Since anyone with significant money invested in the stock market is having a major meltdown at the moment, I thought that it might be instructive to speculate as to which rock stars might be taking the biggest financial beat down. It stands to reason that those with the highest net worth are probably holding a goodly number of stock shares, so let’s see who might have to exercise some frugality and cut down on Dom Perignon, caviar and cocaine.
The richest rock star? No surprise here. It’s Paul McCartney, whose net worth is estimated at $1.2 billion. Not only does Macca have royalty payments of his own still rolling in, he has also shrewdly bought up the song catalogs of Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins and a number of Broadway composers, so that’s a steady revenue stream. Sir Paul will be OK.
Bruce Springsteen is tied at the $1.2 billion level, but the Boss is a man of simple wants and needs, so he’s probably not sweating it. I could be wrong here — it could be all image — but I can’t imagine that Springsteen has a fleet of Lamborghinis sitting out back. Sources indicate that he is actually a pickups and muscle cars kind of guy. So the Boss is good.
Who do we need to worry about? Mick Jagger, that’s who. Granted, Mick has an estimated net worth of $500 million dollars, but he has a heavy monthly nut to maintain. I mean, he has eight children, multiple baby mammas and six grandchildren to provide for, and that can’t be easy. Who does he think he is, Elon Musk? And here’s the thing: his youngest / most recent child is eight years old, indicating that Mick may not yet be done in the procreation department. With financial markets in a tempestuous state, Mick the Randy Goat Boy might need to consider wrapping that rascal, at least for the time being.
Ticket Alert
Kesha is the kind of artist who likes to make a splash, and she certainly has this week, announcing her “Tits Out” summer tour with a Tik Tok video that show her bouncing over the waves on a jet ski in an unencumbered state. Presales are up now for her concert on Thursday, July 10, with Scissor Sisters at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The general sale starts on Thursday, so….ah, you can fill in your own punchline.
The always-controversial Suicide Boys will perform at Toyota Center on Friday, October 10, and tickets are on sale today. The duo’s annual “Grey Day” tour will also feature Night Lovell, Germ and Joeyy. Despite – or maybe because of – the fact that many of the New Orleans rappers’ lyrics deal with suicidal ideation, one dollar per ticket will be donated to a fund that has been established to support those dealing with mental illness.
Regina Spektor will bring her distinctive vocal stylings to the Bayou Music Center on Saturday, August 9, as part of the “Midsummer Daydream” tour, and tickets are on sale now. Spektor’s songs are just as idiosyncratic as her performance style. She told Rolling Stone, “I want to write a classic like ‘Yesterday,’ but weird songs about meatballs in refrigerators come into my head. I can’t help it.”
Concerts This Week
Big Head Todd and the Monsters (now there’s a band name that harkens back to the days of Strawberry Alarm Clock and Chocolate Watch Band) will play at the House of Blues on Thursday. The band, which formed when its members were attending Colorado State University, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, with three of the four original musicians still performing. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Playing live at the Johnson Space Center, Big Head Todd performed the song “Blue Sky” to wake up the Space Shuttle Discovery astronauts in 2011.
Graham Nash – nicknamed “Razor Throat” by his fellow musicians for the way his voice can cut through a mix – will present “More Evenings of Songs and Stories” on Friday at the Heights Theater. Backed by a full band, Nash will perform tunes from his solo career along with those he recorded with the Hollies and CSNY. As for the “stories” part of the show, don’t expect much in the way of dirt, since Nash is, after all, a refined English gentleman.
The Community Music Center of Houston makes its annual return to Miller Outdoor Theater on Friday with “Philly Soul Sound, Vol. 5” on Friday. This year, the focus is on the music of Frankie Beverly and Maze (“Back in Stride,” “Can’t Get Over You”). As always, the show is free at Miller, so grab a blanket and go groove on the hill.
It will be a festive – if trippy – homecoming for Khruangbin on Saturday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The Houston band, which received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist last year (though it released its first album in 2015), is touring in support of its most recent release, A La Sala.
Jim James and My Morning Jacket will perform on Sunday at the 713 Music Hall. The band is on the road after releasing the annoyingly titled album is. Come on, guys. In print, that looks like a typographical error. Not only that, it reminds me of that time Bill Clinton embarked on an ill-advised examination of “what the definition of ‘is’ is.” OK, rant over. Because hey, My Morning Jacket’s music is top-notch.
