover of the Rolling Stones' 1966 classic, "Under My Thumb" as a teaser to her new covers collection, The Deep End. Rock Cellar reported the new set drops on April 7th and features new takes on such new and old favorites as Squeeze's "Black Coffee In Bed," Ed Sheeran's "Afterglow," Billie Eilish's "When The Party's Over" and "Only You" by Yazoo.

Hoffs spoke about the legendary Stones track, which was but one of the highlights on the band's 1966 Aftermath collection, explaining, "I've listened to that song on repeat since it came out in the mid-'60s. I had an epiphany when I really thought about what the song is about, and it ignited this idea to do my own spin on it -- to change the gender and see how it felt. What if the roles are/were reversed and the boy is under her thumb? It was exhilarating to give it a new spin, to flip it on its head, or on its ass. It's a sassy, irreverent song, so it was extremely pleasurable to turn the tables."

The Deep End was produced by Peter Asher and features backing by members of the famed '70s rhythm section, now known as the Immediate Family, including guitarist Waddy Wachtel, bassist Leland Sklar, and drummer Russ Kunkel.

It was 16 years ago today (March 9th, 2007) that Boston lead singer Brad Delp committed suicide at his home in Atkinson, New Hampshire, at the age of 55. Emergency operators in Concord, New Hampshire, got a phone call seeking help and when local police responded, they found Delp had suffocated from the smoke of two charcoal grills he had lit inside his bathroom. The singer was found lying on a pillow by his fiancee, Pamela Sullivan. His cause of death was listed as carbon monoxide poisoning.

Delp will be remembered for his peerless vocals on such timeless Boston classics as "More Than A Feeling," "Peace Of Mind," "Foreplay/Long Time," "Rock & Roll Band," "Smokin'" -- which he co-wrote with Boston co-founder Tom Scholz, "Hitch A Ride," "Something About You," "Let Me Take You Home Tonight," -- which Delp wrote on his own, "Don't Look Back," "We're Ready," and Boston's only chart-topper, 1986's "Amanda." Delp is featured posthumously on Boston's latest album, 2013's Love, Life, And Hope.

Immediately following his death, Tom Scholz posted a statement on the official bandboston.com website: "We've just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll. . . As you all know by now, Boston's lead singer, Brad Delp, was found dead in his home on Friday, March 9th, 2007. Plans for live Boston performances this summer have, of course, been canceled. My heart goes out to his wonderful fiancee Pamela, his two children and other family members, his close friends and band mates, and to the millions of people whose lives were made a little brighter by the sound of his voice. He will be dearly missed."

Shortly before his death, Brad Delp recalled to us the first time that rock n' roll entered his life back in October 1956: "I was told the story of when Elvis first came on Ed Sullivan, my sister flipped the chair over (laughs) when he came on, and I do remember playing her Elvis records, and her Buddy Holly records. And I was lucky enough that I got to see Elvis. It was the last tour I think that he ever did, and he played in Providence, Rhode Island, so he wasn't in the best of health, but I can say that I actually got to see Elvis on stage."

Like many people his age, Delp decided to become a musician after watching the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, and he worked with a number of groups in the area while he was still in school. Delp graduated from Danvers High School in 1969, and it wasn't long before he hooked up with Scholz to work on the music that became the first Boston album.

Delp left Scholz and Boston following the release of the band's second album, 1978's Don't Look Back, and he spent a few years working with former Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau on a number of projects, including the groups RTZ and Orion The Hunter, before returning to Boston in 1986 for the album Third Stage. He was out again for the recording of the band's next album, 1994's Walk On, but he returned for the tour and shared lead vocal duties with Fran Cosmo. That arrangement was still in place until fairly recently, when Fran and his son Anthony Cosmo were dismissed.

When he wasn't working with Boston, Delp could often be found doing Beatles covers with the band BeatleJuice, which had been playing the local circuit for many years.

Back in 2007, Tom Scholz told us that Brad Delp had the greatest set of pipes he'd ever heard: "He's the best singer I've ever heard -- period. I have worked with a ton of 'em -- nobody can do the things that he can do. I'm not talking about singing high notes -- lots of people can do that. He can do amazing things with his voice, and his grasp of music is just mind-boggling. The things that he can keep upstairs. . . it's like you're tapping into some kind of computer memory bank or something."

Scholz credits Delp as the key to Boston's global success: "He and I were the ones, y'know, that put most of those tracks on the albums. Y'know, I did the instruments, mostly, and he did the singing. That was the key. That's what we did in the demos -- I mean, other than the drum track -- and that's what worked. We basically did that on the albums and we certainly had some contributions from people along the way. But in my mind, y'know, none of them would've been successful without Brad's voice on them. I don't think there would've been a Boston today if he hadn't been the singer."

