Latest news with #farewellTour
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Gilberto Gil Steps Away From the Stage, Vowing ‘My Music Will Continue'
Gilberto Gil had been living in exile for a month when he first saw Bob Dylan take the stage. That was in August 1969, when Gil, who is now a revered international figure with a 60-year career behind him, had just turned 27. The military dictatorship in Brazil had 'invited' him to leave the country after an arrest on charges of 'inciting youth to rebel' during a show in Rio de Janeiro, among other accusations. Forced to flee, Gil chose London — a meeting point for musician and artist expats, with its vibrant cultural scene and artistic freedom — as his new home. He arrived just in time for the Isle of Wight Festival and knew he couldn't miss his chance to see Dylan play his first show since a motorcycle accident had nearly taken his life. 'It's that passivity, almost,' Gil said in a recent interview. 'That calmness he has onstage, without many exuberant gestures. That's what I wanted to soak up and apply to my own performance.' And through the years, whether his image was as an inciter of youth or an insightful philosopher, he did. Even as Gil stood onstage in São Paulo this April on his farewell tour, it was the eloquence of his words and the memories his music evoked that captivated 40,000 fans. A chorus of voices accompanied Gil as he guided concertgoers through the many genres of his career — samba, baião, jazz, reggae, rock and international pop, among them. An innovator with a knack for preserving his country's classic styles while building on them, Gil has used both his music and his voice to help fellow Brazilians feel pride in where they come from and hope in where they're going. In addition to releasing dozens of albums, he has worked in politics since 1987 and served as Brazil's Minister of Culture from 2003 to 2008. Gil, now 83, admits that it's time to slow down. He doesn't shy away from talk about aging: It's just another change in a life of metamorphosis. And the name he gave his final stadium tour — Tempo Rei (which translates to Time Is King), borrowed from his 1984 song about the passage of time, the brevity of life and the necessity of transformation — alludes to just that. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Groundbreaking punk band plays final live show in Amsterdam
Gang of Four's live performance run has come to an end. The the legendary British post-punk band played its final show of their farewell tour at Amsterdam's Paradiso on Saturday night, July 5. The show put a cap on Gang of Four's "Long Goodbye Tour,' which was meant to celebrate the band's pioneering music. The tour started in North America in Boston on April 20. 'After 45 years, the band will tour North America for the very last time, playing the album front to back, followed by a second set filled with fan-favorites and hit songs,' a social media post about the tour reads. Gang of Four's tour also paid tribute to the 45th anniversary of the band's 1979 debut album, 'Entertainment!' NME reported Gang of Four played 'Entertainment!' in full at the start of the Amsterdam show. They then follow-up with a second set packed with other hits, including 'I Love A Man In Uniform,' 'To Hell With Poverty' and 'Elevator.' You can watch videos of Gang of Four's final live show here and here. Gang of Four is considered 'one of the most influential and groundbreaking bands to rise from the British punk scene in the late '70s,' according to the band's AllMusic biography. The groundbreaking band formed in 1976 in Leeds, England with original members Jon King (vocals), Andy Gill (guitar), Dave Allen (bass) and Hugo Burnham (drums). Gang of Four rose to fame with a percussive, stripped-down sound that blends punk rock with funk and dance music. The band's lyrics also made a strong impression on listeners, pointing to social and political topics. Gang of Four charted in the U.S. with 'Is It Love?' and 'Don't Fix What Ain't Broke.' The band's signature songs include 'Anthrax,' 'Damaged Goods,' 'To Hell With Poverty,' 'He'd Send in the Army,' 'Cheeseburger,' 'At Home He's a Tourist' and more. Gang of Four has influenced artists ranging from R.E.M. to Nirvana to Red Hot Chili Peppers, and 'Entertainment!' was ranked by Rolling Stone as the fifth greatest punk album of all time — right behind classic albums by the Ramones, the Clash, the Sex Pistols and the Stooges. 'Fusing James Brown and early hip-hop with the bullet-point minimalism of the Ramones, Gang of Four were a genuine revolutionary force in their pursuit of working-class justice,' Rolling Stone said in its 2016 ranking. 'The Leeds foursome bound their Marxist critique in tightly wound knots of enraged funk and avenging-disco syncopation, slashed by guitarist Andy Gill's blues-free swordplay.' Influential '90s rock band loses member after 27 years: 'We wish him well' '60s pop icon 'feeling much better' after hospitalized with 'extreme pain' Live Wire: Winterpills celebrate 20th anniversary of debut album with digital reissue Frontman of hit '90s band says he would do this again 'in a heartbeat' '80s metal band cancels shows so lead singer can have emergency surgery Read the original article on MassLive.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Jeff Lynne's ELO bid farewell to Birmingham
