Pulse Music

U2 AT THE SUPER BOWL - 2002

It was 21 years ago this Super Bowl Sunday (February 3rd, 2002) that U2 headlined the game's legendary halftime show in New Orleans' Superdome. Coming only months after the horrific 9/11 attacks, the band's set, which only featured two songs -- "It's A Beautiful Day" and "Where The Streets Have No Name" -- served as both a moment to rejoice and reflect. During the second song, a scrolling list of those that perished on 9/11 was rolled behind the band, with Bono ending the song by revealing an American flag serving as the lining of his jacket.

Only days after the Super Bowl appearance, Bono was honored for his philanthropic efforts at The Love Rocks event in Los Angeles. While accepting the Entertainment Industry Foundation's (EIF) Heart Of Entertainment Award Bono spoke of the importance of the American dream and its need to thrive: "I promise you this -- that those lives that were lost on September the 11th, that is their only fitting memorial. Not just the pursuit of justice, but the pursuit of a less dangerous, safer, fairer, more inclusive world. Thank you very much. (applause)"

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND AT THE SUPER BOWL - 2009

It was 14 years ago this Super Bowl Sunday (February 1st, 2009) that after years of turning the NFL down flat, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed an electrifying four-song medley during the halftime show at the Super Bowl in Tampa. Springsteen and the band -- who unlike nearly all the halftime acts in recent memory actually looked as though they were enjoying themselves -- were augmented by the Miami Horns on loan from their roadwork with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.

Bruce and the band tore through abbreviated versions of "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," which in one of the many comical moments in the short set, saw Springsteen's signature knee slide across the stage land him straight into the cameraman who caught it all on tape -- including Springsteen cracking up at the bang-up; "Born To Run" which dropped the "Wendy let me in. . ." verse; the new "Working On A Dream" backed by the Inaugural Celebration Chorus, who first backed "The Boss" the previous month in Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial; and finally "Glory Days" with the baseball lyrics replaced with football terms including the no-brainer switch from "speedball" to "Hail Mary." Springsteen and right-hand man Steve Van Zandt had fun vamping as they brought the song to a close.

The highpoint for die-hard fans was seeing Springsteen play his retired Fender hybrid Telecaster-Esquire guitar, which has been completely absent from his live shows over the past few years. The guitar -- which has a Telecaster body and an Esquire neck -- was Springsteen's primary instrument from 1972 to 2000 and is pictured on the album covers of Born To Run, Live 1975-1985, Human Touch, Plugged, Greatest Hits, and the Wrecking Ball album.

We caught up with Nils Lofgren prior to the game and he explained the pros and cons of the band signing on for the half-time gig: "It goes way beyond a gig. First of all, TV is always never your favorite thing to do in a great band -- because it removes the three hour sweat fast, the day of prep, the whole ease into this incredible environment. But that being said -- it's. . . after 40 years on the road, it's without a doubt gonna be the best and greatest TV show opportunity any of us will ever have."

At the pre-game press conference Springsteen explained why he changed his mind about performing such a high profile, creatively restrictive, and overtly commercial gig: "Initially it was a novelty, so it didn't feel right. I had a talk with. . . I was with a young musician, talking about the Super Bowl. He said, 'Why don't you play the Super Bowl?' I said, 'Well, y'kinda playing in the middle of a football game, y'know?' He said, 'Man, I just hope one day my band's big enough to play the Super Bowl." I think why we said yes this year -- they've asked us many times -- was, one: (Exaggerated voice) We have a new album comin' out, dummy! C'mon! There's a new record in the stores (laughs). So -- it just happened to come out this past week (laughs). So, we have our mercenary reasons, of course, y'know? Besides our deep love of football."

Springsteen spoke to The New York Times about his decision to finally play the Super Bowl, explaining, "It was sort of, well, if we don't do it now, what are we waiting for? I want to do it while I'm alive. At my age, it is tough to get word of your music out. If we weren't doing these big things, there's no middle things."

He added: "It was very challenging to try and get (the set to fit into) that exact 12 minutes. I found that in a funny way it was very freeing. OK, these are your boundaries, so put everything that you have into just this box. If you do it right, you should feel the tension of it wanting to spread beyond that time frame. But it can't."

THE WHO AT THE SUPER BOWL - 2010

It was 13 years ago this Super Bowl Sunday (February 7th, 2010), that the Who performed a medley of five of their classic songs at the halftime show during the Super Bowl at Miami's Sun Life Stadium. The band performed a nearly 12-minute set featuring abbreviated versions of "Pinball Wizard," "Baba O'Riley," "Who Are You?," "See Me, Feel Me," and "Won't Get Fooled Again."

Joining the band on stage was their longtime backline featuring Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey on drums, John "Rabbit" Bundrick on keyboards, Pino Palladino on bass, and Pete Townshend's younger brother Simon Townshend on rhythm guitar.

Unlike the Who's usual live shows, Townshend -- decked out in black shades and trilby hat -- kicked off "Pinball Wizard" with his modified acoustic Gibson J-200, before switching to his usual red Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster for the duration of the set. Zak Starkey was playing a clear D.W. drum kit with Zildjian cymbals painted with the Who's iconic red, white, and blue "mod"-era bullseye.

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend talked to the NFL Network after their pre-game press conference, with Daltrey revealing how hard it was paring the set down to only 12 minutes: "It's been very difficult to do this because most of our songs are at least six minutes long. And we want to do more than one or two songs. It works as a cohesive piece of music."

He said that he was absolutely awed by the massive halftime stage: "It's extreme, (laughs) to say the least. It's the biggest stage I've ever seen in my life, it's amazing. And the quickest . . . and it is truly amazing how you do this. I mean, I'm completely stunned by the amount of organization to put a show on in the middle of a football pitch, and you've got 20 minutes to do it, get off and get the match started. It's ridiculous, and they're doing it -- and it works."

