Elton John celebrates 35th ‘sobriety birthday’

July 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Elton John‘s birthday is in March, but on Tuesday he marked a milestone birthday of another sort.

“Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday,” the Rocket Man wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of cards, drawings and flowers. July 29 marked his 35th year of sobriety. One card in the photo reads, “Happy 35th Birthday! We are so proud of you!” It’s signed by Elton’s husband, David Furnish, and their sons.

Another card says, “Congratulations on 35 years! We are immensely proud of you and wish you a lovely birthday today.” It’s signed “Your Rocket Family.” Rocket Entertainment is the name of Elton’s company.

Elton has been open about his substance abuse and other addictions in multiple interviews, as well as in his autobiography, Me. He sought help, joining Alcoholics Anonymous and going to rehab, finally getting clean in 1990. In his book, he estimated he’d attended some 1,400 support group meetings. He’s gone on to help other celebrities get sober, including Eminem and Donatella Versace.

For charity auction, Queen’s John Deacon signs first memorabilia since 1997

July 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Queen bass player John Deacon dropped out of the spotlight after he retired in 1997, but he’s now reemerged to take part in a charity auction coming up in September.

The Official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party, an annual charity event organized by the Mercury Phoenix Trust, is taking place Sept. 6 in Montreux, Switzerland. A silent auction will be held for a copy of the band’s classic album A Night at the Opera, signed by Deacon, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. The money raised will go toward HIV/AIDS awareness.

According to the Mercury Phoenix Trust website, you don’t have to attend the party to enter a bid, but you do have to physically submit it at the Montreux Casino, where Queen’s Mountain Studios were formerly located and where the party is being held.

As per NME, this is the first time that Deacon has signed memorabilia since 1997.

In 2023, May told The Guardian that despite his retirement, Deacon was “still very much a part of Queen.”

“If we have any major decision, business wise, it’s always run past John,” May said.

Metallica expands blood drive initiative with Give Where You Live campaign

July 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

During Metallica‘s 2025 M72 tour, the band teamed up with the American Red Cross to set up blood drives around cities on the itinerary. Now, the metal legends are expanding the initiative nationwide with the Give Where You Live campaign.

If you sign up to participate in any Red Cross blood drive in the U.S. now through Feb. 28, 2026, you’ll receive a limited-edition Red Cross-themed Metallica T-shirt, while supplies last. You’ll also be automatically entered to win an ESP Snakebyte guitar featuring exclusive artwork and autographs by each Metallica band member.

For more info, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Metallica.

“Throughout the U.S. run of M72 shows, fans donated more than 2,000 units of blood and platelets!” Metallica says. “Each blood donation can help save more than one life; the Metallica Family is giving back and saving lives!”

On This Day, July 30, 1988: Steve Winwood hit #1 with ‘Roll With It’

July 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, July 30, 1988 …

Former Traffic star Steve Winwood topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Roll With It,” the title track from his fifth studio album.

The track spent four weeks in the top spot and was one of two #1 hits Winwood would have during his solo career. The other was “Higher Love,” which topped the chart in August 1986.

While Winwood wrote “Roll With It” with Will Jennings, the performing rights organization BMI later gave the Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland – Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Eddie Holland – credit, due to the song’s similarity to “(I’m a) Roadrunner,” which they wrote for Junior Walker.

“Roll With It” went on to earn Grammy nominations for record of the year and best male pop vocal performance. The album was also nominated for album of the year.

Grahame Lesh talks celebrating the Grateful Dead & more with The Heart of Town shows

July 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Grahame Lesh is hosting a three-night concert series, The Heart of Town, to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead.

Lesh’s shows, taking place July 31-Aug. 2 at San Francisco’s Pier 48, coincide with Dead & Company’s three-night stand at Golden Gate Park Aug. 1-3. Lesh tells ABC Audio the weekend is about celebrating more than just the band’s music.

“The Grateful Dead is so all-encompassing,” Lesh, son of the late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, says. “I think every aspect of the weekend is going to celebrate some aspect of the band.”

He adds, “It’s just become this whole Bay Area wide celebration of the band, of the music, of the community and, you know, of the area honestly, of the city itself.”

Artists on board to celebrate The Dead’s legacy include Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes, John Medeski and Duane Betts, with Lesh noting it wasn’t hard to find artists who’ve been influenced by The Dead.

“That sort of like just opens up this whole world of people who love to play this music or love to play adjacent music or any sort of thing like that,” he says.

Lesh says his main goal with The Heart of Town is to put on a great show, but he hopes fans leave grasping the “breadth and the depth” of the Grateful Dead’s music and its community.

And when it comes to the set, fans may be in for some surprises.

“I’m planning to play some Dead songs that I’m sure Dead & Co. is not going to do,” Lesh says. “There’s so much … they couldn’t get it all in to three nights either.”

The Heart of the Town is presented by San Francisco Giants and Relix, and produced by Terrapin Station Entertainment and Dayglo Presents. More info can be found at mlb.com.