"I've had a guitar in my hand all my life but not tonight", said Birmingham music legend Jeff Lynne, as he took to the stage despite having a broken hand. He delivered one of his final performances with group ELO on Saturday at Birmingham's Utilita Arena after injuring himself in a taxi crash in London. He told the audience "nothing would keep me away from you" as the band went on to perform their sold out Over and Out farewell tour. The group performed their "final goodbye" in Lynne's home city as part of a tour that will conclude in London's Hyde Park. Saturday's performance was a direct clash with Black Sabbath's farewell gig at Villa Park stadium. ELO was founded in Birmingham in 1970 by Lynne and keyboardist Roy person told Lynne on X: "Even with your broken hand you and the band was amazing. The wife and I had a blast. Thank you for coming to your hometown 1 last time."Another said they had been waiting to see him perform since 1987. They wrote: "Last night in Birmingham. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! "I've wanted to see you since 1987 but imagined you'd be around for ever (I know, I know!) so unbelievably happy to have been there. Fantastic night and just brilliant!"ELO split in 1986, but Lynne went on to reform it as Jeff Lynne's ELO, in original members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in was made an OBE in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours list, for services to music, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in will perform at Hyde Park on 13 July. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
It may be Ozzy Ozbourne's night, but Jeff Lynne's ELO bow out too
While Black Sabbath are claiming the headlines ahead of their final show, another Birmingham music icon, Jeff Lynne, is also preparing to make his farewell appearance in the reformed ELO group will perform at the Utilita Arena on Saturday - in direct clash with the Sabbath extravaganza - and Sunday, as part of a final tour that will conclude in London's Hyde tour has been described as a "final goodbye" from the band, which was founded in Birmingham in 1970 by Lynne and keyboardist Roy Gumery, from Solihull, who is going to watch the band with her husband, said the attention on ELO and Black Sabbath was good for the city's profile. She is a big fan of ELO's music and said: "When I saw it was their last tour, you've got to go haven't you."Ms Gumery also said there may be a few tears and with Black Sabbath playing too, "it's going to be crazy". Edward Hynes, 46, who lives near Shard End, where Lynne grew up, described ELO as "iconic".He said the band's famous "Mr Blue Sky" was just "one of them songs" and always gave him "good vibes"."It reminds me a bit of when I was a kid driving around with my dad in his car," Mr Hynes added. Statue for Lynne? Responding to suggestions there could be a statue of Lynne in the Shard End area, he said: "It would be good to have that shown in the area."Steve, who also lives in the area said "it's all Black Sabbath at the moment," but he also approved of the idea of a statue for their appearances in Birmingham, Jeff Lynne's ELO travel to Manchester, before their final tour gig at Hyde Park on 13 said it would be significant because Hyde Park was the first place he played with the band when they reformed in 2014. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Oak Ridge Boys find healing through music after year of loss
For more than 50 years, The Oak Ridge Boys have carved out a distinct space in country music, blending gospel, country and pop into enduring hits like 'Elvira' and 'Thank God for Kids.' But the past two years have brought a wave of personal loss for the band: The death of longtime tenor Joe Bonsall, the passing of Duane Allen's wife Norah Lee, and the loss of William Lee Golden's son, Rusty. Now, while on the "American Made: Farewell Tour," Golden said during a recent interview ahead of the band's performance on Saturday, July 5 at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa that he and rest of the surviving members are learning into the music as a source of healing. "Out of that deep valley of sadness, it's been music, which helped lift us mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually," Golden said. According to Golden, the band was planning its farewell tour in 2023 while Bonsall was struggling with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) since he was diagnosed in 2019. Bonsall had missed tour dates in 2022 due to a pulmonary embolism and sang during dates on the 2023 tour, but performed most shows sitting on a stool. "We had a couple of guys help him on stage, but it was saying farewell to Joe. It was an emotional, heart-wrenching thing. Joe was struggling and had to get off the road before we got going with the farewell tour," Golden said. The