Classic Rock 93.9

Bruce Springsteen made headlines when he used the opening night of his European tour to criticize the Trump administration, sparking an angry response from President Donald Trump. Now, Springsteen has released a live EP documenting those moments.

Available now on all streaming services, the Land of Hope & Dreams EP was recorded live in Manchester, England, on May 14. It features four songs, as well as two introductions: In the first, which came before a performance of the song “Land of Hope & Dreams,” he said that America was “in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration” and asked fans to “raise your voices against the authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.”

In the second introduction, which came before the song “My City of Ruins,” Bruce said, among other things, “In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.”

He added, “A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government.”

In addition to “My City of Ruins” and “Land of Hope & Dreams,” the EP also includes performances of the songs “Long Walk Home” and Springsteen’s cover of Bob Dylan‘s “Chimes of Freedom.”

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In the wake of Donald Trump‘s attacks on Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift on Truth Social, and his subsequent call for a “major investigation” into Springsteen, Bono, Oprah and Beyonce‘s endorsements of Kamala Harris, Neil Young has criticized the president for worrying about celebrities instead of the country.

Writing on his website on Tuesday, Young, who became a U.S. citizen in 2020, addressed the president. “What are you worryin’ about man? Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America. You worry about that instead of the dyin’ kids in Gaza. That’s your problem.”

“I am not scared of you. Neither are the rest of us. You shut down FEMA when we needed it most. That’s your problem Trump.”

“STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT ROCKERS ARE SAYING,” Young continued. “Think about saving America from the mess you made. Taylor Swift is right. So is Bruce. You know how I feel. You are more worried about yourself than AMERICA. Wake up Trump!! Remember what the White House is?”

“86/47??? That’s what you think about?” Young continued, referring to an online meme that allegedly means “get rid of Trump”; the White House recently threatened to investigate former FBI Director James Comey for posting it.

Young concluded, “You are forgetting your real job. You work for us. Wake up Republicans! This guy is out of control. We need a real president!” He signed the post, “neil young and many others.”

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Janet Jackson will receive the ICON Award at the American Music Awards on May 26, but she won’t be the only legend being honored for their incredible career. Rod Stewart has been named the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony.

Rod is receiving the award for his “body of work, and unparalleled contributions to music for nearly six decades,” as well as his “lasting legacy and continued influence on generations of artists and fans.” Since the show is airing live from the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and Rod will conveniently be in town for his residency at Caesars, he’ll also perform on the telecast, for the first time since 2004.

Jennifer Lopez hosts the 51st AMAs on May 26, airing live at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and on Paramount+.  She will also perform, as will Janet, Benson Boone, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Gloria Estefan and more. The leading nominee is Kendrick Lamar, followed by Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey.

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Despite Pete Townshend‘s status as one of the most revered rock guitarists on the planet, not many of his fellow legends took to social media on Monday to wish The Who rocker a happy 80th birthday. But one who did is an artist who’s even older than Pete and arguably even more iconic: Bob Dylan.

Dylan, 83, cheekily wrote on social platform X, “Happy birthday Pete. Who’s the new boss? Is he like the old boss? Have you met him yet? Say hello to Roger.”

The message refers to The Who’s classic song “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” written by Townshend, in which Roger Daltrey sings, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

Townshend and Dylan aren’t particularly known for being friends, but Townshend did name-check Bob during The Who’s recent press conference. While discussing the fact that he’s not able to do what he used to do, Townshend said, “But when we look at artists like the Stones, like Bruce Springsteen and other, much older artists like Bob Dylan, one is inspired, in a sense, to think what could we do that would be new and different?”

Meanwhile, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood did acknowledge Pete’s milestone, as did Billy Idol and, more generically, Eric Clapton.

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After revealing that his memoir, Cat on the Road to Findout, will arrive Oct. 7, Yusuf/Cat Stevens has announced a book tour of North America.

Cat on the Road to Findout: An Evening Of Tales, Tunes, And Other Mysteries will begin Oct. 2 in Philadelphia and travel to Chicago, Boston, Toronto, New York City, San Francisco and LA. Each event will feature the artist speaking in-depth about his memoir and performing unplugged versions of his biggest hits. The events will also incorporate Stevens’ personal art, illustrations, photos and film.

Tickets for the tour will be available via a presale May 21 at 10 a.m. local time; you can register at Stevens’ website. Additional presales run through the week. The general sale begins May 23 at 10 a.m. local time via LiveNation.com.

The book will recount Stevens’ rise to fame thanks to songs like “Wild World,” “Father and Son,” “Peace Train” and “Morning Has Broken.” It will also cover his conversion to Islam, his humanitarian work and his subsequent return to music.

Stevens says in a statement, “Having passed through the exhaustingly complex maze of everyday material life, ascending the dizzying heights of wealth, recognition, and artistic achievements, I think I’ve got a few things to share. … Now I have written a book which explains what I’ve learned and the stories along the way.”

“That doesn’t make me a teacher, but more of a potential specimen for those who are searching and pursuing happiness on all sides of the divide. Believe me, folks, it’s out there!”

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Ahead of their Run for Your Lives tour, Iron Maiden is asking you to put your phones away.

The metal icons have posted a statement asking fans “not to excessively film the concerts on their phones or tablets” during the tour.

