Jukebox – Music News Cuts – 2/21
By Liam Sweeny on February 21, 2025
Cynthia Erivo
Jesus Christ Superstar will star Cynthia Erivo at the Hollywood Bowl from August 1st to August 3rd. It will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo, while Tony winner Stephen Oremus will be musical director and conductor.
Jesus Christ Superstar made its Broadway debut in 1971, and is about the last week of Jesus’s life. A film adaptation was done in 1973, and NBC aired a live version on Easter Sunday in 2018.
Erivo has been nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the film adaptation of “Wicked,” in which she played Elphaba. She will reprise this role in “Wicked: For Good” in November from Universal Pictures.
Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats has put his musical life on hold while he struggles with an autoimmune disease. The unnamed disease, while not causing him pain, has made playing guitar a problem, as well as other basic tasks. He is being treated in the Mayo Clinic. In Setzer’s own words, . “I cannot play guitar. There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play,” he said. “I have seen some progress in that I can hold a pen and tie my shoes. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I was at a point where I couldn’t even do that.”
Setzer formed the Stray Cats in 1979, and they captured a Rockabilly resurgence that carried into the 90s. The Brian Setzer Orchestra is also known for playing the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting, and the movie Elf famously has one of his songs in it.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is looking to sell their music catalog for $350 million dollars. This is in addition to the $140 paid to them by Hypgnosis, meaning that their total ask is around $500 million for all of their musical assets. Warner Music may already be in talks to buy them, but this hasn’t been confirmed.
These assets bring in $26 million annually. Bruce Springsteen sold his catalog to Sony Music for $500 million in 2021, and Pink Floyd sold to the same for $400 million. The biggest haul was $1.27 billion paid to Queen last year.
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