Rock
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Aerosmith informed fans on Sunday night (Dec. 4) that the band’s scheduled Deuces Are Wild Las Vegas residency show scheduled for Monday night (Dec. 5) has been cancelled due to singer Steven Tyler‘s ongoing illness.
“Unfortunately tomorrow’s show, Monday December 5th, in Las Vegas has to be cancelled,” read a Twitter statement from the band. “Steven Tyler said, ‘On the advice of my doctor, I’m taking more time to rest… There is nowhere we’d rather be than on stage surrounded by the greatest fans in the world. We sincerely apologize.”
At press time, the band had not shared any additional information on what is ailing the 74-year-old singer. This is the second show Aerosmith has cancelled this week due to Tyler’s sickness. On Friday they wrote, “it is with great disappointment that we are forced to cancel tonight’s show in Las Vegas due to Steven feeling unwell and unable to perform.”
At the time, they anticipated being back on stage tonight. The band said that tickets purchased through Ticketmaster for the show will be automatically refunded; all other refunds will be available at point of purchase. The band’s current Deuces run is slated to wind up later this week with shows on Thursday (Dec. 8) and Sunday (Dec. 11) and at press time those shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM were still on their schedule.
Earlier this summer, Aerosmith cancelled some shows to allow Tyler to voluntarily enter a treatment program after the singer who has struggled with addiction issues in the past said he relapsed after using pain meds following foot surgery.
Read the band’s statement below.
Axl Rose has addressed recent reports that a woman was hurt at a Guns N’ Roses concert in Australia when she was hit by a microphone thrown by the singer.
In a post on Twitter Friday night (Dec. 2), the Guns N’ Roses frontman announced that he would no longer toss his mic into the crowd, something he says he’s done to close the show “for over 30 years.”
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“It’s come to my attention that a fan may have been hurt at r show in Adelaide Australia possibly being hit by the microphone at the end of the show when I traditionally toss the mic to the fans,” Rose wrote. An article published by the Adelaide Advertiser earlier in the week reported a concertgoer named Rebecca Howe claims she was left with two black eyes and a bruised nose after being hit in the face with Rose’s mic in Adelaide on Tuesday (Nov. 29).
“If true obviously we don’t want anyone getting hurt or to somehow in anyway hurt anyone at any of r shows anywhere,” Rose’s statement continued. “Having tossed the mic at the end of r show for over 30 years we always felt it was a known part of the very end of r performance that fans wanted and were aware of to have an opportunity to catch the mic.”
He noted, “Regardless in the interest of public safety from now on we’ll refrain from tossing the mic or anything to the fans during or at r performances.”
“Unfortunately there r those that for their own reasons chose to frame their reporting regarding this subject in a more negative n’ irresponsible out of nowhere light which couldn’t b farther from reality,” added Rose. “We hope the public and of course r fans get that sometimes happens. A BIG THANKS to everyone for understanding.”
See his note below.
When Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, he chose as his campaign theme song “Don’t Stop,” a song by Christine McVie from the Rumours album. At the time, with George H. W. Bush in the White House after eight years of Ronald Reagan, the song came to symbolize the passing of the torch of leadership to the Baby Boomer generation, as well as the idea that the future could be brighter, if Americans worked to make it so.
The song, which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 in 1977, played such an important part in the campaign that the classic Rumours lineup of Fleetwood Mac reunited to play President Clinton’s inaugural ball.
Below, President Clinton remembers how he chose the song, as well as what it represents.
In June of 1991, when I was still Governor of Arkansas, I flew to Los Angeles for an event. The young man who was driving me to my speech, Shawn Landres, asked me if I was going to run for President the next year. I told him I hadn’t made a decision yet. He told me, “Well, I think you should run, and when you do, this should be your campaign song.” Then he popped a Fleetwood Mac tape into the tape deck and played “Don’t Stop.” I’d loved that song and Fleetwood Mac for years, and as soon as Shawn suggested it, I knew it was a brilliant idea. Once I got in the race, some of my staff tried to get me to go with a more current song, but I held out and hoped I’d get permission to use it.
“Don’t Stop” was the perfect choice because politics at its best is about people and making the future better for them. Life requires all of us to live in the present and for the future. We can’t unlive or completely forget the past. And the memories of our victories and defeats, our mistakes and moments of pride, can make us wiser for what happens next. But if every day is consumed by the past, it’s another day lost in a quickly passing life.
When I was a student at Georgetown, my professor of Western Civilization, Carroll Quigley, taught me about the idea of “future preference.” He said that America became the greatest nation in history because our people had always embraced two important ideas: that tomorrow can be better than today, and that every one of us has a personal, moral obligation to make it so. I quoted him often throughout my 1992 campaign and both my terms in office, and “Don’t Stop” captured the sentiment perfectly, with both its lyrics and its upbeat, simple melody.
