Cypress Hill With The London Symphony Orchestra in Theaters March and April

Media Release

CYPRESS HILL with the

LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

BLACK SUNDAY

LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL

Mercury Studios Partners with Iconic Events Releasing to Bring Cypress Hill and LSO to North American Theaters in March and April

View Trailer HERE

Ticketing Information at http://cypresshillroyalalberthall.com

Live Album Out June 6

First Single “Illusions” with the London Symphony Orchestra Out Now

Photo Credit: Eitan Miskevich

“It’s a trip to see that hip hop can be done in this form — and at a venue as prestigious as the Royal Albert Hall. It was truly an honor and a privilege, and now that experience can be shared.”—B-Real

New York, NY (February 26, 2025) -- Cypress Hill celebrates the highest of high honors of its storied career with Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall, a three-day theatrical event and live album both immortalizing the hip hop icons’ now legendary once in a lifetime collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Arriving at U.S. and Canadian theaters March 30, 31 and April 2 (U.S. only) via Mercury Studios in partnership with Iconic Events Releasing, Cypress Hill and the London Symphony Orchestra: Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall brings the unprecedented collision of the trio’s 1993 masterpiece with one of the world’s most renowned orchestral ensembles to the eyes and ears of music lovers everywhere. A historic spectacle previously witnessed only by the thousands of Cypress devotees who packed Royal Albert Hall on July 10, 2024, the theatrical premiere and album release of Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall will allow the world at large to witness the intoxicating dark magic conjured when Cypress Hill and the 70-strong LSO bring this triple-platinum opus to life together.

 “It was amazing to take this journey with the people of London who supported Cypress Hill from day one." —Sen Dog

The film and its accompanying album find B-Real, Sen Dog, Eric Bobo and co. in top form, performing nimbly atop monolithic arrangements running the gamut from ominous to sublime. The majestic classical embellishments to Black Sunday — as well as an assortment of cuts spanning the Cypress catalog — are the masterful work of conductor and arranger Troy Miller, who comments,"I’ve always been excited by the idea of merging genres, and to do it with the most prolific hip hop group of all time and the most exquisite symphony orchestra in the world was an honor! The band gave me free rein on the arrangements and we made something truly unique and mesmerizing - what a sublime collaboration!”

 “LSO doesn’t collaborate with just anyone. So it’s a big honor for them to want to do something with us.” —Eric Bobo

What began as a joke on a 1996 episode of The Simpsons has now become a true multi-cultural milestone. Cypress Hill and the London Symphony Orchestra: Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall, the feature-length concert film, will be in cinemas for a special theatrical event March 30, 31 and April 2. For further information, go to cypresshillroyalalberthall.com. Cypress Hill and the London Symphony Orchestra: Black Sunday Live at the Royal Albert Hall, the full length live album, will be released June 6 via Mercury Studios.

“It’s a trip to see that hip hop can be done in this form — and at a venue as prestigious as the Royal Albert Hall. It was truly an honor and a privilege, and now that experience can be shared.”—B-Real

About Cypress Hill:

Naming themselves after a local street in Los Angeles, Cypress Hill burst on the scene in 1991 with the release of their self-titled debut album. The singles “How I Could Just Kill a Man” and “The Phuncky Feel One” became underground hits, and the group’s public pro-marijuana stance earned them many fans among the alternative rock community. Cypress Hill followed their debut with Black Sunday in the summer of 1993, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200, garnered three GRAMMY® Award nominations, and went triple platinum in the U.S. Featuring timeless anthems “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That,” “Insane In The Brain,” “When The Shit Goes Down,” and “Hits From The Bong,” Black Sunday made Cypress Hill the first rap group to have two simultaneous Top 10 albums, and the first Latino-American hip-hop group to achieve multi-platinum success—a momentum that continued to mine platinum and gold during a succession of albums including III: Temples of Boom (1995), IV (1998), Skull & Bones(2000), Stoned Raiders (2001), Til Death Do Us Part (2004), Rise Up (2010), Elephants on Acid (2018) and certified bangers “Throw Your Set In The Air,” “Dr. Greenthumb,” “(Rap) Superstar,” “(Rock) Superstar,” “Champion Sound” and many more.

