Quick Takes: Don Henley, Neil Young, Sting, Geddy Lee, Neil Diamond, Dee Snider, Deep Purple

• Don Henley took time out to salute the late-Kenny Rogers, a fellow Texan and mentor, in a statement released following Rogers' death at 81 following several years of ill health. Rogers mentored Henley and his early band Shiloh, bringing them out to L.A. in 1970, serving as their producer, and guiding them to a recording contract with Amos Records — which led to Henley teaming up with fellow Amos labelmate Glenn Frey, and eventually forming the Eagles.

Henley's statement reads:

In addition to his tremendous talent, Kenny was a generous and caring man, a wise mentor to so many of us. He loved his friends, his family, his fellow musicians and his fans, and they loved him, right back. Fifty years ago, the Gambler took a gamble on me and my first band from small-town Texas, and his big-hearted support launched many careers, including mine. He also gave me some of the best career advice I ever got: 'You’d better be nice tothe people you meet on the way up, because you’re going to meet those same people on the way back down.' Kenny had been struggling with a number of health issues for some time. He fought the good fight for as long as he could, but he was tired, and he was ready to make his exit. I’m just grateful that I got visit with him in the hospital, about six weeks ago, and convey my gratitude to him for all he did for me. RIP, my friend. Thanks for all the gladness you gave us.” (The Dallas Morning News)

• Neil Young has posted the first of what promises to be a series of impromptu live performances online via his website. The initial installment of The Fireside Session Show — which was filmed by his wife, actress Daryl Hannah — featured Young outdoors performing “Sugar Mountain” in the light rain, before heading inside to tackle such rarities and favorites as the Hawks & Doves standout “Little Wing,” marking his first performance of the tune since 1977. Other highlights included 1974's “Love/Art Blues,” which first saw official release in 2014 on the CSNY 1974 live set and earlier this year on the Homegrown archival release. Young also ran through “Tell Me Why,” “Razor Love,” and “Vampire Blues.” (NeilYoungArchives)
• Sting's touring review of his musical, The Last Ship, has hit an iceberg. According to an announcement: “In light of the evolving Coronavirus situation in Washington, D.C. and in conformance with the citywide ban on gatherings of 250 people or more, Sting starring in The Last Ship, originally scheduled for March 27th to April 5th, will not play as planned. Instead, we are working to reschedule The Last Ship for a yet-to-to-determined future date. All tickets purchased through the National Theatre Box Office and Etix will remain valid for the future engagement of The Last Ship once rescheduled.” (Sting.com)
  • Following the postponed dates, the next scheduled run for The Last Ship is set for April 8th to 19th in St. Paul, Minnesota at the Ordway Center. As of now, those shows are still on the books.

• Rush's Geddy Lee sent out a message to fans sequestered at home waiting out the Coronavirus. He posted a photo of himself holding a Hofner violin bass, sitting with his dog, and writing: “It’s been over 2 months since our soul brother Neil (Peart) left us and although we continue to mourn his passing, we must now turn our gaze to the serious virus threatening all of us on the planet — a reminder of how precious life is. . . I am self-isolating (with my pups) as is my family — so I urge you all to do the right thing. . . social distance, trust the science, wash your hands and we will get through this. . .”

• The great Neil Diamond gave a lighthearted warning to fans practicing social distancing by posting a video, which changed the worlds to his classic, “Sweet Caroline.” Diamond's touring career was sidelined in 2018 when he revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Diamond's “updated” lyrics come in the pre-chorus to the song, having been changed to: “Hands/Washing hands/Reaching out/Don’t touch me/I won’t touch you.”
• Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider couldn't be less impressed with how Donald Trump has handled the Coronavirus. Snider had appeared on the President's NBC game show Celebrity Apprentice, and although friendly at the time, eventually forbade him from using his signature hit, “We're Not Gonna Take It” at his rallies. Today, Snider's 23-year-old daughter Cheyenne is stranded in the remote port city of Iquitos, Peru and unable to travel home due to the global pandemic.
• During a chat with Yahoo News, Snider was asked how he thinks Trump has dealt with the Coronavirus: “Horribly. They handled it horribly and embarrassingly — turning down the test kits, making a joke out of it, a mockery, some of these people wearing gas masks or whatever they were wearing during a press conference. I mean, it was horribly handled, and it just underlines how you need to have a person in power who's got a broad understanding of international issues and all aspects of governing, not just how the stock market is doing.”
  • Snider went on to say, “I just hope that this is making some people be more aware that we need a more well-rounded individual at the helm. And hopefully one of these (candidates) will come up and we'll get somebody. I'll take either Bernie (Sanders) or (Joe) Biden, just whoever (is the Democratic nominee). Honestly, if a potato ran, I'd vote for it, OK? I'd vote for a baked potato.” (Yahoo)
• Deep Purple has released the video to its new single, “Throw My Bones.” The track serves as a teaser to the band's upcoming album, Whoosh!, which is the band's third straight legendary producer, Bob Ezrin, drops on June 12th.