Demi Lovato is working on new music.
The singer shared a TikTok Saturday (December 3rd) that showed the text, "When your getting back in the studio" and used the popular, "Here the f**k we go" audio."
Lovato dropped their eighth studio album, Holy Fvck, on August 19th which was hailed as return to their rock-influenced roots.
Taylor Swift fans are suing Ticketmaster over the recent Eras Tour ticketing sale.
According to a complaint viewed by Pitchfork, the Plaintiffs are suing Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation for "fraud, price-fixing, and antitrust violations," alleging that "intentional deception" allowed scalpers to buy the majority of tickets.
The complaint also names L.A. County – where Live Nation is Located – and asks the court to fine the company $2,500 per violation of fraud, price -fixing and antitrust.
A scaled-back and primarily acoustic Who performed on Friday night (December 2nd) as part of 90th birthday salute to legendary artist, Peter Blake. Blake, who is considered the "Godfather" of pop art, is perhaps best known for designing the cover of the Beatles' groundbreaking 1967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, among countless other albums and projects -- including the Who's iconic 1981 cover for Face Dances -- and most recently, 2019's WHO. Proceeds from the performance at London's Royal Festival Hall went to towards the Who's patron charity Teenage Cancer Trust and Graeae Theatre Company.
The Who performed a seven-song set, featuring Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend on acoustic and electric guitars, with the pair accompanied by Townshend's brother and longtime bandmate Simon Townshend on acoustic guitar, touring bassist Jon Button, longtime Who associates Jody Linscott on percussion and Billy Nicholls on backing vocals. Also appearing at the event was the Pretenders' Chrissie Hyde, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, and others.
Townshend and Daltrey took part in a brief discussion on stage during the latter part of the concert.
During his and Roger Daltrey's brief chat during Friday night's tribute, Pete Townshend spoke about how Peter Blake revolutionary use of color inspired him in the mid-1960's: "Peter will remember this, I can't remember which magazine it was. But I think it was the Sunday Times cover supplement. It had a piece about pop art, I pulled out all of the sheets and I had it all up in my bedroom. Very, very colorful, wonderful stuff that I still love to this day."
The Who's setlist on Saturday night in London was:
"Substitute"
"The Seeker"
"Tattoo"
"Behind Blue Eyes"
"The Kids Are Alright"
"Pinball Wizard"
"Won't Get Fooled Again" - Daltrey & Townshend only
The Who will again perform acoustically on December 13th at London's St. Luke's Church in London. All proceeds from the show will benefit Nordoff Robbins and the music therapies it supplies to challenged children.
Could it be possible that Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears have made up?
The "Toxic" singer publicly congratulated her sister on her upcoming reality show and referred to her as her "heart" on Friday (December 2nd).
The elder Spears wrote, "Congratulations on being so brave, inspiring, and showing guts and glory in your show!!! You ain't alone… if anybody knows what that feels like… I get it. My baby sister!!! I love you!!!"
Britney previously called Jamie Lynn "scum" and accused her of writing a tell-all book at her expense.
Charlie Puth made his relationship with Brooke Sasone Instagram official on his 31st birthday.
The pop star shared two strips of photo booth snaps featuring himself and the stylish brunette Friday (December 2nd). Although he did not tag her in the post, Billboard reports Internet sleuths were able to identify Sasone after she reposted the image to her Stories.
He captioned the post with the lyrics from his song "Loser," "Ohhhhh I'm NOT a loser…'cause I didn't lose her!!!"
Kanye West has reportedly fired Milo Yiannopoulos from his 2024 presidential campaign team after rumored infighting in the camp. According to The Daily Beast, although reports are circulating that Yiannopoulos was fired, he told journalist Will Sommer that he actually decided to exit Kanye's campaign team. He said, "Ye and I have come to the mutual conclusion that I should step away from his political team. I will continue to pray for Ye and all his endeavors."
An insider in Ye's entourage said that the rapper's team is in chaos. The source said, "It's like Game of Thrones, and every day is the Red Wedding." There are also allegations that Yiannopoulos was fired after attempting to make some power "move against" Nick Fuentes who he has allegedly budded heads with on the campaign trail. Yiannopoulos has denied these reports, saying, "Any suggestion that I tried to get anyone fired is false—especially not people I brought in myself, who owe me their gratitude, loyalty, and respect."
PRESIDENT BIDEN: 'HITLER WAS A DEMONIC FIGURE'
In other news, President Biden has responded to Ye's praise of Adolph Hitler. He tweeted, "I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure." He added, "And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity."
George Thorogood & The Destroyers have announced their 50th anniversary tour. After kicking off the year in February with a five-night run aboard the Rock Legends Cruise, Thorogood and the band launch their "Bad All Over The World Tour" on March 17th and 18th in Lincoln City, Oregon at Chinook Winds Casino Resort. As it stands now, the tour will run through May 17th when the band hits Niagara Falls, Ontario's Fallsview Casino Resort. Additional cities will be announced soon.
