Jason Bonham expands tour celebrating 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti’

May 28, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Drummer Jason Bonham has extended his latest tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s classic album Physical Graffiti.

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening will launch the second leg of the tour, dubbed An Evening with JBLZE Celebrating 50 Years of Physical Graffiti, on Aug. 1 in Omaha, Nebraska. Dates run through Aug. 31 in Vancouver, Canada.

“This is my favorite Led Zeppelin album of all time. Being able to celebrate it the way we are planning on this tour is something I am extremely excited about,” Jason Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, said when he first announced the tour. “I can’t wait for people to come out and see these shows and celebrate this extraordinary record with us.”

The tour has Jason Bonham and the band playing the entire Physical Graffiti album, as well as other Zeppelin favorites like “Stairway to Heaven,” “Whole Lotta Love” and “Good Times Bad Times.”

Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday.

In the meantime, the first leg of the Physical Graffiti tour is set to hit San Diego on Wednesday. A complete list of dates can be found at JasonBonham.net.

Off to double-Diamond land: Metallica’s ‘Black Album’ certified 20-times Platinum

May 28, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Metallica‘s 1991 self-titled record aka The Black Album has been certified 20-times Platinum by the RIAA.

The milestone signifies 20 million units certified, which also means The Black Album has now gone double-Diamond. It first achieved Diamond status, which signifies 10 million units certified, in 1997.

A landmark record, The Black Album brought metal to the mainstream with singles including “Enter Sandman,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “The Unforgiven,” “Sad but True” and “Wherever I May Roam.” Metallica celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021 with a deluxe reissue and The Metallica Blacklist, a compilation collecting covers of every song off the original album recorded by over 50 different artists.

Along with the new Black Album certification, Metallica’s 1986 album Master of Puppets has now been certified eight-times Platinum.

Styx announces 18th studio album, ‘Circling From Above’

May 28, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Styx has revealed that their 18th studio album, Circling From Above, will be released July 18. They’ve also dropped the first single from the record, “Build and Destroy.“

Circling From Above, Styx’s first album of new material since 2021’s Crash The Crown, will feature 13 tracks that a press release describes as navigating the “complexities of the human experience through the intersecting lenses of technology and nature.”

“When you start writing an album, there’s generally something that piques your imagination, and all of a sudden, you’re a storyteller starting with the seed of a story,” says guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw. “A good song is like a straight road — it’ll get you to the next place.”

While Circling From Above won’t be available for streaming or download until July 18, vinyl and CD copies of the album are now available at StyxWorld.com. Fans will also be able to purchase them at stops on the band’s Brotherhood of Rock tour with REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin and Don Felder, which kicks off Wednesday in Greenville, South Carolina.

Here is the track list for Circling From Above:
“Circling From Above”
“Build and Destroy”
“Michigan”
“King of Love”
“It’s Clear”
“Forgive”
“Everyone Raise A Glass”
“Blue Eyed Raven”
“She Knows”
“Ease Your Mind”
“The Things That You Said”
“We Lost the Wheel Again”
“Only You Can Decide”

Queen honored as Laureate of the 2025 Polar Music Prize

May 28, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Queen was honored as Laureate of the 2025 Polar Music Prize in Sweden Tuesday, with Brian May and Roger Taylor on hand to accept the honor.

“When we started our band … we had ambitions, but never dreamed of the journey that was to follow,” Taylor said at the ceremony. “We were fortunate in the fact that our four wildly different personalities came together to achieve a wonderful chemistry.”

Taylor noted that the honor “is exceptional in the fact that unlike other awards it recognizes the entirety of an artist’s career.” He added, “What an honor to be included in the glittering cavalcade of previous laureates. … We are so proud to be the recipients of this incredibly prestigious award.”

Meanwhile, May reflected on the longevity of his career: “In this special moment, I contemplate how that younger Brian May in 1974 would have felt if he knew that we would be living this kind of dream 50 years in the future.”

The night also featured performances celebrating the band. Adam Lambert, who’s toured with May and Taylor in recent years, performed “Who Wants To Live Forever” and “Another One Bites The Dust.” Ghost’s Tobias Forge, Opeth guitarist Fredrik Åkesson and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir performed the classic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Swedish singers Erik Grönwall and Miriam Bryant performed “Stone Cold Crazy” and “The Show Must Go On,” respectively.

On This Day, May 28, 1945: Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Fogerty was born

May 28, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, May 28, 1945…

Legendary rocker John Fogerty was born in Berkeley, California.

Fogerty rose to fame as the lead singer, lead guitarist and principal songwriter for the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, which he co-founded in 1968 with his brother Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford and Stu Cook.

The band had nine top-10 singles, including such classics as “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Fortunate Son,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Green River,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and “Down on the Corner.” Eight of their albums have been certified Gold.

CCR broke up in 1972 and Fogerty launched a successful solo career. His 1985 solo album, Centerfield, gave him his first and only solo top-10 single, “The Old Man Down the Road.” Fogerty was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

In January 2023, after a 50-year battle with his former record label, Fogerty regained control of the worldwide publishing rights to his music with Creedence Clearwater Revival, which encompassed more than 65 songs.

Fogerty is set to celebrate his 80th birthday on stage in New York with shows on Wednesday and Thursday at the Beacon Theatre. He also has several other tour dates on his schedule, which can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

Bono throws his support behind Bruce Springsteen: ‘There’s only one Boss in America’

May 28, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bono stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! Tuesday to promote his Apple TV+ documentary, Bono: Stories of Surrender, and revealed where he stands in the war of words between Bruce Springsteen and Donald Trump.

