Classic Rock 93.9

Eric Clapton is bringing back his Crossroads Guitar Festival yet again.

The three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will hold his seventh annual festival Sept. 26-27 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, with a lineup that includes the first-ever appearance from The Who’s Pete Townshend.

Clapton will perform both nights of the festival. Other artists on the bill include ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons, John Mayer, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, Marcus King, and more, with Phish’s Trey Anastasio, Tommy Emmanuel and Julian Lage also set to make their first Crossroads appearance.

This year’s festival will celebrate the 28th anniversary of the Clapton’s Crossroads Centre Antigua, which provides treatment and education to chemically and alcohol dependent persons and their families.

Tickets for Crossroads Guitar Festival go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. A full list of performers can be found at CrossroadsGuitarFestival.com.

Clapton’s first Crossroads Guitar Festival took place in June 1999 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The last festival took place in September 2023 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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Rush fans just got a taste of what to expect on their upcoming Fifty Something tour.

The band made a surprise appearance at the 2026 JUNO Awards in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Sunday,  performing “Finding My Way,” the lead-off track from their 1974 self-titled debut album.

The appearance marked Rush’s first-ever performance at the JUNO Awards, and Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson’s first public performance with new Rush drummer Anika Nilles.

Rush is set to kick off their Fifty Something tour on June 7 in Los Angeles with North American dates running through Dec. 17. The tour will also hit Europe and South America.

The trek will be the band’s first tour in 10 years, and their first since the 2020 death of their drummer Neil Peart. A complete list of date can be found at Rush.com.

Also at the JUNO Awards, Joni Mitchell received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was celebrated by Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell, who performed a medley of Mitchell’s hits. The celebration ended with Joni joining them for an all-star jam of her classic “Big Yellow Taxi.”

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of Steve Miller Band’s ninth studio album, Fly Like An Eagle, a milestone that will be marked with a special release.

A limited-edition picture disc pressing of the album will be released on May 15, 50 years to the day of the original album’s release. It will feature the album’s cover on side A, with a rare photo of Miller from the album’s recording sessions on side B.

Fly Like An Eagle (Picture Disc) is available for preorder now.

Fly Like An Eagle was a huge commercial success for Steve Miller Band, thanks to three hit singles: the title track, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100; “Take The Money And Run,” which peaked at #11; and “Rock ‘n Me,” which went to #1, becoming the band’s second chart topper following 1973’s “The Joker.”

The album went on to be certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA. In 2025, it was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

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Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks revealed back in October that after years of estrangement, they have begun talking again. Now in a new video, Buckingham suggests that this could lead to something — possibly a creative collaboration.

The former Fleetwood Mac star posted a clip to Instagram where he talked about what he has in store for 2026. “Despite what’s going on in Washington, it’s going to be a very good year, or maybe because of what’s going on in Washington,” he said.

As for what projects he’s got coming up, Buckingham added, “I’ve been working on a new solo album for the last couple of years, which is one song away from being finished,” noting, “that’s certainly in the future for this coming year.”

He also mentioned the planned Fleetwood Mac documentary for Apple, directed by Frank Marshall.

“Those are two very specific things that are waiting in the wings for this year,” he said before suggesting something may happen between him and Nicks.

“I think on a more general level, just the energy in terms of what Buckingham Nicks did to sort of create a resurgence of connection between Stevie and myself, I think on a larger scale, that seems to be something that’s in the air,” he said, referring to the 2025 reissue of their 1973 album. “And what that translates to specifically, I wouldn’t want to speculate yet.”

He added, “But I believe with all my heart, it will translate to something good, and something wonderful, and something needed and something extremely appropriate.” 

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The Kinks’ Dave Davies recently defended the band’s iconic song “Lola” after Moby called the song’s lyrics “gross and transphobic” in an interview with The Guardian.

In a new interview with The Telegraph, Dave says he was “shocked and really quite upset” when he heard about Moby’s comments, noting his first thought when he heard about them was “Who is Moby?”

And when he told his brother, bandmate and “Lola” songwriter Ray Davies about them, he had the same reaction, asking Dave, “Who the f*** is Moby?” Dave adds that Ray “wasn’t happy at all.”

Talking about the tune, which was released in 1970, Dave says when Ray first played it for him he thought it was “fun and beautiful.”

“It was about real people and real people’s antics. There is nothing nasty about it,” he says. “People were quite shocked by it. But we loved it, and the world seemed to love it too. No one mentioned the word transphobia then. I don’t think the word existed.”

Dave says of Moby’s comments, “I worried that it could turn people against us because it can feel like people are becoming weirder by the day.” He added, “They are always quick to judge and make assumptions about others. It is very rigid thinking. They don’t know that there is always a backstory. It can be dangerous to smear people.”

