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Classic Rock NewsCSNY Déjà Vu, the documentary directed by Neil Young about Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s antiwar-themed 2006 tour, will be hitting the big screen in 15 U.S. cities this July. Simultaneous nationwide releases of the film on video-on-demand and streaming-video services also are in the works, while a DVD of the flick is being readied to hit stores ahead of this November’s elections. Déjà Vu premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival.
Van Halen are documenting shows on their ongoing reunion tour for release as a concert DVD, frontman David Lee Roth reportedly has revealed. The group’s Tuesday performance in East Rutherford, N.J., apparently was the first gig of the trek to be filmed. Meanwhile, ex-VH bassist Michael Anthony and singer Sammy Hagar have teamed up with two unnamed musicians on a new musical project. "It is going to be totally kick-ass," writes Anthony online.
Whitesnake’s David Coverdale insists that he was misquoted with regard to a recent tabloid report in which he appeared to suggest that he was expecting his band to be asked to support Led Zeppelin on an as-yet-unconfirmed world tour. "What f**king world tour, we ask ourselves?" writes Coverdale in an e-mail to U.K. magazine Classic Rock. "I have no idea where this started . . . [But] I assure you there is no . . . foundation in this."
A new two-CD Pat Benatar compilation is scheduled to be released June 24. Pat Benatar: Ultimate Collection will feature 40 of the famed female rocker's tunes, including gems like "Heartbreaker" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." The album also will be made available digitally the same day. In other news, Benatar has a busy 2008 tour schedule that currently runs from an appearance this Friday in Richardson, Texas, through a Sept. 5 concert Coarsegold, Calif.
As expected, Ozzfest will not be a traveling event in 2008. Instead, the hard-rock extravaganza will be held in the Dallas area on a single day, Aug. 9, with Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica serving as headliners. The event will be the Metal Madman’s only U.S. gig this summer. "Ozzy just finished an 11-month world tour so I think he deserves a summer off," explains Ozzfest organizer Sharon Osbourne. Check out the full Ozzfest lineup here.
Founding Rush drummer John Rutsey reportedly died on Sunday at age 55. The stickman played alongside frontman Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson from 1968 until 1974, and appears on the Canadian rockers’ self-titled debut. Rutsey was diabetic and reluctant to join the group on lengthy tours, which led to his decision to leave the band. He subsequently was replaced by Neil Peart. No further details on Rutsey’s death have been released.
Ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has created an art installation that will transform a New York building into a musical instrument. For Playing the Building, which will run from May 31 through Aug. 10, the musician is attaching devices to the Battery Maritime Building that will cause beams and pipes in the the structure to vibrate and produce sound. Bynre debuted a similar installation at a factory in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2005.
Eric Clapton lent his songwriting talents to two tracks on the upcoming album from soul legend Solomon Burke, Like a Fire (due June 10). Among the tunes was "Thank You," which Slowhand gave to Burke to complete. "[Clapton said], ’I’ve got the music . . . but you’ve got to finish it ’cause I’ve got so many things going on,’" Burke explains. "And I said, ’Wow! Whoo!’ And we finished it off and he was so happy with it."
Bad Company’s official website has posted a warning of "cover bands attempting to pass [themselves] off" as the rock veterans. The announcement apparently is in response to the activities of a reconstituted version of the group featuring founding guitarist Mick Ralphs and several other Bad Co. alumni that has been performing around the United Kingdom recently. "Our lawyers will be taking action against all parties involved, musicians, promoters, agents and sponsors," threatens the statement.
Bad Company Official Site
A decree nisi, or preliminary divorce, has been issued to Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. In making the ruling, which was announced Monday in a London court, the judge took into account that the couple have been separated for two years. Neither the former Beatle nor Mills attended the proceedings. The edict likely will be followed in six weeks and a day by a decree absolute, which officially will end the marriage.
A gaggle of rock stars were on hand Friday in Hollywood for the 2008 MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert, which honored Slash and Alice Cooper. Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler presented Slash with the substance abuse-support organization’s From the Heart Award, and later rocked out alongside the ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist. The evening’s many other performers included Cooper, Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander and Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee. Check out photos and videos from the gala here.
