Classic Rock 93.9

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead and they’ve got a huge treat in store for fans.

The legendary band is set to release a 60-CD collection, Enjoying the Ride, featuring recordings from 25 years of live shows, spanning 1969 to 1994, with recordings from 20 different venues.

The collection includes 450 tracks, most of them previously unreleased, which translates into more than 60 hours of music. Of the 20 shows, 17 are presented in full, with the other three containing songs curated from multiple performances at San Francisco’s Fillmore West, New York’s Fillmore East and Boston Music Hall.

“Going to see the Grateful Dead, following them from city to city, was likened to the modern equivalent of running away and joining the circus,” Dead archivist David Lemieux shares. “These 20 venues are where the circus took us, and the show was something we never wanted to miss.”

As a preview, Grateful Dead has shared three previously unreleased live performances – “Scarlet Begonias,” “Touch of Grey” and “Fire on the Mountain” – recorded July 13, 1984 at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. They’re available now via digital outlets.

Enjoying the Ride will be released May 30, although the set is limited to 6,000 individually numbered copies. The set comes in a custom keepsake box “inspired by the experience of traveling from city to city to see the Dead at legendary venues across America.”

It is available exclusively on Dead.net, and can be preordered now.

If that seems like a bit too much music, Rhino is also set to release a smaller compilation, The Music Never Stopped, on May 30. The 3-CD or 6-LP set is described as a “shorter route through the band’s diamond anniversary celebration.” It is also available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Metallica has announced an “immersive concert experience” film created for the Apple Vision Pro headset.

The film features footage from Metallica’s 2024 performance in Mexico City, and showcases songs including “One,” “Enter Sandman” and “Whiplash.” It’ll be available for free starting on Friday.

“This project marks a new foray into immersive technology, using ultra-high-resolution 180-degree video and Spatial Audio to give fans unprecedented access from vantage points as close up as the Snake Pit to wide-angle views,” Metallica says. “It brings the live show to a whole new level, and to achieve this, Apple built a custom stage plot featuring 14 Apple Immersive Video cameras using a mix of stabilized cameras, cable-suspended cameras, and remote-controlled camera dolly systems that moved around the stage.”

If you don’t have an Apple Vision Pro, you can check out a preview of the film by booking a demo at your local Apple Store.

Additionally, an EP featuring recordings from the Mexico City performance in Spatial Audio will be released Friday on Apple Music.

If you want to see Metallica in person, their ongoing M72 tour returns to the U.S. starting in April.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Def Leppard is trying to find out which of their songs is the favorite among fans.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just launched what they’re calling the On Through The Music Bracket Challenge, where 64 of their tracks will go head-to-head until one is crowned the favorite.

The challenge is based on fan votes. By the end one tune will be named the “greatest Def Leppard anthem of all time.”

Fans are encouraged to submit their bracket choices for a chance to win a $200 gift card to the Def Leppard store, a mystery vinyl and a Def Leppard Funko Pop set.

Voting will begin on March 18.

The band urges fans to “Vote. Debate. Defend your favorites,” adding, “And most importantly… LET’S GET ROCKED!”

And speaking of bracket challenges, AXS TV is set to launch a March Music Battle of the Bands, running from March 17 to April 7. The battle will pit 64 popular bands and artists like David Bowie, Bon Jovi, Tom Petty, Foo Fighters and Queen against each other in head-to-head matchups to determine the fan favorite.

The network will also air episodes of the show Rock Legends to correspond to the matchups; on April 6 the network will air concerts from the tournament’s top vote-getters.

Fans can vote at AXS.TV or via the network’s social media platforms.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Billy Corgan is bringing Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness to the opera.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his band’s 1995 album with a series of performances at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago, taking place over seven shows between Nov. 21-30.

“Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions,” Corgan says. “I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way.”

For more info, visit LyricOpera.org.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness marked the third Pumpkins album, and spawned singles including “1979,” “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “Tonight, Tonight” and “Zero.” It’s been certified Diamond by the RIAA.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

An official teaser has just been released for the upcoming documentary John & Yoko: One to One.

The clip features archival footage of New York in the ’70s, plus a snippet of John Lennon and Yoko Ono dancing in the park and a clip of Lennon performing the track “Cold Turkey.”

The film, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, follows the 18 months John and Yoko lived in New York’s Greenwich Village in the early ’70s. It culminates with the pair’s 1972 One to One concerts, which were Lennon’s only full-length performances after The Beatles‘ 1970 breakup. The film features never-before-seen and fully restored footage of the concert.

John & Yoko: One to One is set to open exclusively in IMAX theaters on April 11. It will eventually expand to additional theaters, and will air on HBO and stream on Max later in the year.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Gibson has teamed with Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes for his first-ever signature guitar.

