Classic Rock 93.9

The late Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson was celebrated in Huntington Beach, California, Saturday with a paddle-out featuring over 100 surfers.

According to an Instagram post by the city of Huntington Beach, the paddle-out was part of International Surfing Day and featured an appearance by Jan & Dean singer Dean Torrence. Wilson co-wrote one of the duo’s biggest hits, “Surf City.”

According to the L.A Times, at least 400 people also gathered on land to remember Wilson, who passed away June 11 at the age of 82.

“The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson had a huge part in establishing what we would call the Southern California beach culture,” surfer Peter “PT” Townend, who emceed the event, said, according to the paper.

The surfers who took part paddled out into the water with flowers in their hand and formed a circle in honor of Wilson, before surfing back to shore.

The event took place one day after what would have been Wilson’s 83rd birthday.

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He may be the guitarist in one of Ireland’s biggest rock groups, but believe it or not, U2‘s The Edge just became an Irish citizen.

The Irish Times reports that the 63-year-old rocker, who was born to Welsh parents in Essex, England, officially became an Irish citizen during a ceremony Monday in County Kerry, Ireland.

“I have always felt Irish, Ireland will always be home to me and I’m so grateful for that,” he said. He noted that his application for citizenship was “long overdue.”

“I’m a little tardy with the paper work. I’ve been living in Ireland now since I was one. But the time is right,” The Edge told reporters. “It couldn’t come at a better moment for me, so I am just so happy to be at this point to be in even deeper connection with my homeland.”

He added, “Honestly, there were many moments in the past when I could have done it with just the form to be filled out but I’m happy it’s now. It feels more significant.” He said it’s “more meaningful” at this moment because of “what is going on in the world right now, what Ireland stands for – it’s very powerful.”

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Eric Clapton has added a new show to his upcoming U.S. tour.

The three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is set to play Mershon Auditorium at Ohio State University on Sept. 5.

All proceeds from the concert will benefit the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. The substance abuse rehabilitation center was founded by Clapton in 1998.

Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

Clapton is set to launch a short U.S. tour starting Sept. 8 in Nashville. In addition to the Ohio State show, the tour will hit Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston and New York before wrapping Sept. 20 in Uncasville, Connecticut. A complete list of dates can be found at EricClapton.com.

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On This Day, June 23, 1980 … 

The Rolling Stones released their 15th studio album, Emotional Rescue.

The album was recorded in Nassau, Bahamas, and Paris, with additional work completed in New York City.

Emotional Rescue hit #1 on the Billboard 200, as well as in several other countries, including the U.K., Canada and Sweden.

The album’s title track was a top-10 hit in the U.S., peaking at #9. A second single, “She’s So Cold,” was a top-40 hit.

The album was certified double Platinum in the U.S.

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AC/DC is bringing their Power Up tour home.

The Aussie Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have announced a five-date Australian leg of the tour, kicking off Nov. 12 in Melbourne. The tour will hit Sydney, Adelaide and Perth before wrapping Dec. 14 in Brisbane.

Amyl and the Sniffers, who are also from Australia, are set to open on all dates.

Tickets for all shows go on sale Thursday. A complete list of dates and more info on tickets can be found at acdc.com.

AC/DC launched their Power Up tour in May 2024. The tour was their first trek since 2016, and the first since releasing their 2020 album, Power Up. They brought the tour to the U.S. in April, with the North American trek wrapping May 28 in Cleveland. The tour returns to Europe on Thursday in Prague.

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Dave Grohl made a surprise appearance during The Breeders frontwoman and ex-Pixies bassist Kim Deal‘s solo show in London Friday.

The Foo Fighters frontman joined Deal for a rendition of the Pixies track “Gigantic.” In fan-shot video, Grohl declares “I’ll sing whatever you ask me to sing” before launching into the song.

The Deal show is one of several live appearances Grohl has made since his 2024 infidelity scandal, along with a pair of Nirvana performances at January’s FireAid and February’s SNL50: The Homecoming Concert. He also showed up at Coachella in April.

Foo Fighters are set to return to the live stage for a run of Asia dates in October.

Deal, meanwhile, has been touring in support of her debut solo album, 2024’s Nobody Loves You More.