Cypress Hill made history once again in 2019 when the group was honored with their very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2022, the band released its 10th album Back In Black to critical acclaim, with Kerrang declaring it “solidifies their status as a collective still expanding upon their legacy.” That same year, Cypress Hill released their “Insane in the Brain” documentary, via Mass Appeal’s “Hip Hop 50” franchise in partnership with Showtime. The New York Times praised the documentary as “an often-engaging chronicle of the group”, while Variety declared “the Cypress Hill documentary should put into perspective their pervasive influence and groundbreaking, Latin-tinged hip-hop crossed with booming metallic rock.” On July 10, 2024, Cypress Hill once again made pop culture history, performing a historic show with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. Initially predicted by an episode of The Simpsons 28 years prior, the collaboration was brought to life in a sold-out, one-night-only event that showcased the revered Black Sunday in its entirety, with an unforgettable classical crossover hailed by several publications as a milestone of "hip hop history."

 

About Mercury Studios:

Mercury Studios is a full-service production studio, focused on telling compelling stories through the lens of music.

Current and recent projects include Oscar and BAFTA award nominated American Symphony, directed by Matthew Heineman for the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions/Netflix, If These Walls Could Sing, directed by Mary McCartney for Disney+,  My Life as a Rolling Stone for the BBC and MGM+, Shania Twain: Not Just A Girl for Netflix, This Town, a six-part series for the BBC from writer, creator, and executive producer Steven Knight, Linda Perry: Let it Die Here, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and the recently announced One to One: John & Yoko from Oscar and BAFTA award winning director, Kevin Macdonald.

Mercury Studios also produced Sam Smith: Live at the Royal Albert Hall for BBC, Billie Eilish’s Overheated at the O2 London and Lang Lang Plays Disney for Disney+.

Editorially independent, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and represents the world’s leading catalog of music-related content, consisting of thousands of hours of premium music-driven film and television programming.

 

About Iconic Events Releasing:

Iconic Events Releasing specializes in bringing thrilling, cutting-edge entertainment to theaters worldwide. With a focus on genre-defining films and special events, Iconic Events Releasing is dedicated to delivering unforgettable cinematic experiences to audiences everywhere. More information is available at https://www.iconicreleasing.com/. Follow Iconic Events Releasing on its social channels at @IconicEventsNow on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook and Iconic Events on YouTube.

Simple Minds herald World Tour with New Live Record out April 25

Simple Minds is such a great band, and so good in concert! I can't wait to hear this live album when it's released this spring...Robert Kinsler

SIMPLE MINDS HERALD ALIVE & KICKING TOUR 2025 WITH LIVE IN THE CITY OF DIAMONDS ALL-NEW DOUBLE LIVE ALBUM FEATURES ELECTRIFYING RENDITIONS  OF CLASSIC TRACKS AND FAN FAVORITES INCLUDING  THE ICONIC #1 HIT, “DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)” – LISTEN  LEGENDARY UK BAND’S BIGGEST NORTH AMERICAN LIVE RUN IN FOUR DECADES BEGINS MAY 16 IN RIDGEFIELD, WA ALL DATES WITH SPECIAL GUESTS SOFT CELL AND MODERN ENGLISH LIVE IN THE CITY OF DIAMONDS ARRIVES VIA BMG IN A VARIETY OF FORMATS  ON FRIDAY, APRIL 25 PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW ICYMI: PERFORMED "DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)" ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! - WATCH