The Gibson Warren Haynes Les Paul Standard has features that were tailored to the rocker’s preferences and has a ’60s Cherry finish, with mahogany body and neck. It has the look and feel of a ’50s-era Les Paul, but with modern features. 

“I’ve always been a Gibson guy—I got hooked on that sound as a teenager and have been playing them ever since,” Haynes shares. “Needless to say, I’m honored to be partnering with Gibson to release my Signature Les Paul Standard.”

“I’m really enjoying playing this guitar on stage and looking forward to using it in the studio. I’m equally psyched that other guitar players will now have the opportunity to own and play one as well,” he adds.

The Gibson Warren Haynes Les Paul Standard is available now at Gibson Garage Nashville and London, as well as at authorized Gibson dealers and online at Gibson.com.

And speaking of Haynes onstage, he’s set to perform at Unbroken Chain: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Phil Lesh at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, on March 17. He will then launch a tour with the Warren Haynes Band on April 4 in Savannah, Georgia. He’s also set to perform at The Brothers shows, celebrating the music of the Allman Brothers Band, April 15 and April 16 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. A complete list of dates can be found at warrenhaynes.net.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sting has added some new dates to his Sting 3.0 tour, which has him backed by longtime collaborator Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas.

The new additions include a third show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, on May 22, as well as a Nov. 18 show in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The upcoming Sting 3.0 tour is now set to kick off May 19 with the three-night stand at Red Rocks, with the first leg wrapping June 1 in Phoenix. Sting will then return to North America for a second leg that begins Nov. 14 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and runs through Nov. 23 in Gary, Indiana.

Sting’s schedule did get a little lighter, though. Billy Joel just postponed four months of shows due to a medical condition, and that included four co-headlining concerts with Sting. The cancellation of a May 23 show in Salt Lake City likely made the third Red Rocks show possible.

Next up, Sting will team with Shaggy to headline the Reggae Rise Up 2025 festival in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday. A complete list of dates and ticket info can be found at sting.com.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A new restaurant and venue inspired by the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia is set to open in Chicago’s West Loop area in March and the initial lineup of performers has just been announced.

Garcia’s Chicago, the brainchild of Peter Shapiro, who’s also behind The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, the Brooklyn Bowl chain and more, will open March 21. The first of three shows will be headlined by Grahame Lesh, son of the late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh.

According to the venue’s website, “Garcia’s Chicago is a concert venue and restaurant celebrating Jerry Garcia’s extraordinary legacy, reflecting his heritage, eclectic artistry, and the vibrant community that surrounded him throughout his life.”

Shapiro and his company Dayglo Presents worked with the Garcia family on the venue. The website notes, “[E]very element of Garcia’s Chicago has been thoughtfully designed to tell a story, embracing the spirit of Jerry and the worlds he inhabited.”

In addition to the Grahame Lesh & Friends shows, the initial Garcia’s lineup features shows by The Blind Boys of Alabama, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, Grace Potter and The Grateful String Band.

Tickets go on sale March 14. A complete lineup can be found at garciaschicago.com.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

KISS is delving into their archives to treat their fans to another classic live performance. The rockers announced the sixth installment in their Off The Soundboard live bootleg series, which this time will focus on a classic concert from 1985.

KISS – Off The Soundboard: HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas – December 3, 1985 was recorded during the band’s Asylum tour, and is the first soundboard release to feature Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Eric Carr with guitarist Bruce Kulick, who joined the band in 1984.

The album features performances of new Asylum songs like “Uh! All Night” and “Tears Are Falling,” along with KISS classics like “Detroit Rock City,” “Rock and Roll All Night,” “Lick It Up” and more.

KISS – Off The Soundboard: HemisFair Arena, San Antonio, Texas – December 3, 1985, shipping March 28,  is currently available to preorder on KISS’ website as a 3-LP colored vinyl set that comes with a t-shirt.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive is getting ready to release some new music.

The “Takin’ Care of Business” rockers, led by Randy Bachman, will release the new single “60 Years Ago,” on March 28, with proceeds benefiting The Bridge to Nowhere charity bike ride, which helps raise money to end chronic homelessness in Winnipeg, Canada.

The song features Randy and his sons Tal and Koko Bachman, with BTO’s Fred Turner on vocals, and a guitar solo from Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, and fellow Canadian, Neil Young.

“This song is our tribute to Winnipeg, the place where we grew up as teenagers in the ’60s, a time when the city’s music scene was exploding,” Randy shares. “It was the Liverpool of North America, a melting pot of incredible talents. Everyone I’ve talked to who spent time in Winnipeg and witnessed that musical explosion is excited to hear this song, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it.”

“60 Years Ago” is available for preorder now.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive is set to kick off a Canadian tour on April 1 in Victoria, British Columbia. They will hit the States this summer with The Marshall Tucker Band and Jefferson Starship. The tour kicks off July 18 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

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

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.