Classic Rock 93.9

A new photo book focused on The Who’s early tours of America is coming in May.

According to the announcement on The Who’s Instagram account, Their Generation: The Who In America 1967-69 features photos from Tom Wright, the band’s official photographer and U.S. tour manager. The book features a foreword by Pete Townshend.

“The Who’s early American tours were pivotal in shaping their legacy,” reads the post. “From 1967 to 1969, they built their US audience with explosive live performances, the release of ‘I Can See for Miles’, and the debut of ‘Tommy’ in Detroit.”

The description notes that Wright’s collection “captures The Who on and off stage, from their raw energy at the Fillmore to quiet moments on the road.”

“Tom Wright’s intimate collection of photography of The Who in the sixties is as passionate and potent as the band itself,” director and former Rolling Stone journalist Cameron Crowe shares on publisher Omnibus Press’ website. “In these images, you can feel all the combustible energy and camaraderie that still make The Who one of the greatest bands… if not THE greatest… ever.”

Their Generation: The Who In America 1967-69 will be released May 1 and is available for preorder now. There will also be special editions signed by Townshend.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

KISS is commemorating the 50th anniversary of their classic track “Strutter” with a set of brand-new precious metal collectibles.

The band has teamed with Precious Sound to release both pure gold and gold-plated editions of the song, both of which feature playable grooves.

Only five copies of the pure gold edition will be available, made of 8 ounces of .999 (24-karat) pure gold and playable on a manual turntable. The A-side features the KISS logo in Swarovski crystal, with each record’s unique edition number engraved in gold, while the B-side features the original Casablanca single label in gold.

It comes in a coffee table display case made with sustainable faux leather and the KISS logo again in Swarovski crystal. It also comes with a book signed by band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the pen used to sign the book, a laser-engraved metal certificate of authenticity and more. It sells for $50,000.

The gold-plated version is also a limited edition, with just 500 copies made, and is also playable on a manual turntable. It comes with a silicon record mat, certificate of authenticity and more, and sells for $2,500.

Both are available for preorder now. The gold edition will ship on July 15, while the gold-plated edition will ship on Feb. 21.

“Strutter” was the opening track and third single off KISS’ 1974 self-titled album, which was the band’s first Gold-certified record.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jackson Browne has been added to the 38th annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert, taking place March 3 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer joins a previously announced lineup that includes R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Patti Smith, Orville Peck, Allison Russell, The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Gogol Bordello, with Philip Glass and Laurie Anderson serving as the night’s artistic directors.

Proceeds from the show support Tibet House US, a nonprofit educational institution and cultural embassy founded in 1987 by the Dalai Lama to ensure the survival of the Tibetan civilization.

Over the past three decades Tibet House benefit concerts have featured performances by such artists as David Bowie, Carly Simon, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, R.E.M., Lou Reed, Joan Baez, Annie Lennox and more.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Gibson has teamed with legendary Queen guitarist Brian May for a new acoustic guitar.

The rocker worked closely with the guitar company on the Brian May SJ-200 12-String acoustic guitar, which comes in a vintage sunburst finish, and celebrates May’s passion for astronomy by including star and planet designs on the body and neck.

In a video released in conjunction with the guitar, May, who in 2007 got his Ph.D. in astrophysics, says growing up he was told he had to choose between being an artist and a scientist, sharing, “I’ve never believed that’s true.”

“I do believe that the best science is done artistically with an artistic insight and the best art is done with a knowledge of the universe. I feel that they’re interlinked and should never have been separated,” he adds.

As for the guitar, May notes, “Gibson was able to put the universe on it in a figurative way and the planet Mercury is here, and that is a little nod to a friend of mine that is always with me.”

Only 100 Brian May SJ-200 12-String acoustic guitars will be available to order via Gibson.com, at Gibson Garage Nashville and London, and authorized Gibson dealers.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A new biopic about singer Marianne Faithfull is in the works and actors have now been cast to play the “Tears Go By” singer, as well as her famous ex, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

Variety reports that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes star Freya Allan will play Faithfull, who passed away Jan. 30 at the age of 78, while British actor Jojo Macari, who appeared in Netflix’s Sex Education, will play Jagger.

Finnish director Zaida Bergroth is helming the project, titled Faithfull. According to the description, the movie will “depict Marianne Faithfull’s rollercoaster ride from the brightest lights of the wild 1960s of her youth, to fallen golden girl and then her remarkable phoenix-like rise and resurgence” that “establishes her as one of the great icons and true artists of our time.”