An exhibit of Bob Dylan’s artwork titled The Drawn Blank Series will open at London’s Halcyon Gallery on June 14. The collection will feature more than 200 of the singer-songwriter’s adaptations of photolithographs from his 1994 book, Drawn Blank. The upcoming Drawn Blank display was preceded by one that debuted in October 2007 at a museum in Chemnitz, Germany, which marked the first-ever exhibition of Dylan’s art.
Burton Cummings is planning to release a collection of recordings from his pre-Guess Who band, the Deverons. "This is a tremendously emotional project for me," the singer-keyboardist writes online. &I’ve already digitized seven cuts. We’ll put it all together the best we can and it will really be time travel for me." Meanwhile, click here to check out June-July tour dates for Bachman Cummings, the group featuring Cummings and fellow Guess Who alumnus Randy Bachman.
An East Carolina University biology professor has named a new species of trapdoor spider after Neil Young. Jason Bond discovered the arachnid last year in Alabama, and gave it the moniker Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi after the creature was determined to be an as-yet-unclassified species. Explaining his reason for naming the spider after the rock legend, Bond said, ’I really enjoy his music and have had a great appreciation of him as an activist for peace and justice."
Steve Miller plans to release recordings of dozens of classic blues tunes that he and his band made earlier this year at director George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Northern California. "I think I’m probably just gonna put them on my website and sell it that way," Miller says of the tracks, which include covers of songs by Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley and others. The singer-guitarist adds that he intends to play many of the tunes during his group’s upcoming tour.
A new exhibit titled Beggars to Exiles: Unseen Photographs of the Rolling Stones, 1966-1971 is scheduled to open July 12 at the San Francisco Art Exchange gallery. The display will boast around 60 pictures, including a number of previously unseen images, from photographers Michael Cooper and Dominique Tarle. Cooper documented the Stones’ late-’60s life in London, while Tarle captured the band’s stay in Southern France during the making of 1971’s Exile on Main Street album.
A four-DVD set showcasing footage from a variety of Deep Purple gigs is due out June 17. Around the World Live collects full performances from Purple concerts in India in 1995, Australia in 1999 and England in 2002, along with highlights from a 1995 South Korea show. Also included in the package are interviews with bandmembers and a previously unreleased documentary feature on the group. Check out a video clip from the collection here:
The producers of Jimi Hendrix The Sex Tape have challenged the company that handles the late axeman’s legacy to back up its claim that the man featured in the newly released porno film isn’t the legendary rocker. Vivid Video executive Steven Hirsch says his company will pay $100,000 to Experience Hendrix if conclusive proof is brought forth that the flick isn’t genuine. "Vivid took considerable time and spent a substantial sum of money to authenticate the footage," insists Hirsch.
Rod Stewart reveals that he’s eyeing a variety of projects. "There is still this R&B album I want to do," the singer reports. "There’s a country . . . album I’d love to do, although the record company doesn’t want it." Stewart also says a fifth volume of his Great American Songbook series could be in the offing, and that he'd like to make a movie, "just for posterity." In addition, he leaves open the possibility for a Faces reunion.
Cheap Trick singer Robin Zander is among the artists who lent their talents to the upcoming album by veteran pop-country star Glen Campbell. Meet Glen Campbell, which is due out August 19, will feature 10 cover tunes, including songs by John Lennon, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, U2 and the Velvet Underground. Click here to watch a clip about the disc that boasts a brief appearance by Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen.
Eddie Money has lent the name of his latest album to a new Californian wine. Wanna Go Back is a 2005 pinot noir from Sonoma Coast winery De La Montanya. Only 20 cases of the beverage have been produced. Special bottles signed by Money and his bandmates sell for $75 each, while unsigned bottles cost $35. All the proceeds raised by the wine will go toward the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton says one of the biggest challenges the group faced while making its upcoming concept album, Nostradamus, was arranging the tracks. "To try and string all these ideas together so that there was a flow . . . lyrically, story-wise and musically, that was the difficult part," Tipton told us in an exclusive interview. "More [so] than the composition." Meanwhile, Priest have scheduled in-store appearances Thursday and Friday in King of Prussia, Pa., and Woodbridge, N.J., respectively.