Simple Minds are heralding their biggest North American headline tour in four decades with Live in the City of Diamonds, an all-new double live album arriving everywhere via BMG on Friday, April 25. Recorded in concert last April at Amsterdam, NL’s Ziggo Dome as part of the legendary UK band’s epic Global Tour 2024, Live in the City of Diamonds will be available in a variety of formats, including digitally, 2x clear/glitter and standard black vinyl LP (with 18 tracks, housed in gatefold sleeve with hi-spec finish), and 2xCD (with 24 tracks and 24-page Media Book featuring exclusive photos and tour notes). Pre-orders are available now. “All we wanted was to be in ‘a great live band’ and to spend our lives taking our music with us around the world," says Simple Minds co-founder and frontman Jim Kerr. "Decades later we still relish that challenge every night on tour. Live In The City of Diamonds captures both the spirit and fever of Simple Minds live at this moment in time.” Live in the City of Diamonds collects stunning concert performances of classic tracks and fan favorites from across Simple Minds’ monumental body of work thus far, including a spectacular live rendition of their much-beloved Billboard “Hot 100” #1 hit single, “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” premiering today at all DSPs and streaming services.  LISTEN TO “DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) (LIVE IN THE CITY OF DIAMONDS)” Last month saw Simple Minds kicking off what looks to be a milestone year with an electrifying US network late night TV performance of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (streaming HERE). Indeed, 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most significant periods in Simple Minds’ extraordinary history, a landmark moment in their legendary career which saw the worldwide chart-topping success of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” and release of their RIAA Gold-certified seventh studio album Once Upon A Time, not to mention their unforgettable set in front of 135,000 fans – and a TV audience of millions – on the American leg of 1985’s Live Aid. The occasion was further celebrated last month with the digital premiere of a special new 9-track edition of Once Upon A Time featuring the addition of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” and updated Ruby Anniversary artwork. Physical versions and other anniversary reissues will follow later in the year.  "Hindsight is a glorious thing!,” says Kerr. “40 years on and it now feels right for Simple Minds to have ‘Don't You (Forget About Me)’ included in this classy new nine track edition of Once Upon A Time." WATCH “DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) (LIVE ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!)” STREAM/DOWNLOAD ONCE UPON A TIME (RUBY ANNIVERSARY EDITION) Produced by Live Nation, Simple Minds’ Alive & Kicking Tour 2025 gets underway May 16 at Ridgefield, WA’s RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater and then continues though a June 22 finale at Noblesville, IN’s Ruoff Music Center. Support on all dates comes from Soft Cell and Modern English. Highlights include shows at such famed arenas and amphitheaters as Seattle, WA’s Climate Pledge Arena (May 17), Inglewood, CA’s Kia Forum (May 22), Denver, CO’s Ball Arena (May 27), Woodlands, TX’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (May 31), Columbia, MD’s Merriweather Post Pavilion (June 10), Wantagh, NY’s Northwell at Jones Beach Theater (June 13), Mansfield, MA’s Xfinity Center (June 15), and Toronto, ON’s Budweiser Stage (June 18). For complete details and ticket availability, please visit simpleminds.com/tour. A variety of different VIP packages and experiences are also available allowing fans to take their concert experience to the next level. Packages vary but include premium tickets, behind-the-scenes tour, group photo in front of the stage, exclusive VIP merch item & more. VIP package contents vary based on the offer selected. For more information, please see vipnation.com. # # # ABOUT SIMPLE MINDS: Inimitable musical pioneers for nearly half a century, Simple Minds are among the most successful UK bands of all time, having achieved more than 1B global streams on Spotify alone (with over 8.3M monthly listeners on Spotify alone) and total worldwide sales in excess of 60M, including six #1 albums in the UK and chart-topping releases in countless other territories including Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.   Coalescing around childhood friends Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill, Simple Minds emerged in 1978 with an immediately distinctive sound simultaneously rooted in punk, art-rock, and the electronic avant-garde. Over the next four decades, the band has pushed their open-armed approach to fashion a broad array of stylistic varieties – spanning pop, funk, gospel, soul, dance music, and more – into their own world-straddling brand of stadium-sized rock. Their continually evolving body of work is highlighted by such landmark LPs as 1982’s New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84), 1984’s Sparkle In The Rain, 1985’s Once Upon A Time, and 1989’s Street Fighting Years, along with a stunning canon of iconic global hit singles spanning “Love Song,” “Someone Somewhere (In Summertime),” “Glittering Prize,” “Promised You A Miracle,” “Up On The Catwalk,” “Speed Your Love To Me,” “Waterfront,” “Belfast Child,” and of course the timeless teen anthem, 1985’s US #1 classic, “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” the latter of course famously featured in the classic John Hughes film, The Breakfast Club.   Named as the world’s “Best Live Band” by Q Magazine in 1991, Simple Minds have long commanded the stages of sold-out arenas and stadiums around the planet. Their world-class credentials have been burnished in recent years by an array of equally remarkable accomplishments – from acclaimed new albums (including 2018’s Walk Between Worlds and 2022’s Direction of the Heart, both of which had top 5 chart debuts in the UK), best-selling live albums, career retrospectives, and epic world tours to accolades and honors like a 2014 Q Inspiration Award (presented by avowed fan Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield) to a prestigious Ivor Novello Award for “Outstanding Song Collection” – all of which serve as timely reminders to a new generation of Simple Minds’ ongoing appeal as well a springboard for their next burst of creativity. Now as ever, Simple Minds remain a band touched by powerful magic, continually willing to experiment while remaining true to their original instincts.   “The truth is we never fully wound down,’ says Charlie Burchill. “There have been lots of different incarnations of Simple Minds, but we’ve always kept our identity. A legacy can be a burden if you allow it to be. For us, it’s been empowering.”   “We’ve been on one hell of a journey,” says Kerr. “I’m grateful for the career we’ve had, but I’m mad enough to think we can still hit new levels. This is what we do – write, record and play live. One of the things I’m most proud of is that people say to me, what Simple Minds are you talking about? The avant-garde, the art-rock, the pop, the ambient, the instrumental group, the political, the folk, the stadium band? To play all those different styles but at the same time be quintessentially Simple Minds is an amazing thing.”

