Classic Rock 93.9

Paul McCartney has submitted himself to the experience of Chicken Shop Date, and the results are now available to watch on YouTube.

In the YouTube series, host Amelia Dimoldenberg eats fried chicken and fries while Sir Paul munches on vegan chicken nuggets and answers a variety of quirky questions. 

McCartney was asked to recall the time he set a condom on fire in Hamburg, Germany, whether he’d ever get a tattoo, and how often he thinks Amelia should go to the dentist.  She then hit him with perhaps the most outlandish question of all.

“Who’s your favorite Beatle?” Amelia asked.

After noting that there’s “only one left” besides himself, McCartney replied, “Now, currently it’s Ringo. During the Beatles, I think we all used to look up to John, ’cause he was like the leader, even though there wasn’t an officially a leader of the group.”

“He was very witty and he was great to have in the group,” he continued. “I think all of us might’ve said John was our favorite Beatle.”

McCartney also told a heartwarming story about his late wife, Linda McCartney. He said he once heard that Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis gave his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis a bracelet inscribed with “JILY,” which stood for “Jackie I Love You.” That inspired him to get Linda a bracelet that read “LILY,” for “Linda I Love You.”

“Oh, that’s gorgeous. Wow, that’s very thoughtful of you,” Amelia responded.  “She’s a lovely girl,” McCartney responded.

Among the other topics the two discussed were whether Sir Paul has ever autographed someone’s butt, the last time he did a headstand, how many guitars he owns, gardening tips and whether Amelia should start taking drugs.

“Depends,” says McCartney. “We’ll talk.”

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Kansas, former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and Asia are among the artists performing on the 2027 Cruise to the Edge.

The prog-themed concert cruise sets sail from Miami on April 2 and will make stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico, as well as Harvest Caye, Belize, before returning April 8.

“This isn’t just a cruise,” the Cruise to the Edge website reads. “It’s a Progressive Rock odyssey across sunlit seas, where legendary artists, intimate venues, and stunning concert cruise destinations collide in a festival unlike any other.”

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit CruisetotheEdge.com.

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Fifty years ago, America celebrated its 200th birthday — and a lot of great albums were released.

That’s why Rhino Records has launched a Spirit of ’76 vinyl reissue campaign, with independent record stores carrying new editions of 23 albums that first arrived in 1976. It gets underway July 17 with the release of Bad Company’s Run with the Pack, Black Sabbath’s Technical Ecstasy, the Faces’ Snakes and Ladders/The Best of Faces and the Ramones’ self-titled debut.

On July 24, releases include X, the Grammy-winning album by Chicago; the Grateful Dead’s live album Steal Your Face; Linda Ronstadt’s Hasten Down the Wind; The J. Geils Band’s live album Blow Your Face Out; Todd Rundgren’s Faithful; and Rod Stewart’s A Night on the Town.

The campaign ends July 31 with Jethro Tull’s M.U. – The Best of Jethro Tull, the Ramones’ Live at the Roxy, 1976, War’s Greatest Hits and ZZ Top’s World Wide Texas Tour.

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Gov’t Mule has announced a U.S. tour with Ziggy Marley.

The joint outing runs from Sept. 23 in New York City to Oct. 17 in Irving, Texas. It’s dubbed the Dreaming the Same Dream tour after the song “Dreaming the Same Dream,” which Mule frontman Warren Haynes wrote with Marley.

“I’m really looking forward to the tour with Ziggy Marley,” Haynes says in a statement. “We’ve known each other a long time and have shared the stage a few times but never done a tour together. There’s definitely an overlap between the two audiences, but I think a lot of Mule fans will be hearing Ziggy for the first time and a lot of Ziggy fans will be hearing Mule for the first time, which is great.”

“It’s gonna be a great jam session being on tour with Warren and the crew,” Marley adds. “I’m looking forward to the vibes.”

Presales begin June 3 at noon ET, and tickets go on sale to the general public on June 5 at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Mule.net.

You can also catch Gov’t Mule on tour throughout the summer, including dates with Joe Bonamassa.

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Remember when The Who did a farewell tour last year? Well, according to Roger Daltrey, that wasn’t exactly the end.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Daltrey says that The Who still have to do “farewell tours” of England, Australia and the rest of the world, but it won’t be until 2027. “It won’t fall into this year because Pete’s going to have another knee op, which puts him out of action for a long while,” Daltrey says of his bandmate Pete Townshend. “And I’ve had a few things to deal with health-wise in the time off, but we’re hoping to finish it all off next year.”

And, Daltrey says, The Who will still continue to play, if they “get invited to do a charity gig or something.” He clarifies, “What I’m trying to say is we are not retired. [It’s just that] we don’t want to do another tour of America.”

However, Daltrey has a solo U.S. tour booked for later this year and plans to keep his own live shows going as long as he can. “Voices are voices: They don’t last forever, that’s a fact,” he tells Rolling Stone. “Mine is incredibly powerful and still is. I’m very lucky to have it there, but equally it might go tomorrow, and if it does go tomorrow, I won’t be seeing you in August, it’s as simple as that.”

“I’m 82 years old and still got good energy, still can deliver it well. But I can’t do any more than that. I can only do my best and whatever happens, happens. If it’s still like this when I’m 90, I’ll still be doing it.”

When asked about The Who’s legacy, Daltrey notes, “We were just different than everybody else.” Mentioning The Who’s notoriety for playing loud, he contends, “We were the first heavy metal band.”