Judas Priest -- Official Site
Def Leppard’s Songs From the Sparkle Lounge album bows at #5 on the Billboard 200 after moving about 55,000 copies during its first week. Other strong debuts include the self-titled disc by Tom Petty’s Mudcrutch project (No. 8) and Steve Winwood’s Nine Lives (No. 12). Meanwhile, Billy Idol will open most of Leppard’s recently announced North American dates in August, while previous support acts Styx and REO Speedwagon will perform at the band’s Aug. 23 gig in Detroit.
The Police joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday in the city’s Times Square to announce that their last concert ever will take place in the Big Apple this summer. No date or venue was revealed for the show, which will raise funds for the area’s public-TV stations. In addition, the band vowed to donate $1 million to support MillionTreesNYC, an initiative that seeks to plant trees throughout the city. The Police also were presented with keys to New York during the event.
The Police Official Site
Roger Waters reveals that he’s considering recording a new album that "might well be" titled Heartland. "I have a ton of songs I’ve written," explains the former Pink Floyd member. "I keep meaning to get around to going in the studio and making it into an album." Waters also says he’s laid down a 13-minute tune to benefit the Latin American children’s charity ALAS that will feature a solo by Eric Clapton.
Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and U2’s the Edge are featured in a new guitar-themed documentary titled It Might Get Loud. The axemen, as well as Jack White of modern-rock groups the White Stripes and the Raconteurs, were chosen for the flick as representatives of three different musical eras. In addition to discussing their individual playing styles, the three rockers perform a jam session in the movie, which will premiere at France’s Cannes film festival this month.
Neil Young announced plans to release his long-awaited archival box set via the Blu-ray format during the keynote speech at the JavaOne computer-programming conference Tuesday in San Francisco. The folk-rock icon’s comprehensive multiple-disc collection, which will be fueled by Java technology, will be issued this fall as a groundbreaking interactive set that will offer music, movies, videos, photographs and more. Click here to watch footage from the event, which included a demo presentation of the project.
The premiere of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, the stage production on which John Mellencamp and author Stephen King are collaborating, has been postponed. The musical had been slated to debut at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre in April 2009, but representatives for the venue now are hoping the show will be ready for the 2009-2010 season. A statement issued Monday cited "unanticipated scheduling problems" as a reason for the delay.
A new concert album from David Gilmour titled Live in Gdansk is expected to be released in September. The disc was recorded in August 2006 at the Polish city’s shipyards in front of about 50,000 people. The Pink Floyd singer-guitarist was accompanied by the Polish Baltic Philharmonic’s symphony orchestra at the gig, which helped commemorate the 26th anniversary of the foundation of the country’s Solidarity trade union.
Boston guitarist Tom Scholz says he’s blown away by the vocal similarities between new singer Tommy DeCarlo and late frontman Brad Delp. "During rehearsals, it can get downright eerie," the axeman explains. "I forget it’s not Brad." DeCarlo, who was discovered by Scholz via an audio clip posted on his MySpace page, will temporarily leave his job at a Charlotte, N.C., Home Depot store to participate in the group’s upcoming tour. He also contributed to Boston’s next studio album.
An invite-only party will be held May 29 at the Celebrity Vault gallery in Beverly Hills, Calif., to celebrate the opening of a Jimi Hendrix photo exhibit titled Hendrix Revealed: A Life Through the Lens. The display will feature images of the late rocker taken by 17 noted photographers during 1967-1970. In other news, Hendrix’s brother, Leon, says he believes the recently reported sex tape in which the guitar legend allegedly appears is not authentic.
Police frontman Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, have come under fire from a charity watchdog group, which claims that the couple’s Rainforest Foundation didn’t properly distribute profits from its 2006 benefit concert. Styler denies any wrongdoing, meanwhile, and a Fox News columnist has branded the report a "smear." The foundation’s 2008 benefit concert, featuring Sting, Billy Joel and James Taylor, among others, will be held Thursday in New York.
