Deep Purple releases ‘Diablo’ from upcoming album ‘SPLAT!’

June 5, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Deep Purple is offering up another preview of their upcoming album, SPLAT!

The band has dropped the new single “Diablo,” which features country star Keith Urban on guitar.

“It is all about taking chances,” frontman Ian Gillan says of the song. “Just for once in your life, do something exciting, step out of the mold, take that curious bend in the road instead of sticking to the highway and do something that will, for the rest of your life, either guide or warn you.”

“Diablo” is now available via digital outlets. A live performance video is set to debut Sunday on YouTube, with the band’s Roger Glover planning to chat with fans during the premiere.

SPLAT!, dropping July 3, explores the idea of the end of humanity as a transformation rather than a destruction, with the album’s description noting it sees the end “not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.”

Deep Purple kicks off a European tour on June 11 in Finland. They launch a North American tour Aug. 4 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

A complete list of dates can be found at DeepPurple.com.

Stevie Nicks makes major donation to USC

June 5, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Stevie Nicks is honoring the doctor who helps keep her voice in tip-top shape.

The singer has made a major donation to University of Southern California to help complete a $3 million fundraising goal for an endowed chair at the Keck School of Medicine at USC within the Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

The chair honors Dr. Joseph Sugerman, Nick’s longtime ear, nose and throat specialist.

“Through late nights on the road, years of touring, hours in the recording studio, I always knew I could count on Dr. Sugerman to be there to help keep my voice healthy, just as he does for his other patients,” said Nicks. “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to acknowledge his talent and insights and mark his many years of outstanding practice.”

The first holder of the endowed chair will be Dr. Michael M. Johns, director of the USC Voice Center, which was established in 2017.

“I am touched and humbled by the support of my patients who have extended themselves to create this endowed chair, which will be dedicated to advancing vocal medicine,” said Dr. Sugerman. “I’m especially excited that this will strengthen the outstanding programs at the USC Voice Center.”

The return of Rush: Band’s first tour in over 10 years kicks off Sunday

June 5, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rush’s highly anticipated Fifty Something tour finally kicks off Sunday in Los Angeles, something fans of the Canadian rockers have been waiting for for more than a decade.

The tour will be Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson’s first outing since wrapping the R40 tour in 2015. It will also be their first tour since the 2020 death of their drummer and friend Neil Peart.

Playing drums on the tour will be Anika Nilles, who previously worked with the late Jeff Beck. Of course, filling Peart’s shoes won’t be easy.

The Police drummer Stewart Copeland, who was a friend of Peart’s, tells ABC Audio Nilles’ biggest challenge will likely be “Rush fans who have memorized every detail of Dr. Peart’s performance.” Still, he believes “she has the chops” to succeed.

“I think she’s gonna do fine,” he says. “I think, you know, the sense that I get is that everyone is very curious. Nobody resents her.”

As for Rush’s return to the road, Copeland notes, “Rush waited a very respectable amount of time. There’s no doubt that it’s all in honor of Neil.”

If you were wondering, Peart will be honored throughout the tour. The band plans to play two sets each night, with a different set list at every show, along with a tribute to their late bandmate. In an April interview with Brazilian TV show Fantástico, Lee said they’ll dedicate two songs per night to Peart, with each performance featuring a visual tribute.

Lifeson described the tribute as “a celebration of who he was as a person and a drummer, not so sad anymore.”

Rush’s Fifty Something tour begins with four nights at the KIA Forum in Los Angeles. The North American run continues through Dec. 17. A complete list of dates can be found at Rush.com.

Warren Haynes reimagines Grateful Dead’s ‘Shakedown Street’ for upcoming album, ‘Dreams & Songs’

June 4, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Warren Haynes takes on a Grateful Dead classic in the latest preview of his upcoming symphonic album, Dreams & Songs.

The Gov’t Mule frontman has released a cover of The Dead’s “Shakedown Street,” recorded at his 2019 Dreams & Songs symphonic show in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. For the show he was backed by the 64-piece Asheville Symphony Orchestra, as well as Oteil Burbridge, John Medeski, Jeff Sipe and Greg Osby.

