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Jack Sonni, the ex-guitar player with Dire Straits, whose contributions can be heard on the band’s 1985 release Brothers In Arms, one of the U.K.’s all-time best-selling albums, died Wednesday (March 30). He was 68.
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Born Dec. 9, 1954 in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Sonni’s passion for music began at a young age, when he learned various instruments, including piano, trumpet and the six-string, which he mastered.
Sonni furthered his career with a relocation to New York, and he’d make his mark in the history books as the “other guitar player in Dire Straits,” a reference he was happy to share on his official biography.
Dire Straits’ lead guitarist is, of course, frontman Mark Knopfler, widely recognized by his peers as one of the finest to ever play the instrument. The two axemen reportedly met in a guitar shop, after which Sonni was invited to record parts for the band’s fifth studio album.
The result was Brothers In Arms, which led the Official U.K. Albums Chart for 14 weeks, and reigned over the Billboard 200 for nine weeks. The album smashed records around the world, shifting an estimated 30 million copies worldwide, and won two Grammys (best music video, short form for the title track, and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal for the Billboard Hot 100 leader “Money For Nothing”).
When the rockers embarked on a major world tour in support, Sonni wore a distinctive red coat. That tour, too, was a record-setter. In Australia, fans bought more than 950,000 tickets, a record that stood for decades.
Sonni played guitar synthesizer on album cut “The Man’s Too Strong” and performed on stage with the band for the Wembley Stadium leg of the historic 1985 Live Aid concerts.
Following the birth of his daughters, Sonni calling time as on his career as a musician in 1988, instead pivoting to marketing. He went on serve as vice president of marketing for Guitar Center, a role that kept him connected with his beloved instrument.
Writing on his official site, Sonni described himself as “a writer, musician, nomadic raconteur, father and grandfather who has taken to heart the reality in the hard-learned lesson that life is short.” In life, he embraced the philosophy to “live well and live now” in pursuit of “creating memorable moments with friends and family”.
In recent years, he played alongside fellow alum on Dire Straits Legacy, ”born from our love and respect for the music of Dire Straits, and to bring the music to fans who have been starved of hearing it played live by the musicians who made it, for far too long,” DSL wrote in a 2018 statement.
Dire Straits leads tributes to the late artist. “Rest In Peace,” reads an official post. Another, from DSL, explains: “Our beloved Jack has left a void in our heart and soul… we will miss you so much, you are forever with us.”
Twenty years after its release, Powderfinger’s Vulture Street is perched at No. 1 on the national albums chart.
The Aussie rock favorites’ fifth studio album initially logged three weeks atop the ARIA Albums Chart in 2003, and went on to win album of the year at ARIA Awards, one of 18 total ARIAs collected in a glittering career.
Thanks to a reissue campaign, and a host of special fan events, including a Q&A and a screening of the long out-of-print These Days Live concert from 2004, the LP returns to the summit.
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With their latest feat, Powderfinger now holds the ARIA Chart record for the longest stretch of time for an Australian album to return to No. 1, according to Universal Music Australia.
The ‘Finger, as they’re affectionately known in these parts, has the distinction of ruling the national albums chart with five successive titles. The band went out on a high with 2009’s Golden Rule, the last of those leaders, and a major farewell tour which sold more than 200,000 tickets.
The five former bandmates remain good friends — and residents of their hometown, Brisbane — to this day. During the pandemic, Powderfinger briefly reunited for One Night Lonely, a special virtual concert which raised more than A$500,000 for music industry charity Support Act and mental wellbeing support service Beyond Blue. Unreleased, the band’s compilation of studio tracks unearthed from sessions recorded between 1998 and 2010, peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart in 2020.