Bruce Springsteen was among the first 15 people welcomed into the New Jersey Hall of Fame at a ceremony held Sunday in Newark. "The ability to just go about my life was protected here, by the people here," the Boss said during his acceptance speech. "When that bell rings, we always come out swinging." Prior to being honored, Springsteen helped induct the late Frank Sinatra. The rocker also closed the festivities by performing "Glory Days." Watch video footage from the event here.
Boston’s Tom Scholz is eyeing an early-2009 release for his band’s first studio album since 2002’s Corporate America. The guitarist-songwriter says late frontman Brad Delp will appear on a couple of tracks on the recording, which will include "really straightforward rock & roll songs and some things that are pretty esoteric." In addition, the set will feature reworked versions of a few Corporate tunes. "I’d like to give some of these songs another chance," explains Scholz.
George Thorogood and his band, the Destroyers, have extended their scheduled U.S. summer tour with blues great Buddy Guy. The trek now features about 25 dates, running from a July 23 show in Silverton, Oregon, through an August 22 concert in Elizabeth, Ind. "You know you’re in the majors when you get to hit the road with someone like Buddy," says Thorogood. Check out the rocker’s full itinerary, which also includes plenty of North American gigs without Guy, here:George Thorogood and the Destroyers Official Site
Steve Winwood says fans will be treated to some surprises during his upcoming stint opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. "I’ll be changing up the repertoire on each show," the former Traffic frontman reveals, adding that Petty "has very kindly invited me to do some stuff with him." In other news, Winwood is promoting his just-released solo album, Nine Lives, with a few TV appearances, including a visit this Tuesday to CBS’ Late Show With David Letterman.
Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen’s side band, Man Raze, have scheduled a June 3 release for their debut album, Surreal. Footage from a private Los Angeles gig the group played in March is slated to air on VH1 Classic’s website around the time that the disc hits stores, and also is expected to appear on an upcoming DVD. Man Raze, which also features Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, is planning to tour this fall.
Man Raze Official Site
Billy Idol’s upcoming hits compilation is due out June 24. The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself will feature 18 tracks, including two new songs, and will be available as a standard CD, a digital download and a deluxe set packaged with a DVD offering 13 music videos. Idol will perform on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! the night of Idolize Yourself’s release. He also has announced dates for a summer tour that kicks off June 22 in San Diego.
MySpace: Billy Idol
Experience Hendrix, the company that oversees Jimi Hendrix’s estate, has issued a statement about the recently released video that purportedly shows the late guitar icon having sex with two women. "We strongly dispute the claimed authenticity [and haven’t] authorized the distribution of this film," reads the announcement. "We deplore this obvious exploitation of Jimi Hendrix." The company adds, "We reserve all rights and remedies under the law to protect [Hendrix’s] character and legacy."
JimiHendrix.com
Bruce Springsteen and Peter Gabriel have landed on this year’s Time magazine list of the world’s 100 most influential people. The issue features an article written by actor Sean Penn paying tribute to the Boss, as well as an entry penned by Archbishop Desmond Tutu praising Gabriel. Meanwhile, click here to read the complete transcript of the eulogy Springsteen delivered at E Street Band keyboardist Danny Federici’s funeral April 21 in Red Bank, N.J.
Joan Jett is hitting the road hard this year. The rocker and her band, the Blackhearts, have a variety of dates scheduled, stretching from an appearance Thursday at Memphis’ Beale Street Music Festival through an Oct. 31 concert in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Her itinerary includes a five-show June stint on Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors tour. Also on tap for Jett is a best-of CD/DVD package that’s set for an early-September release.
The original handwritten lyrics to John Lennon’s classic anti-war song "Give Peace a Chance" will be up for bids at a London memorabilia auction on July 10. The lyrics were given to a student named Gail Renard by the late Beatles star at the 1969 "bed-in" protest he undertook at a Montreal hotel with wife Yoko Ono. Renard’s collection of mementos, which also includes never-before-seen photos of the weeklong event, is expected to sell for as much as $591,000.
