Who’s playing in which venue: Lineups announced for LA FireAid concert

January 21, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

The FireAid concert on Jan. 30 in Inglewood, California, is taking place in two separate venues: Kia Forum and Intuit Dome. Now we know who’ll be playing in which venue, so those who are planning to purchase tickets to see the event in person can choose which artists they’d like to be in the same room with.

In the Intuit Dome, fans will see Rod Stewart, Sting, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire, along with Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, rapper Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Latin star Peso Pluma and Tate McRae.

In the Kia Forum, you’ll see Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell and The Black Crowes, as well as Green Day, Dave Mathews and John Mayer, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Silk Sonic‘s Anderson .Paak and Dawes.

The event at the Kia Forum will begin at 6 p.m.; at the Intuit Dome, things will get underway at 7:30 p.m., but doors will open at 5 p.m. Fans at each venue will be able to watch the action in the other venue via screens inside.

If you can’t attend in person, the event will be broadcast and streamed live on Amazon Music/Prime Video, Apple Music, Disney+/Hulu, Facebook/Instagram, Max, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock/NBC News Now, SoundCloud, Veeps and YouTube, among other platforms. It will also be shown in select AMC Theatre locations.

Tickets go on sale Jan. 22 at noon PST through Ticketmaster. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to LA wildfire relief.

Billy Idol declares It’s A Nice Day To … Tour Again, with trek featuring Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

January 21, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Billy Idol is hitting the road this summer with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

Idol just announced dates for a new trek, dubbed It’s A Nice Day To … Tour Again, with Jett and the Blackhearts along for the ride as special guests.

Idol announced the tour with a video featuring comedian Matt Rife, with appearances by Idol’s longtime collaborator and guitar player Steve Stevens and Jett. In it, Rife keeps subtly dropping the lyrics to Idol’s most popular tunes, leading the rocker to feel it’s a sign to go back out on the road.

The tour will kick off April 30 in Phoenix and wraps Sept. 25 at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, with the latter raising money for the victims of the California wildfires. For every ticket purchased for the LA show, $5 will be donated to the American Red Cross, with Idol set to match the donation.

A presale for tickets kicks off Wednesday at 9 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday at 9 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at billyidol.net.

And it sounds like there’s even more good news on the way for Idol fans. The press release for the tour notes that he’s planning to share details about a new album soon.

Dead & Company, Mick Fleetwood, Stewart Copeland set for Grateful Dead MusiCares Person of the Year tribute

January 21, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

A group of A-list artists have signed up to celebrate the Grateful Dead at the Recording Academy’s upcoming MusiCares Person of the Year gala, taking place Jan. 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood, The Police’s Stewart Copeland, Sammy Hagar, Dave Matthews, and former Dead collaborator and friend Bruce Hornsby are set to honor the band with performances, as are Norah Jones, Maren Morris, Noah Kahan, Vampire Weekend, Zac Brown, Dwight Yoakam, Wynonna Judd, The War and Treaty, The War on Drugs, My Morning Jacket, Maggie Rose, Billy Strings, Sierra Ferrell and Lukas Nelson.

Dead & Company, which includes Dead members Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, will also perform at the ceremony, with a set celebrating The Dead’s late founding members, Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh.

Watch What Happens Live host and well-known Deadhead Andy Cohen will be the emcee for the evening, with funds raised going to help music professionals in need, including those affected by the California wildfires.

Garth Hudson, last surviving member of The Band, dead at 87

January 21, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Garth Hudson, the keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist who was the last surviving member of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Band, has died. He was 87.

The Band’s official Instagram confirmed Hudson’s passing, writing, “Today, we sadly say goodbye to Garth ‘Honey Boy’ Hudson, the last living original member of The Band. A musical genius and cornerstone of the group’s timeless sound, Garth once said, ‘I found some true enjoyment in helping people get to the bottom of their feelings.’ Through his music, he did just that—helping us all feel more deeply and connect to something greater. Rest easy, Garth.”

Hudson’s former manager tells ABC Audio that the musician died in his sleep early Tuesday morning in a nursing home near Woodstock, New York.

