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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Zakk Wylde, who long played guitar in Ozzy Osbourne‘s solo band, has shared the final text message he received from the late metal legend.

Wylde tells Guitar World that he received the text following the Back to the Beginning concert on July 5, which was announced ahead of time as the final live performance by both Ozzy and the original Black Sabbath lineup. In addition to playing during Ozzy’s solo set, Wylde performed at Back to the Beginning with Pantera.

“Everybody and their mother were in the backstage dressing room and I just wanted to give [Ozzy] a break,” Wylde recalls of the scene right after Back to the Beginning concluded. “I figured we’d see him later on – the next day or whatever. But no.”

Ozzy died just over two weeks later, on July 22.

“The last text I got from Oz was saying, ‘Zakky, sorry, it was like a madhouse back there. I didn’t see you,'” Wylde says. “He goes, ‘Thanks for everything.’ It was just us talking, saying, ‘I love you, buddy.’ That was it.”

Pantera has since canceled and postponed tour dates so that the band can take “time and space to grieve” Ozzy’s loss. 

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David Gilmour released the solo album Luck and Strange in 2024 and hit the road on a solo tour, and now one of those shows is coming to theaters.

Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome captures one of the Pink Floyd rocker’s shows at the famed Italian venue set against the backdrop of the ancient ruins of Rome. The concert film will hit theaters and IMAX on Sept. 17 for a limited time.

Tickets go on sale Aug. 6 at 9 a.m. ET. at DavidGilmour.film.

Then, on Oct. 17, Gilmour will release The Luck and Strange Concerts, a four-LP or two-CD set featuring 23 tracks recorded during the tour. It features live performances of songs from the album, as well as classic Pink Floyd tracks like “Wish You Were Here” and “Comfortably Numb.” There will also be a super deluxe edition that includes a 120-page book, David Gilmour Luck and Strange Live, that features tour photos taken by Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson.

Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome will also be released on Oct. 17 as a two-Blu-ray and three-DVD set, with bonus footage and The Luck and Strange Concerts.

As a preview of the album and film, Gilmour has released a performance of the Pink Floyd track “Sorrow” to digital services, along with a performance video.

The Luck and Strange Concerts and Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome are available for preorder now.

Luck and Strange was Gimour’s first album of new material in nine years. The album debuted at #10 in the U.S. and at #1 in the U.K. The subsequent tour included rehearsal shows in Brighton, England, followed by multinight stands in Italy, London, New York and Los Angeles.

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On This Day, July 29, 2014…

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their 13th studio album Hypnotic Eye, which would wind up being their final album.

Although it didn’t contain any hit singles, the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, making it the only Petty album, either solo or with the Heartbreakers, to hit #1.

Singles released from the record include “American Dream Plan B,” “Red River” and “U Get Me High.”

The album earned a Grammy nod in 2015 for best rock album, but lost to Beck’s Morning Phase.

Although they never made another album, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers remained active and continued to tour together until Petty’s death in 2017.

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Ozzy Osbourne‘s hometown of Birmingham, England, will host a funeral procession in honor of the late metal legend.

The proceedings will begin Wednesday at 1 p.m. local time, as a hearse will travel down Birmingham’s Broad Street leading up to the bridge and bench previously dedicated to Black Sabbath. Those who wish to attend are encouraged to arrive early.

Ozzy passed away July 22 at age 76. He’d just performed at Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5 as part of the massive Back to the Beginning concert, which was announced ahead of time as both Ozzy and the original Black Sabbath’s lineup’s final live show.

Ozzy and Black Sabbath were also honored with the Birmingham Freedom of the City award in June.

In other Ozzy news, two of his solo songs are currently charting on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Crazy Train” makes its debut appearance on the all-genre chart, landing at #46. “Mama, I’m Coming Home” reenters at #49, 33 years after it peaked at #28 upon its initial release as a single in 1992.

Ozzy performed both “Crazy Train” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” during his solo performance at the Back to the Beginning concert.

Meanwhile, the best-of compilation The Essential Ozzy Osbourne jumped to a new peak of #7 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.

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Details of the Bad Company tribute album Can’t Get Enough: The Music of Bad Company were recently released, and the soon-to-be Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke have some pretty positive things to say about the upcoming release. 

“It has been very interesting listening to other musicians interpret our songs,” Rodgers tells Billboard. “I spent time listening and found myself smiling a lot. I am quietly impressed that these artists wanted to pay tribute to Bad Company.”