THE AFTERMATH

In 2012 Tom Scholz filed suit against The Boston Globe, accusing the paper of claiming that he allegedly drove Brad Delp to suicide in 2007. In legal testimony and the press, Delp's closest friends took to Delp's defense, with Ultimate Classic Rock quoting former Boston member David Sikes saying, Delp "didn't like Tom and didn't trust Tom. He felt that Tom had taken advantage of him financially, especially."

Shortly before his suicide, Sikes says that Delp told him "how much he envied me, that I had the guts to stand up to Tom Scholz and the guts to quit the band and to move on with my life, to leave Boston."

Close friend Joy Baker testified, "Brad just could not stand one more minute of feeling like he could not stand up for himself or do the right thing, if you will, in any aspect of his life, because he was so afraid. . . he would run from confrontation and I think he was just beaten down by the years of dealing with Tom Scholz."

Examiner.com reported that on August 24th, 2012 Superior Court Judge John C. Cratsley threw out Scholz' defamation lawsuit against Brad Delp's ex-wife Micki Delp. Scholz claimed that Micki's interview with The Boston Herald alluded that Scholz was the cause for Delp's suicide.

Scholz has gone on record stating that "an extremely upsetting and embarrassing incident" was the real reason for Delp's suicide. To make a long story short -- according to Scholz -- Delp was engaged to Pamela Sullivan at the time of his death. For the two years leading up to his suicide, Pamela's sister Meg lived with Delp in a very close, but platonic relationship. Meg and her boyfriend found a secret battery powered camera planted in her bedroom -- allegedly set up by Delp.

When confronted, Delp was humiliated and contrite -- blaming the emotional fallout from an alleged previous affair of Pamela's for his problems. The couple allowed Delp to tell Pamela himself. Instead, Delp brought two charcoal barbecue grills up to his bedroom, turned the gas on and killed himself.

In the notes Delp left behind, he told the couple: "I have had bouts of depression and thoughts of suicide since I was a teenager. . . (Pamela) was my 'ray of sunshine,' but sometimes even a ray of sunshine is no substitute for a good psychiatrist."

On March 5th, Jane's Addiction premiered its first new song since 2014, titled, "True Love." The tune came at the end of the night during the band's tour kickoff in Bakersfield, California at Mechanics Bank Arena.

Rolling Stone described it as, "a psych-tinged ballad that builds to an understated peak, with frontman Perry Farrell's voice reverberating against twinkling guitars, splashy cymbals, and a pensive baseline."

Last year during a chat with Consequence, Perry Farrell was pressed about the band cutting some new music: "You never know, y'know? You just never know. But what I would love to see -- I would love to see us record a couple of tracks this year. Y'know, even if it's two or three tracks. Two tracks. . . I don't know; I feel two is nice. I think people can take two: like two aspirin."

Former-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is handling guitar duties on the current dates while co-founder Dave Navarro battles long covid.

Harry Styles fans went crazy Monday (March 6th) when he "accidentally" posted a photo of himself wearing a One Direction shirt to his Instagram story.

According to Pop Crave's Twitter account, the "Watermelon Sugar" singer said Tuesday (March 7th), "I guess some of us have secrets. Maybe, like some people, you choose to keep it to yourself. And maybe one day, you accidentally post it to your Instagram Story."

Several fans guessed that Styles originally intended to post the Story to his "close friends" only."

Miley Cyrus will release the music video for "River" Friday (March 10th).

The "Flowers" singer shared an 18-second teaser to social media Tuesday (March 7th), with the caption "RIVER. MUSIC VIDEO. FRIDAY." The black-and-white visual included close-up-shots of the popstar's face.

Her album, Endless Summer Vacation, drops the same day.

Peter Gabriel has just rolled out 12 North American tour dates for September and October -- with the promise of another dozen cities to be announced soon. As it stands now, Gabriel will launch the trek on September 8th in Quebec at Videotron Centre and wraps things up on October 13th Los Angeles, California Kia Forum. The general onsale for i/o - The Tour - North American leg will start Friday, March 10th at 10 a.m. local time.

Additional dates are coming soon for Washington, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Denver, Austin, Dallas and Houston. Back in November, Gabriel announced a 22-date European tour for May and June, marking his first road dates since his 2016 joint trek with Sting.

Gabriel has just dropped the latest track from his upcoming album, i/o called, "Playing For Time (Dark-Side Mix)." Each song from i/o will be released at the start of a new moon phase.

According to the announcement:

i/o - The Tour will see Peter playing new material from his forthcoming album i/o, as well as delving into his peerless catalogue of music, with hits, fan favorites and the unexpected. For the shows, he will be joined by regular band-mates Tony Levin, David Rhodes and Manu Katché.

Peter Gabriel admitted to us that taking such a long time between albums and tours is absolutely by choice: "Y'know, I enjoy the, the whole process of making it, better than going out and selling it, in some ways, and I was doing other things that interested me, really, and I think just to be stuck on the album-tour-album (cycle) -- that isn't very interesting for me to be doing that all the time."