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Some lucky Bruce Springsteen fans in New Jersey are going to get a chance to hear The Boss’ upcoming Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set before it’s officially released.

The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University in Monmouth, New Jersey, is holding a Tracks II advance listening party on Thursday, one day before the box set comes out.

The event will give attendees a chance to hear selections from Tracks II, which is made up of seven previously unheard Springsteen records: LA Garage Sessions ’83, Streets of Philadelphia Sessions, Faithless, Somewhere North of Nashville, Inyo, Twilight Hours and Perfect World. It features 83 songs, all of which were originally recorded between 1983 and 2018.

The listening party is free, although those interested do need to register in advance. One attendee will win two tickets to a Sept. 5 Archives Center event with longtime Springsteen collaborator and director Thom Zimny, taking place at Monmouth’s Pollak Theatre.

Tracks II: The Lost Albums will be released digitally, and as limited-edition nine-LP and seven-CD sets. The physical copies come with packaging for each previously unreleased record, along with a 100-page hardcover book with rare archival photos, liner notes, a personal introduction from Springsteen and more.

In addition, Springsteen will release Lost and Found: Selections from the Lost Albums, featuring 20 songs from the collection, as a single CD and two-LP set.

Tracks II: The Lost Albums is available for preorder now.

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REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin is feeling nostalgic about Live Aid, which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in July.

Cronin reveals in a Facebook post that he was just interviewed about the concerts for the anniversary. He writes, “It was an incredible, monumental, and unifying day – a global effort from Philadelphia and London to fight famine in Africa through music.”

And the interview prompted Cronin to take a step to continue that fight.

“To honor that powerful legacy, the Kevin Cronin Band is proud to say that we will be donating a portion of the proceeds from our show closest to the anniversary – July 12th at Jiffy Lube Live in VA – towards ongoing efforts to address food insecurity,” he says. “Wouldn’t it be amazing if many of the other Live Aid performers would join in and consider a similar gesture? Every little bit helps, as the need is still there.”

He then tagged several other artists who performed at Live Aid, including Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Simple Minds, Neil Young, Bryan Adams and Carlos Santana.

Live Aid, organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, took place July 13, 1985, at London’s Wembley Stadium and Philly’s John F. Kennedy Stadium. The benefit concerts, which raised more than $150 million for Ethiopian famine relief, were watched by about 2 billion people in more than 100 countries.

Cronin and his band are currently on tour with Styx. They next play Kansas City, Missouri, on July 2. A complete list of dates can be found at KevinCronin.com.

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Sammy Hagar is celebrating his bandmate Michael Anthony on social media in honor of the bassist’s 71st birthday.

Hagar posted two pictures of them together on Instagram, one of them from their Van Halen days and another that’s more recent. He wrote, “1986-2025! coming up on 40 years. Me and my brother have been doing it and enjoy it as much today maybe more than ever! Together, we are #TheOtherHalf.”

“Mikey, my friend, without you I don’t believe I would still be playing music today,” he adds. “Certainly can’t imagine doing it without you! I think we can squeeze another decade or so out of these old, but well oiled machines.”

The post included a fingers crossed emoji and a heart emoji, along with #HappyBirthday and #ThenAndNow.

Anthony responded to the post with a heart emoji.

In addition to working together in Van Halen since the mid-’80s, Hagar and Anthony have performed together in the bands Chickenfoot and Sammy Hagar and The Circle. They also played together during Hagar’s recent The Best of All Worlds tour and Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM, where they played songs from the Van Halen catalog.

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The Beatles legend Paul McCartney turned 83 on Wednesday, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has now taken to social media to thank all the friends and fans who reached out to wish him a happy birthday.

“I wanna thank everyone who sent me beautiful birthday wishes,” he said in a video on his Instagram Story. “There were so many and they were all so soulful and thoughtful and made me have a really happy birthday.”

He added, “I had it with my kids and my grandkids and wife and her family. It was really beautiful. So thank you, people of the world. I love you. Thank you so much.”

Among the messages he received was an Instagram post from Barbra Streisand that read, “To Paul … Happy Birthday. Hope you’re celebrating with a little help from your friends … including me.”

Streisand and McCartney recently collaborated on a new version of his song “My Valentine” for Streisand’s upcoming album, The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two. The album comes out June 27.

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