Everyone knows Christine McVie was a great songwriter, but it turns out she was a pretty good political philosopher, too. I’ll always be grateful to her – and to Mick, Stevie, John, and Lindsey – for being so generous in letting me use the song, for reuniting to play at my Inaugural, for giving me a lifetime of great music and memories, and, of course, for that roadmap to the future.
Paramore peeled back another layer of their upcoming This Is Why (Feb. 10) album on Thursday (Dec. 1) when the Hayley Williams-led band posted a snippet of the song “The News.” on TikTok. The 14-second clip was accompanied by an image of a pair of hands writing the song’s title on a burned CD and then placing it in a package addressed to fan who goes by “GWizzle.”
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The accompanying mid-tempo track features jazzy drums and Williams crooning “turn off… the news.” In response, GWizzle then posted a video in which she is listening to the snippet of “The News” before being interrupted by a knock the door, only to find the aforementioned package featuring the CD. “I can’t, I can’t be the only one,” she says with trepidation after putting the disc in her boombox and hovering over the play button. She then walks away as the screen promises that the first listen of “The News” will take place on TikTok at 8 p.m. ET on Friday night.
In another video, GWizzle stares in awe as the CD is addressed on the other side of the split screen, dramatically dropping vinyl copies of all the band’s albums before running off.
In addition, the group’s Instagram teased the Feb. 8 release date for the song with a picture taken by drummer Zac Farro of Williams seated on a red carpeted floor in front of a white door. Williams, Farro and guitarist Taylor York will launch a 2023 arena tour in support of their sixth full-length album on May 23 with a show in Charlotte, N.C.; they will also join Taylor Swift on a number of dates on her 2023 Eras North American stadium tour.
The band’s first LP in almost six years includes the lead single/title track, which dropped in September.
Check out “The News” previews below.
Harry Styles had the perfect way of honoring the memory of Christine McVie, the Fleetwood Mac singer and songwriter who died at age 79 on Wednesday (Nov. 30): by singing — and singing her most famously beautiful song at that.
The day after it was announced that McVie had died following a short illness, Styles, who was performing a concert in Chile, carved room into his Love On Tour setlist to sing a gorgeous acoustic version of the ballad with his band. The “As It Was” singer played guitar and sang lead vocal on “Songbird,” backed by a piano and singers providing harmonies.
After the song was over, he blew a kiss up to the sky.
McVie’s death was first announced in a devastating statement posted to social media by the two-time Grammy winner’s family. “She was in the company of her family,” it read. “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.”
Styles, who’s long been vocal about how strongly Fleetwood Mac has influenced his musicianship, is just one of many artists honoring McVie following her passing. Sheryl Crow, Duran Duran and more have all taken to social media to mourn the singer-songwriter, along with McVie’s former bandmates.
“A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since the first day of 1975, had passed away,” wrote Stevie Nicks in an emotional post on Twitter. “See you on the other side, my love. Don’t forget me.”
Lindsey Buckingham also shared a message about McVie on social media, writing that her sudden passing was “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 and a sister,” he wrote. “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.”
Watch Harry Styles perform Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” for Christine McVie below:
Pulling together his annual tribute to the celebrities we’ve lost in the past calendar year via the Beatles’ iconic Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover is always a fraught prospect for British artist Chris Barker. Over the past few years as December rolls around and he feels the pressure to blast out this year’s model, Barker frets over whether he can do it, who to include/leave out and whether the whole things is even a good idea.
“I’ve been doing this since 2016. That was the year anyone who was nice or kind or creative or special decided it was time to leave before the bad stuff started,” Barker tells Billboard in an exclusive note about the year we lost Prince and David Bowie, among many others. “Or at least that’s how it felt at the time. I’ve become a little bit desensitised to it over the years. I mean, I still try and keep the star’s dignity and think of their loved ones and how it would make them feel to see it, but – let’s face it – I make notes over the course of the year now rather than just waiting til November. It’s a thing.”
That explains the inspiration behind his 2022 image, which contains a whopping 151 faces, including late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who sits front and center next to an image of Queen Elizabeth II, and just below a Grease-era Olivia Newton-John, who is flanked by actors Ray Liotta and Harry Potter actor Robbie “Hagrid” Coltrane.