The trek, which will see Thorogood playing his first Canadian dates in over three years, will hit British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, and Manitoba.
Thorogood said in the band's tour announcement: "From that very first show, we've stayed true to ourselves and the music we love. We've decided to celebrate our first half-century by throwing the biggest and baddest rock party ever."
George Thorogood told us that the secret to his continued success over the years simply amounts to delivering a quality product at a fair market price: "A good cheeseburger will never go out of style. Some things come and go -- you drive by a 7-Eleven, or a liquor store; one sign that's always in the window is Budweiser. Not Dom Perignon -- Budweiser. So I figure George Thorogood and the Destroyers are the Chevy, Chevy Suburbans and double cheeseburgers and Budweiser of America. And that's not a Sh Na Na thing, it's just something people can depend on that doesn't cost a lot of money!"
JUST ANNOUNCED: George Thorogood & The Destroyers' 2023 tour dates (subject to change):
February 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 - -Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Rock Legends Cruise
March 17, 18 - Lincoln City, OR -Chinook Winds Casino Resort
March 19 - Airway Heights, WA - Northern Quest Resort & Casino
March 21 - Redding, CA - Redding Civic Auditorium
March 22 - Santa Rosa, CA - Luther Burbank Center for the Arts.
March 24 - Highland, CA - Yaamava' Resort & Casino
March 25 - Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort
April 27, 28 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
April 29 - Penticton, BC - Trade and Convention Centre
April 30 - Prince George, BC - CN Centre
May 2 - Grand Prairie, AB - Bonnetts Energy Centre
May 4 - Edmonton, AB - The Venue at River Cree
May 5 - Calgary, AB - Grey Eagle Resort & Casino Event Centre
May 6 - Regina, SK - Casino Regina
May 8 - Saskatoon, SK - TCU Place
May 9 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
May 12 - Sudbury, ON - Sudbury Arena
May 13 - Peterborough, ON - Peterborough Memorial Centre
May 14 - Montreal, QB - MTelus
May 16 - Kitchener, ON- Centre in the Square
May 17 - Niagara Falls, ON - Fallsview Casino Resort
Two hours before show time, Aerosmith canceled their concert Friday night (December 2) in Las Vegas due to Steven Tyler "feeling unwell." According to a statement from the band, he was "unable to perform," but is expected to make a full recovery for tonight's show (Monday 12-5). Specifics of his illness were not revealed.
Aerosmith apologized for the last minute notice and offered refunds, but many fans posted their dismay as they had planned expensive trips to Vegas to see the show.
In June, the band canceled dates after Tyler entered a treatment program and stated that he had relapsed on pain medication following foot surgery.
Most recently, Aerosmith celebrated their 50th anniversary with a concert at Boston's Fenway Park.
TL;DR:
It was 46 years ago this week (December 4th to 10th, 1976), that Boston's self-titled debut album peaked at Number Three on the Billboard 200 albums chart, where it stayed for five weeks. Since then, nearly every song from the album continues to receive heavy airplay on classic rock radio -- most notably the album's lead single, "More Than A Feeling," along with "Peace Of Mind," "Foreplay/Long Time," "Rock And Roll Band," "Smokin'," and "Hitch A Ride." Since its August 25th, 1976 release, Boston has sold over 17 million copies.
Boston's guitarist/songwriter/producer Tom Scholz credits the group's late-lead singer Brad Delp as the key to their 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."
30 years after Boston's release, Tom Scholz finally got the chance to properly remaster the album and its 1978 followup, Don't Look Back, for CD: "I've always wanted to fix the sound on these CD's. I was really happy with the way those albums sounded back in the '70s on vinyl and tape, but I never liked the way they sounded after they were transferred to 16-bit CD's. This gave me the opportunity to, sort of, bring those mixes into the 21st Century."
Tom Scholz was the main force behind the Boston album, writing the songs and recording most of the instrumental parts at his home studio. He told us creating the album doesn't seem all that long ago to him: "The amazing thing to me is nothing seems to have changed with me -- I still have the same equipment in the studio, the same guitars, (laughs) the same everything. I do feel like, sometimes, like I'm sort of in a time warp and I don't change, but the rest of the world is sort of changing around me."
Boston lead singer Brad Delp committed suicide on March 9th, 2007 at the age of 55.
Boston remains a busy touring act with the band's sixth album, called, Love, Life, And Hope, having been released in 2013.
Today (December 5th) marks the 49th anniversary of the release of Paul McCartney & Wings' Band On The Run album. Band On The Run, which reunited McCartney with legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, included three Top 10 hits -- "Helen Wheels," which peaked at Number 10 and was only included on the U.S. versions of the album, "Jet," which topped out at Number Seven, and the title track, "Band On The Run," which hit Number One on June 8th, 1974 and topped the charts for one week.
Band On The Run holds the distinction of being the only McCartney album to top the album charts twice. The album didn't hit Number One until over four months after its initial release, when it knocked John Denver's Greatest Hits out of the top spot for four non-consecutive weeks.
