Classic Rock 93.9

Rod Stewart and King Charles III are old pals, which is why this May Rod will be headlining a charity concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of Charles’ best-known charities, The King’s Trust.

Charles founded the charity, then known as The Prince’s Trust, in 1976 to help vulnerable people aged 11 to 30, many of whom are struggling with issues like mental health problems, disability, homelessness, unemployment or legal troubles. Now known as The King’s Trust, it helps these people develop essential life skills, train in various fields and access job opportunities.

On May 11, Rod and Jools Holland, his musical collaborator on his most recent album, Swing Fever, will take the stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the 50th anniversary benefit concert. Jools says to Rod in an Instagram video, “It’ll be an incredible evening, won’t it?” “It will,” agrees Rod. “If we’re there,” adds Jools. “Fifty years. Be there,” commands Rod.

Also on the bill are Rod’s best friend and former bandmate Ron Wood, as well as British pop stars Anne-Marie, Rita Ora and Craig David. Tickets are on sale now.

Having rock and pop stars perform to raise funds for the charity is nothing new for the trust. Starting in the ’80s, the Prince’s Trust concerts featured everyone from Phil Collins, Queen, Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton to Elton John, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, George Harrison, the Bee Gees and, of course, Rod.

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Foreigner has announced their first performance for 2027.

The “Hot Blooded” rockers are set to headline Rock Legends Cruise 14, with original frontman Lou Gramm joining them for the trip. The performance will mark the beginning of Foreigner’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of their self-titled debut album.

The cruise is set to run from Feb. 21-25, 2027, aboard Independence of the Seas. It leaves out of Port Miami and features two full days at sea filled with live performances, plus a stop in Costa Maya, Mexico. Other artists on the cruise will be announced at a later date.

Reservations are now open at rocklegendscruise.com.

Foreigner launched a string of unplugged shows on Wednesday in Beaver Creek, Colorado, and will play a second show in the city on Thursday. Unplugged dates run through March 2 in Aspen, Colorado.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band will then hit Las Vegas for an orchestral residency at The Venetian Theatre on March 6. They will also be touring this summer with Lynyrd Skynyrd on the Double Trouble Double Vision Tour, which starts July 23 in Atlanta.

A complete list of Foreigner dates can be found at ForeignerOnline.com.

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Foo Fighters will be among the headliners for the 2026 Rock in Rio festival in Brazil.

Dave Grohl and company will take the stage in Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 4. For ticket info, visit RockinRio.com.

Rock in Rio takes place over Sept. 4-7 and Sept. 11-13. Other announced performers include Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me the Horizon, Elton John and Mumford & Sons.

Foo Fighters are currently playing a run of shows in the U.K., during which they debuted a new song called “Of All People.” It will appear on their upcoming album, Your Favorite Toy. They’ll be back stateside for a couple festivals in May before launching a full North American stadium tour in August.

Your Favorite Toy, the follow-up to 2023’s But Here We Are, is due out April 24.

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The Black Crowes are reacting to the news that they’ve received their second nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Frontman Chris Robinson writes on Instagram that he and brother Rich Robinson are “beyond excited and thrilled to be nominated again for the R&RHOF,” noting, “It’s a great honor to be included with such talented artists.”

In an interview with Billboard, Chris says he’s friends with several of this year’s other nominees, including Oasis, who are nominated for a third time, and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden, who are also nominated for a third time.

“To have friends that are in the same thing is fun,” he tells the mag. “That’s the way it is after getting close to 40 years of doing this. To have those kinds of friendships and connections in the music business with other artists that have won the award, that are nominated, just makes it way more intimate for us.”

And while The Crowes didn’t get in last year, Chris says he’s “equally as excited” as he was with their first nomination.

“Just to be included and to be recognized and to have the opportunity last year and now this year, and you see all the artists that are on the list, it’s amazing,” he says. “It doesn’t go without the due respect that it deserves from Rich and I. We look at it as an achievement to be nominated. That we’ve been nominated again feels amazing.”

Chris says they’ll be “super happy” if they get in this year, and “we’ll celebrate the band and the people that have been in the band.” He adds that it’s also “about the fans,” noting, “They’re the origin story; they’re the ones that breathed life into a lump of clay and then this happens.”

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Iron Maiden has announced the final shows of the band’s Run for Your Lives world tour.

The two-year trek will come to a close with two performances in Yokohama, Japan, taking place Nov. 24 and 25. Tickets go on sale April 25.

“We are very excited to be bringing this RUN FOR YOUR LIVES TOUR to Japan later this year,” says bassist Steve Harris. “And even more so as we are ending the entire two year world tour in Yokohama.”

“I have always loved spending time in Japan, and we enjoy coming back whenever we can to play for our fans there,” he continues. “So it feels extra special for us to be sharing the final two nights of this incredible tour with you all in Japan. It’s going to make it a truly memorable occasion for us all.”