Also added last minute was Fleetwood Mac singer/songwriter Christine McVie, who passed away this week, as well as a raft of other music stars, including “Bat Out of Hell” singer Meat Loaf, Migos’ Takeoff, Aaron Carter, Irene Cara, Loretta Lynn, Coolio, the Screaming Trees’ Mark Lanegan, rock godfather Jerry Lee Lewis, Low’s Mimi Parker, Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson, The Wanted’s Tom Parker, composer Vangelis, the Ronetttes’ Ronnie Spector, mysterious singer Q Lazzarus, Yes drummer Alan White and famed rock member memorialist Cynthia Plaster Caster.
“But this year, I had to put them all the previous ones side by side for some reason (Someone asked me to do it or something) and it really hit me how many great people we’ve lost forever. It’s a real sea of amazing talents laid out in front of your eyes,” Barker says of the lengthy list of musicians, actors and comedians who’ve shone a bit of light into the darkness. By now an expert on such things, Barker says that he noticed early on in 2022 that it was going to be an “exceptional year” of bold-faced losses, with his list so long that by mid-year he’d already surpassed the final total from year one.
“It was almost enough to make me think maybe this isn’t the right thing to do any more. But people really like it and they’ve grown to expect it,” he says. “I have been shuffling the characters around quite a lot but I think my front four is valid. Nichelle Nichols’ (Star Trek) career was groundbreaking, Meat Loaf was iconic, Robbie Coltrane was heartbreaking and Olivia Newton-John defined an era. There are plenty of others on the list who are also huge losses and massive icons but I’m satisfied with my decision here. I have made life difficult by going so early on this. I know in previous years I have had to make late editions and updates but this year it will be a really difficult job as there just aren’t any gaps.”
The list, as usual, is a mix of mostly American and British luminaries of stage, screen, music, comedy and politics, including actors Sidney Poitier, Angela Lansbury, James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Julee Cruise, Anne Heche, William Hurt, Yvette Mimieux, Bob Saget and Leslie Jordan, as well as a mix of directors and sports and fashion figures.
“Every year I ask that if people like the montage, they could consider making a donation to charity,” he says. “This year, please consider making a donation to a charity helping the children and the people of Ukraine. This shouldn’t be happening in the 21st century.”
Check out this year’s image and the numbered key.
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly have never shied away from a little PDA. But in their new ad campaign for the actress’ Play With Fire nail polish kit collab with her fianceé’s UN/DN LAQR nail brand, they get entangled to celebrate some vibrant colors inspired by Megan’s favorite crystals and gemstones.
In one of the snaps, Fox’s emerald green nails grip the back of MGK’s neck as he lays his hands — in a bright blue shade — over hers. In the second pic, she stares at the side of Colson’s neck while cradling his throat with her right hand.
“I know you. I have known you so many times, in so many different forms, in so many different lives,” reads a tagline for the collection which includes six hues, including: Past Life (bright Lapus Lazuli blue), Brutal Honesty (malachite green), Twin Flame (ruby red), Deep Breath (shattered “glass” iridescent effect), Third Eye (lilac purple) and Nothing Matt(er)s (matt top coat).
“The collection is themed around some of my favorite crystals and gemstones, I love wearing jewel tones as they play well against my natural coloring,” Fox told Allure about the range of colors that also reflect the natural world and changing seasons. “Winter is a time for all types of ‘hibernation’ or turning inward; we see this with animals as well as plants during this season. This is a waning (withdrawing) time, not a waxing (growing) time.”
In an accompanying video set to MGK’s “Sid & Nancy” Fox gets her nails done as she lays in bed and the couple hit a number of red carpets while the actress strikes a series of seductive poses while showing off some of her Fire colors.
Check out the images from the campaign below.
When you think of next-generation artists liable to tribute Christine McVie in the wake of her unexpected death at age 77, LCD Soundsystem probably isn’t the first one that comes to mind. But the Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter’s radio-ready pop hooks have been so inescapable for the last half century that even a band more likely to name-check Can than the Mac couldn’t avoid paying homage to the rock legend during a show on the day of her passing.
Playing an Amex card members-only show at Brooklyn Steel on Wednesday (Nov. 30) night, the indie dance outfit wove a bit of McVie’s Rumours side 1 closer “Songbird” into their own melancholic foray, “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down.” Keyboard player Nancy Whang took lead vocal on the “Songbird” segment during the encore, and once the show wrapped, McVie’s Mac track “Everywhere” (which incidentally has been enjoying a chart bump thanks to a Chevy ad synch) played over the speakers as the crowd emptied into the night.
And that wasn’t the only unexpected cover to crop up during the eighth night of the band’s residency at the Brooklyn venue. For the first time ever in concert, James Murphy & Co. busted out a cover of The Human League’s “Seconds,” a harrowing gem from synth-pop group’s underrated classic Dare!. LCD released a live-in-studio cover of “Seconds” on their Electric Lady Sessions album in 2019, but this was the first time fans got to hear it live – and Murphy does a pretty convincing Philip Oakey impersonation while intoning the tragically timely chorus “It took seconds of your time to take his life / It took seconds” on that 41-year-old song about gun violence.
