Classic Rock 93.9

Timothée Chalamet does his own singing and guitar playing in the upcoming Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown, and apparently he had to learn a lot of the Dylan catalog to be ready for the film.

In a new featurette shared by Entertainment Weekly, producer Fred Berger shares just how extensive Chalamet’s preparation was for the role.

“There are 40 songs in the movie that he performs,” Berger says. “On guitar, on harmonica, and singing live take after take after take.”

The clip features behind-the-scenes footage of Chalamet performing as Dylan, set to his take on the Dylan classic “Like A Rolling Stone.”

“It was important for me to sing and play live,” Chalamet says. “Because if I can actually do it, why should there be an element of artifice here? And I’m proud that we took that leap.”

His co-star Elle Fanning said she had “goose bumps,” watching Chalamet at work, noting, “You can see how much love, and how hard he’s worked and how much he cares about getting this right.” 

The clip also features footage of Boyd Holbrook performing as Johnny Cash, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Ed Norton and Pete Seeger.

“It’s a movie about music that is unadorned and authentic,” the film’s director, James Mangold, adds. “You could feel the thing working for everyone.”

A Complete Unknown hits theaters Dec. 25.

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Sammy Hagar turned 77 in October, and it sounds like he’s pretty OK with aging.

“I love 99% of it, I really do,” he tells People. “There’s something about being a little bit complacent in your old age saying, ‘Nah, I already did that.’”

According to Hagar, the older you are, the better decisions you make.

“In my 40s, I spun more wheels. I spent more energy on [things] that I didn’t do than I do now on things that I do, and it’s just such a waste,” he explains. “I wasted so much time and energy and money and things I could have done for other people. The older you get, I’m just more directed, so I don’t bite on things. I don’t waste people’s time.”

The rocker, who recently announced dates for The Best of Both Worlds Las Vegas residency, insists it’s “kind of cool being old.”

“I’m healthy. I’m still active,” he says. “I still walk on the beach. I still work out. I still sing. I still run around and dance. I still chase my wife around the bedroom.”

Hagar says he’s had thoughts on retirement for the past 10 years, but once he gets on a stage that all changes.

“I get insecure in between shows, in between tours, and I think, ‘Gee, do I still have it? Can I really still do all that?’” he says. “And I get out there, and it’s like it’s riding a bike or having sex.”

And speaking of getting on a stage, Sammy and Van Halen’s Michael Anthony performed during the halftime show of the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Denver Broncos game Nov. 24. The rocker has now shared pro-shot footage of the performance, featuring “I Can’t Drive 55” and Van Halen’s “Right Now.”

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The Eagles are sticking around Las Vegas a little bit longer.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just added four more weekend shows to their Eagles Live in Concert at Sphere residency. The new dates are happening April 4, April 5, April 11 and April 12.

Presale sign up is open now, with presales beginning Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. PT.

The Eagles launched their Sphere residency on Sept. 20, treating fans to a set filled with classic tunes, like “Hotel California,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “New Kid in Town,” “Take it to the Limit,” “Life’s Been Good,” “Take It Easy” and “Heartache Tonight.”

They return to the Sphere for their next show on Dec. 6. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com.

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U2’s The Edge is once again sharing a bit of info about what the band has been working on in the studio.

During an interview with BBC Radio 2‘s Jo Whiley, the guitarist revealed that he and Bono have been in the studio with producer Brian Eno, who U2 previously worked with on The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can’t Leave Behind and more.

“Bono and I are working on some crazy kind of sci-fi Irish folk music,” he said of the sessions. “Which could end up becoming a part of the new U2 album. We’re not sure yet, we’ll see.”

“Part of our kind of process is to go so widely away from, off track, and the sort of the process of bringing things back on track is kind of how you get sort of unique sounding music,” he added, noting the music may include “a bunch [of] beautiful Irish musicians.”

Bono previously described the band’s next album as a rock record, but in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, The Edge clarified that thought, sharing, “I don’t think it’s going to be a heavy rock album. I think it’s going to be a very different kind of use of the guitar, not a straight-up rock thing.”

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On This Day, Nov. 26, 1994 …

The Eagles hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart with the live album Hell Freezes Over, the first record they released following a 14-year break.

The album contained 11 tracks recorded by band members Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmidt for an April 1994 MTV special, plus four new studio tracks. 

The title of the album was inspired by a response Henley gave during an interview after the band’s 1980 breakup. Asked if they’d ever play again, he said “when Hell freezes over.” 

Hell Freezes Over spent two weeks at #1 and went on to sell over 9 million copies.

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Patti Smith is set to be celebrated with a tribute concert in New York City in March, and now we know the artists who’ll be performing at the event.