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Paul McCartney’s new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane is out now. Many of the songs were inspired by his childhood and experiences with former Beatles bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, who joins him for a duet on the song “Home to Us.” While Lennon and Harrison are gone, Paul said there’s one thing that gives him some comfort about that loss.

Speaking to The Guardian, McCartney said of Lennon, “My collaborator was probably one of the best writers of the century, so, yeah, you’re going to miss him. … But that’s life: you lose people.” He also recalled Beatles producer George Martin telling him about aging, “The terrible thing about it is all your mates start popping off.”

“Now I’m probably at that age, and I’m very conscious of that, having lost John and George – two big touchstones for anything we’re talking about [in this interview],” he continued. He adds “So, yeah, you do miss them. I start to get very sad, and I have to think, ‘Wow, wait a minute, everyone misses them.’ It’s not just me. So that makes me feel a bit better.”

“I think, ‘Well, sod it, it’s life, and it’s what we’ve got.’”

Elsewhere in the interview, McCartney says that the sound of the Ringo duet — about their tough childhoods – was inspired by Oasis. After seeing the reunited band perform, he was impressed by how loud and massive they sounded.

“Forget about Spinal Tap’s 11, the amps are on 12,” he told producer Andrew Watt, aiming to get a similar feel on the track.

Select record stores nationwide are holding The Boys of Dungeon Lane release parties all weekend, featuring exclusive merch giveaways, contests and limited-edition vinyl.

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Bret Michaels will no longer be playing the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair.

“When this opportunity was originally presented to my team, it was described as a celebration of our country through music and a chance to honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life,” the Poison frontman writes in an Instagram post. “As the son of a veteran, and coming from a family that has proudly served, that is something I have always been honored to support.”

Michaels says that he’s “spent my entire career bringing people together through music, positivity and good vibes,” and that his concerts have “never been about politics.”

“Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of,” Michaels writes. “Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”

He continues, “Because of that, I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance.”

The Great American State Fair, which was announced Wednesday, is set to take place June 25 through July 10 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Several other announced artists have also dropped off the bill, including Morris Day and the Time, Martina McBride, The Commodores and Young MC.

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It’s been four years since Def Leppard released their last album of new material, Diamond Star Halos, but it sounds like fans won’t have to wait much longer for a new record. Frontman Joe Elliott tells ABC Audio the band has recorded several songs for a new album, with plans to have it out by the end of 2026/early 2027.

“We’ve got a game plan, but it is kind of loose and we like it that way,” he says. “It’s not like we’re being told by management and labels it has to be delivered on this day.”

The band’s been touring constantly, but thanks to new technology, recording an album has been a lot easier than in the past. Elliott says the days of them all having to be in the studio together are over, which is something they learned during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

“That’s the beauty of the technology is that you never get a period where, OK, here’s the start of a recording of an album and it’s going to run for three months,” he says. “It’s just an ongoing process.”

Def Leppard wrapped their Las Vegas residency in February and will launch a European tour on June 13 in Sweden, and it doesn’t sound like they’re ready to slow down. But Elliott says the end isn’t something completely out of their minds.

“Sometimes you do think that maybe this could be the last tour, but there’s no reason for that,” he says. “I think because we like each other so much, and we like what we do, and like being on tour and playing the songs.”

He adds, “The little guy on your shoulder that keeps going, ‘You know what, it’s going to come to an end at some point,’ it’s not based in logic.” 

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There’s gonna be a riot in Chicago in September and you’re invited.

The Windy City’s 2026 Riot Fest takes place Sept. 18-20 and features an eclectic lineup of artists, including three Rock & Roll Hall of Famers: Elvis Costello & the Impostors, Patti Smith and Iggy Pop.

Also on the bill are Alanis Morissette, Morrissey, Social Distortion, Sugar, the reformed Sex Pistols — now featuring Frank Carter on vocals — and former Sex Pistols frontman John Lyndon’s band, Public Image Ltd.

Tickets are on sale now. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit RiotFest.org.

Patti Smith, Morrissey and the Sex Pistols are also playing the 2026 CBGB Festival, taking place Sept. 26 in Brooklyn, New York.

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Heart’s Ann Wilson is currently promoting her new documentary, In My Voice, by traveling to different cities with director Barbara Hall. On Wednesday night they hosted a screening at New York’s City Winery, followed by a Q&A with fans.

In the documentary, Ann tells her story “in my own voice,” hence the film’s title. “It’s about time people understood who I am,” she says in the movie, which features contributions from some of her former Heart bandmates, KISS’ Paul Stanley, Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, pop star Chappell Roan, Paul Shaffer, Ann’s husband, Dean Wetter, and her son, Dustin Wilson.

One person who’s absent from the film, though, is Ann’s sister and bandmate Nancy Wilson. “Nancy declined to participate in this film, and I’m OK with that,” Ann says in the movie. “She’s a full-fledged person, and so am I.”

Using archival footage, home movies and new interviews, the movie follows Ann from her childhood to her stardom in Heart, her solo career, her experiences as a single mom, her role as a den mother to the Seattle grunge rockers of the ’90s, her “miraculous” recovery from cancer and her life today, recording and touring with her band Tripsitter. As she notes in the movie, “Being successful means that I love what I do.”

During the Q&A, Ann shared her favorite Heart song to perform — “Mistral Wind” — and her least, “All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You,” which she says “kinda grosses me out.” She confirmed that the script for a Heart biopic is being written and that she’d love for Florence Pugh to play her.

Asked to name the greatest sacrifice she’s made for her art, Ann said, “Everything.”

There’s no word yet on when the movie will be widely available.

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