Classic Rock 93.9

The lineup has been unveiled for the star-studded 2023 edition of the RockIsland Fest, which will take place January 17-21 in Key West, Florida.

The artists on the bill include Styx, Loverboy, Tesla, 38 Special, Queensrÿche, Quiet Riot, Extreme, Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy, Stryper, ex-Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler, Enuff Z’Nuff, Honeymoon Suite and Autograph.

Pre-sale passes for the five-day rock extravaganza are available now, while tickets, passes and packages will go on sale to the general public on July 6 at 10 a.m. ET.

The main venue for the event is the 4,000-seat capacity Truman Waterfront Park Amphitheater, located on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

“The inaugural RokIsland Fest in early 2022 brought some of the biggest rock bands on the planet to the island of Key West for four days of epic performances and tropical bliss,” says festival co-founder Dave Giencke in a statement posted by uDiscoverMusic.com. “After the overwhelming response from the artists and attendees who came in from all over the country and across the pond, we decided to add another day to RokIsland Fest 2023 with a lineup as equally stacked as year one. I’m fairly certain we’ve once again created the premier destination experience for rock fans around the world.”

This year’s inaugural RokIsland Fest included performances by Cheap Trick, Night Ranger, Poison‘s Bret Michaels, Twisted Sister‘s Dee Snider, Skid Row, Warrant, Winger, Dokken, Lita Ford, Enuff Z’Nuff and many others.

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Ozzy Osbourne is apparently going from bat biting to bat housing.

As reported by the British tabloid The Mirror, the Prince of Darkness is building bat boxes on the property of his U.K. home, which will help in protecting the winged creatures.

“Ozzy, 73, has promised planning chiefs he will put in the bat protection measures to aid conservation,” The Mirror writes.

Ozzy, of course, will always be remembered for when he bit the head off a bat during a 1982 concert. He’s continued to reference the infamous incident throughout the years, launching his own run of bat NFTs and selling a plush bat with a detachable head.

Meanwhile, the video for Ozzy’s new solo single “Patient Number 9” features a cartoon bat taking revenge by biting off the metal legend’s head.

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Whitesnake canceled its appearance Saturday at the Rock Imperium Festival in Cartagena, Spain, and the rockers’ decision to pull out of the event apparently upset the festival’s organizers.

On Saturday, Whitesnake issued a statement apologizing to fans for canceling that read, in part, “Please know we are doing everything in our power to bring you the best high energy and exciting shows we possibly can. We always strive to deliver 100%, as Whitesnake fans always deserve that much, and never anything less.”

The note adds, “We knew embarking on this tour could present many new obstacles and potential issues, which had been unknown to us on previous tours. Please know we are doing everything in our power to work through these unprecedented challenges.”

Following Whitesnake’s cancellation, festival organizers issued a lengthy statement complaining that the band had given little notice before pulling out of the gig and noting that much of the group’s equipment already was set up on stage when they officially canceled.

The note explains, “At 1:23 [p.m.], we received a call from Whitesnake’s agent indicating that the band’s drummer, Tommy Aldridge, was very ill with a high fever and that they could not perform. We appealed to the band’s sense of professionalism so as not to leave fans stranded, but their agent was blunt, stating that the show was ‘100% cancelled by the band.'”

You can read the festival organizers’ full statement about the situation at RockImperiumFestival.es.

On Sunday, Whitesnake issued another statement that reads, “Tommy was under the weather, as we all can get, but is getting better: he never had, what was inaccurately described [by the Spanish promoter] as ‘severe health problems’ and can’t wait to get back out there to perform for the fans!”

Whitesnake’s next scheduled performance is Monday, June 27 in Milan, Italy.

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Paul McCartney played the U.K.’s famed Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, making history by becoming the oldest solo artist to headline the famous event.

Sir Paul, who turned 80 on Saturday June 18, also thrilled the crowd by welcoming two surprise guests to the stage during his show — Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.

Regarding Grohl, it was his first time returning to the stage since the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in March.

As reported by NME, McCartney introduced Grohl as “your hero from the West Coast,” and he and Dave then proceed to play the early Beatles classic “I Saw Her Standing There,” followed by the 1973 Wings hit “Band on the Run.”

Paul also explained to the audience that Grohl “flew in especially to do this,” noting that he had to overcome flight cancellations in Los Angeles to be able to play the show.

After Grohl exited the stage, McCartney introduced his second surprise guest, welcoming, “from the East Coast of America,” Springsteen.

Bruce, who also had joined Paul at the final show of McCartney’s Got Back Tour of the U.S. on June 16 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, played the same two songs that he did at the previous gig — his own hit “Glory Days,” and the early Beatles rave-up “I Wanna Be Your Man.”

Grohl and Springsteen also came back out on stage for the finale of McCartney’s Glastonbury show, jamming out with Paul and his band on a rendition of The Beatles’ “The End.”