A pair of early-period Elton John albums are due to be reissued in June as deluxe two-CD sets. The original versions of 1970’s Elton John and 1971’s Tumbleweed Connection each will be augmented with bonus discs containing previously unreleased demos and live cuts. Meanwhile, John has added two solo concerts in Alaska, May 28 in Anchorage and May 29 in Fairbanks, to his itinerary. The gigs will be his first-ever performances in the state.
eltonjohn.com
The remains of the inflatable stage-prop pig that floated away during Roger Waters’ Coachella festival set Sunday have been retrieved. Pieces of the giant, porcine-shaped balloon, which was covered in political slogans, were discovered in the yards of two houses a few miles from the event’s Indio, Calif., site. The two couples who found the remnants will split the previously reported $10,000 reward, and each will receive the four lifetime Coachella passes promised by organizers.
Coachella festival organizers are offering a hefty reward for the return of a giant inflatable pig that was part of Roger Waters’ stage set during his event-closing performance Sunday in Indio, Calif. The porcine-shaped balloon, which was covered with political slogans, broke free from its mooring near the midway point of the ex-Pink Floyd rocker’s two-hour show. A $10,000 cash payment and four lifetime passes to Coachella will be given to whoever tracks down the dirigible.
The Who’s Pete Townshend has had second thoughts about a recent pledge to record a new album and tour with his group this year. "I’ve e-mailed everyone [in the band] to tell them I’ve changed my mind," the axeman reports. "I’m not mad. I’m not selfish . . . I [just] really do not have a clue what to do next." Townshend revealed recently in a fan newsletter that he’d committed to a variety of Who projects.
Ozzfest reportedly will return this year as two two-day bashes taking place in late July and early August, rather than in its traditional summer package-tour format. Headliners for the festivals apparently will be event founder Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica. A posting on the website of Texas death-metal band Rigor Mortis, another act allegedly on the Ozzfest bill, suggests that one of these weekend extravaganzas will be held in the Dallas area on August 9 and 10.
Def Leppard have launched a microsite dedicated to their new album, Songs From the Sparkle Lounge. Among the features offered by the Web portal are the video for Sparkle Lounge single "Nine Lives" - the duet with country star Tim McGraw that's currently heating up rock radio, audio clips of all the disc’s tunes and a promotional trailer. Meanwhile, Leppard will mark the album’s release with a handful of TV appearances this week.
Def Leppard Official Site
Paul McCartney lands at No. 3 on a tally of Britain’s wealthiest music figures, released in conjunction with The Sunday Times of London’s annual Rich List. The former Beatle’s estimated $995 million fortune puts him ahead of Elton John and Mick Jagger, who place eighth and ninth on the list with net worths of nearly $470 million and $450 million, respectively. Also finishing high on the rundown are Sting ($400 million, No. 11) and Keith Richards ($380 million, No. 12).
Ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder says his 2001 removal from the group occurred because he complained when singer-songwriters Don Henley and Glenn Frey reduced the share of the other bandmembers’ profits. "It was time for me to be David and face Goliath," explains the axeman. "I had my one little rock to hurl, to try to do what was fair for everyone." Felder details his saga with the Eagles in his newly published memoir, Heaven and Hell.
Ex-Guns N’' Roses bassist Duff McKagan has contributed to his fellow former GN’R bandmate Izzy Stradlin’s next solo effort. "I got to play on Izzy’s new record," writes McKagan in an online message. "Another stellar outing by that dude, I must say. Always a pleasure hanging with that guy; a true gentleman." McKagan also reports that his band Loaded entered a studio last week to begin working on material for a new album.
Cream singer-bassist Jack Bruce and Eric Burdon and the Animals are among the acts that will appear on all or most of the dates for the 2008 Hippiefest tour. The U.S. trek is scheduled from a July 11 stop in Phoenix through an August 10 show in Pompano Beach, Florida. Other artists who will perform during the "flower power"-themed extravaganza include the Turtles, Badfinger Featuring Joey Molland and folk singer Melanie.
With last year’s Genesis reunion trek now behind him, Phil Collins tells a U.K. newspaper he won’t tour again and has no plans for an album; he will, however, continue to write, mostly out of habit. In addition, the singer-drummer hopes to spend more time with his family and pursue his hobby of collecting Alamo artifacts. "It’s not that unusual for a man of my age who grew up reading Davy Crockett," Phil says.