Townshend admitted that the songs chosen for the set were actually decided by committee: "Roger actually put the medley -- or the selection of tracks -- together, but I think we got a message from various people in, y'know, the NFL and music they'd like to hear and that's what we reflected. There was some pressure from CBS that we only play songs that were associated with CSI (laughter) and I of course was going, 'Yeah -- let's do that!"

Townshend was asked if it was going to be tough to get to full-on performance mode within such a short amount of time: "When I'm playing live and kind of. . . I don't know what happens to me. I'm a mild mannered man and what actually happens when I get onstage with a guitar is that something happens, something triggers, like, an adrenaline rush, and I can pretty much rely on it. It's like turning on a switch."

Sunday (February 12th) marks what would have been the 84th birthday of Doors' co-founder and keyboardist Ray Manzarek. Manzarek died on May 20th, 2013 at age 74 in Rosenheim, Germany at the RoMed Clinic following a long battle with bile duct cancer. Manzarek was surrounded by his wife Dorothy and his brothers Rick and James Manczarek. Manzarek is survived by Dorothy, their son Pablo, his wife Sharmin, and their three children Noah, Apollo, and Camille.

Last month, the Manzarek estate and Doors guitarist Robby Krieger -- sold their complete rights in the band to Primary Wave Music. The deal does not include the interests of fellow surviving member, drummer John Densmore, nor the estate of Jim Morrison.

Recently released is the Doors' latest Record Store Day release titled, Paris Blues. The blues-themes set features the official premiere of the band's last unheard unreleased song -- "Paris Blues." The title track is an original blues song written by the band; the track was recorded during one of the band's recording sessions for either The Soft Parade or L.A. Woman (no one seems to remember).

2020 saw the release of The Doors: Break On Thru - A Celebration Of Ray Manzarek. The feature is an all-star hybrid concert/documentary filmed in 2016 at L.A.'s Fonda Theatre, featuring the surviving members Doors -- guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore -- who performed with each other on stage for the first time in 15 years to celebrate Manzarek's live and work.

Also appearing were Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins and Rami Jaffee, Stone Temple Pilots' Robert DeLeo, Paul McCartney's Brian Ray, X's Exene and John Doe, Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins, Gov't Mule's Warren Haynes, and more.

Ray Manzarek was born Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr. on February 12th, 1939 on the South Side of Chicago and was of Polish decent. In 1962 he moved to Southern California to study at the Department of Cinematography at UCLA, where he first met fellow student and future partner Jim Morrison, along with his wife of 45 years, Dorothy Fujikawa. Together with Morrison, Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore, the quartet formed the Doors in 1965 and between 1967 and 1971 released six studio albums -- The Doors (1967); Strange Days (1967); Waiting For The Sun (1968); The Soft Parade (1969); Morrison Hotel (1970); and L.A. Woman (1971) -- before Jim Morrison's death on July 3rd, 1971 in Paris.

Manzarek changed the face of rock keyboard playing, with his early signature sound being a combination of a Vox Continental organ -- and later a Gibson G-101 Kalamazoo combo organ -- with his left hand playing the basslines on a Fender Rhodes electric piano "bass unit," which featured only the keyboard's lowest notes. Although the Doors eventually added a studio bassist to their sessions, Manzarek handled the bass duties via his keyboards for the band's live appearances with Morrison.

Following Morrison's death, the Doors soldiered on with Manzarek and Krieger taking over vocal duties on the band's 1971 set, Other Voices, and its follow-up, 1972's Full Circle. Following that, Krieger and Densmore split to form the Butts Band. After a short-lived mid-'70s collaboration with Iggy Pop, Manzarek formed Nite City with future Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison, and produced and collaborated with the likes of Philip Glass, Echo & The Bunnymen, X, and poet Michael McClure, among many others.

In 1978 Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore reunited to compose and record music to Morrison's poetry for the An American Prayer album. Manzarek collaborated frequently with Robby Krieger. In 2002 the pair began touring as the Doors Of The 21st Century, which went through various name changes -- including Riders On The Storm -- until the pair settled on Manzarek-Krieger or Ray Manzarek & Robby Krieger of The Doors, following a bitter five-year battle against John Densmore and the Morrison estate over the use of the band's name.

In 1998, Manzarek published his memoir, Light My Fire: My Life With The Doors. He followed the autobiography in 2001 with The Poet In Exile, which supposes what would've happened had Jim Morrison faked his death -- as many fans believe. In 2006 he published his second novel, the Civil War-based, Snake Moon.

The Doors' stats remain among the most impressive of the rock era, selling over 100 million albums worldwide, and receiving 19 Gold, 14 Platinum, and five multi-Platinum albums in the U.S. alone.

When discussing the Doors in their prime, Ray Manzarek told us that whether they liked it or not, the Doors ended up being spokesmen for their generation: "There was a war in Vietnam and, y'know, that had to be stopped, and we were gonna try to clean up the environment, and do all those good things that hippies were trying to do. And everyone was angry, man, so, y'know, we tried to make the music as hard and as powerful and as exciting as possible. And when you got Jim Morrison as your lead singer, well, y'know, that's an extra plus. So that's what it was all about."

John Densmore told us that from the beginning to the end of the band, the Doors had a chemistry unparalleled: "Ray and I were completely synchronistic in our musical sensibilities. We just. . . intuitive stuff together and backed up Robby's soaring solos and Jim's vocal and. . . we were blessed. We gotta remember that was the muse coming in. Y'know, she just visits when she wants to. Yeah, even with Jim's self destruction, every time we made an album, when we were behind closed doors, there was a sacredness to the four of us."

Robbie Krieger says that looking back, the Doors' short time together was relatively free of ego problems or star trips: "It was really, like, the perfect group, y'know, as far as working together and stuff. There was no ego problems, y'know, and petty jealousies and stuff like that that a lot of groups go through."