Band On The Run, which was McCartney's fifth solo album, was his biggest post-Beatles critical and commercial success, was mired in trouble before it began production. While Wings was rehearsing the new material in Scotland during the summer of 1973, guitarist Henry McCullough quit the band after an argument with McCartney over how a solo should be played. Then -- just prior to the band leaving for Lagos, Nigeria to record the album -- drummer Denny Seiwell phoned McCartney saying that he too was quitting.
Paul McCartney recalled the circumstances leading up to Wings' departure to Lagos to record the album: "I was looking around for somewhere exciting to record the next album. So what I did, I thought, a good idea would be to get a list off EMI -- our record company -- of all the studios they had 'round the world. It turned out they had one in Africa. We just said, 'Yeah. Let's go to Africa.' The night before we were due to go Denny and Henry rang up and said, 'Um, we're not coming. We're not coming to Africa. We don't wanna come. We're leaving the band.' Oh, great, thank you! At first it was like, 'Oh no, tragedy!' But then, I just thought, 'Right, we're gonna go and we're gonna show you -- we're gonna make the best album we've ever made!"
Denny Seiwell, who began playing with McCartney in late 1970 during the Ram sessions, was actually the first member McCartney lined up for Wings. Seiwell admitted that the bottom line was that money was so scarce, he couldn't afford to stay with band: "I was waiting for some stuff to come along so we'd have some more binding legal agreements before entering into. . . I knew this record was gonna be a big one, and when none of that stuff was being taken care of, I just thought it was time to move on."
Wings co-founder Denny Laine told us that he had no idea that the pair had quit until he didn't see them on the plane to Africa: "I didn't find out until they didn't turn up, because nobody told me what was going on. I just got the vibe. I knew that Denny was missing America, for example. I knew that he didn't like to travel. Y'know, he was basically a session man who got talked into going on the road."
Pared down to the trio of Paul and Linda McCartney and Denny Laine, the group recorded in the middle of the rainy monsoon season, while the Lagos EMI Studio was being built. One night Paul and Linda were robbed at knifepoint, and the thieves who made off with the McCartney's cameras and cash also stole the demos for the album, which have never been recovered.
McCartney took over drum duties on the album, and shared the majority of instrumentation with Laine. Laine recalled that the two-man band approach came naturally to him and McCartney: "We did that with Band On The Run a lot, where he would pick up an instrument, I would pick up another instrument and we'd put the backing track down. And then figure it out after that."
Laine recalled that the album's title song was a perfect example of how he and McCartney laid down the basic tracks for Band On The Run: "As far as I can remember, it was just me on guitar -- on acoustic -- and Paul on drums. Maybe we added those extra guitars afterwards, I mean, and just mixed the other stuff out."
For years, the story going around was that McCartney's 1973 hit "Jet," was actually inspired by his family's Labrador puppy -- but McCartney explained it was another of the family's pets that sparked off his legendary whimsical imagination: "Yeah, we had a little pony for the kids in Scotland, it was called, 'Jet.' And, y'know, the truth is that's just a starting point. That's what I often do and I think that does often puzzle people a bit."
In early 1975, Band On The Run earned Paul McCartney & Wings the Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. Geoff Emerick was awarded the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording, Non Classical.
Darius Rucker is set to headline the inaugural Showdown Lex, a festival that pairs college football and live music.
The October 2023 event will precedes the game between UK and Mizzou in Lexington, Ky. Halfway to Hazard will open and a special guest will be announced later.
Tickets are on sale now and two dollars from each one sold will be donated to the Kentucky Children's Hospital.
Parmalee earned the #1 spot on Billboard's Year-End Country Airplay Chart with their single "Take My Name." Over the past year, it stayed in the Top 10 for 21 weeks.
Co-written by lead singer, Matt Thomas, the song has 259 million on-demand streams and is currently in the top 25 on Mediabase Hot AC Chart and Billboard's Adult Pop Airplay Chart.
"Take My Name" proceeds the band's current single "Girl In Mine," which is now in the Top 40.
For the second consecutive year, a British artist tops the year-end Billboard Global 200 songs chart.
Last year it was Dua Lipa, this year it's Harry Styles with the help of his record breaking single, "As It Was." The song spent 15-weeks at #1. And that's not all… Over-all, it spent 20 weeks in the top 2 slots and 29 weeks inside the top 5.
The rest of the Billboard Global 200 top 10 includes Ed Sheeran (twice), GAYLE, and Adele, plus collaborations from Elton John and Dua Lipa, The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, Imagine Dragons and JID, as well as The Weeknd and Ariana Grande.
TL;DR:
The music world and beyond have posted loving tributes to the late-Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter-keyboardist Christine McVie. McVie, who had turned 79 back in July, died on Wednesday, November 30th, following a short illness.
Longtime collaborator and bandmate Lindsey Buckingham posted a handwritten note to Instagram paying tribute to McVie.