“We really want fans to enjoy the shows first hand, rather than on their small screens,” says Maiden manager Rod Smallwood. “The amount of phone use nowadays diminishes enjoyment, particularly for the band who are on stage looking out at rows of phones, but also for other concertgoers.”

“We feel that the passion and involvement of our fans at shows really makes them special, but the phone obsession has now got so out of hand that it has become unnecessarily distracting especially to the band,” the statement continues. “I hope fans understand this and will be sensible in severely limiting the use of their phone cameras out of respect for the band and their fellow fans.”

Smallwood adds that Maiden encourages attendees to “be ‘in the moment’ instead and be fully actively involved to enjoy each and every one of these classic songs in the spirit and manner they were first played.”

“So please respect the band, respect the other fans and have the time of your lives as you join your Maiden family by singing your heart out, rather than getting your phone out!!” Smallwood says. “It’s really not a lot to ask is it?”

The statement doesn’t make mention of phone-locking pouches, which have been used by artists including Jack White, Bob Dylan and Ghost, so it seems Maiden’s request is just that, instead of a requirement.

The Run for Your Lives tour, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Maiden’s founding, launches in Europe on May 27. Openers include Halestorm and Avatar, depending on the date.

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Ray Manzarek, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors, passed away at the age of 74. Earlier in the year, the rocker had been diagnosed with a rare form of bile duct cancer.

Manzarek co-founded The Doors with Jim Morrison in July 1965. Drummer John Densmore joined in August of that year, followed by guitarist Robby Krieger.

The band released their self-titled debut in January 1967, containing future classics “Light My Fire” and “Break On Through (To The Other Side).”  “Light My Fire” has since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, with the album chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2015.

The Doors went on to sell over 34 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Manzarek released his memoir, Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors, in 1998.

The Doors are in the midst of celebrating their 60th anniversary, which has included the first-ever digital releases of live recordings, as well as their first official book, Night Divides The Day: The Doors Anthology.

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Steve Miller will be receiving an award named after late, legendary guitar pioneer Les Paul, which is appropriate, considering that Miller was Paul’s godson.

On June 9 in Nashville, The Les Paul Foundation will present Miller with the Les Paul Spirit Award, in partnership with Gibson Gives, the charity division of the Gibson guitar company. The event will take place on what would have been Les Paul’s 110th birthday.

The award is presented to someone who “exemplifies the spirit of the late, great Les Paul through innovation, engineering, technology and/or music.” The award comes with a grant to the honoree’s charity of choice from The Les Paul Foundation.

Growing up in Milwaukee, Miller’s parents were very close with Les Paul and his wife Mary Ford, who were frequent visitors to their home. Paul became Miller’s godfather, and encouraged him to pursue guitar after he heard six-year-old Steve playing on a recording his father had made.

“They had a very unique relationship which Les cherished,” says Michael Braunstein, the executive director of The Les Paul Foundation. “If Les were still alive today, Steve and he would be jamming at his house regularly. I am personally thrilled to be able to present Steve with this award because I know he exemplifies everything Les was about and wanted to accomplish.”

Meanwhile, The Steve Miller Band will kick off a run of shows Aug. 15 in Bethel, New York.

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Foo Fighters have announced a trio of new tour dates in Asia.

Dave Grohl and company will perform in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 2, and Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, on Oct. 7 and Oct. 10, respectively.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit FooFighters.com.

The newly added shows join the Foos’ previously scheduled performance at the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix on Oct. 4. That marked the first announced Foo Fighters concert since Grohl’s 2024 infidelity scandal. 

The Asia dates will also presumably mark the debut of the next Foo Fighters drummer in place of the departed Josh Freese. Freese, who’d joined the Foos in 2023 following the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins, announced on Friday that he’d been let go from the band.

In other drummers-who’ve-played-with-Foo-Fighters news, Shane Hawkins, Taylor’s son, will be touring with his father’s cover band, Chevy Metal, beginning in July. Shane memorably joined the Foos during their 2022 tribute concert to Taylor in London for a rendition of “My Hero.” 

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It was announced in March that KISS‘ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley would be performing together at the convention-like event KISS Army Storms Las Vegas, but Simmons says people are getting the wrong idea about what it is.

“There’s a mistaken notion that KISS is having a big Vegas event,” Simmons tells ABC Audio. “This [event] is completely because of the fans. … And we are going along for the celebration.”

In addition to Simmons and Stanley, KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer will be there, along with former KISS member Bruce Kulick and other acts. There could even be other members of KISS.

Simmons shares, “We’ve invited Ace and Peter, we don’t know if they’re going to attend or send greetings or anything,” referring founding members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.

Simmons stresses the performance they’ll be putting on is “not a KISS show,” saying it’s going to be “more conversational, like we were in their garage, at a local place … so it’s much more intimate.”

“I make the distinction because we promised … once we put on the last shows here in New York City at Madison Square Garden, afterwards we said we will never do a KISS show ever again,” Simmons explains.

He says they made their decision to stop touring, “Because you’ve got to have self-respect when you’re the champion of the world, and when you’ve been there and done that, go out when you are on top.”

KISS Army Storms Las Vegas will take place Nov. 14-16 at the Virgin Hotels. While Simmons and Stanley’s unmasked performance won’t be a KISS show, it will be the first time they’ve performed together since KISS’ final concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden in December 2023.

More info on KISS Army Storms Las Vegas can be found at kissarmystormsvegas.com.

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