Zach Bryan continues the hot streak for U.S. country artists in Australia as his self-titled fourth studio album arrives No. 2, a new career high. That’s well advanced on its predecessor, American Heartbreak (Warner), which reached No. 65. Meanwhile, the U.S. country star’s track “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, is new at No. 19 on the singles survey. That’s Musgraves’ first appearance on the Australian chart. Also, Bryan’s “Something In The Orange” holds at No. 12 on the chart, published Sept. 1, in its 59th week.
As the Weeknd’s forthcoming tour of Australia expands to seven stadium shows, the Canadian R&B star’s catalog enjoys spikes on the national chart. Career retrospective The Highlights holds at No. 3; former leaders Starboy lifts 18-4, After Hours is up 27-17, Dawn FM climbs 65-25 and Beauty Behind The Madness bounces 93-38 (all via Universal).
Several of his hits power on up the singles survey, including “Popular,” featuring Playboi Carti and Madonna, lifting 11-9. “Popular” becomes Madonna’s 41st top 10 single in the land Down Under, dating back to “Holiday” in 1983, and her first in 15 years; the Queen of Pop’s last top 10 appearance on the ARIA Singles Chart was 2008’s “4 Minutes” with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, which hit No. 1. Additionally, the Weeknd’s “Die For You” climbs 18-10.
At the top of the singles survey is Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (RCA/Sony) which extends its reign into a second week.
Miley Cyrus scores the top debut with “Used To Be Young” (Columbia/Sony), new at No. 13. It’s the fourth single from Endless Summer Vacation, which led the albums tally in March, and included the lead single, “Flowers,” a smash that logged 12 weeks at No. 1 earlier in the year.
Finally, Selena Gomez enjoys a top 40 debut with “Single Soon” (Interscope/Universal). It’s new at No. 26. The pop star has had six top 10 singles in Australia, with a best of No. 2 for 2019’s “Lose You To Love Me.”
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Refik Anadol unleashes his creative mind — with the help of AI — to render the exterior of the Sphere event space in Las Vegas for the very first time.
From Friday (Sept. 1), the Exosphere, the fully-programmable LED exterior of Sphere, is taken over by a so-called AI Digital Sculpture created by Anadol, the Istanbul, Turkey-born multi-media artist.
The immersive art project, “Machine Hallucinations: Sphere,” is a creative interpretation of humanity’s attempts to explore the depths of space, and will be visible on Sphere for four months.
It’s a two-chapter series, which, according to Sphere Entertainment Co., draws on more than 300 million publicly-available images of flora and fauna, which are presented as pigments, shapes, and patterns.
“I am extremely honored to be the first artist to utilize the exterior of Sphere,” Anadol comments in a statement. “It’s so exciting to be given such an architectural and engineering marvel as a canvas. This opportunity aligns perfectly with our studio’s long-term mission of embedding media arts into architecture to create living architectural pieces that are in constant interaction with their environments.”
Sphere is, according to its operators, a next-generation entertainment medium, covered with nearly 580,000 square feet of fully programmable LED paneling, for the largest screen of its type in the world.
Anadol’s project could be the first of many. Sphere Entertainment, the live entertainment and media company, anticipates its attraction could ”redefine the future of live entertainment,” and provide an “unparalleled canvas” for artists, partners and brands, including music companies, to showcase eye-catching content.
“Through the captivating power of the Exosphere and our unwavering commitment to showcase both art and brands on Sphere’s exterior,” comments Guy Barnett, senior vice president, brand strategy and creative development, Sphere Entertainment, “we will forever change the way artwork and commerce co-exist.”
Moving forward, the Nevada site will host original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies major artists; and premier marquee events. Those artists include U2, which kicks off a 25-date residency Sept. 29 at the new 20,000-capacity entertainment venue, located near the Las Vegas Strip next to The Venetian.
As previously reported, U2 and others will plug into the Sphere Immersive Sound system, created in tandem with Berlin-based audio company Holoplot.
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Disturbed aren’t yet eligible for the Rock Hall, though the metal act has received the next best thing – the keys to Tinley Park.