When Jimmy Kimmel asked Bono whose side he was on, the rocker replied with a grin, “I think there’s only one Boss in America.”

Bono was recently included in a Trump Truth Social post blasting him, Springsteen, Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey, claiming they were paid to support Kamala Harris during the election, something Bono denied.

“Two points I’ll make. One, to be in the company of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Oprah, I’ll play tambourine in that band,” Bono said. “And two, U2 and I have never (been) paid or played a show to support any candidate from any party. That has never happened.”

He added, “It’s called Truth Social, it seems to be pretty antisocial and it’s not very true a lot of the time.”

Bono also gave Kimmel an update on U2’s next album, confirming they’ve been in the studio.

“I think you sometimes got to deal with the past to get to the present in order to make, you know, the sound of the future, which is what we want to do,” he said. “It’s the sound of, I would say, four men who feel like their lives depend on it. And I remind them they do.”

“Nobody needs a U2 album unless it’s an extraordinary one, and I’m feeling very strong about its songs,” he added, noting they’re “for every part of your life.”

Bono: Stories of Surrender premieres May 30 on Apple TV+.

Rod Stewart confirms Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood will join him at Glastonbury

May 28, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rod Stewart will be joined by an old friend for his set at the Glastonbury Festival in England in June.

During an appearance on the That Peter Crouch Podcast, Stewart confirmed that his Faces bandmate, The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, will be performing with him.

While discussing his current relationship with Wood, Stewart noted that he talks to his former bandmate, “a lot,” adding, “Just recently, ’cause we’re gonna do Glastonbury together.”

Although this is not a full Faces reunion, that may be coming in the future. The duo’s other bandmate Kenney Jones, recently hinted that the trio had been working together on new music, telling The Telegraph they had recorded “about 11 tracks” for a possible album.

“Not all of them are going to be right,” he said. “But most of them are good.”

Glastonbury Festival is happening June 25-29 at Worthy Farm. Stewart is set to headline the Pyramid stage on June 29. A complete lineup can be found at GlastonburyFestivals.co.uk.

Artist surprised after U2’s The Edge purchases his painting for charity

May 28, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

U2’s The Edge surprised an Irish artist by purchasing his painting at a charity auction.

According to The Irish News, artist Stephen Whalley took part in a charity event at the Titanic Museum in Belfast on May 24. He gave a live painting performance, with the final product being a painting of the museum against an evening sky.

The event was part of an effort to raise over $1 million for the Cancer Fund for Children. When Whalley’s artwork went on the auction block, the U2 guitarist snagged it.

“After I finished the painting, I gave a short speech about myself and the painting and then they started the bidding and The Edge was at the table right in front of me and he looked up, smiled and then all of a sudden, his paddle went up and he started bidding himself,” Whalley said.

Whalley added, “Once he started I don’t think anybody else wanted to bid because they knew how big and how important it was that he got it.”

Although Whalley says he “hadn’t a clue” The Edge was going to buy his painting, he notes the rocker did show some interest in it during the event.

“The Edge came past while I was working and he looked at the painting and gave me a thumbs up and a wee wink and off he went,” he said. “So he saw what I was at and the work I was doing and given that he’s a creative himself, I think he maybe understood and appreciated that.”

Exactly how much The Edge shelled out for the painting wasn’t revealed, but the price tag was said to be in the four figures.

‘Hang on Sloopy’ singer Rick Derringer dies at 77

May 27, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Musician, producer and songwriter Rick Derringer, who had a hit at 17 with “Hang on Sloopy” as a member of The McCoys, has died.

The rocker’s death was announced on Facebook by his caretaker Tony Wilson, who revealed that Derringer passed away Monday at the age of 77.

In addition to “Hang on Sloopy,” which went to #26 on the Hot 100 chart, Derringer penned the track “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo,” which was first recorded by Johnny Winter. Derringer’s own solo version was released in 1973 and became a top-40 hit.

Derringer also worked with Johnny Winter’s brother Edgar Winter, playing lead guitar on such songs as “Frankenstein” and “Free Ride.” He also worked with such artists as Alice Cooper, Steely Dan, KISS, Cyndi Lauper and “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Derringer also co-produced the 1985 release The Wrestling Album for the World Wrestling Federation, which featured a compilation of wrestler entrance songs, including Hulk Hogan‘s “Real American.”

“Derringer’s legacy extends beyond his music, entertaining fans with his signature energy and talent,” reads the post announcing his death. “His passing leaves a void in the music world, and he will be deeply missed by fans, colleagues, and loved ones.”

Derringer won a Grammy for producing Weird Al’s “Eat it,” a parody of Michael Jackson‘s “Beat It,” and Yankovic has paid tribute to Derringer on social media.

“I’m very sad to say that my friend, rock guitar legend Rick Derringer, has passed,” he shared. “Rick produced my first 6 albums and played guitar on my earliest recordings, including the solo on ‘Eat It.’ He had an enormous impact on my life, and will be missed greatly. RIP.”

Sting & Shaggy announce second One Fine Day festival

May 27, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Sting and Shaggy are bringing their One Fine Day festival back for another year.

The festival, which launched in September 2024, will once again take place at Philadelphia’s The Mann in Fairmont Park, this time on Sept. 6, with performances taking place on two stages.

Other artists on the bill include O.A.R. and The Original Wailers featuring Al Anderson.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday.

When One Fine Day was launched in 2024, it was billed as Sting and Shaggy performing “a joint-set of combined greatest hits.” It appears fans can expect something similar this year, with a poster noting they’ll perform songs “from ‘Roxanne’ to ‘It Wasn’t Me’ to ‘Every Breath You Take’ to ‘Angel.'”

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