Classic Rock 93.9

Elvis Costello is revisiting his 1986 album, King Of America, by doing a super deep dive, not just into that album, but all the albums he made in the U.S. over the last 40 years.

This musical project, titled King Of America and Other Realms, is due out Nov 1. The centerpiece is a six-disc boxed set that includes the original remastered album, and a disc of demos and outtakes from 1985. There’s also a disc that documents a 1987 concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and three discs of songs — featuring collaborations, demos, outtakes and live recordings — from albums that Costello recorded in America and released between 1989 and 2018. 

Those albums include 1989’s Spike; 2004’s The Delivery Man; 2006’s The River In Reverse; 2008’s Momofuku; 2009’s Secret, Profane & Sugarcane; 2010’s National Ransom; and 2018’s Look Now.

The six-CD box set comes with a 35-page essay by Costello, plus rare and unseen photos, in a 57-page booklet. For a full track listing, visit Elvis’ official online store.

If that’s a bit too much Elvis for you, King Of America and Other Realms is also available as a double CD, featuring the new remaster of the album and highlights of the box set. The new remaster will also be available on 140-gram black vinyl and limited-edition 140-gram gold nugget-colored vinyl.

The first taste of the project is the 2024 remaster of the King Of America track “Indoor Fireworks.” Other tracks of interest include a first draft version of the album’s single, “Brilliant Mistake,” and collaborations with Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson.

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Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band got their start in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and now they are set to return to the beachside town on Sunday to headline the annual Sea.Hear.Now festival.

The Boss’ longtime friend and E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt is certainly looking forward to heading back to where it all started for them and knows it’s going to be quite an experience for fans.

“You don’t want to be within a hundred miles. I mean, it’s gonna be insane,” he tells ABC Audio. “It’s going to be crazy and wild and fun, obviously.”

Sea.Hear.Now was launched in 2018 and has been part of the continuing resurgence of Asbury Park, which Van Zandt says had been “just a wasteland” for the past 20 to 25 years.

“And now it’s happening, man, you know, lots of new restaurants, hotels and all kinds of fun things down there,” he shares. “So, you know, it’s gonna be fun, man.” 

The Sea.Hear.Now festival, which runs Sept. 14-15, will feature fellow New Jersey natives The Gaslight Anthem on the same bill as The Boss, which sets up the possibility for an onstage collaboration. The two artists have performed together in the past, and Springsteen has appeared on the Gaslight song “History Books,” the title track from their most recent album.

Other artists on the Sea.Hear.Now bill include Noah Kahan, who’ll headline Saturday, The Black Crowes, Trey Anastasio Band, Kool & The Gang, Norah Jones and 311. Check out seahearnowfestival.com for a complete lineup.

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Eric Clapton is the only artist to date who’s been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame three times — as a solo artist, and as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Despite that, he doesn’t think much of the institution.

In an interview with The Real Music Observer, Clapton reacted to the fact that guitarist J.J. Cale isn’t in the Rock Hall by launching into a diss of its existence.

“I came to that thing, whatever it is — I think of it as a frat boys club that happened to lure [me] in — I think the fact that they had [late Atlantic Records executive] Ahmet Ertegun was the ticket for me,” he said.

Clapton said he initially admired the fact that Ertegun, who was then chairman of the Hall, was attempting to get recognition for early artists like Ruth Brown and The Drifters “that were being forgotten.” But then, he added, “It just kind of started to snowball.”

Clapton noted he became “suspicious” of the Hall because Rolling Stone magazine was very involved with it and claimed it was his late friend Robbie Robertson who “persuaded” him to be a part of it as well. While Clapton did describe his reunion with Cream for their induction as “magic,” he now calls the Hall “a get-together … a schmooze.”

Clapton also complained, “The fact that someone like J.J. has never even been suggested is proof of what that thing is, or proof of what it isn’t … he’s too anonymous for those guys.”

When the fact that neither Paul Rodgers nor his band Bad Company are in the Hall was brought up, Clapton said, “He’s a rebel. It’s not a place for rebels. It’s establishment stuff.”

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In 2023, KISS manager Doc McGhee said that a biopic about the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers was in the works and would arrive in 2024. While it’s definitely in the works, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see it.

Deadline reports that director McG is in final negotiations to direct the film, titled Shout It Out Loud. Sources tell the website the studios involved feel he’s a great pick, having not only helmed big-budget films like Charlie’s Angels, but also music videos for artists like Korn, Sublime, The Offspring, Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth.

Casting is reportedly underway for the biopic, with production starting in the second half of 2025.

Since KISS wrapped up their touring career in 2023, they’ve announced plans for a digital avatar show and have also sold their catalog, name, image and likeness to Pophouse Entertainment for a reported $300 million.

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After Poison drummer Rikki Rockett wrote on Facebook Wednesday that frontman Bret Michaels “doesn’t want to” tour in 2025, fans began speculating about why Michaels feels that way, with some being less than generous with their theories. Michaels has now addressed the rumors directly in an Instagram post.

“To clear the air of any confusion, I just want to clarify to all the amazing family, friends and fans who I remain forever grateful for, that it’s no secret I have stated previously that in 2025 I’m planning to perform limited shows to focus primarily on health,” he wrote.

Michaels added that his “diabetes … needs a tuneup,” and that he needs “a little R&R” and “some much-needed personal family time.” He says that because 2026 will mark the 40th anniversary of the release of the band’s debut album, Look What The Cat Dragged In, “it would make perfect sense to have the possibility of a reunion in 2026.”