During the height of his and Robby Krieger's recent battles with John Densmore over the use of the Doors' name, Manzarek never wavered from the belief that the pair deserved to be billed as "The Doors": "We are the Doors. You're watching two guys who were in the band. The keyboard player and the guitar player are the original members of the Doors. That's the actual guys, man. There's the sound of the Doors right in front of you. That's the keyboard player who plays 'Light My Fire.' That's the guitar player who wrote 'Light My Fire.' So it's a continuation."

Ultimately, Ray Manzarek told us that as the Doors' music ages, it's probably better understood and more beloved than when it was first recorded: "I think the time has allowed them to digest the Jungian/Freudian aspect of the Doors' songs. I think they've gotten into the depth of the songs a lot more than back in the '60s, and understand it from an intellectual perspective, and are just as wild as the people were in the '60s. I'm surprised at, y'know, how uninhibited and how crazy and Dionysian they can actually be."

Fresh off their 2022 Rock Hall inductions, Duran Duran are returning to North America in support of their 2021 album Future Past. The 27-date trek cross-crosses the continent kicks off in California on May 27th at Napa Valley's Bottlerock Festival and wraps on September 6th at Boston's TD Garden.

Frontman Simon LeBon said in a statement announcing the tour: "It's remarkable to me that as a band, we are still hitting new milestones, and introducing the sound of DD to new generations of music lovers. We are truly grateful that we get to do what we do on a daily basis, and that we still love our job as much as we did when we started out some four decades ago."

Duran Duran won last year's Rock Hall fan vote and bassist John Taylor admitted to us that he's never once taken his life and career with the band for granted: "The kind of fortune that Duran Duran was sort of happens once in a lifetime, really. It's just like kids that come together that happen to, like, be into the same thing -- they just happen to go to the right place, the right time, meet 'Mr. Big' and da-da-da-da; and suddenly, it's a snowball effect."

Although Duran Duran have been global superstars for over 40 years, keyboardist Nick Rhodes explained that they've never once coasted when it came to recording or hitting the road: "I don't think it's something you can plan. You can hope, you can dream, you can wish for something and work hard and see what you achieve. It's been a lot of work."

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

May 27 - Napa Valley, CA - Bottlerock Festival
May 28 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center
May 31 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
June 1 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
June 3 - Salt Lake City, UT - Vivint Arena
June 6 - Austin, TX - Moody Center
June 7 - New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center
June 9 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
June 10 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
June 13 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
June 15 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
June 17 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
June 18 - Sunrise, FL - FLA Live Arena
August 24 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
August 26 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
August 28, 29 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 31 - St. Paul, MN - Minnesota State Fair
September 1 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion
September 3 - Canandaigua, NY - CMAC
September 6 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
September 7 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
September 9 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
September 10 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
September 13 - Washington, DC - Capital One Arena
September 16 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
September 19 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank A

While on tour in New Zealand, Ed Sheeran stopped in Hobbiton, the outdoor movie set in Lord of the Rings films and its Hobbit prequels. While at the Green Dragon Inn, he picked up a guitar for an impromptu performance of his 2013 single "I See Fire," the soundtrack to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Several people caught it on their phones and posted it online.

Sheeran also stooped by local schools and did surprise performances.

His tour keeps him in New Zealand through the weekend and then he heads to Australia for shows next week.

TL;DR:

• While on tour in New Zealand, Ed Sheeran stopped in Hobbiton, the outdoor movie set in Lord of the Rings and performed "I See Fire."

Take it with a grain of salt -- but a British DJ revealed that the Foo Fighters are releasing a new album next month. Music Radar reported that on February 8th, Radio X's Chris Moyles, played the Foos' track "Walk" and said, quote, "I love that song so much -- Foo Fighters, and 'Walk.' They've got a new album coming out in, er, March, Foo Fighters. . . which I'm very much looking forward to."

Neith Moyles went on with his shift and never returned to the subject and the band's management has yet to comment. The Foos will hit the road in May but has yet to announce who'll sit behind the drumkit following the death of Taylor Hawkins.

The Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody is now available to stream online.

Starring Naomi Ackie and Stanley Tucci, the film takes audiences through the superstar's emotional journey from New Jersey choir girl, to one of the most prolific recording artists of all time.

Amazon has also set up an official Whitney Houston store and are selling T-shirts and other items to promote the movie.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 28. Until then, the movie is $19.99 to rent through Prime Video, Apple TV, AMC and several other sources.

TL;DR:

• The Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody is now available to stream online.
• It rents for $19.99 to rent through Prime Video, Apple TV, AMC and several other sources.
• It will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 28.

The ongoing feud between Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, his wife writer Polly Samson, and Floyd co-founder Roger Waters is raging on. Following Samson's comments after a recent interview Waters gave to a German news outlet, she took to social media, labeling Waters "anti-Semitic," a "Putin apologist," along with being a "lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy megalomaniac" -- David Gilmour supported his wife's accusations and posted: "Every word demonstrably true."

Roger Waters responded in kind on Twitter, posting, "Roger Waters is aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter which he refutes entirely. He is currently taking advice as to his position."

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone reported yesterday (February 8th) at Russia's request, "Roger Waters spoke at the United Nations Security Council meeting. . . The musician's address was largely an anti-war broadside, as he condemned the for-profit military industrial complex and stressed the devastating toll of war, both on people and the environment."

In regard to Russia's war with Ukraine, the rock legend, "Condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as 'illegal,' but also said it was 'not unprovoked.' He added, 'So I also condemn the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms. There, that's out of the way.'"

Waters, who ended his speech boy calling for the end of all wars -- including that of Russia's with Ukraine -- stated: "Thank you for hearing us today, we are many who do not share in the profits of the war industry. We do not willingly raise our sons and daughters to provide fodder for your canons. In our opinion, the only sensible course of action today is to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. No ifs, no buts, no ands. Not one more Ukrainian or Russian life is to be spent -- they are all precious in our eyes."

