Quick Takes: Johnny & Donnie Van Zant, Joni Mitchell, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Kiss, Billy Joel

• Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant and older brother — and .38 Special co-founder — Donnie Van Zant have teamed up on a new song supporting Florida’s controversial Governor Ron DeSantis. The Jacksonville, Florida-raised brothers have released the track “Sweet Florida,” which features the lyrics, “He stands up for what he believes / So don’t come down here trying to change things / We’re doing alright in the Sunshine State / Stay out of our business / Leave our governor alone / Down in sweet Florida, our governor is red, white and blue / He’s shooting us straight, telling us the truth.” (Ultimate Classic Rock)
• Joni Mitchell was honored on April 1st in Los Angeles as the 2022 MusiCares Person of The Year. Among the highlights of the night was Dave Grohl‘s 15-year-old daughter Violet, who performed 1974’s Court And Spark classic, “Help Me,” St. Vincent, who tackled the album’s title track, Beck, who sang “The Jungle Line,” from 1975’s The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, and Brandi Carlile‘s take on “Woodstock” featuring Stephen Stills on lead guitar. (Rolling Stone)
• Who frontman Roger Daltrey will headline the Rock Legends Cruise X on board the Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. The five-day cruise runs from February 13th to 17th, 2023 and departs from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and stops on day three at Coco Cay, Bahamas. In addition to Daltrey, the cruise will feature Deep Purple, the Marshall Tucker Band, Night Ranger, the Outlaws, Ten Years After, and others. (Press release)
• Due to overwhelming demand, Elton John has added a second show at East Rutherford, New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 24th. The general on sale for the concert is set for Wednesday, April 6th at 10 a.m. ET (Press release).
• Coming on June 10th is the latest release in Kiss‘ official live bootleg series, “Off The Soundboard,” Live At Donington 1996, recorded during the Monsters Of Rock Festival at Donington Park in England on August 17th, 1996 and featuring the then-recently reunited original lineup of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. The set will be available to stream and download, with a triple-LP standard black vinyl set, a double-CD set, and a limited edition triple-LP set pressed on 180g red vinyl available exclusively through the official Kiss online store. (Press release)
• Now streaming on CNN + is a new interview with Billy Joel as part of the program Extraordinary With Fareed Zakaria. In the teaser, Billy talks about the genesis of his 1976 classic “New York State Of Mind.”