“In my opinion, it would be the perfect 40th Anniversary Tour, with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world,” he wrote. “Poison hopefully will continue to rock the world in a 2026 headlining tour.” He cautioned, however, that “none of this is confirmed.”

The singer concluded, “To all the incredible fans, thank you for continuing to rock the world not only with the Bret Michaels Parti-Gras currently touring but also with Poison. I appreciate you letting me take a minute to clear any confusion. Stay tuned & have an awesome day!”

Look What The Cat Dragged In, which was released in August 1986, spun off the hits “Talk Dirty to Me,” “I Want Action” and “I Won’t Forget You.”

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Neil Young, Annie Lennox and Carole King are among the stars who have joined a 24-hour social media campaign to amplify climate change awareness.

The artists are all posting on Thursday to support the goals of the United Nations Human Rights initiative Right Here Right Now Global Climate Alliance. The plan is for them, as well as stars like Cyndi Lauper, Barbra Streisand, Billie Jean King and Jack Black, to reach more than 150 million people on their combined socials. 

The message they’re all sharing is “Climate Change is a Human Rights Crisis,” as well as invitations for fans to learn about the Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit, set for June 2025 at the University of Oxford.

“Together, we can champion human rights-based solutions [and] amplify environmental defenders’ voices,” the message continues.

The initiative is being launched nine months ahead of the actual event, according to organizers, so that “co-host universities around the world, participants, media, and the public have ample time to engage, paving the way for meaningful progress.”

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Alex Van Halen will promote his upcoming memoir, Brothers, with a three-city book signing tour.

The Van Halen drummer will be appearing Oct. 21 at Barnes & Noble’s Fifth Avenue New York City location; Oct. 22 at Books & Greetings in Northvale, New Jersey; and Oct. 24 at Live Talks LA @ The Frost Auditorium in Culver City, California. Tickets are required for each event, but the price of the ticket includes a copy of Brothers, which is officially releasing on Oct. 22.

The Culver City event, which includes a live chat with Alex, is also being made available virtually, if you can’t make it to California.

As previously reported, Alex recently shared a snippet of “Unfinished,” described as the “last piece of music” he and his late brother, Eddie Van Halen, wrote together, on social media. The entire song will be included in the audiobook version of Brothers, described by Alex as a love letter to Eddie, who died in October 2020.

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The 2023 edition of Eric Clapton‘s Crossroads Guitar Festival, which raises money for the guitarist’s Crossroads Centre treatment center in Antigua, will be released on digital, CD, vinyl and DVD in November.

The festival — returning after a four-year break — took place Sept. 23 and Sept. 24 at LA’s Crypto.com Arena and featured John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, H.E.R., Roger McGuinn, Santana, Jimmie Vaughan, ZZ Top, Stephen Stills, Stevie Wonder, The Wallflowers, Gary Clark Jr., John McLaughlin and more. It boasted Bill Murray as the night’s emcee.

The package documenting it all, Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023, is coming Nov. 29 and will be available as two DVDs, a four CD/two Blu-ray set, a six-LP vinyl box and on digital, both streaming and in Dolby Atmos.

Among the performances: Sheryl Crow doing “My Favorite Mistake” with John Mayer; Jimmie Vaughan performing his late brother Stevie Ray Vaughan‘s “Texas Flood”; The Wallflowers doing Tom Petty‘s “The Waiting”; Roger McGuinn doing The Byrds‘ “Eight Miles High” with Clapton and The Wallflowers; Stephen Stills, Clapton and The Wallflowers performing the Buffalo Springfield song “Bluebird”; and Clapton performing “I Shot the Sheriff” solo, doing “Crossroads” with Stevie Wonder and covering his late friend Robbie Robertson‘s song “It Makes No Difference.”

Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival began in 1999 and was subsequently held in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2019.

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On This Day, Sept. 12, 1975 …

Pink Floyd released their ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here.

The album featured the nine-part “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” which was a tribute to founding member Syd Barrett, who’d been fired seven years earlier due to his drug use and mental health issues.

The album’s title track became a classic rock staple and has often made lists of the greatest songs of all time. Other songs on the album include “Have a Cigar” and “Welcome to the Machine.”

Wish You Were Here went on to be a huge hit for the band, reaching #1 in both the U.S. and U.K. It became Pink Floyd’s fastest-selling album ever and went on to sell 20 million copies.

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Billy Joel is returning to the scene of the concert.

On Dec. 31, 2023, Billy rang in the new year at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, the location of Wednesday night’s MTV Video Music Awards. Now he’s announced that he’ll return to the venue on Dec. 31 to ring in 2025.

A CITI presale starts Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. ET. The general sale begins Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. ET.

Since Billy wrapped up his Madison Square Garden residency in July, he’s been filling out his 2025 schedule, announcing a show at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena on Feb. 22 — his first at the venue since 2008 — and a show at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, on Jan. 17.

He also has several remaining dates on the schedule for 2024, including a show with Rod Stewart in Cleveland Friday, plus three shows with Sting and two solo concerts in Inglewood, California, and Hollywood, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at billyjoel.com.

On Wednesday, Billy commemorated the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by posting a photo of himself performing at the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit TV special, which aired on Sept. 21, 2001. He and wife wrote, “This morning, we took a moment to share the stories of that day with our children. It still seems like yesterday … the emotions we feel are as profound today as they were 23 years ago.”

They added, “We hope for all to unite and remember that fateful day. God Bless America.”

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