JUST ANNOUNCED: Peter Gabriel North American tour dates (subject to change):

September 8 - Quebec City, QB - Videotron Centre
September 9 - Ottawa, ON - Canadian Tire Centre
September 11 - Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
September 13 - Montreal, QN Bell Centre
September 14 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
September 16 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
September 18 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
September 30 - Chicago, IL - United Center
October 7 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
October 8 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
October 11 - San Francisco, CA - Chase Center
October 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum

The Edge is promising a revitalized-sounding U2 for its next studio set. The band will drop its new 40-track Songs Of Survival collection on March 17th -- but have already begin plotting their next move, which will feature "big electric guitars."

During a chat with The Telegraph, the guitarist explained, "I'm not sure U2 are going to turn into AC/DC exactly. I'll still be trying to find ways to use the instrument that are new and unfamiliar. But I'm absolutely convinced that the guitar is going to be front and center within mainstream music culture in a year or two, and I want to be part of that revival. . . I don't think there's any chance of the future drying up! I've been working on (other) new stuff in parallel that's much more vital and requires a U2 band sound to fulfill it."

The Edge laughed as he touched upon his connection with Bono, which along with the rest of the band, marks one of rock's most long lasting and dedicated partnerships: "Of course Bono gets too much for me sometimes! I'm sure I drive him mad, as well. If that wasn't the case, I think we would be doing a disservice to each other, because it's in the realm where we push each other, challenge each other, annoy the hell out of each other, that you know there's something going on. If you never get to that place, dude, you don't really have a proper ­creative relationship."

Regarding drummer Bram van den Berg sitting in for Larry Mullen, Jr. during the band's upcoming Las Vegas residency following his back surgery and recovery, The Edge said, "No one is more disappointed than us that Larry won't be joining us in Vegas. . . We made a commitment. In the history of U2, you can count the shows we've missed on the fingers of one hand. . . The people who are going to miss Larry the most, I think, will be Bono, Adam (Clayton) and myself. It'll be strange to turn around and not see him behind us after all these years. But the shows will be amazing."

The Edge told us that U2 has never been comfortable resting on its laurels and has always felt most natural when stepping out on a limb: "In some ways that sense of jeopardy is a good thing. I would hate if we ever lost our great ability to screw up. It's an important part of what the band is. We've never fallen afoul to the risks of becoming too professional or, indeed, over-rehearsing (laughs). Those two things we've managed to avoid up 'til now."

Out now by noted author Luca Perasi is Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind The Songs (Vol. 1), according to The Daily Beatle. Perasi received raves for his 2013 tome Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013). A Journey Through Paul McCartney's Songs After The Beatles, and served as one of the two official Italian translators of Macca's 2021 book The Lyrics. In 2022 collaborated with MPL on the label copy for the former-Beatle's The 7-Inch Singles Box. Fans can expect the second volume of Music Is Ideas in 2024.

According to the new book's press release:

This book can be best described as the "musical biography" of the most important song composer ever . . Volume 1 tells the stories behind Paul McCartney's songs released between 1970 and 1989. The book consists of 346 song sheets -- including songs written by other composers as well as 50 unreleased tracks -- each providing detailed information of musicians and recording dates, including anecdotes, contemporary interviews together with exclusive interviews with key personnel by the author.

It's enriched with over 1,000 footnotes and with dozens of illustrations and photographs. Albums, tours and other events provide a background to the stories behind the songs. . . The phrase 'Music is ideas' is taken from the (1986) song 'Talk More Talk' and aims to provide a guide for the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of McCartney, an artist who has elevated the pop song to an art-form."

During a recent Instagram Live chat, Paul McCartney said, if at all possible, it's always best to finish your song in one sitting: "As you're writing a song and you'll get an idea and then the short of melody -- if you're lucky -- the, kind of, melody and the words, kind of suggest themselves. I always love that; a line that I don't have to work on -- (sings) 'Hear me women and wives/hear me husbands and lovers' -- I go, 'Oh yeah, that's good. That fits!' I kind of have to think it comes from another place. I always feel a little bit daft saying that -- 'Oh, magical, all that. . .' But. . . How else are you gonna explain? There is some sort of force." (:31 OC. . . sort of force

Although Luca Perasi has many favorites in the McCartney catalogue -- including the 2005 critically acclaimed Chaos And Creation In The Backyard -- when pressed for his absolute favorite album, he actually picked McCartney's second post-Beatles release from 1971: "For me, the best one, the most significant for me is Ram. He's got an energy, that I think, was a fantastic one. I consider it the best of Paul. There are a couple of songs that maybe are weak, but Paul was getting out of the Beatles and it was his first album recorded after the Beatles, so he has all this energy, all this rage inside; and so, I think it shines."