The album features appearances by Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, The Struts and more. Rodgers notes, “We are thankful that everyone played from every inch of their hearts on this release. You can hear it.”

Drummer Kirke tells the mag that it’s an honor to have all these artists cover their songs: “It means that the music has endured and has transcended multiple generations. It’s a salute to the songwriting.”

In addition to Bad Company songs, the album features a cover of Free’s hit “All Right Now.” Kirke tells the magazine it’s a “relevant and welcome inclusion,” considering he and Rodgers were both in Free before going on to form Bad Company.

“(It) kind of started the whole ball rolling, didn’t it?” Kirke says, with Rodgers adding that the song “marked the beginning of this musical life for Simon and I.”

Plus, Rodgers adds, “That song never disappoints … it still has a way of engaging people and lifting you up.”

Can’t Get Enough: The Music of Bad Company will be released on Oct. 24 and is available for preorder now.

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Billy Joel recently announced that he was planning to release some archival rarities that were discovered during the making of his HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, and now he’s debuted his first clip.

The rocker shared a video of a May 16, 1975, performance of his now signature tune “Piano Man,” from the British television music series The Old Grey Whistle Test.

“This next song is a true story,” a mustachioed Joel says before beginning the performance. “I say that because some of the stuff I write is a pack of lies.”

More videos are expected throughout the year, including the unreleased first-ever performance of the classic hit “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” recorded at CW Post University, and his first TV appearance in 1972.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes is now streaming on HBO Max. As a companion to the documentary, Joel released a new digital 100-track album, also called Billy Joel: And So It Goes, on Saturday.

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Ringo Starr is making some more new music.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just shared a July update with fans, revealing in a video that he’s back in the studio, once again working with T Bone Burnett on a new album.

The pair previously worked together on Ringo’s first country album, Look Up, which was released in January. Ringo jokes in the video, “Get ready for the next album, Look Up 2,” before laughing and clarifying “it won’t be called that, I don’t think.”

Ringo also thanked his fans for participating in his annual Peace and Love birthday tradition on July 7, sharing,  “Just the support we’ve had from all of you has been great.”

He also reminded folks that he and his All-Starr Band are headed out on tour in September.

“Hope to see some of you there,” he said.

The next leg of Ringo’s tour kicks off Sept. 10 in Chicago, with dates confirmed through Sept. 27 in Las Vegas. It includes a headlining spot at the Bourbon & Beyond festival on Sept. 13 in Louisville, Kentucky.

The current All-Starr Band lineup includes Toto’s Steve Lukather, Men At Work’s Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette and Buck Johnson.

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

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Phil Collins’ reps are shooting down claims that the singer is in hospice care.

The alleged rumors about the 74-year-old Collins’ health recently surfaced on social media. His reps have confirmed to ABC Audio that the rumors are not true and that Collins is in the hospital, but it’s because he recently underwent knee surgery.

TMZ was the first to report the news that Collins wasn’t in hospice.

Collins opened up about his health issues in a February interview with Mojo, where he discussed whether he planned to make more music.

“I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens,” Collins said. “But I’m not hungry for it anymore.” He added, “The thing is, I’ve been sick, I mean very sick.”

Although he didn’t go into specifics with the magazine regarding his health, Collins has been dealing with health issues since 2007, including neck problems during Genesis’ tour that year, which required surgery. In 2014 he revealed that an undisclosed nerve issue left him unable to play drums again.

Due to his declining mobility, Collins performed seated during Genesis’ 2022 The Last Domino farewell tour, with his son Nic Collins taking over behind the drum kit.

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The Stray Cats are hitting the road again.

The Rockabilly rockers, featuring original band members Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom, have just announced dates for a new fall tour. The trek kicks off Oct. 25 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and wraps Nov. 23 in Wheatland, California.

“What blows me away every time is how this music still connects — decades later, it’s just as raw, just as real. We see fans from every generation now,” Setzer says. 

“There’s nothing like the sound we make when the three of us hit the stage—it’s high-octane rockabilly, loud and proud. We’re fired up to bring that to fans across the country again!” Rocker adds. Phantom notes, “I’m thrilled and excited to be on the road in 2025 with the best Rockabilly band in the world!”

An artist presale begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

This is the first Stray Cats tour since summer 2024. In February, frontman Setzer announced he’d been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and that one of the side effects was that he was no longer able to play guitar.

But in March he announced that he was getting better and making progress. In April, on his 66th birthday, he shared video of him playing guitar again.

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

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