L : Jim Kerr, R: Charlie Burchill / Photo Credit: Dean Chalkley  # # # SIMPLE MINDS – ALIVE & KICKING TOUR 2025 All Dates w/ Special Guests Soft Cell and Modern English

Photo Credit: Anton Corbijn

MAY 16 - Ridgefield, WA – Cascades Amphitheater 17 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena 20 – Concord, CA – Toyota Pavilion at Concord 22 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum 23 – Greater Palm Springs, CA – Acrisure Arena 24 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre 25 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre 27 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena 30 – Austin, TX – Moody Center 31 – Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion   JUNE 1 – Irving, TX – The Pavillion at Toyota Music Factory 4 – Rogers, AR - The Walmart AMP 5 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 7 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park 10 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion 11 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center 13 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater 14 – Philadelphia, PA – The Mann Center 15 – Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center 17 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell 18 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage 20 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island 21 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre 22 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center # # # SIMPLE MINDS LIVE IN THE CITY OF DIAMONDS (BMG) Release Date: Friday, April 25, 2025

Tracklist: Waterfront Love Song Sons and Fascination Sweat in Bullet This Fear of Gods Let There Be Love She’s a River Once Upon a Time Glittering Prize Promised You a Miracle New Gold Dream Belfast Child Someone Somewhere (in Summertime) Don’t You (Forget About Me) Book of Brilliant Things See The Light Alive and Kicking Sanctify Yourself Vision Thing * The American * Solstice Kiss * Premonition * Hunter and The Hunted * Colours Fly and Catherine Wheels * * CD & DIGITAL ONLY # # # CONNECT WITH SIMPLE MINDS SIMPLEMINDS.COM | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

Buddy Guy & Switchfoot join forces on fiery "Last Man Standing"

 Switchfoot and blues icon Buddy Guy unite for “Last Man Standing” 

– a gritty, soul-stirring anthem of survival

Stream “Last Man Standing” on all digital platforms HERE

Watch the visualizer HERE

GRAMMY Award-winning rock band Switchfoot has joined forces with blues legend Buddy Guy for a collaboration unlike anything they’ve done before. “Last Man Standing” is a blistering fusion of rock and blues, built on searing guitar work, commanding vocals, and an undeniable sense of grit. It’s a meeting of two musical forces—one a pioneering icon, the other a band unafraid to push boundaries. The track, now available alongside an official visualizer, is also released in Dolby Atmos, delivering an immersive listening experience across all digital platforms.

Produced by Switchfoot and Tom Hambridge, “Last Man Standing” strips the blues down to its rawest form, driven by the unmistakable interplay between Buddy Guy and Jon Foreman. Their fiery vocal and guitar exchange is anchored by Chad Butler’s driving drums, Tim Foreman’s steady bassline, and a groove that effortlessly bridges generations of rock and blues.