The note reads, "Christine McVie's sudden passing is profoundly heartbreaking. Not only were she and I part of the magical family of Fleetwood Mac, to me Christine was a musical comrade, a friend, a soul mate, a sister. For over four decades, we helped each other create a beautiful body of work and a lasting legacy that continues to resonate today. I feel very lucky to have known her. Though she will be deeply missed, her spirit will live on through that body of work and that legacy."
Back in 1998 during Fleetwood Mac's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, presenter Sheryl Crow reflected in glowing terms on McVie's influence on her: "Christine McVie made it cool to be the piano player in the band. She showed me that it's not about being 'pretty good' for a 'chick' -- it's about being great. She showed me that a driving rock song could be written on the piano. The first time I heard her sing 'Spare Me A Little,' I was blown away, and I still have the same reaction to it when I revisit that song today."
When we last crossed paths with her, Christine McVie admitted to us that as the years rolled by, she had instinctively become the greatest editor of her material: "I've never been a really prolific songwriter. I don't write millions and millions of songs. I write when I know there's a project coming up or when I. . . It's not something that I must do all the time, every day, every day. . . So, when I do come up with a song -- when I do write a song -- for me, it has to be special; y'know, otherwise I'll throw it out before it gets anywhere near being finished. If I don't like the chords and I don't like the way it's going, then I'll drop it."
CHRISTINE McVIE REMEMBERED
President Bill Clinton wrote: "I'm saddened by the passing of Christine McVie. 'Don't Stop' was my '92 campaign theme song -- it perfectly captured the mood of a nation eager for better days. I'm grateful to Christine & Fleetwood Mac for entrusting us with such a meaningful song. I will miss her."
The Eagles wrote: "We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Christine McVie. Hers was a vibrant, soulful spirit, and her music was, and will remain, a gift to the world. We had the utmost admiration and respect for Christine. We send our heartfelt condolences to her family, her bandmates, and her legions of fans."
Brian Wilson wrote: "It's so sad to hear about Christine. A wonderful singer and songwriter. She will be missed but her music will last forever. Love & Mercy to Christine's family."
Mike Love wrote: "Shocked and saddened by Christine McVie's passing. We'll miss you Christine."
Carole King wrote: "With love and respect. R.I.P. Christine McVie."
Pattie Boyd wrote: "Such sad news of the passing of Chris McVie. Rod and I knew her well. Hugely talented girl. Sending love and prayers to her family and the extended FM family x"
Bob Seger wrote: "As a singer, songwriter and keyboard player, Christine was an undeniable talent, responsible for so much of the success of the great rock band Fleetwood Mac. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and the band in this difficult time."
Dave Davies wrote: "I'm really upset about Christine McVie a very underrated and talented woman. A great talent"
The Doors wrote: "Rest in peace rock n' roll icon Christine McVie, singer and songwriter for Fleetwood Mac. McVie helped shape the sound of the '70s alongside her counterparts in Fleetwood Mac."
Ann Wilson wrote: "Christine was a gem. Soulful, classy and a beautiful songwriter. 'Over My Head' was always my sultry, angelic favorite. Bon Voyage sweet soul."
Sheryl Crow wrote: "I am so sad to hear of Christine McVie going on to heaven. The world feels weird without her here. What a legend and an icon and an amazing human being. RIP"
Paul Stanley wrote: "How Very, Very Sad. Those songs. That voice. She truly was the Songbird."
Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton wrote: "RIP Christine McVie. Left us too soon. What a songwriter! Never met her but always heard she was a good person. Must be a sad day for John."
Duran Duran wrote: "So so sad to hear about Christine McVie an artist I held dear and close to my heart. One of the greatest all time songwriters, singers, and band members, she radiated both purity and sass in equal measure, bringing light to the music of the 70s. RIP."
Bryan Adams wrote: "RIP Christine McVie. Thanks for the music"
Bette Midler wrote: "Christine McVie has left us. What memories, what joy, and what a legacy…"
Susanna Hoffs wrote: "Peace and love, Christine McVie."
Diane Warren wrote: "Well this is some pretty sad s***ty news. Always loved her. Always loved her songs. Sing in power Christine"
Belinda Carlisle wrote: "Oh no. The voice of an angel. RIP Forever loved."
David Coverdale wrote: "A Beautiful Soul."
Garbage wrote: "Gutted to learn about the passing of Christine McVie. Just gutted. Songbird forever."
Bret Michaels wrote: "What a tremendous loss to the music community. My deepest condolences to the family, friends & fans of Christine McVie."
Sebastian Bach wrote: "One of the rare musicians who can honestly say her voice was around us more than ever at the time when she left us"
6X Grammy-nominated artist Jack Harlow is wrapping up 2022 with 12 new RIAA certifications, including the 2x-Platinum certification for his hit single, "First Class." The song is from his Gold-certified, Grammy-nominated album, Come Home The Kids Miss You.
Both the single and the album are nominated at the upcoming Grammy Awards.