Yoko Ono is suing the makers of the film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, which examines the controversy over the teaching of intelligent design, over alleged unauthorized use of late husband John Lennon’s song "Imagine" in the picture. Lennon’s sons, Julian and Sean, are also behind the suit. The producers of Expelled, which stars actor Ben Stein, claim that the suit is an attempt to "ban free speech."
U2 guitarist the Edge is hosting the 2008 Icons of Music Sale, which takes place May 31 in New York and benefits Music Rising, the Hurricane Katrina-relief charity he co-founded. The auction will feature rare memorabilia from U2, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Slash, the Who, the Beatles and many other acts. Meanwhile, the Edge says U2 finally are "starting to get serious" about recording their next album.
The Grateful Dead have donated the band’s extensive archives, 40-plus years of music and memorabilia, to the University of California, Santa Cruz, guitarist Bob Weir and percussionist Mickey Hart confirmed Thursday in San Francisco. The school’s library will have a dedicated reading room, called Dead Central, that will house recordings and display rotating exhibits. "If you ever wrote the Grateful Dead a letter," said Weir, "you’ll probably find it there!"
Styx will join Boston on the road this summer instead of providing support on Def Leppard’s next North American tour leg. Styx have an extensive spring/summer trek mapped out from a May 23 gig in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., through a Sept. 27 show in Biloxi, Miss. More than 20 of the band’s 40-plus gigs are shows with Boston, beginning with a June 13 stop in Hinckley, Minn. For Styx’s full itinerary, click here: Styx Official Site
The city of Liverpool, England, has announced plans for an inaugural Beatles Day on July 10. The charity bash will celebrate the 44th anniversary of the band’s return to its hometown after its breakthrough 1964 trip to the United States. Meanwhile, Fab Four singer Paul McCartney will entertain at a giant free concert in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. The gig will take place in the city’s Independence Square on June 14.
The Scorpions have booked a handful of U.S. shows for August. The mini-trek, which runs from an Aug. 1 stop in Kelseyville, Calif., through an Aug. 9 gig in Sparta, Wis., includes four West Coast shows with Sammy Hagar. Meanwhile, the former Van Halen frontman says he is "looking forward to seeing lots of familiar faces" on his upcoming jaunt with country star Kenny Chesney.
Preliminary proceedings began Wednesday April 23 for a copyright-infringement case a Massachusetts-based company brought against Yoko Ono over unreleased 1970 footage featuring John Lennon. While the late Beatle’s spouse claims ownership of the film, World Wide Video says it purchased the clips, which reportedly include scenes of Lennon smoking marijuana and discussing drug use, from the director, Ono’s ex-husband Anthony Cox. In 2007, Ono legally blocked World Wide from screening a two-hour documentary culled from the footage titled 3 Days in the Life.
Jefferson Starship will perform their upcoming album, The Tree of Liberty, in its entirety for the first time on the final evening of a special three-night series of shows scheduled for June 27-29 in Larkspur, Calif. A band Q&A session and listening party for the disc, which will include covers of tunes by Bob Dylan, John Lennon, the Starship’s own Paul Kantner and others, will precede the June 29 gig. Liberty is expected to drop in September.
Jefferson Starship Official Site
AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson announced in an interview Tuesday that the band is done recording its upcoming studio effort, which is expected out in late 2008. He also reports that the group’s sibling guitarists, Malcolm and Angus Young, currently are mixing the album in Vancouver, Canada, with producer Brendan O’Brien and engineer Mike Fraser. The disc will be the follow-up to AC/DC’s 2000 release, Stiff Upper Lip.
AC/DC Official Site
A June 24 release date has been scheduled for ZZ Top’s first-ever concert DVD, Live From Texas. The disc was recorded last November at a show in Grand Prairie, Texas, and will feature the blues-rock trio ripping through 17 tunes, including classics such as "Tush," "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man." The DVD also will offer footage of the bandmembers discussing their history while playing poker, and a bonus performance of Jimi Hendrix’s "Foxey Lady."