McCartney’s concert lasted about two-and-a-half hours and featured over 30 songs. You can check out some fan-shot highlights of the show at NME.com, while PaulMcCartney.com also has posted a recap of the event.

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Billie Joe Armstrong has had enough of America.

Following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday, the Green Day frontman said he’s ready to leave the country — and he didn’t mince words.

“F*** America,” Armstrong told the crowd at the Hella Mega tour stop in London over the weekend. “I’m f****** renouncing my citizenship. I’m f****** coming here.”

“There’s just too much f****** stupid in the world to go back to that miserable f****** excuse for a country,” he continued as the crowd at London Stadium cheered.

And lest you think it’s all talk, Armstrong assured the crowd he was “not kidding.”

“You’re going to get a lot of me in the coming days,” he said.

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Doobie Brothers co-founders members Pat Simmons and Tom Johnston teamed up to write a new memoir about their famous band titled Long Train Runnin’: Our Story of The Doobie Brothers that’s available now.

Simmons tells ABC Audio that having the book co-written by him and Tom gives fans the chance to learn about the band’s history from the different perspectives of two guys who were there from the beginning.

“[I]t was kind of unique, because it’s both Tom and myself telling a story,” Simmons notes. “[I think that’s] a little bit better all the way around, since…it’s hard to remember…what was going on through the years. And it was nice to kind of reflect on aspects that somebody else might have seen a little differently from your own [recollection].”

Simmons says parts of the book that he thinks fans will find particularly interesting include how the band came together, details about how The Doobies made their records, and the successful period in the group’s history when Michael McDonald became the frontman at a time that Johnston was experiencing serious health issues.

Regarding the making of The Doobies’ music, Simmons notes, “[H]ow we put those songs together, how we wrote them, how we built them is kind of an interesting aspect that…I thought…was kind of unique in terms of the wide variety of ways that we approached songwriting and how songs were created.”

As for McDonald joining the band and the resulting change in the sound of the group’s music, Pat says, “[I]t was an arduous process. And it worked out, luckily.”

Long Train Runnin’ also features commentary from various other Doobie Brothers members, alums and associates, including McDonald, former bassist Tiran Porter, longtime multi-instrumentalist John McFee and producer Ted Templeman.

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Elton John, Genesis and The Eagles are among the artists who are raking it in at the box office in 2022, according to the latest installment of Pollstar‘s annual midyear rankings.

In terms of worldwide tours, Genesis’ The Last Domino? Tour — the final outing for Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford — earned $72 million globally, second only to Latin superstar Bad Bunny. Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour was next with $70 million.

Also making the top 10 was The Eagles’ ongoing Hotel California trek, which was in seventh place with $55 million.

When it comes to North American tours, Elton lands at #2 behind, yes, Bad Bunny. The Eagles and Genesis also made the top 10, at #6 and #8, respectively.

Pollstar‘s midyear lists actually cover concert grosses from November 18, 2021, to May 18, 2022.

Here’s the full top 10 of Pollstar‘s 2022 worldwide tours midyear list:

1. Bad Bunny, $120.1 million
2. Genesis, $72.0 million
3. Elton John, $70.0 million
4. BTS, $69.3 million
5. Morgan Wallen, $58.3 million
6. Eric Church, $56.3 million
7. Eagles, $55.0 million
8. John Mayer, $51.8 million
9. Coldplay, $44.7 million
10. Garth Brooks, $44.3 million

And here’s the top 10 of Pollstar‘s North American tours 2022 midyear rankings:

1. Bad Bunny, $120.1 million
2. Elton John, $70.0 million
3. BTS, $69.3 million
4. Morgan Wallen, $58.3 million
5. Eric Church, $56.3 million
6. Eagles, $55.0 million
7. John Mayer, $51.8 million
8. Genesis, $46.5 million
9. Garth Brooks, $44.3 million
10. Dua Lipa, $40.1

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The new Thin Lizzy-themed audio/video collection pairing the 2020 documentary Phil Lynott: Songs for While I’m Away with the archival concert film and album Thin Lizzy: The Boys Are Back in Town Live at the Sydney Opera House October 1978 was released Friday.

The release is available now either as a two-DVD/CD set or a Blu-ray/DVD/CD set. A limited-edition version featuring a card autographed by longtime Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham can be purchased at NewburyComics.com.

Songs for While I’m Away presents a candid look at late Thin Lizzy singer/bassist Phil Lynott‘s life and music. It tells the story of how a Black boy raised during the 1950s by a working-class family in Dublin went on to become one of Ireland’s biggest rock stars before he died in 1986 of drug-related health issues at age 36.