Hayley Williams of Paramore says that when she was 19 she visited Taylor Swift at her home and was inspired to write a song that Paramore recently recorded.

She told People.com that they were both just beginning to experience success and Taylor just seemed so together. She was a great cook and also very organized, to the point that she had a closet filled with ready-to send gifts for people she's thankful for.

Williams said, "I was like, 'Oh my God, my life is so not together.' There are still Christmas gifts at my house that I have not sent to my friends just sitting there in the back of my close."

That's the moment that served as inspiration to write "Running Out Of Time." The song is from Paramore's new album called This Is Why, to be released on Friday, February 10.

Paramore will be on the road opening for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour beginning next month.

TL;DR:

• Hayley Williams of Paramore says Taylor Swift served as inspiration to write "Running Out Of Time."
• The song is from Paramore's new album called This Is Why, to be released on Friday, February 10.

2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Pat Benatar and husband / guitarist Neil Giraldo have rolled out a string of spring dates. The pair hit the road on April 12th at Port Chester, New York's Capitol Theatre and winds things down three weeks later at Hollywood., Florida's Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock. Benatar and Giraldo are already on-board to open for Pink for a dozen stadium shows next summer and fall.

Pat Benatar told us that she keeps her connection to both her fans and her music by staying on the road: "We play live all the time just to stay involved. Because, y'know, for people of our age group and genre and things like that, making records -- I mean, it's kind of ridiculous. I mean, it's just. . . y'know, you're not gonna get played on the radio. It's not gonna happen, but there's so many other ways to get music out there now, it's good. But, it's (playing for) people from our era is really the way to still stay in contact with the fans and everything, so that's why we do it all the time."

UPDATED: Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo tour dates (subject to change):

March 9 - New York, NY - Love Rocks NYC Benefit at Beacon Theatre
April 12 - Port Chester, NY - The Capitol Theatre
April 13 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
April 16 - New Brunswick, NJ - State Theatre New Jersey
April 21 - Cherokee, NC - Harrah's Cherokee Event Center
April 24 - Sarasota, FL -Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
April 26 - St. Augustine, FL - The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre
April 27 - Clearwater, FL -Ruth Eckerd Hall
April 29 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel
August 1 - Boston MA - Fenway Park
August 7 - Washington, D.C. - Nationals Park
August 10 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Field
August 12 - Chicago, IL - Wrigley Field
August 14 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Field
October 5 - Los Angeles, CA - SoFi Stadium

On Wednesday (2-8) new dates were posted by Fall Out Boy that will take them through the UK and Europe as part of their headlining tour.

The 15 date leg will kick off in Warsaw, Poland on October 17 and wrap in Berlin on November 8. It includes a total of five UK shows, to take place in Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London.

Just last week, the band announced that Chicago will get the first show of their North American leg on June 21. Tickets go on sale February 17.

Fall Out Boy's next album, So Much (For) Stardust is due on March 24.

TL;DR:

• Fall Out Boy will tour UK and Europe as part of their headlining tour beginning October 17.
• Chicago will get the first show of their North American leg on June 21.
• Tickets go on sale February 17.

John Legend has added a few songs and released a solo piano version of his most recent album, Legend. Additional songs include renditions of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and Sade's "By Your Side." To celebrate its release, Legend will perform two special solo shows at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on February 13th and February 14th.

Bad Bunny and Christina Aguilera will be the recipients of awards at next month's GLADD ceremony in Los Angeles. Bad Bunny will pick up the annual Vanguard Award, which is presented to allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues. Aguilera will receive the Advocate For Change award, given to a person who, through their work, has changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.

Bebe Rexha has announced her next single, "Heart Wants What It Wants." Last week she teased it with a short clip of her singing along to the track. Then on Wednesday (2-8) she revealed the release date as February 17.

It was 51 years ago today (February 9th, 1972), that Paul McCartney, along with his new band Wings, performed his first solo show at Britain's Nottingham University. Although McCartney refused to include any Beatles numbers in the band's set, he couldn't resist performing the group's longtime set-closer, a cover of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." Incidentally, the gig was eight years to the day of the "Fab Four's" debut in America on The Ed Sullivan Show.

McCartney's idea of reliving the Beatles' early pre-fame days had actually been his idea for the group the day that John Lennon quit the group in 1969. McCartney thought it a good enough idea to revisit as the launch of Wings' live act: "We decided to go back to square one and not form a, sort of, great big 'supergroup' and come out the level the Beatles were at. So, it was kinda funny looking back on it. We just stuck everything in a van -- dogs, children, potty -- and just went up the motorway without any bookings, without any hotels. Anyway, we found Nottingham University and went and did a gig there and (then) did a little, kind of, university tour. So from those small beginnings, we gradually formed Wings."

Wings co-founder and drummer Denny Seiwell says that McCartney formed Wings as a way for him to get back to being a working musician: "Really, I believe that it was his need to just get back and perform live under a controlled situation. Like, he always used to say that the Beatles was a, it was really great to play live with them, but in the, y'know, as soon as they became 'The Beatles,' I mean, they couldn't hear each other, the equipment was so rotten, and it was just such an ordeal to get up on stage and play that there wasn't that much enjoyment from it."

Denny Laine was the sole member of Wings to span the band's decade-long run. He recalled the early summer 1971 phone call from McCartney asking him to help form the group: "Y'know, he was looking for people he could get on with and people who would go on in the future with new ideas. So he just called up and said, 'Paul here, do you fancy getting a band together?"

McCartney told us that he still feels guilt at Linda putting her successful photography career on ice while forming Wings with him -- only to have both fans and critics bash her at every opportunity: "I was very sorry that that happened. It's terrible. Like I say, it's OK for you to go through problems, but if you're a good guy, then it's painful to be part of the reason why these wounds are inflicted on your partner."