David Draiman and Co. were on hand for the ceremonial handover, when their Take Back Your Life Tour paused Wednesday (Aug. 30) for a concert at their old stomping ground, Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, IL.
“What an amazing honor receiving the key to the city in our hometown!,” reads a statement on the band’s socials. “Thank you to the Mayor of Tinley Park, Colleen Sullivan and to all of the trustees and board members for this sentimental moment.”
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The hard rockers were presented with the key on behalf of the Village board and the Village of Tinley Park, reads a message posted by Sullivan on social media.
Formed in 1994, Disturbed is a heavyweight performer on the Billboard 200 chart, logging five No. 1 titles stretching back to Believe (from 2002), and including Ten Thousand Fists (2005), Indestructible (2008), Asylum (2010) and Immortalized (2015).
The band’s eighth and most recent album, 2022’s Divisive, peaked at No. 13 on the all-genre Billboard 200, one of their 11 impressions on the chart.
At the same time, Divisive topped Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts, for their sixth and fifth No. 1s on those respective tallies. Only two acts have more No. 1s on Top Hard Rock Albums than Disturbed: Five Finger Death Punch and Pearl Jam, with seven apiece.
Earlier this month, Divisive cut “Unstoppable” lifted to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, the quartet’s 12th leader. With that feat, Disturbed moved into a four-way tie for the fifth-most toppers in the chart’s 42-year history, alongside Foo Fighters, Godsmack and Metallica. Shinedown leads all acts with 18 No. 1s.
The Take Back Your Life Tour continues Friday (Sept. 1) in Clarkston, MI.
Anderson Cooper is a hard-nosed professional journalist, a serious guy by-day. But he’s also got a rock-solid sense of humor.
Back in 2015, Cooper was the center of attention when, during Madonna’s Rebel Heart concert at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, he was pulled on stage for a fun moment with the Queen of Pop.
The CNN host’s time in the spotlight had an unexpected twist, as Madonna playfully spanked and humped him during her performance of “Unapologetic Bitch.”
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After the song ended, the Material Girl extended the laughs when she forced Cooper to stand and wait while she gifted him a banana.
Of course, fans captured the action on their devices, ensuring Cooper’s dance moves will live on for eternity.
This week, the TV star reflected on his funny business with Madonna for bestie Kelly Ripa’s Sirius XM podcast Let’s Talk Off Camera.
“That I choose to forget. I’m mortified,” Cooper recounts. “I mean, I loved the whole idea, I love the experience of it. I don’t love the video that exists of it, the reality.”
The 19,000-capacity venue lapped it up. Though Cooper “didn’t know what the hell was going on. I was terrible. I danced terribly. It was mortifying,” he remarks.
Madonna, on the other hand, made it look easy. “We all watch people perform at these stages and they make it look like it’s all so natural and normal,” Cooper adds. “Even the way they’re like dancing, running, walking down the stage. I’m like, ‘I don’t, do I skip?’”
As for the piece of fruit. Well, “all of a sudden you find yourself like you’re standing on this thing, and then she hands you a banana, and right before that she like pushed me over and humped me. Which I didn’t expect it all” he says.
“So I open it up and I start to peel it and eat the banana, and then all of a sudden I start lowering down on this little electronic elevator disappearing on the stage just like eating this banana,” Cooper quips. “I don’t know. To this day, I don’t know what happened.”
All jokes aside, Cooper and Madonna go way back. In 2013, gay advocacy group GLAAD tapped Madonna to present Cooper with the Vito Russo Award, saluting openly gay media professionals.
He returned the favor in 2016 by introducing Madonna as the person of honor at Billboard’s Woman of the Year event.
Madonna won’t be getting up to any on-stage shenanigans for a little while yet. The 65-year-old diva is on the mend following a bacterial infection that kept her in hospital for several days and forced back her touring schedule. Rescheduled dates for her massive, career-spanning Celebration tour have already been announced.
Stream the interview below.
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