“‘Shakedown Street’ is a really powerful orchestrated arrangement that enhances the power of the original, which I played and sang a ton of times with those guys through the years, especially with Phil Lesh and Friends, but with The Dead as well,” Haynes says. “It’s a very danceable song. A lot of people just focus on the groove and get lost in the rhythmic quality of it. The orchestra forces you to pay attention to it in a different way. It’s very dark and powerful and, I think, very effective.”

Details on when Dreams & Songs will be released will be revealed at a later date.

Haynes will once again perform with an orchestra next year when he brings his Dreams & Songs Symphonic Experience to Nashville on March 11 and 12. Tickets are on sale now.

Below is the track list for Dreams & Songs:
“Dreams and Songs (Part One)”
“Dreams”
“Banks of the Deep End”
“Spots of Time”
“Broken Promised Land”
“Thorazine Shuffle”
“Makes No Difference”
“Terrapin Station”
“Raven Black Night”
“Just Another Rider”
“Black Peter”
“Instrumental Illness”
“One”
“Shakedown Street”
“Whipping Post”
“Dreams and Songs (Reprise)”

The Rolling Stones collaborate with FIFA for new ‘Foreign Tongues’ variants

June 4, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Rolling Stones have announced a new collaboration with FIFA to coincide with the upcoming World Cup tournament.

The Rolling Stones x FIFA – Foreign Tongues collab is made up of limited-edition vinyl variants of their upcoming album, Foreign Tongues.

The variants are the Host Nation Edition, featuring artwork inspired by the colors, iconography and cultural identity of host countries, the U.S., Mexico and Canada; the FIFA World Cup 2026 Edition, which celebrates the tournament with multi-colored artwork that surrounds the band’s iconic tongue and lips logo; and the Winners’ Circle Edition, which reimagines the logo inspired by the World Cup trophy and highlights past winners.

All three variants are available for preorder now.

The Rolling Stones are also one of the many artists appearing on the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Album. The album features 18 tracks, with The Stones contributing a remix of the Foreign Tongues single “In the Stars.”

Foreign Tongues, The Stones’ first album since 2024’s Hackney Diamonds, drops July 10.

Metallica sets a new attendance record with M72 show in Bologna

June 4, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Metallica has broken another attendance record.

The band’s concert Wednesday night at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara in Bologna, Italy, broke an attendance record with over 47,000 fans in attendance.

According to Metallica’s post on Instagram, it was actually the sixth record-breaking crowd on the current leg of their M72 World tour.

“With five record-breaking crowds already on this leg of #M72, the Italian branch of the #MetallicaFamily knew what was at stake… and they definitely delivered,” the band wrote. “Thank you so much for making #M72Bologna a night to remember!”

Metallica next brings their M72 world tour to Budapest on June 11. The European/U.K. leg of the trek wraps with a no repeat weekend, July 3 and 5 in London.

The band will then return to the U.S. to kick off their residency at the Las Vegas Sphere on Oct. 1.

A complete list of dates can be found at Metallica.com.

‘Paul Simon: The Quiet Celebration Concert’ film coming to Hulu

June 4, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Paul Simon fans will now get to enjoy his A Quiet Celebration tour from the comfort of their own home.

Paul Simon: The Quiet Celebration Concert, an almost two-hour concert film, will air on Hulu and Disney+ starting June 26.

The film was recorded live at McCaw Hall in Seattle back in August. It features performances of songs from his most recent album, Seven Psalms, as well as new renditions of classic hits. The tour, which he launched in April 2025, was Simon’s first after dealing with the loss of hearing in his left ear.

“This tour has enabled me to play with musicians again. I really missed it,” says Simon. “Everybody has enjoyed the experience so much. There’s been a feeling of camaraderie and elation that we were playing this piece of music that we were really interested in, and that had a significant effect on me.”