But Dave says he doesn’t hold anything against Moby.

“I don’t bear anyone malice. I think he made a clumsy mistake,” says Dave. “All music, all art, should be applauded. It’s not for me or for anyone else to decide what is right or wrong. We should be grateful that we live in a world where people are free to make music and say what they want to say.”

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A biopic about the late Steve Marriott and his band Small Faces is in the works, according to Deadline.

The film, All or Nothing, will be inspired by the West End musical of the same name, written by actress and writer Carol Harrison. It is based on her friendship with the singer, who she met when she was 8 years old.

According to the film’s description, Marriott’s story is “seen through the eyes of a young female fan,” noting, “through their emotional connection, we uncover the complexities and contradictions that burn beneath the showman’s mask, as Steve struggles to navigate life in the spotlight, disguising his raw private turmoil and vulnerability with arrogance and caustic humor.”

Marriott formed Small Faces in 1965 with bassist Ronnie Lane, drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist Jimmy Winston. Marriott left the group in 1969 to form Humble Pie. The band went on without him, recruiting Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, and renaming themselves Faces. Marriott, who was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Small Faces, died in 1991 at the age of 44.

The film, due to start production in the fall, will feature Small Faces’ music. Deadline notes that the estates of Marriott and Lane have both given their blessings to the film.

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The Zombies have shared another track off the upcoming mono remaster of their debut album, 1965’s Begin Here.

The latest is the track “The Way I Feel Inside (Mono Remastered),” which is now available via digital outlets, with an accompanying lyric video on YouTube.

This is the second track they’ve released from reissue, which will drop on April 17. They previously released the mono remaster of “It’s Alright With Me.”

The reissue of Begin Here, the second of four planned reissues, will feature all 17 tracks from the U.K. and U.S. versions of the album, with new liner notes by rock journalist David Fricke. The reissue follows the September release of a mono remaster of The Zombies’ iconic sophomore album, Odessey and Oracle.

Begin Here (Mono Remastered) will be released digitally, and on CD and vinyl. It is available for preorder now.

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Lou Gramm is hitting the road in support of his new solo album, Released, which is out now. 

The former Foreigner frontman has announced a new string of North American dates, kicking off May 9 in Wabash, Indiana, and wrapping Oct. 10 in St. Charles, Missouri. The tour will have him treating fans to performances of new songs, as well as iconic hits from his catalog.

A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at LouGrammOfficial.com.

The 10-track Released is made up of songs Gramm originally recorded in the ‘80s while making his previous solo albums, 1987’s Ready Or Not and 1989’s Long Hard Look. The songs never made it on those albums, but have now been completed for the new record.

In addition to his new solo dates, Gramm is set to join Foreigner for several shows starting April 17 in St. Augustine, Florida, and running through April 23 in Key West, Florida.

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Billy Joel’s 100th Madison Square Garden residency show was celebrated with an Emmy-winning CBS special that aired back in April 2024. Well now that special is getting a physical release with bonus footage.

Joel has announced that the special will be released on DVD and Blu-ray, with the physical copies offering fans the complete concert, including 11 performances not featured on the CBS broadcast. Those bonus tracks include performances of such songs as “The Longest Time,” “Uptown Girl,” “Big Shot,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “The Downeaster Alexa.” There’s even a performance of The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,” featuring a guest appearance from Sting.

And in case anyone forgot just how great the special was, Joel is offering up a taste, releasing an official live video for his performance of the 52nd Street classic “My Life” to YouTube.

Billy Joel – The 100th: Live at Madison Square Garden (The Complete Concert) will be released May 29 and is available for preorder now.

The special was filmed March 28, 2004, as Billy headlined the 100th show of his MSG residency in New York City, which he launched in January 2014. 

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Guns N’ Roses will be without keyboardist Melissa Reese for the band’s upcoming tour.

The “Welcome to the Jungle” rockers have issued a press release reading, “Rock legends Guns N’ Roses have announced that Melissa Reese will not be joining the band on tour due to unforeseen personal reasons.”

“We hope our fans understand,” the statement adds.

GN’R’s upcoming live schedule includes a U.S. stadium and amphitheater tour kicking off in July, as well as dates in Europe, Latin America and Australia. They’re also headlining Florida’s Welcome to Rockville festival in May.

Reese joined Guns N’ Roses in 2016 for their Not in This Lifetime… tour, which saw Slash and Duff McKagan rejoin the band alongside Axl Rose. 

GN’R did not name a replacement for Reese in their statement, nor did they specify the duration of her absence.

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