Money was always a problem for the early members of Wings, with most of McCartney's assets tied up in legal problems with the Beatles. During the band's initial days, he paid Denny Seiwell, and guitarists Denny Laine and Henry McCullough a meager 70 (British) pounds a week and kept them constantly on call.

Shortly before his 2016 death at age 72, Henry McCullough told us that adding in the fact that he was treated at times as nothing more than a session player for McCartney, the deal was bound to go sour as quickly as it did: "I went into the band not to be a sideman. Once the whole thing. . . We grasped what we were headin' for, it was heads down and everyone worked towards that particular goal -- and it wasn't for very long. But there was sort of revolution in the air. And Denny Seiwell was startin' to feel it a little bit. And all we wanted was to be paid for what we were doin'. I didn't want to be on a weekly wage."

Wings' setlist for its February 1972 "University Tour" was: "Lucille," "Give Ireland Back To The Irish," "Blue Moon Of Kentucky," "Seaside Woman," "Say Darling," "Some People Never Know," "The Mess," "Bip Bop," "Smile Away," "My Love," "Henry's Blues," "Help Me," "Wild Life," and "Long Tall Sally."

The original road lineup of Wings survived three tours; the early 1972 "University Tour," the summer '72 "Wings Over Europe" trek, and the band's only officially booked UK tour in the spring and summer of 1973.

The initial Wings lineup last performed live together on July 10th, 1973 in Newcastle, England. In all, the first touring lineup of Wings performed 58 shows in 11 countries across Europe.

Both Denny Seiwell and Henry McCullough quit the band just prior to Wings leaving for Lagos, Nigeria to record 1973's Band On The Run. Seiwell and McCartney remain close to this day, with McCartney and McCullough finally patching things up -- at Seiwell's urging -- backstage at McCartney's December 20th, 2009 in Dublin, Ireland.

FAST FORWARD

After years of collecting dust in Paul McCartney's archival vaults, the long lost live Wings album Wings Over Europe, is living up to his legend. Released in 2018 as part of the sprawling Paul McCartney And Wings - 1971-73 Limited Edition Box Set, which features both the new Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway "Archival Series" collections combined, Wings Over Europe spotlights the earliest live incarnation of Wings, featuring Paul and Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Henry McCullough, and Denny Seiwell. All but one of the disc's 20 songs is from the band's summer '72 European trek, with the album's opening number "Big Barn Bed" coming from July 10th, 1973 at the lineup's final gig in Newcastle, England.

Among the highlights on the set is McCartney's first bonafide solo classic, "Maybe I'm Amazed," a pair of Ram favorites, "Eat At Home" and "Smile Away" along with such early Wings staples as "Give Ireland Back To The Irish," "Wild Life," "My Love," "Mary Had A Little Lamb," and "Hi, Hi, Hi" -- along with a pair of 1950's covers including particularly hot versions of Elvis Presley's "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" and a show-closing romp on Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally."

Also included in the recent Red Rose Speedway box set is McCartney's live concert/animation film, The Bruce McMouse Show. The movie, which had long been on die-hard fans wish lists over the years, features classic footage of Wings' first live lineup, performing key tracks during its legendary summer 1972 "Wings Over Europe" tour. Interspersed are comedic clips featuring a family of cartoon-animated mice that live under the concert stage, which were based on McCartney's original drawings.

Happy Birthday to Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Carole King, who turns 81 today (February 9th)!!! Most fans associate King with her own hits, such as 1971's "It's Too Late," "I Feel The Earth Move," and "So Far Away," plus 1974's "Jazzman," but in the 1960's King was responsible for co-writing with her then-husband Gerry Goffin some of the biggest hits to come out of that decade.

The new feature-length concert documentary Home Again: Carole King Live In Central Park filmed on May 26th, 1973 in front of an estimated audience of 100,000, premiered last month at New York's IFC Film Center. The film has been released wide today and streams exclusively on The Coda Collection. The film's official soundtrack is set to drop on Friday (February 10th).

On October 30th, 2021 Carole King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer. She had previously been inducted as a songwriter with Gerry Goffin back in 1990 in the "non-performer" category. Taylor Swift did the honors for King at the 2021 ceremony.

Back in January, a new documentary on James Taylor and Carole King premiered on CNN, titled Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name. The documentary focused on the duo's 2010 world tour, dubbed the "Troubadour Reunion Tour." The press release stated, "The title referred to their having played together at West Hollywood's famed Troubadour club when they were starting out in 1970, and a subsequent six-night stand they did there in 2007 to celebrate the nightspot's 50th anniversary, which that led to their taking it on the road to global arenas three years later."

Elvis Costello's 2018 album, Look Now, featured "Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter" -- a long-unreleased song co-written with King. Look Now snagged Costello & The Imposters the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Album.

2019 saw the release of Carole King - Live At Montreux 1973. The show, which had never before been released, features King performing her first-ever overseas concert at the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival, while on the road in support of her then-recent Fantasy album.

Highlights on Carole King - Live At Montreux 1973 are "I Feel the Earth Move," "Smackwater Jack," "Beautiful," "Up On The Roof," "It's Too Late" -- along with solo piano versions of "You've Got A Friend," and "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman."

On January 12th, 2019, Carole King made a surprise appearance during the fifth anniversary performance of the Broadway musical based on her life, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which ran at Manhattan's Steven Sondheim Theatre. During the second to last number of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning show, instead of actress Chilina Kennedy performing the musical's title song recreating King's 1971 Carnegie Hall concert, King herself surprised the crowd by performing it herself. She stayed on with the cast to sing the encore of "I Feel The Earth Move" and afterwards addressed the crowd, saying, "What a night! It was amazing to be a part of this. This musical has been such a magical experience. To be here and celebrate our fifth anniversary with so much joy and love is amazing."

