Classic Rock 93.9

Rush is looking back at their career with a new box set.

Rush 50, dropping March 21, is a 50-track anthology that spans from the band’s 1973 debut single and ends with the last song they ever played together live.

The anthology includes select songs from every studio album, as well as seven previously unreleased tracks, including the first ever CD and LP reissue of their first single, 1973’s “Not Fade Away,” as well as “You Can’t Fight It.” There’s also Vault Editions of 1974’s “Working Man” and 1978’s “The Trees,” featuring alternative guitar solos from Alex Lifeson. Both songs were previously only available digitally.

Rush 50 also includes five unreleased live songs, two of which come from the band’s earliest live shows. The set’s final track is a recording of their last live performance together, at their final show in 2015 at The Forum in Los Angeles: “What You’re Doing,” “Working Man” and “Garden Road.”

“50? Is that all?” frontman Geddy Lee shares, “…seriously…it’s a cool collection…but look at all those songs – I’m exhausted just reading the effin list!”

Rush 50 will be released in a variety of formats including a 7-LP Deluxe Edition, a 4-CD Deluxe Edition and a digital edition. There’s also a 4-CD/7-LP Super Deluxe Edition and a Rush Store Exclusive Super Deluxe Edition.

All formats are available for preorder now.

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The music of Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia will be celebrated this spring by the Boston Pops.

On June 3 and June 4, the Pops will host the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration, conducted by Keith Lockhart, with an all-star lineup including Jerry Garcia Band members Melvin Seals and Jackyln LaBranch, Dead & Company and Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead member Tom Hamilton Jr.

According to the announcement, the concerts will celebrate “60 years of the Grateful Dead and Garcia’s enduring legacy.”

Tickets for both shows go on sale Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. at BostonPops.org.

In other Dead-related news, in celebration of the band’s 60th anniversary, ANALOGr has launched a new Dark Star Palace auction, with over 8,000 Grateful Dead items becoming available throughout the year, including backstage passes, posters, books, artwork and recordings.

Some of the items in the auction include Phil Lesh’s original #5 Dual Showman Bass Amplifier, an early replica of Garcia’s “Alligator” guitar and a 35-foot tie-dyed stage backdrop.

More info on the auction can be found at analogr.com.

Coming up next, the members of the Grateful Dead will be honored as the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Person of the Year on Friday. The gala, taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will feature performances by such artists as Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood, The Police’s Stewart Copeland, Sammy Hagar and Dave Matthews, as well as Dead & Company, which includes Dead members Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann along with John Mayer, Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti.

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Bob Dylan has been in the news more than ever thanks to the biopic A Complete Unknown, and if that makes people want to go see him live, there’s now a chance to make that happen. 

Dylan has announced three new shows for 2025: March 29 in Wichita, Kansas; April 4 in Mankato, Minnesota; and April 6 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Still being billed as Dylan’s Rough & Rowdy Ways Tour, which originally launched in November 2021, the 2025 trek kicks off March 25 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the same city that houses the Bob Dylan Center.

Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday.

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

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David Lee Roth, former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, and Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini performing Ratt are the rockers set to headline the annual M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

The 16th edition of the hard rock festival is happening May 2-4, with a lineup that also includes Winger, Slaughter, former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, Warrant, Great White and Lita Ford.

The Roth performance will be the former Van Halen frontman’s first live performance since March 2020. He was supposed to play a Las Vegas residency in December 2021/January 2022, which was billed as his final shows, but they it was canceled and he retired from performing.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday at 12 p.m. ET. A complete schedule and lineup can be found at m3rockfest.com.

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Kansas and 38 Special are teaming up for a new tour.

The two bands will hit the road this summer on a 14-date tour that kicks off June 6 in Richmond, Virginia, and wraps July 26 in Rogers, Arkansas.

The tour will feature special guests Jefferson Starship, Traffic’s Dave Mason and the Outlaws on select dates.

Tickets for most shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. A complete list of shows, and ticket information, can be found at kansasband.com and 38special.com.

Kansas, best known for their hits “Carry On My Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind,” already has a busy schedule for 2025, with spring dates booked through April. Their next show is Feb. 1 in Orlando, Florida.

38 Special, whose hits include “Hold On Loosely” and “Caught Up In You,” is also currently on tour and will play New Buffalo, Michigan, on Feb. 7.

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Sunday, Jan. 26, would have been guitarist Eddie Van Halen’s 70th birthday, and his family and bandmates marked the occasion on social media.

The late rocker’s son, Mammoth WVH frontman Wolfgang Van Halen, shared a photo of his dad with his finger up his nose, captioning the shot, “70. That’s a lot of candles. Happy Birthday, Pop. Love and miss you more than you could ever know.”

Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar posted a tribute to Eddie with a photo of them rocking together onstage.

“happy 70th birthday, my brother wherever you are,” he wrote. “i will love and miss you and what we did together forever,” adding that he and Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony “will keep it live, and alive.”

Anthony also posted a series of photos with Eddie, with the message, “Happy Heavenly Birthday Ed, miss ya.”

Eddie Van Halen passed away Oct. 6, 2020, at age 65 following a long battle with cancer.

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On This Day, Jan 27, 1970…

John Lennon wrote and recorded the single “Instant Karma” in one day, at one point telling reporters he “wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we’re putting it out for dinner.”

The song, produced by Phil Spector, featured his Beatles bandmate George Harrison on acoustic guitar and piano, with Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono and Billy Preston contributing background vocals.

The inspiration for the tune came to Lennon during a visit he and Yoko took to Denmark, where they met up with Yoko’s former husband Tony Cox. Cox’s then wife Melinde Kendell used the term in conversation.

“Instant Karma,” Lennon’s third solo single, wound up being a hit for the rocker, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Simple Minds is returning to North American for a new tour this spring.

The Alive & Kicking tour, featuring special guests Soft Cell and Modern English, will hit arenas and amphitheaters across the U.S. and Canada starting May 16 in Ridgefield, Washington, and wrapping June 22 in Noblesville, Indiana.

“Been a while but absence makes the heart grow fonder,” says frontman Jim Kerr. “Simple Minds are ecstatic at the prospect of touring so extensively in the US and Canada this coming Spring.”

A ticket presale launches Wednesday at 10 a.m. with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday at 10 a.m.

The tour coincides with this year’s 40th anniversary of their hit studio album Once Upon a Time, which featured their #1 hit “(Don’t You) Forget About Me.” To mark the occasion the band released a ruby anniversary digital edition of the album on Monday, and will play “(Don’t You) Forget About Me” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday.

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

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The Who has announced their first shows of 2025.

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are set to play two shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, March 27 and 30, as part of the annual benefit concerts for Teenage Cancer Trust. They’ll be joined by special guests Level 42.

A post on The Who’s Instagram shares that the two rockers “are so excited to be among the incredible artists who have played these historic shows,” adding, “Every day seven young people hear the life-changing words, ‘You have cancer’ – and this number is set to rise. But with your support, Teenage Cancer Trust can help make sure no young person faces cancer alone.”

Other artists booked for the Teenage Cancer Trust shows include: Sex Pistols with Frank Carter on March 24, James Arthur on March 26 and The Coors on March 28.

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday at 9 a.m. GMT.

Teenage Cancer Trust is a nonprofit dedicated to providing specialized treatment and support for young people with cancer.

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