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Ben Harper, Kim Gordon, The National‘s Matt Berninger, Karen O and Sharon Van Etten are among the artists booked for People Have the Power – A Celebration of Patti Smith, taking place March 26 at Carnegie Hall.

The lineup, which also includes Courtney Barnett, the Kronos Quartet, Angel Olsen and the Kills’ Alison Mosshart, will be backed by a house band, made up of bassist/keyboardist Tony Shanahan and guitarist Lenny Kaye, from Smith’s band, as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan.

The night will include performances of songs from Smith’s full catalog, but will also celebrate next year’s 50th anniversary of her classic album Horses.

People Have the Power – A Celebration of Patti Smith is the latest in a series of charity concerts put on by New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf, with each one celebrating a different artist. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Carnegie Hall series. 

Since the series launched in 2004, the concerts have raised over $2 million for charity. Other artists who’ve received such tributes include Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, R.E.M and last year, Crosby Stills & Nash.

Proceeds from the Smith concert will go toward music education for underserved youth.

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Last year, Elton John closed out his farewell tour in the U.K. with his first-ever performance at the U.K.’s prestigious Glastonbury Festival. It’s just been announced that his old pal Rod Stewart will be taking the stage next year.

On Instagram, Rod wrote, “I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’ll be playing @glastofest 2025! After all these years, I’m proud and ready and more than able to take the stage again to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury in June. I’ll see you there!”

Rod last headlined Glastonbury in 2002, alongside Coldplay. When he takes the stage there next year, he’ll be 80, but that won’t make him the oldest performer in the festival’s history. In 2022, Paul McCartney played Glastonbury a few weeks after his 80th birthday, and in 2015, 87-year-old Burt Bacharach performed.

Specifically, Rod will be performing in what’s called the “Legends” slot on the festival, which takes place “Sunday teatime,” as the festival quaintly puts it. That’s the afternoon of Sunday, June 29, if you’re thinking of going.  This past year, Shania Twain had that slot.

The festival is taking 2026 off, and organizer Emily Eavis writes on Instagram, “Bringing Sir Rod Stewart back for the Sunday afternoon slot on the Pyramid stage is everything we could wish for. What a way to bow out with the final legends slot before we take a fallow year. We cannot wait!”

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A new book about The Zombies is coming in 2025.

Times and Seasons – The Rise and Fall and Rise of The Zombies by Robin Platts promises to tell the band’s “whole story in detail,” using interviews with the group’s five original members.

According to the description, the book follows The Zombies’ career “from the mid-‘60s Decca Records hits and misses through the break-up, the solo years, and their unexpected revival in the 21st century.”

Times and Seasons features a forward by Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs, who shares, “My love affair with the Zombies may have started in the sixties, but I love them still — even more, as I’ve had the great privilege of knowing what fine human beings they are and the great fortune of seeing them perform many times, watching them inspire a whole new generation of music lovers.” 

Times and Seasons – The Rise and Fall and Rise of The Zombies is available for preorder now, with shipping to begin early next year.

The Zombies, best known for such songs as “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season,” were forced to end their touring career earlier this year after Rod Argent announced his retirement from the road after suffering a stroke.

In early November the band held their annual Begin Here Festival in their hometown of St. Albans, England, outside of London, which included an Argent tribute concert that featured his bandmates Colin Blunstone, Steve Rodford, Tom Toomey and Søren Koch.

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The 40th anniversary version of “Do They Know It’s Christmas” is here — along with a video featuring clips of all the artists who’ve sung on the various iterations of the all-star Band Aid charity single over the years.

U2‘s Bono, Sting, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Duran Duran‘s Simon Le Bon, Paul Young, the late George Michael and the late Sinead O’Connor are all featured in the video, which begins and ends with a 1984 plea from the late David Bowie asking people to help by buying the record. In addition, the new song and video feature changes to many of the song’s problematic lyrics, which have earned it much criticism over the years. 

The video and song also feature excerpts from a famous 1984 BBC News report about famine in Ethiopia that spurred Irish singer Bob Geldof to create the original Band Aid project and the Live Aid concerts. The original song initially raised millions for famine relief and, according to the BBC, the Band Aid Charitable Trust has raised nearly 150 million pounds to date. 

Geldof, meanwhile, is defending the song after pop star Ed Sheeran recently wrote on Instagram that if he had known about the remix, he would have denied Geldof permission to use his vocals. He cited an Instagram Story by Ghanian-English musician Fuse ODG, in which Fuse wrote that such all-star charity projects “perpetuate damaging stereotypes.”

Geldof told The Times of London, “This little pop song has kept millions of people alive …why not keep doing that? … [T]here are 600 million hungry people in the world — 300 million are in Africa. We wish it were other but it is not. We can help some of them. That’s what we will continue to do.”

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