Ex-Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron playing concert with Is This Real? side project

July 29, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Following his exit from Pearl Jam, drummer Matt Cameron is getting back onstage.

Cameron has announced a show with his side project Is This Real?, which began as a tribute to the band Wipers. The concert takes place Sept. 13 at the Seattle venue The Triple Door.

The bill also includes Hiro Yamamoto, who previously played with Cameron as the original bassist for Soundgarden.

Cameron announced earlier in July that he’d left Pearl Jam after 27 years playing with Eddie Vedder and company. He later clarified that, despite the Pearl Jam departure, he’s “still an active musician.”

Both Cameron and Yamamoto will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as members of Soundgarden in November.

Original Iron Maiden lead singer has died

July 29, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

British singer Paul Mario Day, who was the original lead singer for Iron Maiden, has passed away at the age of 69.

Day’s death was revealed in a tribute posted on the Facebook page of British glam band Sweet, which Day joined in 1985. According to the post, Day “passed away peacefully at his home in Australia.”

“IN 1985 Mick Tucker and myself put together the first new line-up of Sweet after the hiatus of the original band,” Sweet guitarist Andy Scott writes. “We needed a singer and when Paul arrived for the audition we looked no further.”

Day toured Australia and Europe with Sweet, and appeared on the band’s 1989 live album and DVD Live at the Marquee, with Scott noting Day’s vocals have “stood the test of time.”

Day was the lead singer of Iron Maiden from December 1975 to October 1976 before he was replaced by Dennis Wilcock. He went on to form the British heavy metal band More, before joining Sweet.

Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison announces dates for special ‘Stop Making Sense’ screenings

July 29, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

As part of the continuing celebration of the 40th anniversary of Taking Heads‘ iconic concert film, Stop Making Sense, the band’s keyboardist and guitarist Jerry Harrison is set to host a series of special screenings of the film.

In addition to showing the newly restored 4K version, the screenings will include an appearance by Harrison, who’ll share some introductory remarks, behind-the-scenes stories and sit for a Q&A with audiences.

The screenings kick off Sept. 11 in Concord, New Hampshire, and include stops in California, Texas and Florida before wrapping Jan. 17 in Bellingham, Washington.

A ticket presale begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday. More information and a complete list of screenings can be found at jerry-harrison.com.

Released in 1984, Stop Making Sense was recorded over three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre in December 1983. It is considered by many to be the greatest concert film of all time. In 2021, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

The newly restored 4K version of Stop Making Sense had its premiere at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival, with the four members of Talking Heads – Harrison, David Byrne, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz — reuniting for the event. The band went on to host several other screenings of the film.

Metallica asks for help in identifying kid in throwback photo

July 29, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Metallica is asking for your help in identifying a kid featured in a throwback photo alongside James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

The photo was taken in 1996 by a Metallica fan named Vincent Pugliese, who ran into Hetfield and Ulrich at New York City’s Madison Square Garden while photographing a hockey game between the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pugliese says he was outside the locker rooms when he noticed Hetfield and Ulrich were standing next to him. He then introduced himself and asked if he could take a photo of them. They agreed, though Pugliese says that Ulrich told him that because of “promotional reasons,” the photo couldn’t only feature members of Metallica.

So, Pugliese turned to a kid wearing a Rangers shirt who also happened to be standing nearby and asked him if he’d want to be in the photo. The kid agreed, though Pugliese believes he didn’t have “any clue who they were.”

“We went on our merry ways, and every few years I think about this kid,” Pugliese says. “He’s never seen this picture because it was never published in any magazine. All these years later, Metallica is still one of the biggest bands in the world. I think it would be cool if he saw this.”

After coming across Pugliese’s story, Metallica reposted it to their Facebook page, adding, “C’mon everyone… let’s help Vincent finally get this pic to the young man in this photo! (…and we’re not talking about us!)”

Ian Anderson on Mick Jagger’s vocals: ‘(He) didn’t set the bar very high’

July 29, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson doesn’t seem all that impressed with Mick Jagger.

The 77-year-old rocker criticized the Rolling Stones frontman’s singing in an interview with Now Spinning Magazine as he was addressing what it physically takes to perform at his age.

Discussing the challenges faced by artists, Anderson, who sings and plays the flute onstage, said “it depends what you do.” He adds, “You can be physically animated, but there’s a degree to which you can only do so much if you’re playing a flute.”

He then compared it to what the now-82-year-old Jagger does onstage, suggesting it doesn’t take much to perform like him since he “didn’t set the bar very high in terms of vocal skills right from the very beginning.” Anderson did say he meant “no disrespect.”

“He’s a shouter, and he doesn’t have to really hit the notes or necessarily be terribly great on intonation or phrasing or anything,” Anderson said. “He runs around in a very animated way, and that’s great for someone who’s, you know, whatever, a couple of years older than me, or three years older than me. That’s fine.”

Anderson added that what he does is “not easy” and that “there is a limit to what you can do” when playing the flute.

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