“Buddy Guy was the blues legend that taught me how to play the guitar,” shares Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman. “I remember watching him live as a teenager and being completely transformed. I wanted this song to be something worthy of the man who helped shape my musical journey. Buddy, thanks for joining our band for a tune. Bigger than that—thanks for teaching me how to play.”

A torchbearer of the Chicago blues sound, Buddy Guy is one of the last living links to the genre’s golden era. With a career spanning over seven decades, Guy has influenced guitar icons like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and eight-time GRAMMY winner, Guy continues to shape the future of blues while carrying its deep-rooted traditions.

“Last Man Standing” encapsulates that legacy—gritty, unrelenting, and steeped in lived experience. The lyrics paint a picture of survival and perseverance, delivered with the unmistakable conviction of two artists who understand the weight of time. “I’ve seen kings reduced to thieves, I’ve seen the writing on the wall. I’ve seen the great walls crumble, I’ve watched the nations fall.” The song reflects on life’s unpredictability and the resilience required to endure, culminating in the powerful refrain: “None of this is how I planned it, but I’m the last man standing.”

Producer and co-writer Tom Hambridge, known for his work with legends like B.B. King and Buddy Guy himself, describes the song as a rare fusion of worlds. “Switchfoot and Buddy Guy together. Two of my favorites,” Hambridge shares. “We had a ball writing and recording this unique collaboration. I think the fun we had producing it shines through on the record.”

Celebrating over twenty years since their breakthrough album The Beautiful Letdown, Switchfoot has consistently pushed the boundaries of their sound, from alternative rock anthems to deeply introspective acoustic projects. Their latest creative ventures include reimagining The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version) [Deluxe Edition], a tribute to the album that launched them into the mainstream.

With over 10 million albums sold, a GRAMMY Award, and a global reputation for their emotionally charged performances, Switchfoot continues to evolve. “Last Man Standing” is a testament to their fearless approach—an unexpected but seamless fusion of their alt-rock roots with the soul of the blues.

Photo credit: Paul Natkin

Photo credit: Maggie Haas

ABOUT BUDDY GUY

At age 88, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received 8 GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 38 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #23 in its "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Though Buddy Guy will forever be associated with Chicago, his story actually begins in Louisiana. One of five children, he was born in 1936 to a sharecropper’s family and raised on a plantation in the small town of Lettsworth, located some 140 miles northwest of New Orleans. Buddy was just seven years old when he fashioned his first makeshift “guitar”—a two-string contraption attached to a piece of wood and secured with his mother’s hairpins.

In 1957, he took his guitar to Chicago, where he would permanently alter the direction of the instrument, first on numerous sessions for Chess Records playing alongside Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and the rest of the label’s legendary roster, and then on recordings of his own. His incendiary style left its mark on guitarists from Jimmy Page to John Mayer. “He was for me what Elvis was probably like for other people,” said Eric Clapton at Guy’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2005. “My course was set, and he was my pilot.”

Seven years later, July 2012 proved to be one of Buddy Guy’s most remarkable years ever. He was awarded the 2012 Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime contribution to American culture; earlier in the year, at a performance at the White House, he even persuaded President Obama to join him on a chorus of “Sweet Home Chicago.” Also in 2012, he published his long-awaited memoir, When I Left Home.

These many years later, Buddy Guy remains a genuine American treasure and one of the final surviving connections to an historic era in the country’s musical evolution.

ABOUT SWITCHFOOT

Switchfoot has sold over 10 million copies worldwide of their thirteen studio albums (including their 2003 triple-platinum breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown and 2009’s GRAMMY Award-winning Hello Hurricane), racked up a string of Alternative radio hit singles, and performed sold-out tours with over 5 million concert tickets sold in over 40 countries around the world. Through their unique blend of emotionally intelligent and uplifting brand of alternative rock, Switchfoot has earned a devoted and loyal global fan base.

Switchfoot has raised over $2 million dollars to aid kids in their community through their Bro-Am Foundation.

Switchfoot consists of Jon Foreman (vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Jerome Fontamillas (keys, guitar), and Chad Butler (drums).

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