The oldest and only classically trained member of The Band, Eric “Garth” Hudson was best known for his distinctive Lowrey organ work on songs like “Chest Fever” and its dramatic live improvised intro, known as “The Genetic Method.” But he also played saxophones, woodwinds, synthesizers, accordion and other instruments on the group’s acclaimed albums.

Hudson, born in Windsor, Ontario, was one of four Canadian members of The Band, along with guitarist/songwriter Robbie Robertson, keyboardist/vocalist Richard Manuel and bassist/vocalist Rick Danko. Along with American drummer/vocalist Levon Helm, the musicians first came together as rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins‘ backup group. Hudson famously convinced Hawkins to pay him $10 extra a week so he could give “music lessons” to the other band members — a deal that mollified his parents, who were concerned he was wasting his years of musical training.

After leaving Hawkins, the five, known as The Hawks, initially gained fame as Bob Dylan‘s backing group before releasing their debut album, Music From Big Pink, in 1968. After The Band called it quits as a touring act following their The Last Waltz concert in 1976, Hudson worked as a session musician with many artists, including Van Morrison and Leonard Cohen.

The Band reformed in 1983 without Robertson. Manuel died by suicide in 1986, but The Band continued; Hudson appeared on the three albums they released in the ’90s. He also continued to work with his bandmates, including Robertson, on their solo projects, in addition to contributing to multiple film soundtracks. Danko’s death in 1999 ended the group’s career.

Subsequently, Hudson continued to work as a session artist, released two albums with the group Burrito Deluxe, formed his own 12-piece ensemble and wrote the score for an off-Broadway show. His last public performance came in April 2023.

On This Day, Jan. 21, 1966: George Harrison married model Pattie Boyd

January 21, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, Jan. 21, 1966…

Beatle George Harrison married model Pattie Boyd, with his bandmate Paul McCartney serving as best man.

Harrison and Boyd met on the set of the 1964 movie A Hard Day’s Night.

The couple separated in 1974 and divorced in 1977, with Pattie blaming the split on Harrison’s infidelity.

During her marriage to Harrison, his good friend, Eric Clapton, actively pursued her. He even wrote the song “Layla” about his secret love for Pattie. Boyd and Clapton would eventually marry in 1979, although their tumultuous union ended in 1989.

Harrison would go on to marry Olivia Trinidad Arias in 1978 and they were married until his death in 2001.

Green Day jabs at Elon Musk while playing in mogul’s home country

January 21, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

On Jan. 19, Green Day called out Elon Musk on his home turf.

As footage posted on social media shows, when the band performed their first concert in South Africa Sunday in Johannesburg, Billie Joe Armstrong changed the lyrics of “American Idiot” from “I’m not part of the redneck agenda” to “I’m not part of the Elon agenda.” Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa.

Green Day and Musk are decidedly not fans of each other. The billionaire criticized the band for singing “I’m not part of a MAGA agenda” during their Dec. 31, 2023 performance on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, accusing them of going from “raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it.”

Bass player Mike Dirnt responded, “Elon Musk actually is the machine. I can’t take anything else from that. He’s not shy about saying stupid s*** on the internet. Whatever.”

Dirnt noted, “The song’s 20 years old, and we’re Green Day. What did you expect?”

Ringo Starr hopes to spread ‘joy’ with new country album, ‘Look Up’

January 21, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Ringo Starr recently released the new country album Look Up, co-written and produced by T Bone Burnett. It features 11 songs, with special guest appearances by Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, Lucius, Larkin Poe and Alison Krauss.

This isn’t Ringo’s first foray into country music, and he recently told reporters that he loves the genre because it’s “emotional music.”

“I’m quite an emotional person myself,” he said, joking that “in the ’50s, every country song was either the wife left, the dog’s dead or I need some money for the jukebox.”

And it seems for Ringo, one of the emotions he hopes to convey with the record is joy, especially with all the turmoil in the world.

“I think there’s always a need for music and there’s always a need for joy,” he said, noting music has a wide reach because it “translates into every language. It’s just peace and love.”