TL;DR:
Released today (December 2nd) in celebration of his 80th year, on Paul McCartney issued his 7-Inch Singles Box. The massive, numbered limited-edition collection of 80 7-inch singles spanning 1971 to the present was personally supervised by McCartney and contains recreations of 65 singles/promos using restored original artwork from 11 different countries.
The set features 15 singles never-before-released on 7-inch 45 r.p.m. discs. The package also includes one exclusive test pressing randomly selected from the manufacturing process. The Singles Box features a 48-page book containing foreword from "Macca," an essay by Rob Sheffield, recording notes, release dates, and chart information on each of the singles. The physical set runs for $611 and is also available digitally.
By the time 1980's chart-topping "Coming Up" was released, McCartney's proposed world tour had been sidelined by the former Beatle's infamous pot bust the previous January, which landed McCartney in a Tokyo jail for 10 days. Wings lead guitarist Lawrence Juber recalled that with Wings still together -- but with McCartney also pursuing a solo career -- it was a strange time to be scoring a Number One hit: "The shame of it was, that if we had continued -- he would've been touring the States with a Number One record, 'cause 'Coming Up' was Number One. But the fact that there was this conflict, this dichotomy between Paul as 'Paul' and Paul as 'Wings,' as the band, it was most epitomized by 'Coming Up.' Because in England, the studio. . . Paul's McCartney II version came out. In America, nobody wanted to play the McCartney II version."
Among the more recent singles represented in the box set is the 2018 standout "Come On To Me" from McCartney's 2018 chart-topping Egypt Station release. At the time, the former-Beatle called into to New York City's National Public Radio affiliate WFUV and shed light on the catchy rocker: "A lot of songs start off with a guitar riff, and so the opening guitar riff on the song was what I had; 'kinda sexy little riff. It started to remind me of parties I'd been to, where, y'know, you would see a beautiful girl, and you just think -- 'Wait a minute, did she give me a smile that was a bit of a come on?' So, that was the idea behind the song, and I just followed that trail kind of thing. So, 'Wait a minute -- did you give me a look? I swear you did.' Now the thing is -- I hasten to add -- these are parties that I used to go to before I met my lovely wife."
During an interview on Infowars, Kanye West says that there were good things about Adolf Hitler. He explained, "I see good things about Hitler also. I love everyone. Jewish people are not going to tell me you can love us, and you can love what we're doing to you with the contracts, and you can love what we're pushing with the pornography."
He continued, "But this guy that invented highways, invented the very microphone that I use as a musician, you can't say out loud that this person ever did anything good, and I'm done with that." He added that everyone has "value that they brought to the table—especially Hitler."
Meanwhile, Ye's Twitter was suspended last night after he poted a swastika. Elon Musk tweeted, "I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended."
KANYE WEST'S PARLER DEAL HAS BEEN TERMINATED
In other news, Ye's deal with social media app Parler has been terminated. According to BNO, Parler said in a statement that the company and Ye have "mutally agreed" to terminate the deal in mid- November. No word on why the deal fell apart.
YE CLAIMS HE CAUGHT KIM WITH CHRIS PAUL
Meanwhile, Ye took to Twitter last night to reveal that he caught his ex-wife Kim Kardashian with NBA star Chris Paul. He shared a pic of Paul andtweeted, "Let's break one last window before we get outa here I caught this guy with Kim. Good night."
He also tweeted, "The use of Porn destroyed my family but Jesus will heal everything."
Selena Gomez and BLACKPINK are celebrating a major milestone together. Their music video for "Ice Cream" has now surpassed 800 million YouTube views. For BLACKPINK, this makes their seventh video to do so.
Earlier this month, the K-pop group of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa also broke another record when their video for the 2019 hit, "Kill This Love" surpassed 1.7 Billion views on YouTube.
TL;DR:
Lars Ulrich considers his Metallica bandmates the brothers he never had. Ulrich appeared on SiriusXM's The Howard Stern Show and discussed his relationship with James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo. Blabbermouth transcribed Ulrich as saying, "When I came to America (in the late-1970's), when I met James, when I met the other guys in the early years of the band and some of my friends when I landed here, there was that kind of rebellious thing. It was a big part of everybody who was 16 or 17; you were sort of rebelling against your parents. I never had that. I thought my parents were the coolest people in the world. Now, obviously, I've done therapy, and there were some issues, as you do a deeper dive into it. Denmark is a very liberal country, very safe country, so I'd say the flipside of my issues was I often was left alone and may still carry some issues of abandonment."
Ulrich went on to explain, "I think part of the reason that I love being in a band and feel so safe with James, Kirk, and Rob and the rest of the Metallica organization is I love being in a collective. They are the brothers I never had. And that safety in numbers."
Lars Ulrich told us a while back that the members of Metallica have gotten along consistently well ever since getting through the turbulent days of the early 2000's: "I mean, look, we don't wake up in the morning and call and see how the others slept. I mean, we don't spend 24-7 together. But the time that we share is definitely, to me, feels as solid and as mutually respectful as it's ever been."
Lil Nas X took advantage of a deepfake video of Elon Musk talking about him and he jumped at the chance to re-tweet it.