After the Yokohama shows, Maiden plans to take a break in 2027 and won’t return to the road until at least 2028.

The Run for Your Lives world tour first launched in Europe in 2025 and is set to come to North America in August. The trek celebrates Maiden’s 50th anniversary, and the set list focuses on the band’s first nine albums.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit IronMaiden.com.

In other Iron Maiden news, the metal legends have once again been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The 2026 inductees will be announced in April.

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On This Day, Feb. 26, 1995…

Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant kicked off a tour together in Pensacola, Florida.

The tour followed the November 1994 release of their joint album, No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded.

The album was a recording of the duo’s MTV Unledded special, which was filmed in London and Wales, and aired in October of that year. It featured orchestrations of Led Zeppelin tunes and saw them backed by a Moroccan string band and an Egyptian orchestra. 

Songs performed during the set included Led Zeppelin tunes “Kashmir,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Dancing Days” and “Immigrant Song,” as well as four new tracks.

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Out of the 17 acts nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, Melissa Etheridge is one of 10 appearing on the ballot for the first time. She’s been eligible for the honor for over 10 years, so did she think it might happen eventually?

“To be honest, there was always hope,” Melissa tells ABC Audio, noting that she thought, “I’ve done a few things in my life.” She felt that there was “a good chance” that she’d be nominated and, she laughs, “Hopefully I would be alive.”  

However, she didn’t actively campaign for it, calling attempts to define rock ‘n’ roll a “nebulous sort of vague thing.” But she notes that every year, “my wife and my family and my friends would be very upset” when she failed to make the ballot. 

That’s why, she says, “It was very, very nice this year to be in the room. To be part of it.”

But if Melissa — whose new album, Rise, is due March 27 — makes the cut and is named an inductee, who would she like to do the honors? Maybe the biggest pop star in the world.

“The first thing that comes to my mind is Taylor Swift. Because when I met Taylor, she did tell me that when she was 11 years old her parents took her to my concert. And that’s where, after that, she wanted to play guitar,” says Melissa. “So I know I’ve been an inspiration.”

Then again, someone even more legendary than Taylor has also expressed interest in the job.

“Years ago … we were performing something and Bono was there, and Bono actually said … he wanted to induct me,” Melissa says. “So, you know, I have no idea.”

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The Beach Boys have added some new dates to their 2026 schedule.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band, fronted by founding member Mike Love, has expanded their upcoming tour celebrating 60 years of their album Pet Sounds. Added dates include new stops in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Medford, Massachusetts; Quakertown, Pennsylvania; Temecula, California; Baltimore, Maryland; Thackerville, Oklahoma; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

A ticket presale for the new dates begins Thursday at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

Released May 16, 1966, Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys’ 11th studio album, was a critical hit and often considered one of the best albums of all time. It featured such classic Beach Boys songs as “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” “Sloop John B” and more.

The album peaked at #10 on the Billboard Album chart and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. In 2004 it was chosen by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.

The Beach Boys’ 2026 tour kicks off March 22 in Orlando, Florida. A complete schedule can be found at TheBeachBoys.com.

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An R.E.M. classic is featured in season 3 of Apple TV’s Shrinking, but it’s not the version most fans are used to.

Episode 5 of the show, which premiered Wednesday, features a cover of the song performed by series star Jason Segel, and his take on the track has just been released.

In the episode, Segel’s character, Jimmy, is having a discussion with Meg, played by Lily Rabe, who’s the daughter of Harrison Ford’s character, Paul. During the chat, Jimmy opens up about his love life and expresses his desire to have “one easy romantic moment” or “one uncomplicated kiss” so he can feel hopeful about romance again. He adds that he pictures “Nightswimming” playing in the background while it happens, but with him singing the song.

At the end of the episode, Segel’s version of the song plays as he and the married Meg kiss, and the episode’s credits start to roll.

“Nightswimming” appeared on R.E.M.’s eighth studio album, Automatic for the People. It was released as a single in the U.K., where it went to #27 on the singles chart.

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Phil Collins received his first-ever solo nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Tuesday, and his daughter Lily Collins is reacting to the news.  

“Proud daughter moment. Congrats dad you deserve it,” the actress wrote on her Instagram Story. “Love you to the moon and back.” 

Lily, star of the Netflix series Emily In Paris, is Phil Collins’ only daughter with his second wife, Jill Travelman, who he divorced in 1996. He has four other children.

Phil was previously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 as a member of Genesis. While this is his first time being nominated for the Rock Hall as a solo artist, he’s actually been eligible for a nomination since 2006. 

And Phil certainly has the credentials to justify the nomination. He’s won multiple Grammys, an Oscar and two Golden Globe Awards, plus he’s sold 100 million records as both a solo artist and as a member of a band. Only two other artists have achieved such a feat: Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson.

Fan voting for this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class is now open. Inductees will be announced in April, with the induction set to take place this fall, although an exact date has not yet been announced.

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