Beautiful is based on King's life, starting with her marriage and songwriting partnership to the late-Gerry Goffin, and her ascent into superstardom with the release of her 1971 classic Tapestry.

The Broadway production of Beautiful closed on October 27th, 2019 after 60 previews and 2,418 regular performances, marking the show the 27th longest-running musical in Broadway history.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is also headed to the big screen. The movie will be written by Douglas McGrath -- who wrote the musical's book -- and Tom Hanks will serve as co-producer. No release date has been announced. Beautiful opened on the "Great White Way" in January 2014 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and was nominated for seven Tony Awards -- including Best Musical, with actress Jessie Mueller snagging the prize for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

In July 2017, Carole King performed her 1971 multi-platinum masterpiece, Tapestry, in its entirety for the first time at London's British Summer Time in Hyde Park. A CD/DVD set of the show was released as Tapestry: Live In Hyde Park. Also in 2017, King shared a new version of her 1982 song "One Small Voice," in protest of President Trump's policies. She said in a statement: "I'm making the updated recording of ‘One Small Voice' available to everyone because it will take the strength and persistence of many small voices to overcome the lies of the loudest voice with our message of truth, dignity, and decency." The song comes courtesy of a music video featuring stills from the Women's March in Stanley, Idaho, in which King participated.

In 2010, Carole King and James Taylor released the live package Live At The Troubadour. The disc was recorded on November 28th, 29th, and 30th, 2007 at L.A.'s legendary Troubadour club in celebration of the venue's 50th anniversary.

Among the many Goffin/King-penned hits were the Number One records "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," recorded by the Shirelles in 1960; "Take Good Care Of My Baby," recorded by Bobby Vee in 1961; and "The Loco-Motion," recorded by Little Eva in 1962 and Grand Funk Railroad in 1974, when it again reached Number One. Other Goffin/King songs included "Up On The Roof" by the Drifters, "Chains," recorded by the Cookies and the Beatles, "One Fine Day" by the Chiffons, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" by the Monkees, "I'm Into Something Good" by Herman's Hermits, "Goin' Back" by the Byrds, "Don't Bring Me Down" by the Animals, "Go Away Little Girl" by Donny Osmond, and "(You Make Me Feel) Like A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin.

In 1971 James Taylor scored his only Number One hit to date with a cover of King's "You've Got A Friend." Taylor explained that he and King almost immediately recognized a kindred spirit in one another: "It turned out we spoke the same language. We sat down and we slipped back into the mother tongue, really. It was great. We played on each other's records; we just had a common mind, y'know?"

In 1997, fellow singer-songwriter Billy Joel covered the Goffin/King song "Hey Girl" for his album Greatest Hits Volume 3. Joel spoke of his life-long respect for King: "Now, Carole King -- there's got to be some carving of her on Mount Rushmore. I mean, this woman has written so much music in the pantheon of popular music . . . I don't think people know how much this woman did! How she changed the face of popular music. . . The Beatles, I believe, were trying to emulate Goffin and King. I know that Lennon and McCartney wanted to be the next Goffin and King."

Micky Dolenz, who was a recipient of several Goffin/King classics during his time in the Monkees released a 2010 tribute disc to King, titled, King For A Day. We asked Micky if after recording the album he could pick a single favorite Carole King tune: "That's a good question. I don't think so. I mean she wrote so many different types of tunes. Things like 'Cryin' In The Rain' to 'Don't Bring Me Down' to 'Up On The Roof' -- I mean the spectrum is as wide as you can possibly get. When we started going through her catalogue, her list of songs -- we were going down this list going, 'She wrote that?! (Laughs)"

In 1999, King's landmark 1971 album Tapestry received a prestigious Diamond Award from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), signifying sales of over 10 million units. It has now reached over 13 million in the U.S. alone.

Tapestry was re-released in 2008 in an expanded 35th anniversary edition. The reissue includes a bonus disc featuring live performances of the entire album in its exact running order from 1973 and 1976 recorded in Boston, Columbia, Maryland, New York's Central Park and the San Francisco Opera House.

In December 2001, King was honored with a Heroes Award by the New York chapter of the Recording Academy. King was asked about her long-term plans: "Hopefully, continue to do the job I do, which is to write and record music and continue to inspire people with my work and my life and do the things I love to do and if I can do that, I'll be happy."

In 2007 King re-released her live album from her extended Living Room tour, which featured unplugged versions of most of her best-known songs.

In 2011 writer/director John Sayles signed on to adapt Girls Like Us: The Story Of Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell And Carole King into an upcoming major motion picture for Sony Pictures. The 2008 book wowed critics for it's in-depth study of the women's careers and placement in the singer-songwriter movement. The picture will be directed by Katie Jacobs, best known for her work on Fox's House. No shoot date has been announced.

King released her first Christmas album in 2011, called A Holiday Carole. The set, which was produced by her daughter Louise Goffin, includes such standards as "Sleigh Ride," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "Do You Hear What I Hear," among others -- including King's tip of the hat to her own Jewish faith, with "Chanukah Prayer."

Multiple sources have told Page Six that Rihanna is getting ready to go on tour following her Super Bowl halftime performance.

One of the insiders told the outlet, "There has been a lot of talk among people in the know, especially in the last week or two, that Rihanna is gearing up to announce a tour. It seems to be more than just hearsay at this point."

Her plans are reportedly so secretive that even some of her own team members have been kept in the dark.

A new musical featuring the music and lyrics by Alicia Keys is in development at New York's Off Broadway Public Theater.

Deadline reports that the production, Hell's Kitchen, will focus on the R&B singer-songwriter's young life.

According to a synopsis, the new musical "tells the story of Ali, a young girl growing up in NYC's Hell's Kitchen in the 1990s."

Harry Styles' dancers are speaking about the Grammy performance mishap that left them spinning in the wrong direction.