“It made for one of the most extraordinary tours I’ve done — maybe the most joyous,” he adds.

In addition to the concert film, a companion album will be released Oct. 9 digitally and as a three-LP or two-CD set.

Simon kicked off a new leg of the tour on Wednesday in Stanford, California, and will play there again on Thursday. A complete list of dates can be found at PaulSimon.com.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Hulu.

Josh Klinghoffer on the ‘slight disrespect’ of Red Hot Chili Peppers not playing music he made with them

June 4, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has shared his thoughts about the Red Hot Chili Peppers rarely playing songs from the albums he appeared on.

Klinghoffer joined the Peppers in 2011, replacing John Frusciante, who took over on guitar in 1988 following the death of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak. Frusciante appeared on many of their hit albums, including 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik and 1999’s Californication.

Klinghoffer was with the group until 2019, when Frusciante returned, and appeared on 2011’s I’m With You and 2016’s The Getaway. In an interview with Guitar World, he was asked whether it bothered him that those albums are “ignored by the band.”

“Not really,” he replied. “It’s a funny thing. I guess it’s particular to the way John views the band when he’s not in it, and it makes sense to me. They have enough music that they don’t need to look to some of the other records.”

“I guess it’s just something unique to that band, you know? Having such a revolving door there, and such a strong presence in John,” he added. “He’s kind of the preeminent guitar player, you know? He’s the one who made the work with them where they experienced their global fame.”

Frusciante acknowledged that there seems to be “a little bit of a slight disrespect to the records that aren’t the John records. Once John’s back in the picture, it’s like the other records don’t exist.”

“That’s the only weird thing to me, because those records were important at the time, you know?” he said. “They were important enough to go and play them around the world.”

Klinghoffer’s solo project, Pluralone, will release the new album A Drop in the Ocean on June 12.

The Beatles and Apple Corps officially recognize Global Beatles Day

June 4, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Beatles’ message of “All You Need is Love” will once again be celebrated June 25 on Global Beatles Day, and this year it’s gotten the official support of The Beatles.

The fan initiative was launched in 2009 by lifelong fan Faith Cohen. It celebrates the anniversary of the legendary band’s 1967 live performance of “All You Need is Love” on the BBC’s Our World special, which marked the first international satellite television broadcast of the song.

Apple Corps Ltd, the company founded by The Beatles, has now officially recognized the fan celebration. To mark the occasion, on June 25 it will release a colorized version of the Our World performance to YouTube for the first time.

“More than ever, the message of The Beatles, and of ‘All You Need Is Love’ speaks to something vital for community, connection, and the power of bringing people together,” Apple Corps CEO Tom Greene wrote in a recent letter to Cohen. “That is what makes Global Beatles Day so special. It asks nothing more than for people, wherever they are, to stop, listen, and share a little joy.”

Fans can sign up to take part in Global Beatles Day. More info can be found at GlobalBeatlesDay.com.

New York (Knicks) state of mind: Cheer for NBA team with new Billy Joel merch

June 4, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Billy Joel spent 10 years performing at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and now he’s lent the title of one of his signature songs to a collection of merch that celebrates the Garden’s other residents — The Knicks — making it to the NBA Finals.

Called the New York State of Mind collection, the collab with the Sportiqe brand is now available online, and inside New York City’s NBA Store. It includes a hoodie and a tee, each one sporting the Knicks logo and the words “New York State of Mind.”

The collection is the start of future Sportiqe Billy Joel merch collabs, which will tie in with other New York teams and venues through 2026. The brand did something similar in 2025 with Frank Sinatra and the New York Yankees.

Sportiqe co-founder Jason Franklin says in a statement, “I started taking piano lessons when I was 8 years old because I loved Billy Joel – the first song I ever learned to play was one of his songs. Thirty-six years later, it’s incredibly meaningful to launch this collaboration during the Knicks’ long-awaited return to the Finals.”

The Knicks will play the San Antonio Spurs at the Garden during games 2, 4 and, if necessary, 6.

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