With more than 400,000 cases and more than 10,000 deaths in the United States, more mega-concerts and acclaimed performances are being postponed or cancelled altogether thanks to concerns over the novel coronavirus.
Malibu’s Don Henley and the rest of the Eagles have postponed the remaining portion of their much anticipated Hotel California Tour.
The Eagles, who featured playing the famed “Hotel California” album in its entirety, were supposed to host a three-night gig at The Forum earlier this year, but those dates have now been pushed back to later in the year. Performances had been scheduled for Denver, Saint Paul, San Francisco and wrapping up at Wembley Stadium in London.
In a statement, the Eagles simply said, “This is complicated.” But a few days later, they flew back into the spotlight. Newly scheduled dates will kick off with two nights in Denver on Sept. 18 and 19, will wrap with two nights in Phoenix Oct. 24 and 25, and includes multiple shows in LA, San Francisco and St. Paul. Tickets for the original dates will be honored.
COUNTRY COMFORT
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f you can’t get out and groove to your favorite stars and won’t be riding in the fast lane for a while, there are television options and specials.
After the ACM Awards were cancelled, along came CBS’s Gayle King and “Our Country.”
The show aired Sunday with featured performances from John Legend, Luke Bryan, Brandie Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Gwen Stefani, Shania Twain, Keith Urban and many more.
There were special honors for 10-time ACM award winner Kenny Rogers.
Of course, most of the performers delighted audiences from their homes. These included a fireside serenade with Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton and a cross-country performance from Lady Antebellum and Shania Twain (rocking it from her barn).
CBS anchor Gayle King said everyone was waiting for the big night in April, “But the coronavirus changed everything.” King was also quite impressed at how the show was put together and was quoted as remarking, “Everyone did it from their home, it’s unbelievable.” She said the current health crisis highlights how we are all in this together.
AIN’T NO SUNSHINE
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or kids of the ’70s and ’80s, he wrote the soundtracks to their lives. Smooth, soulful Bill Withers has died of heart complications at the age of 81.
If you don’t recognize the name, you’ll surely know the songs.
He created enduring hits like “Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and “Just the Two of Us.”
“Lean on Me” topped bot the pop and R&B lists in 1972.
A family statement described him as “a beloved, devoted husband and father, a solitary man with a heart driven to connect the world at large with his poetry and music.”
Bill Withers is on my playlist and will be missed.