Faithfull was discovered by Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham at a party in 1964. She had her first U.S. hit with “As Tears Go By,” a song written by Loog Oldham, Jagger and Keith Richards that was later a top-10 hit for the Stones. Faithfull released her self-titled debut album in 1965, which was a commercial success, peaking at #12 in the U.S.

Faithfull and Jagger were in a romantic relationship from 1966 to 1970, and she has often been considered one of Jagger’s muses. She reportedly inspired “Sympathy for the Devil,” and she also claimed to have inspired “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Wild Horses.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jimmy Page is sharing his gratitude for the positive reaction from fans who’ve seen the new Led Zeppelin documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin.

“In light of your incredible responses and the demand for the Becoming Led Zeppelin film from those of you that have either viewed it at the IMAX or during its general cinema release, I must say that feedback from fans is just humbling and inspiring,” Page shared on Instagram, alongside the trailer for the film. “Thanks to everyone for your enthusiasm.”

And it turns out, fans are definitely coming out to the theater to see the film.

After a week of exclusive IMAX showings, Becoming Led Zeppelin hit theaters nationwide on Friday. Over the weekend it landed at #10 at the box office, bringing in $2.13 million for the Presidents Day weekend, with a haul of close to $6 million since its initial Feb. 7 opening.

Becoming Led Zeppelin, described as a “hybrid docu-concert film,” is the first officially sanctioned documentary about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group. It features new interviews from Page and his Zeppelin bandmates Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, along with archival interview audio from the late John Bonham, archival live performance footage and more.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul Simon is headed back out on the road.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has just announced dates for the A Quiet Celebration tour, marking his first full tour since 2018 and his first tour since releasing his 2023 album Seven Psalms.

The new tour will have Simon playing songs from Seven Psalms, as well as “new arrangements of familiar favorites.”

Simon will play multiple dates in several cities during the trek, kicking off with two nights in New Orleans, April 4 and April 5. The tour will include a five-night stand at the Beacon Theatre in New York starting June 6 and five nights at Disney Hall in Los Angeles, starting July 9.

The tour will wrap with three shows in Seattle: July 31, Aug. 2 and Aug. 3.

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. A complete list of tour dates can be found at paulsimon.com.

Simon announced his intention to stop touring in 2018, wrapping his so-called final trek in Queens, New York, the borough where he grew up.

The recording of Seven Psalms was captured in the documentary In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, where Simon revealed that he was losing his hearing. In May 2023 he said he’d lost most of his hearing, preventing him from performing again. 

But in March 2023 Simon shared that his hearing was getting better and in an October interview with The Guardian said he was “optimistic” about being able to do full-length concerts again.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lenny Kravitz is set to headline Roots Picnic 2025, taking place May 31 to June 1 at The Mann in Fairmont Park in Philadelphia.

Info on the full lineup and tickets can be found at therootspicnic.com.

The show is one of several festivals Kravitz has booked for 2025. Others include Beachlife Festival in Redondo Beach, California, on May 2; New Orleans Jazz Fest on May 4; JAS Aspen Snowmass in Aspen, Colorado, on Aug. 30; and Oceans Calling in Ocean City, Maryland, on Sept. 26.

The rocker will also return to Las Vegas for another set of residency dates at Dolby Live at Park MGM. Those shows kick off Aug. 1 and run through Aug. 9.

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

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Though he’s known for running to the hills, Iron Maiden‘s Bruce Dickinson slowed things down during a surprise onstage collaboration with Pantera.

Dickinson joined the reformed groove metallers during their concert in Paris on Saturday for a performance of their signature song, “Walk.” In fan-shot footage, you can see Dickinson take the stage about halfway through the song to add some back vocals to the chorus.

On Instagram, Panetra reposted pictures of the moment taken by famed rock photographer Ross Halfin. 

“I was absolutely surprised to see Bruce Dickinson backstage, and it was nice to see him do ‘Walk,'” Halfin writes. “A very unexpected collision of worlds.”

Pantera has been touring since 2022 with a lineup featuring vocalist Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown alongside Black Label Society‘s Zakk Wylde and Anthrax‘s Charlie Benante in place of the late Abbott brothers, guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, Feb. 18, 1990…

Queen frontman Freddie Mercury joined his bandmates at the BRIT Awards in London to accept the award for outstanding contribution to British music.

It would wind up being Mercury’s last onstage appearance.

Mercury had been privately battling AIDS, and would later make his final on screen appearance in the video for “These Are the Days of Our Lives,” which was filmed in May of 1991.

In November of that year the rocker released a statement confirming the long held rumors that he had tested positive for HIV and had AIDs. He passed away the day after issuing the statement at the age of 45.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.