Oak Ridge Boys, in need of a fourth singer to perform the harmonies, found 29-year-old North Carolina native and tenor vocalist Ben James to step in. Golden described James as a "godsend," and when country producer Tony Brown heard James sing with the group, he complimented him. "He told Ben, 'You're a brand new generation with a voice like (country singer) Vince Gill.' Tony Brown produced Vince Gill, the last 20 albums of George Strait produced Reba McIntyre for years and he's had over 100 chart-topping country songs on the Billboard charts. For him to compliment Ben like that, it's a great honor for our group and for Ben," Golden said. When the pandemic shut the world down in 2020, Golden said he couldn't stand sitting at home and listening to the news cycle after a few weeks and decided to call his family together at his home in Tennessee, where they gathered around his piano and started singing old songs he learned from his mother. "We'd sing these old gospel and old country songs. My granddaddy Golden had a radio show and would let us sing a song on the radio once a week, and we'd get to sing in little school houses and churches. My sister played mandolin, I played guitar and we sang harmonies. Then, in high school, I sang in the FFA quartet and that's where I fell in love with four part harmony singing with bass, tenor, baritone singers and lead vocals. And I took my kids back to where it all started," Golden said. He and his family members formed William Lee Golden & the Goldens, which includes his sons Rusty, Chris, and Craig, as well as his grandchildren Elizabeth, Chai, Elijah, and longtime friend Aaron McCune. The Goldens recorded and released three albums in 2022 — "Southern Accents," "Old Country Church" and "Country Roads" — and debuted as a family band at the Grand Ole Opry that same year. In 2021, Golden released his autobiography co-written with Scot England, "Behind the Beard," which included honest details about his firing from the Oak Ridge Boys in 1987 and rejoining in 1995, life on the road, failed marriages and more. It also included interviews with family members, friends, and his first wife Frogene, who passed away shortly before the book was published. "I'm glad I got my autobiography out because it documented things and my life story, it's where I come from," Golden said. "I told (England) you can talk to anyone you want to. He'd sit and ask me questions two or three days a week on my front porch. He talked to my first wife and my fourth wife, and (Frogene) got into some things about my faith that I wasn't going to get into, but that's a whole other story." When asked if there's anything he feels that's misunderstood about the Oak Ridge Boys, he said "We've been open about who we are and what we are." Even though this tour is called "American Made: Farewell Tour," Allen told Taste of Country in June, "We've all talked, and we want to keep working. We're not through singing yet." The band has shows scheduled through the end of 2025 and plans for the future, which means the band is putting its retirement on hold for now. "I can't see myself retiring, I'm an old guy and I don't think about it until I look in the mirror. And for this reason, I try to stay away from mirrors," Golden said. "Again, music is healing. I know because I felt it in my own life and my own heart through the loss and sadness last year that we experienced." Even for as many years as the band has been performing together, Golden describes singing vocally challenging songs with four-part harmonies in front of a live audience as "walking a tightrope." "You can fall on either side at any moment and (the audience) will let you know whatever it is they like or don't like, and that's good. That keeps you on your toes. But it's gratifying and sharing something, and each song you do, each word you're singing and the world song, it's happening one time and you can't redo it unless you mess it up so bad in the beginning that you have to stop and start over again, which on occasion might happen, but not often. It's called 'train wreck on stage,'" Golden said. The Oak Ridge Boys have performed at local casinos in the Coachella Valley in previous years, including the Stagecoach country music festival in 2010 and 2015. Golden said he has "spiritual feelings" in the area when he's here but has an overall appreciation for California in general. "It's a beautiful state, beautiful people and they love good music. Some great music has come out of California. To go out there and play, it's a lot of fun. It's a different atmosphere and you're surrounded with the beauty outside, it's that Southern California feeling. The Stagecoach festival, that's a bunch of people who love great music, and that's what live music should be about," Golden said. What: Oak Ridge Boys When: 8 p.m., Saturday, July 5 Where: Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa, 32-250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage How much: $29.50 to $84.50 More information: Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: The Oak Ridge Boys lean on music after loss