The video was edited in a way that the billionaire was saying that he's going to put Lil Nas in charge of Twitter.
The Fake Musk said, "I will be relieving myself of all duties and giving the CEO position of Twitter to Lil Nas X. Only users who agree that he's cute, fun and petite will be allowed to keep their accounts effective immediately."
The phony Musk video hilariously closed the loop on a joke Lil Nas made in early November shortly after the Space X/Tesla CEO took over, when he appointed himself Top Twit with a similar statement.
TL;DR:
In the new video from Weezer, Rivers Cuomo takes on the part of every single bandmember. As the camera circles around the room, you quickly realize he's not only singing lead, but he's also on guitar and bass, as well as sitting at the piano. As he sings about "Deja vu," it all starts to make sense.
The new release, "What Happens After You," is a track from the band's series of EPs named for each season. Currently, they're celebrating music from SZNZ: (pronounced seasons) Autumn.
Weezer touts that each album is being created in real time and part four, the Winter EP will be out on December 21.
TL;DR:
It was 43 years ago Saturday (December 3rd, 1979) that 11 fans died in a stampede while entering the Who's concert at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum. The tragedy -- which all but eradicated festival concert seating for nearly two decades -- happened when thousands of fans who were lined up outside the venue to make a mad dash for the stage upon the arena opening, rushed through only a few doors opened by the venue, flooding the lobby area, leaving nearly a dozen fans dead in their wake.
The fans killed in the stampede were Teva Ladd (27), Walter Adams, Jr. (22), James Warmoth (21), Phillip Snyder (20), David Heck (19), Stephan Preston (19), Peter Bowes (18), Connie Burns (18), Bryan Wagner (17), Karen Morrison (15), and Jacqueline Eckerle (15). A further 23 concert-goers were injured while attempting to enter the arena.
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, without yet knowing all the facts, a still-in-shock Pete Townshend spoke to Cincinnati's WEBN and was quick to lay blame on the band itself: "We know it was our fault and it's our responsibility. And I'm not going to get into any deep conversations with any police chiefs, fire marshals, federal people, or whatever. I mean. . . or even any mums and dads. Y'know, I'm a father. I've got two young kids."
A bereaved Daltrey also spoke to the local station: "There's no words to say what I feel. I'm a parent, as well. I've got a boy of 15 and two little girls. And I can say. . . I'm just sorry for what's happened, y'know?" `
The victims' families and the survivors sued the Who, the concert promoter Electric Factory Concerts, and the city of Cincinnati. The suit was settled in 1983 with the families each receiving $150,000 and the 23 survivors splitting $750,000 -- roughly $32,000 each.
Pete Townshend revealed how the Who and its entourage dealt with the news of the Cincinnati tragedy following their show at Riverfront Coliseum: "That incident alone, was just appalling to me, absolutely appalling -- I can't tell you. But what actually happened was I dealt with it, and the pain that it cause me, I think we all did, Bill Curbishley, me -- our manager -- y'know, a couple of the guys involved in the promotion of the concert, y'know, certainly all of us in the band and the women that were traveling with us at the time, whoever it was, y'know, by sitting there and getting drunk! There seemed to be nothing else that we could do, y'know, otherwise none of us were ever going to sleep. Y'know, we didn't know if we were responsible or not. We had no way or knowing what our role in it was."
The Who's then-drummer Kenney Jones recalls that although a heart-wrenching situation for the Who, the Cincinnati tragedy, truly had nothing to do with the band: "We were in the clear. And we had all the families who had lost their kids write to us all -- collectively and individually -- saying, 'Look, please don't feel guilty in any way, please don't blame yourselves.' And it was, literally, the promoter's fault as I remember. Y'know, this bus arrived late, apparently, and then heard we had already started and they didn't wanna miss it, so they rushed for this one door -- that was the only door open -- and straight down a flight of steps. One fell over, the other one fell on top of that one, and that's what happened."
Radio executive Andy Denemark remembered how rock radio handled the Cincinnati tragedy, which turned out to be a dry run of sorts for the following year's coverage of John Lennon's murder: "That was a big story for us. Y'know, when you work in the news business, a big negative story is when you shine. Good news isn't a thing that a network waves its flag about. So, for a rock radio network trying to establish itself as a credible news source, the Who's stampede at the concert in Cincinnati was a big story for us. And the way we would talk to affiliates to try and get them on board, y'know, we would say: 'What did you do that day? Did you have a news source?' Now, the networks did carry the Who story, because it was a big story -- people were killed."
In 2015, a tribute to the victims was finally unveiled at Riverfront Coliseum -- now renamed U.S. Bank Arena -- and housed on the plaza level between the arena and the Great American Ball Park.
In the summer of 2018, Roger Daltrey visited Finneytown High School to pay tribute to the students of the school that were killed at Riverfront Coliseum: "I don't know whether any of you understand, but the policemen and fire (units) wanted to get the crowd out. They wanted to us not to play. And it was our manager, who said, 'If you do that, there will be a problem.' He really has never been thanked for what he did that night, 'cause he had huge rounds with him, which would've made their rescue job so much harder."