Van Halen performed Saturday April 20 in Las Vegas at Tiger Woods’ annual Tiger Jam charity event, which raised around $1.5 million. "I cannot play golf for s**t," quipped frontman David Lee Roth from the stage. "But I can ruin my knee with the pros." The benefit gig followed a VH show Thursday April 17 in Reno, Nevada, that marked the rockers’ return to live action after Eddie Van Halen’s unspecified medical problems forced a month-plus hiatus from touring.
Guns N’ Roses report in an online post that they are "in negotiations for the release of Chinese Democracy and things are going well." No details have been announced regarding when the long-awaited disc might hit stores. The statement also reveals that Guns were caught "a bit off-guard" by guitarist Robin Finck’s recent decision to rejoin his former band, Nine Inch Nails, for its upcoming North American summer tour.
Guns N’ Roses Official Site
E Street Band keyboardist Danny Federici, who performed alongside Bruce Springsteen for 40 years, died Thursday in New York after a three-year bout with melanoma. He was 58. In the wake of the musician’s death, the Boss and his group have postponed shows Friday in Sunrise, Florida., and Saturday in Orlando, Florida. Federici’s illness forced him to leave Springsteen’s tour in November, although he returned for one last appearance with the E Street Band on March 20 in Indianapolis. In a statement, Springsteen said of Federici, "He was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much."
The Federici family and the E Street family request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund. A web site for the Fund has been established here’s the link: http://www.thedannyfedericimelanomafund.com. Bruce Springsteen’s concerts scheduled for Friday in Ft. Lauderdale and Saturday in Orlando have being postponed. Replacement dates have been announced! click here.
Click Here To Visit Bruce Springsteen’s Official Site
David Crosby and Graham Nash have announced plans to mount another tour as a duo this fall. The U.S. trek will kick off Oct. 4 in Wilmington, Del., and is scheduled to run through a Nov. 9 gig in Sioux City, Iowa. The outing will follow a previously announced Crosby, Stills & Nash tour that’s mapped out from a May 31 concert in Santa Rosa, Calif., through an Aug. 9 show in Memphis.
Crosby & Nash Official Site
Billy Joel’s classic 1978 effort The Stranger will be reissued in expanded form July 8 in honor of the 30th anniversary of its release. The album will be available as a two-CD set and as a deluxe collection featuring a bonus DVD. Both packages will include a previously unheard concert CD, Live at Carnegie Hall 1977. The deluxe version’s DVD will boast various music videos plus a 1978 performance from the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test series.
Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh is bankrolling a performance-oriented scholarship for Ohio’s Kent State University, which he attended during the late 1960s. Walsh has donated $50,000 to the institution’s College of the Arts, which will award one or more new students $10,000 annually over the next five years. The winning undergrads will be chosen based on auditions in front of a university panel. In other news, the Eagles have added two Toronto shows, July 21-22, to their growing itinerary.
The Grammy Foundation will celebrate famed Beatles producer George Martin at its annual Starry Night event, scheduled for July 12 at the University of Southern California. Martin will be presented with the Leadership Award at the bash in honor of his musical and philanthropic contributions. Elsewhere, a video interview with the Beatles' Paul McCartney in which he discusses the upcoming London exhibition he organized of his late wife Linda’s photographs can be viewed here.
The Black Crowes have announced dates for a massive North American trek dubbed the Euphoria or Bust tour. The three-leg, 90-city jaunt is scheduled from a June 28-29 stint in Hampton Beach, N.H., through a five-show engagement at San Francisco’s Fillmore that will wrap up Dec. 20. Various special guests will join the Crowes at select stops. Meanwhile, the band released an iTunes Originals digital album Tuesday that features classic cuts and several exclusive tracks.
Black Crowes Official Site
The Eagles have beefed up their Long Road Out of Eden trek with several U.S. concerts. The band has scheduled two shows each in Newark, N.J. (May 24 and 25); New York (May 28 and 30); and Boston (July 28 and 30). Meanwhile, the Eagles’ previously announced August 2 stop in Moncton, Canada, also will feature John Fogerty. In other touring news, Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks has added more June gigs to her solo itinerary.
