Rock
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Baby, he’s still a star! Nearly 40 years after Prince unleashed the original Purple Rain film and soundtrack album, the era-defining story is headed to the stage — and possibly The Great White Way.
A stage adaptation of Purple Rain is under development, with a world premiere in the works, as per The Hollywood Reporter on Monday (Jan. 8). The adaptation is set to feature a score by the late Prince, with a book by Pulitzer Prize-finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who is currently enjoying the Broadway run of his acclaimed drama Appropriate. Jacobs-Jenkins’ book will be based on the original Purple Rain screenplay, which was written by Albert Magnoli (who also directed the original film) and William Blinn. Lileana Blain-Cruz — who picked up a Tony nomination in 2022 for best direction of a play (The Skin of Our Teeth) — is set to direct, with Tony winner Orin Wolf on production duties.
The film version of Purple Rain arrived in 1984, starring Prince as The Kid, a burgeoning Minneapolis rock musician who trudges his way through rival bands, fleeting romances, and a gritty home life. To date, the film has grossed nearly $70 million worldwide, and, in 1984, it won the Academy Award for best original song score.
The accompanying soundtrack of the same name was a blockbuster success, spending 24 weeks atop the Billboard 200. The set spawned several Billboard Hot 100 hits, including “When Doves Cry” (No. 1, five weeks), “Let’s Go Crazy” (No. 1, two weeks), “Take Me With U” (No. 25), “I Would Die 4 U” (No. 8) and “Purple Rain” (No. 2). Purple Rain currently boasts a 13x platinum certification from the RIAA in recognition of over 13 million copies shipped in the U.S. alone. In addition, the soundtrack won a Grammy for bet rock performance by a duo or group with vocal and best score soundtrack for visual media.
“We can’t think of a more fitting tribute than to honor Prince and the Purple Rain legacy with this stage adaptation of the beloved story,” said L. Londell McMillan, chairman of The NorthStar Group, and Larry Mestel, founder and CEO of Primary Wave Music. “We are thrilled with our Broadway partners and creative team, who are bringing a theatricality to the film’s original fictional story. We can’t wait for a new generation to discover Purple Rain and for lovers of the original film and album to experience its power once again, this time live.”
Prince has earned 20 top 10 entries on the Billboard 200, including the chart-toppers Around the World In A Day (1985, three weeks), Batman (1989, six weeks), The Very Best of Prince (2001, one week), 3121 (2006, one week), and, of course, Purple Rain. On the Hot 100, the legendary musician has collected five No. 1 singles from 19 top 10 entries, including “Cream” (two weeks), “Kiss” (two weeks) and “Batdance” (one week).
The Who‘s Roger Daltrey will close out the nearly quarter-century run of his Teenage Cancer Trust fundraising gigs in March with a week of all-star shows benefitting the British charity dedicating to helping young people needing nursing care and support after diagnosis. The organization announced the line-up for the shows at the Royal Albert Hall […]
John Mayer is opening up about the possibility of marriage. During a recent episode of Kelly Rizzo’s Comfort Food podcast, the 46-year-old musician — who’s former girlfriends include Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz — revealed whether he’s interested in settling down someday and what he’s looking for in a […]
Calling all Smashing Pumpkins fans: You have a chance to become a member of the band. On Friday (Jan. 5), the rock band took to Instagram to announce an open audition process to replace former guitarist Jeff Schroeder — meaning anyone, including fans, can apply. “The Smashing Pumpkins are in search an additional guitarist. The […]
Corey Taylor has cancelled his previously announced North American solo tour. The Slipknot frontman took to Instagram on Friday (Jan. 5) to reveal the news, citing struggles with his mental and physical health. “For the past several months my mental and physical health have been breaking down, and I reached a place that was unhealthy […]
Billy Joel will spend 2024 on the road with some good friends, with the Piano Man slated to hit a number of stadiums across the U.S. with Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks and Sting in between his ongoing residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Joel announced the new gigs on Thursday (Jan. 4), which he […]
Paramore announced Thursday (Jan. 4) that they are dropping out of this year’s iHeartRadio ALTer EGO show “due to unforeseen circumstances.” “The band apologizes for any inconvenience,” the group wrote in their statement on Instagram Stories, which you can read here. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Other than […]
Travis Barker and Alabama Barker had the ultimate father-daughter hangout on Wednesday night (Jan. 3), as the duo got inked up together. The rocker’s 18-year-old daughter took to her Instagram Stories to share a photo of her dad getting his tattoo done. while she sat and waited for her turn. “Tatted together,” Alabama captioned the […]
More than half a century after his first comeback, Elvis Presley is combing back, again. U.K. company Layered Reality announced this week that it is prepping an holographic AI concert special entitled “Elvis Evolution” that is slated to debut in London in November.