And for Burnett, there’s no better person to bring that joy than Ringo.

“I’m fond of saying that nobody in the world has generated more goodwill than Ringo Starr in my lifetime,” Burnett said, although he suggests that Ringo’s music is often thought of as “lighthearted” but it’s so much more.

“I’ve been spending the last couple of months listening to everything he’s recorded ,or that’s out that he’s recorded, and there’s a lot of very deep, serious stuff in there,” he said. “I mean, Ringo has paid his dues.”

Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes dies

January 20, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

British guitarist John Sykes, a member of both Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, has passed away at the age of 65. His death was announced in a post on his official Facebook page.

“It is with great sorrow we share that John Sykes has passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer,” read a message on the site. “He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent but for those who didn’t know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind, and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room.”

“He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum and always pulled for the underdog,” the post continued. “In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stuck by him through all these years.”

Finally, it noted, “While the impact of his loss is profound and the mood somber, we hope the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence.”

Sykes joined Thin Lizzy in September 1982, after having teamed with the band’s frontman Phil Lynott to co-write the track “Please Don’t Leave Me.” He continued to play with the different incarnations of the band following Lynott’s 1986 death, and eventually left the group in 2009.

Sykes joined Whitesnake in 1984 and appeared on their sixth studio album, Slide It In, which was released the same year, and became a commercial success for the band. He also co-wrote several songs on the followup, 1987, including hits “Is This Love,”and “Still of the Night.” The record became the band’s most commercially successful album, although Sykes and his other bandmates were let go by frontman David Coverdale before the album’s release.

Photographer Danny Clinch raising funds for hurricane victims with Dave Matthews, Warren Haynes prints

January 20, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Photographer Danny Clinch is helping to raise money for victims of the country’s recent natural disasters.

The Transparent Clinch Gallery has just launched a new fundraiser that will benefit the Soulshine Fund, helping those in Florida and Western North Carolina who were impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The gallery is offering up three different 8-by-10 fine art photography prints taken by Clinch at the Soulshine Benefit concert in November at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The show featured performances by Warren Haynes, Dave Matthews, Trey Anastasio, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Nathaniel Rateliff and more.

The photos include a shot of all the performers onstage together, as well as one of Matthews, Trucks and Haynes backstage, and a portrait of Matthews and Haynes together.

The fundraiser will run until Jan. 25, with proceeds benefiting such organizations as Habitat for Humanity, Manna Asheville, Arts AVL and more.

The gallery is also running a second fundraiser to help the victims of the California wildfires, with a photo of John Mayer’s guitar and amplifier overlooking the Los Angeles skyline. It’s being offered in three options: 8-by-10 signed by Clinch, 8-by-10 signed by Clinch and Mayer, and 11-by-14 signed by both. Proceeds from that fundraiser will be donated to CORE and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Pasadena.

More information can be found at transparentclinchgallery.com.

Rod Stewart reunites with former bandmate at his surprise 80th birthday party

January 20, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rod Stewart turned 80 on Jan. 10, but the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is still celebrating.

After Rod and his family celebrated together on a cruise, Rod’s wife, Penny Lancaster, threw him a party on Jan. 18 to allow his friends to mark the milestone with him. One of the guests was Ron Wood, current Rolling Stones guitarist and Rod’s former bandmate in The Faces.

Wood posted photos on his Instagram posing with Rod and their wives and goofing around at the event, captioning the photos, “Really fun night celebrating Rod’s 80th!”

Rod said in an interview last year that he and Wood, along with another member of The Faces, drummer Kenney Jones, were working to record some new material.

Wood’s wife, Sally, also posted photos but revealed the party was a surprise.

“Last night with @sirrodstewart @penny.lancaster @ronniewood celebrating Sir Rod’s 80th birthday ~ the most beautiful night,” she wrote. “Thank you @penny.lancaster for being the best surprise party organiser ever, we love you both.”

According to People, the party was also attended by Jools Holland, the former Squeeze keyboardist turned big band leader with whom Rod recorded his 2024 album Swing Fever.

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