Prior to the show’s start, Amex card members lucky enough to score tickets were treated to an open bar and savory free burritos from El Gallo Taqueria. In case you’re thinking, “Wait, there are enough Amex card holders who love LCD Soundsystem to fill an 1,800-capacity music venue?”, don’t forget this a Brooklyn crowd — and an East Williamsburg one at that. Sure, there were some boomers and zoomers, but the mostly millennial crowd dancing itself clean certainly remembers the pre-Apple Store days of Williamsburg when the group’s 2010 masterpiece This Is Happening could be heard booming out of any of the now-shuttered dive bars on Bedford Avenue. So naturally, the self-parodying “Losing My Edge” was one of the most enthusiastically received songs in the set list – after all, it’s become a painfully resonant anthem for aging hipsters everywhere who aren’t quite ready to throw in the towel on home breweries and 45s-only DJ sets. But hey, when LCD is on stage, the old days feel brand new again
Among the luminaries paying tribute to late Fleetwood Mac singer and lyricist Christine McVie on Wednesday (Nov. 3) was former President Bill Clinton. The two-term democrat and philanthropist mourned the passing of the 79-year-old rock icon, whose family said she died at a hospital at 79 after a “short illness.”
“I’m saddened by the passing of Christine McVie,” Clinton tweeted. “‘Don’t Stop’ was my ’92 campaign theme song – it perfectly captured the mood of a nation eager for better days.” Clinton included a short video with his message, in which the one of Mac’s most beloved singles — co-written by McVie, who also sang it alongside guitarist Lindsey Buckingham — unspools amid footage of the Clinton family on the campaign trail. The video notes that the tradition of presidential campaign songs dates back to 1800, when John Adams supporters sang “Liberty and Adams.”
Clinton, then the fresh face of a new generation of democrat leaders, was one of the first major party presidential Boomer candidates to embrace the rock era, making the Billboard Hot 100 No. 3 hit from Rumours the anthem of his White House bid. “I’m grateful to Christine & Fleetwood Mac for entrusting us with such a meaningful song. I will miss her,” Clinton wrote.
The accompanying video also noted that after splitting in 1987, the famously quarrelsome quintet reunited for one night to perform “Don’t Stop” at Clinton’s 1993 inaugural gala.
According to the singer’s family, she died “peacefully” at a hospital on Wednesday following a “short illness.” In a statement, the band said, “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.”
Check out Clinton’s post below.
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. pic.twitter.com/UPUvpDWRZB— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) December 1, 2022
Christine McVie died on Wednesday (Nov. 30) at age 79, and the music community immediately took to social media to honor the late Fleetwood Mac lyricist.
While McVie’s bandmates released a joint statement announcing her death, both Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood penned individual tributes to their friend on their personal Twitter accounts. “Part of my heart has flown away today.. I will miss everything about you Christine McVie,” the drummer wrote, in part, while Nicks shared a handwritten note using lyrics from Haim’s 2019 single “Hallelujah.”
“I am so sad to hear of Christine McVie going on to heaven,” tweeted Sheryl Crow. “The world feels weird without her here. What a legend and an icon and an amazing human being. RIP.”
Garbage was one of the first acts to react to the news, writing, “Gutted to learn about the passing of Christine McVie. Just gutted. Songbird forever.”
John Taylor shared his thoughts on behalf of Duran Duran, tweeting, “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,” alongside a black-and-white portrait of the prolific singer-songwriter.
As one-fifth of the iconic band, some of Fleetwood Mac’s greatest songs written by McVie included “Songbird,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Little Lies,” “Don’t Stop” and many more.
Read more tributes to McVie’s memory from Diane Warren, Bret Michaels, Ann Wilson and others below.
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 https://t.co/nr6nfZ8rTM— Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) November 30, 2022
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. – John pic.twitter.com/MkGqAD1wRV— Duran Duran (@duranduran) November 30, 2022
Gutted to learn about the passing of Christine McVie. Just gutted.Songbird forever. 🩸— Garbage (@garbage) November 30, 2022
What a tremendous loss to the music community. My deepest condolences to the family, friends & fans of Christine McVie.— Bret Michaels (@bretmichaels) November 30, 2022
Well this is some pretty sad shitty news. Always loved her. Always loved her songs. Sing in power Christine🎤💔Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 79 https://t.co/bX3Bu56WpT via @variety— Diane Warren (@Diane_Warren) November 30, 2022