In a statement announcing the special event, immersive experience specialists (The Gunpowder Plot) Layered Reality promise that the mind-blowing “concert finale” featuring the King of Rock will feature a “jaw-dropping” performance and a “personal invite to the After Party.”
“The show peaks with a concert experience that will recreate the seismic impact of seeing Elvis live for a whole new generation of fans, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy,” reads a statement announcing the show. “A life sized digital Elvis will share his most iconic songs and moves for the very first time on a UK stage.”
The show promises to use Layered Reality’s patented blend of “technology, augmented reality, theatre, projection and multi-sensory effects” to reproduce the late rock icon for his first-ever shows outside of North America nearly half a century after Presley’s 1977 death.
“Elvis fans can look forward to a memory-making experience like no other. Through AI and groundbreaking tech you’ll be able to witness iconic Elvis performances as if you were really there, and celebrate defining moments in Elvis Presley’s extraordinary life and career,” the statement continues. “After the show, the central London venue will also host an After Party at its ELVIS-themed restaurant and bar with live music, DJs and performances.”
At press time the name of the London venue hosting the event had not yet been revealed. In a video tease, Layered Reality founder and CEO Andrew McGuinness promised that the show will go on a global tour after its London debut — reportedly hitting Las Vegas, Berlin and Tokyo as well — following a deal reached with the owner of the Presley estate, Authentic Brands Group.
“You’re going to go on a journey and really understand what Elvis went through during his life,” McGuinness said. “The end of this experience is a real crescendo, where you’ll see a life-sized Elvis in AI perform some of his biggest hits.” The Elvis AI show will follow on the heels of the hit London show “ABBA Voyage,” which digitally recreated the beloved Swedish pop band via digital avatars.
One of the best-selling artists in music history with over 500 million records sold worldwide, Elvis, who died at 42, has been everywhere over the past two years thanks to Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-nominated biopic Elvis and Sofia Coppola’s Golden Globe-nominated Priscilla. The rock legend was also back in the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 over the Christmas holiday when his 1957 classic “Blue Christmas” hit No. 18 on the chart dated Jan. 6, 2024, marking the first time one of his songs has has charted since “Way Down” peaked at No. 18 in Oct. 1977.
Watch the preview clip below.
Rage Against The Machine fans will need to find another outlet to release their anger, because the ‘90s rock legends won’t be playing live again.
That’s according to comments posted by drummer Brad Wilk, and shared widely by RATM’s official X (formerly Twitter) page late Wednesday (Jan. 3).
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RATM pushes out a news story published by Blabbermouth and based on comments made by Wilk, who insists the band “will not be touring or playing live again.”
Earlier, Wilk shared his thoughts on Instagram. “I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour dates for all the canceled RATM shows. I don’t want to string people or myself along any further,” he writes.
“So while there has been some communication that this may be happening in the future… I want to let you know that RATM (Tim, Zack, Tom and I) will not be touring or playing live again.
“I’m sorry for those of you who have been waiting for this to happen. I really wish it was…”
RATM’s post is a curious one which, at the time of writing, wasn’t shared to the rockers’ Facebook or Instagram pages and fails to mention whether recording projects are still in the cards. Bandmates Zack de la Rocha (vocals), bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford (bass) and Tom Morello (guitar) have not commented.
The L.A. group was finally tapped for the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, after five tries. Internal band issues were obvious then; Morello was the only member to attend the induction ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
RATM released just four albums during their initial 1991-2000 run before reforming for live dates from 2007-2011 and again in 2019 for a string of shows that were first interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and then by de la Rocha’s leg injury.
LPs Evil Empire (from 1996) and The Battle Of Los Angeles (1999) both peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
RATM has made eight total appearances on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay, with three songs in the top 10 (all in 2000), including “Guerrilla Radio,” which peaked at No. 69 on the Hot 100.
Few songs, however, have the power and fury of RATM’s signature song from 1992, “Killing In The Name,” a record that connected with youths everywhere and sprayed enough energy to enable them run through walls.
When their name was called out for induction into the Rock Hall class of ’23, the band recounted, by way of a statement, how they put their rage into action.
They were, the statement reads, “A band who shut down the NY Stock Exchange for the first time in its history.
“A band who was targeted by police organizations who attempted to ban us from sold out arenas for raising our voices to free Mumia Abu Jamal, Leonard Peltier and other political prisoners
“A band who sued the US State Department for their fascist practice of using our music to torture innocent men in Guantanamo Bay.”
And, “a band who wrote rebel songs in an abandoned, industrial warehouse in the valley that would later dethrone Simon Cowell ’s X Factor pop monopoly to occupy the number 1 spot on the UK charts and have the most downloaded song in U.K. history.”
It’s now an amusing piece of U.K. chart history that, following a public campaign, “Killing In The Name” became 2009’s coveted Christmas U.K. No. 1 – and in doing so killing the established tradition that the winner of X Factor would claim the prize.