The movie features archival footage of conversations with Lynott, as well as recent interviews with Thin Lizzy members and/or alums Gorham, Eric Bell, Darren Wharton and Midge Ure, as well as with U2‘s Adam Clayton, Metallica‘s James Hetfield, Huey Lewis and Suzi Quatro.

The film also includes conversations with Lynott’s wife, Caroline Taraskevics, and his daughters Sarah and Catherine Lynott.

Thin Lizzy: The Boys Are Back in Town Live at the Sydney Opera House October 1978, which was originally released in 1988, features the band performing many of its classic songs at the famed Australian venue. The footage has been restored for the new DVD release, while a companion CD of the show is also included in the package.

Here’s the The Boys Are Back in Town Live at the Sydney Opera House‘s CD track list:

“Jailbreak”
“Bad Reputation”
“Warriors”
“Don’t Believe a Word”
“Waiting for an Alibi”
“Still In Love with You”
“Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed”
“Cowboy Song”
“The Boys Are Back in Town”
“Suicide”
“Are You Ready”
“Baby Drives Me Crazy”
“Me and the Boys “

And here’s the track list for concert DVD:

“Jailbreak”
“Bad Reputation”
“Waiting for an Alibi”
“Cowboy Song”
“The Boys Are Back in Town”
“Are You Ready”
“Me and the Boys “
“Baby Drives Me Crazy”

Lost Sydney Performances
“Warriors”
“Don’t Believe a Word”
“Still In Love with You”
“Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed”
“Suicide”

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The 1995 Eric Clapton documentary Nothing but the Blues, which was broadcast just once on PBS, got its official release Friday on multiple formats and configurations, along with a companion soundtrack album.

The film features Clapton showcasing and discussing his lifelong passion for the blues. It includes performances from two concerts that he played in November 1994 at San Francisco’s famed Fillmore venue during his tour in support of his blues covers album From the Cradle.

Nothing but the Blues is available as a super deluxe limited-edition box set and as a standalone DVD or Blu-ray, while the soundtrack has been issued on CD and digitally. A two-LP vinyl version of the album will be released on July 29.

The movie was executive produced by Martin Scorsese, who also conducted an in-depth interview with Clapton for the film, in which the British guitar legend talks about his love for blues music and the artists who influenced him, such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Robert Johnson.

The film has been upgraded to 4K video, while the audio has been newly remastered.

The box set features a Blu-ray of the documentary, the soundtrack on both CD and as a two-LP set, and a bonus CD featuring four extra tracks. The collection comes packaged in an exclusive hardcover book and includes a lithograph, a poster, a set of Clapton guitar strings, guitar picks and a bandana.

In conjunction with Friday’s release of Nothing but the Blues, a video of Clapton performing the Willie Dixon-penned 1957 song “Groaning the Blues” has premiered at Clapton’s YouTube channel, where you also can watch a few other clips from the film.

Here’s the track list of the Nothing but the Blues DVD and Blu-ray:

“Blues All Day Long”
“Standin’ Round Crying”
“Forty-Four”
“It Hurts Me Too”
“Early in the Morning”
“Five Long Years”
“Crossroads”
“Malted Milk Blues”
“Motherless Child”
“How Long Blues”
“Reconsider Baby”
“Sinner’s Prayer”
“Every Day I Have the Blues”
“Crosscut Saw”
“Someday After a While”
“Have You Ever Loved a Woman”
“I’m Tore Down”
“Groaning the Blues”
“T’Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness”
“Driftin” (Bonus Track)

And here’s the soundtrack’s track list:

“Blues All Day Long”
“Standing ‘Round Crying”
“Forty-Four”
“It Hurts Me Too”
“Early in the Morning”
“Five Long Years”
“Crossroads”
“Malted Milk”
“Motherless Child”
“How Long”
“Reconsider Baby”
“Sinners Prayer”
“Every Day I Have the Blues”
“Someday After a While (You’ll Be Sorry)”
“Have You Ever Loved a Woman”
“I’m Tore Down”
“Groaning Blues”
“County Jail Blues”*

* = exclusive to two-LP vinyl version.

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As part of Don McLean‘s continuing 50th anniversary celebrations for his classic song “American Pie,” a special dance remix of the tune created by Australian electronic dance-music outfit L’Tric was released Friday via digital formats.

McLean was personally involved in making the remix, sharing his input and notes with L’Tric. The track features the singer/songwriter’s original vocals accompanied by a pulsing dance beat, hand claps and some modern electronic flourishes.

“American Pie” was originally released in October 1971 along with McLean’s studio album of the same name. The song spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early ’72.

L’Tric’s “American Pie” remix arrives between the new children’s book Don McLean’s American Pie: A Fable, which was published earlier this month, and the recently announced documentary The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s “American Pie,” which will premiere in theaters and on Paramount+ in July.

Meanwhile, McLean continues his American Pie 50th Anniversary Tour with a show Friday night in San Antonio, Texas.

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