In 2019, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, and longtime Who manager Bill Curbishley teamed up with Cincinnati's local ABC-TV affiliate WCPO for the local news documentary, The Who: The Night That Changed Rock, with an expanded documentary hitting all streaming services.
In the doc, all three talk candidly about that fateful night, with Townshend revealing, "Y'know, I'm still traumatized by it. It's a weird thing to have in your autobiography that, y'know, 11 kids died at one of your concerts. It's a strange, disturbing, heavy load to carry."
Daltrey said: "That dreadful night of the third of December became one of the worst dreams I've had in my life."
Manager Bill Curbishley, who made the decision to not tell the band about the pre-show stampede for fear of fans already in the arena rioting, admitted, "Despite everything, I still feel inadequate. I don't know about the guys, but for me, I left a little bit of my soul in Cincinnati."
According to WCPO.com the special spotlighted how, "The band members and Finneytown, Ohio residents also reveal a special relationship between the Who and the Cincinnati high school where three of the victims were students. The documentary shares how that relationship has turned a horrible night into something positive, celebrating the futures of some current Finneytown High School students who will major in the arts or music in college, while remembering the students whose futures were cut short on December 3rd, 1979."
Pete Townshend spoke frankly about the Cincinnati tragedy in his recent two-hour Audible Original mini-biography, titled Somebody Saved Me. He felt the Who should've put their tour on hold and stayed in the city out of respect for the dead: "What we have to remember is that at Cincinnati, nobody died inside the venue -- they died trying to get in during a soundcheck. Y'know, this was not our fault but we were made to feel like it was. And it was just devastating. The very next day, we had a gig in Buffalo and we got on the plane and we went to Buffalo. And, when we get to Buffalo, Roger runs out onto the stage and he says, 'Let's do a great rock n' roll gig for the kids that died at Cincinnati!' And I just remember thinking, 'I know what you mean, Rog, and I know where your heart is -- but this is just a crock of beep. Y'know, we should be in Cincinnati.'"
FAST FORWARD
This past May 15th, the Who returned to Cincinnati for the first time since the band's December 3rd, 1979 concert tragedy. Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and the band performed at the cities' TQL Stadium. During the concert's penultimate number, a video montage featuring photos of the 11 victims played under "Love Reign O'er Me."
The Who chose local band Safe Passage to serve as their openers last night. Both drummer Mike Smikin and frontman Walt Medlock were in the crowd during the 1979 Riverfront Coliseum melee and attended nearby Finneytown High School, where three of the 11 victims had attended.
Ahead of the concert, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey tweeted a message to fans, which read: "May we ask you to pause for a moment today and give some thought for the following young people who lost their lives in Cincinnati on December 3, 1979."
All proceeds from the Cincinnati show went to The P.E.M. Memorial Scholarship Fund For Finneytown High School Seniors. The fund is named in honor of three Finneytown students who died at the concert -- Steve Preston who had graduated in June 1979 along with Jackie Eckerle and Karen Morrison -- who both would've graduated in 1982.
It was 56 years ago Saturday night (December 3rd, 1966), that the Monkees made their first live appearance. The group -- Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork -- played a 40-minute set in Hawaii at the Honolulu International Center Arena. The "pre-fab four," as they were affectionately called, were riding high with their hit sitcom, which had premiered the previous September on NBC, along with their recent Number One smash, "Last Train To Clarksville."
During the 1966 Honolulu show, the Monkees performed solely as a four-piece band, with Dolenz on drums, Nesmith on guitar, Tork on bass, organ and banjo, and Jones alternating between tambourine, maracas and drums. The show's producers had them play in the out-of-the-way destination hoping that if the group flopped, news would be slow to travel to the mainland.
Shortly before his death, Davy Jones, who pushed for the group to perform live from the time the show hit, said that he still considered performing live his main stock in trade: "I need to be live in front of people. I don't need to be making two movies a year and being hidden away and falling in love with my leading lady anymore. I've already done that."
Micky Dolenz told us he's amazed at how different the history of the Monkees is from all their late-'60s peers: "There was in a way, two Monkee bands; One was the cast of the television show that the producers had cast, and that were singing and paying on a lot of the early stuff -- but we had no control over what was going to be recorded. And then, after we fought for the right to do the music and did Headquarters -- that was the other Monkees group. That was like, the Monkees group that was just us singing and writing and playing the songs that we wanted. It's an unusual story, y'know, it's a very strange story."
The group embarked on their first full U.S. tour during the spring of 1967.
In 2001, the group released the four-disc Summer 1967: The Complete U.S. Concert Recordings, featuring roughly the same set list as their debut concert.
Legendary Fleetwood Mac songwriter-keyboardist Christine McVie, died on Wednesday (November 30th) at the age of 79 of undisclosed causes.