Brandon Mathis explained in a now-expired Instagram Story that after rehearsing the piece perfectly, the turntable started spinning in reverse during the live show.

He said, "And in real time, we have to troubleshoot and try to do a complete piece in reverse, Talk about professionalism."

According to Entertainment Tonight, another dancer, Dexter, explained on TikTok that the performance only ended up including one of the three "beautiful formations" they originally planned.

A Grammy source told E! News, "unexpected things happen in live television" and noted "Harry showed he was the ultimate pro in not missing a beat."

Kenny Loggins has announced additional dates for his final concert tour titled, This Is It. Greenville, South Carolina, Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Franklin, Tennessee are among the seven newly scheduled dates.

Though it's billed as his farewell tour, Loggins says "I don't see this as the end of my professional career, but certainly a halt to the grind of major touring."

Aside from his hits as Loggins & Messina, the two-time Grammy winner has sold over 25 million albums and topped the charts with songs like "I'm Alright," "Footloose," "Danger Zone," and "This Is It."

The tour will kick off on March 10 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Florida and will wrap October 27, in Inglewood, California.

TL;DR:

• Kenny Loggins has announced seven additional dates for his final concert tour.
• The tour will kick off on March 10 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Florida and will wrap October 27, in Inglewood, California.

Fans don't need to worry about Post Malone's recent weight loss.

Images of the "Circles" artist appearing noticeably slimmer while on tour in Australia have sparked concerns that the rapper might be sick or struggling with addiction.

However, a source close to Malone told TMZ that there's no need to be alarmed. The insider explained that he recently gained some weight for a movie role and is now adhering to a strict diet and working out.

Malone's dad also weighed in on his son's new look, commenting on Instagram, "Healthiest he's been in years! Mentally and physically."

It was 35 years ago tonight (February 8th, 1988) that the Who performed for the last time with drummer Kenney Jones as an official member of the group. The band -- Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Jones -- reunited for a three-song set at London's Royal Albert Hall during the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) awards, after receiving the prestigious lifetime achievement award. The group, who hadn't performed live since 1985's Live Aid concert, tore through their hits "Who Are You," "My Generation," and "Substitute," but were hardly at the top of their game. Talks had already begun about the band reuniting for some type of major project in time for their 25th anniversary in 1989.

Townshend told the band he didn't want to tour, preferring instead to record. He tossed around the idea of having outside writers such as Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen contribute material for the album, but nothing came to pass. Townshend has gone on record saying that the band couldn't raise the proper funds to record a new album, and Daltrey was adamant that he wouldn't carry on as the Who with Jones as a member.

Jones was a longtime friend of the group, and co-founded both the Small Faces and the Faces before playing on Who-related projects like the Tommy and Quadrophenia film soundtracks. He was made a full member of the band in late-1978 after drummer Keith Moon died. Jones also drummed on Townshend's first mainstream solo album, Empty Glass, and was featured on the album's standout track, "Rough Boys."

Daltrey was vehemently opposed to naming anyone Moon's replacement, preferring to change drummers on a project-to-project basis. After being out-voted by Townshend and Entwistle, he reluctantly approved Jones joining the band, yet openly criticized his drumming as being wrong for the Who.

With the prospect of a major tour looming, Daltrey gave the band an ultimatum: it was either him or Jones. Townshend, who was always Jones' biggest supporter, eventually sided with Daltrey.

Townshend told author Richard Barnes why he eventually relented: "Although I did promise Kenney that I wouldn't work without him, in the last conversation I had with him I started to get very irritated. He kept saying, 'The It's Hard album is not a great album. I've got a right to make a great album with the Who.' And I thought, 'This isn't true. You were brought in at the end. I've got a right to make a great album with the Who, or Roger, or John has, but you haven't."

Roger Daltrey says that despite never being happy with Jones as the Who's drummer, the two were actually quite close: "I actually got on very well with Kenney, I just didn't feel ever that he was the right drummer. . . And people didn't ever seem to listen to what I was saying. They'd say 'Well Kenny's a great drummer!' And I'd say 'Yes, I know Kenney's a great drummer, but he's not the right drummer!' (Laughs) He's a great drummer! Could you imagine putting Keith Moon in the Faces -- would he have been the right drummer for the Faces? Of course he wouldn't."

Pete Townshend's younger brother, touring Who guitarist Simon Townshend, grew up as a die-hard Who fan. Simon, who caught the Who with Keith Moon well over 30 times, recalled seeing his first Who show with Kenney Jones as the Who's new drummer: "I remember what Pete was wearing. Pete was wearing a Clash t-shirt. I mean, I love Kenney and I love his drumming and he's fantastic, fantastic. But in terms of the Who, my first time seeing Kenney play with the Who was in some respects -- not because of Kenney -- it was because the Who as I knew it had become something different, so I was very, sort of upset, really. Because up until that point all I'd ever saw was the Who as the fireball that they were with Moonie."

Kenney Jones told us that despite Daltrey commenting over the years that Jones was never right for the Who, Jones is quick to point out that he was Townshend and Entwistle's ultimate choice as Keith Moon's immediate replacement: "I think, to be honest, it was a confusing time for him and it was a confusing time for everybody. But, as Pete says, I had the support of Pete and John. I know I fitted, anyways -- not a problem. It's just, y'know, you can't fit in in two seconds flat, you have to find your way around it. Now, obviously I found my way around it. The hardest thing I found when joining the Who, was not actually playing in the Who, it was actually learning the songs in the Who and trying to find my way of playing them."

We asked Kenney Jones -- who stayed close with his Faces bandmates throughout the years -- whether or not he ever held a grudge against the Who for cutting him loose: "It was really something that Roger was flying into the middle, here, y'know? And I thought, 'Okay, this is enough -- 10 years with the Who,' and I thought, 'Fine, I'll just move on, that's great.' I haven't fallen out with any one of them, contrary to what anybody says. Pete and I have played together at the Albert Hall a few times, we speak on the phone quite comfortably. John I saw in different bars and stuff -- we talked, y'know, it's fine. I've seen Daltrey; it's all water underneath the bridge. It's what happened and it's what happened then -- not a problem to me."