A message was posted announcing her passing on her Instagram page, which reads: "On behalf of Christine McVie's family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine's death. She passed away peacefully at hospital this morning, Wednesday, November 30th, 2022, following a short illness. She was in the company of her family. We kindly ask that you respect the family's privacy at this extremely painful time, and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being and revered musician who was loved universally. RIP Christine McVie."
Fleetwood Mac posted their own tribute, stating, "There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed."
Stevie Nicks tweeted a handwritten letter, which reads in part: "A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away. I didn't even know she was ill. . . until late Saturday night. I wanted to be in London; I wanted to get to London -- but we were told to wait. So, since Saturday, one song has been swirling around in my head, over and over and over. I thought I might possibly get to sing it to her and so, I'm singing it to her now. I always knew I would need these words one day (Nicks quoted lines from 'Hallelujah' by Haim). See you on the other side, my love. Don't forget me."
Drummer Mick Fleetwood, the heart and soul of the group, posting his own loving tribute to McVie, writing, "This is a day where my dear sweet Friend Christine McVie has taken to flight. . . and left us earthbound folks to listen with bated breath to the sounds of that 'song bird'… reminding one and all that love is all around us to reach for and touch in this precious life that is gifted to us. Part of my heart has flown away today. . . I will miss everything about you Christine McVie Memories abound. . . they fly to me."
Recently released is McVie's latest solo set, titled Songbird (A Solo Collection), which features guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Lindsey Buckingham, and Steve Winwood. The album's title track -- "Songbird (Orchestral Version)" has been nominated for a 2023 Grammy in the Best Arrangements, Instruments and Vocals category.
In 2018 and 2019, Fleetwood Mac -- with Heartbreakers guitarist/songwriter/producer Mike Campbell stepping in to cover lead guitar duties and Crowded House frontman Neil Finn supplying rhythm guitar and vocals -- played an 88-date tour taking in shows in North America, Europe, and Oceania.
Back in 2017, McVie and now-ousted Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham released their debut album as a duo, Lindsey Buckingham / Christine McVie, which peaked at Number 17 on the Billboard 200 and formed the basis of their first joint tour together.
In 2014 McVie thrilled the rock world when she returned to the band following a 16-year hiatus. McVie, along with former husband John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, steered the group through a diverse early-'70s period following the absence of the group's co-founding guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. After the eventual departure of key members Danny Kirwan and Bob Welch -- and the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks -- McVie suddenly became one of the three hottest songwriters of the 1970's. In the latter part of the '70s, she was romantically involved with legendary Beach Boys' drummer Dennis Wilson.
McVie's songs played a crucial role in the band's blockbusters Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Tusk, Mirage, and Tango In The Night. Among the standards she wrote for the band were: "Over My Head," "World Turning (co-written with Buckingham)," "Warm Ways," "Sugar Daddy," "Say You Love Me," "Don't Stop," "Songbird," "Oh Daddy," "You Make Loving Fun," "Think About Me," "Over And Over," "Hold Me," "Love In Store," "Little Lies," and "Everywhere," among others.
Christine McVie told us that the members of Fleetwood Mac are connected by a bond that transcends time and distance: "I just think that there's an inextricable chemistry between the five of us, which will never go away, because that just is what it is, y'know, until we're 90 it'll be there. No matter how far we go apart in our different spheres of music, when we get together, it's just something that, y'know, sparks fly."
Lindsey Buckingham credits Mick Fleetwood for wooing Christine McVie back into the band: "I am not aware of how much they were writing or talking about it, and I don't know what agenda Mick may or may not have had our what he felt he was going to be able to accomplish. All I know is that he felt very strongly that Christine had been, perhaps, sequestered away, a little too much over there for a little too long -- for reasons that even I'm not even that clear on myself."
Not too long ago, Buckingham told us that there is no way one can deny the absolute chemistry between the classic ‘70s lineup of Fleetwood Mac: "It's an intangible thing. It's a very strong aspect of what I always thought was, kind of, for lack of a better term, the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, which was always the part of theory of this fivesome; and was very apparent when we first started rehearsing before doing that first album in 1975, was that there's something afoot here."
In 2003 McVie was credited as an additional musician on Fleetwood Mac's last full-blown studio set, Say You Will. She contributed keyboards and backing vocals on "Bleed To Love Her" and "Steal Your Heart Away." In 2004 McVie released her third solo album, In The Meantime, which she collaborated on with her nephew, Dan Perfect.
Christine McVie told us that her leaving Fleetwood Mac and eventually rejoining the band were very carefully thought out decisions and not done without deep and heartfelt consideration: "I told the band when we were doing The Dance tour that that would be my last tour, and they knew it. It was no surprise to anybody. It was not out of any lack of love for these guys, they're, y'know, they're my musical family. I think everybody has to do their little journeys and do what they have to do. Y'know, Lindsey (Buckingham) left the band for a while, I just realized that I made a huge mistake, but it took me about 10 years to realize it, that's all. And I started missing them and playing with them." (:27 OC: . . . playing with them