Although the financial settlement between Jones and the Who has never been discussed, he eventually relinquished all rights in the band's partnership. In 1989, the Who, with drummer Simon Phillips and a host of additional musicians, undertook the 50-date 25th anniversary The Kids Are Alright tour, hitting North America and then Britain.

Townshend, Daltrey and Jones were all on hand for John Entwistle's funeral in 2002.

Daltrey says that he was glad that Jones chose to participate in the Who's recent retrospective, Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who, to shed light on the band's career: "It took a lot of courage for Kenney to do that, and indeed for people like (late former manager) Chris Stamp. Y'know, it's a painful part of their past. I'm sure it's still painful for him to have to revisit. The great thing is we're still all friends out of all this and we respect each other and we love each other."

Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey has been the Who's unofficial full-time drummer since 1996. Although Townshend and Daltrey have offered him a permanent spot as the Who's third official drummer, he has declined, preferring to remain a free agent.

In recent years, Jones has formed a new rock trio, the Jones Gang, with ex-Foreigner bassist Rick Wills and one-time Bad Company frontman Robert Hart -- as well as performing in a revamped version of the Faces with Ron Wood and the late-Ian McLagan.

On April 14th, 2012 Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of both the Small Faces and the Faces.

In 2018 Kenney Jones published his long awaited autobiography Let The Good Times Roll: My Life In The Small Faces, The Faces And The Who. He Ron Wood and Rod Stewart are currently compiling a new Faces album to feature both new and archival material.

FAST FORWARD

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey reunited with Kenney Jones on June 14th, 2014 in Surrey, England at Hurtwood Park Polo Club for the "Rock 'n' Horsepower" benefit in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. In January 2014, Jones was diagnosed with prostate cancer and following treatment; the disease has thankfully not spread.

Townshend and Daltrey -- backed by the event's house band -- performed with Jones on drums, marking the first time the three have shared a stage since the '88 BPI awards. The Who performed a rugged five-song set -- "I Can't Explain," "Substitute," "The Kids Are Alright," "Pinball Wizard," and "5:15." Townshend joined in later on the encore of the Rolling Stones' "It's Only Rock N' Roll" -- which he explained was recorded in Ron Wood's house -- which is now Townshend's main London residence.

Other performers included Mick Hucknall, Jeff Beck, John Lodge of the Moody Blues, Procol Harum, Mike + The Mechanics, John Parr -- of "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" fame -- along with Steve Marriott's's daughter, Mollie Marriott.

Meghan Trainor told E! News Tuesday (February 7th) that she feared she was having a miscarriage early in her current pregnancy.

She told the outlet she took a pregnancy test one morning and "was stoked" to get a positive result. She continued, "And then an hour later, I was like, ‘Oh, here's my period.' It was tough."

Fortunately for the Dear Future Mama author, it was just some early implantation bleeding. When she finally went for her six-week scan she was excited to discover it was a "10-weeker."

Trainer announced last week that she and husband Dylan Sabra are expecting baby number two.

Foo Fighters, The Killers, Greta Van Fleet and Weezer are all confirmed for the 2023 edition of Sea. Hear. Now festival. Other performers included Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Mt. Joy, Sheryl Crow, The Beach Boys and more.

The festival will take place in North Beach Asbury Park and Bradley Park in Ashbury Park, New Jersey on September 16th-17th, 2023.

Ian Hunter's next album, Defiance Part 1 will feature an all-star lineup of guests. And that includes Johnny Depp, Joe Elliott ,Billy F Gibbons, Duff McKagan, Todd Rundgren, Slash, Jeff Tweedy, Robert Trujillo ,Waddy Wachtel, as well as the late Taylor Hawkins and Jeff Beck.

About the rock star lineup, the Mott The Hoople legend called it "a fluke." He said, "This was not planned. Really, I'm serious. I really couldn't believe some of them. I mean, it's amazing what's happened. It's been such a buzz."

The first single, "Bed of Roses" was released last month and features Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers on guitar and Ringo Starr on drums.

Hunter commented about naming the album Defiance, and said, "It's like, people my age shouldn't be making records, blah, blah, blah. But we've still got a bit left."

Recorded for Sun Records, the album will be released on April 21.

TL;DR:

• Ian Hunter's next album, Defiance Part 1 be released on April 21.
• It will feature Johnny Depp, Joe Elliott ,Billy F Gibbons, Duff McKagan, Todd Rundgren, Slash, etc.

The day after winning two Grammy awards, Ozzy Osbourne posted online that he was "blessed to work with some of the greatest musicians in the world" and he specifically mentioned his producer Andrew Watt.

The message started out in true Ozzy fashion with: "I'm One Lucky Mother f***er to have won Best Rock Album Grammy."

He went on to write that winning the Best Metal Performance "was equally gratifying," especially since the song featured his friend and Black Sabbath bandmate, Tony Lommi.

The album features an all-star guest lineup including Eric Clapton, Chad Smith, Robert Trujillo, Duff McKagan, Zakk Wylde, Josh Homme, and Mike McCready. Two guests that appeared on the album, Taylor Hawkins and Jeff Beck have since passed away.

Ozzy was voted Best Metal Performance for "Degradation Rules" and Best Rock Album for Patient Number 9.

He was not in attendance at Sunday night's (2-5) awards show, however, Watt was there and he accepted for him during a pre-broadcast ceremony.

TL;DR:

• Ozzy Osbourne posted online that he was "blessed to work with some of the greatest musicians in the world"
• He also wrote, "I'm One Lucky Motherf***er to have won Best Rock Album Grammy."