Classic Rock 93.9

Foo Fighters guested on the British talk show The Graham Norton Show over the weekend and performed the live debut of their new song “Your Favorite Toy.”

You can watch the performance streaming now on YouTube.

Frontman Dave Grohl also sat down for an interview with host Graham Norton. As Charli xcx was among the episode’s guests, Norton played a clip of Grohl doing the pop star’s viral “Apple” dance alongside his daughter, Harper Grohl.

In reviewing Grohl’s moves, Charli commented, “You’re taking, like, an abstract approach, and that’s cool.”

“Your Favorite Toy” is the title track off the upcoming 12th Foo Fighters album, due out April 24. The record is the follow-up to 2023’s But Here We Are and is the band’s first with new drummer Ilan Rubin.

Foo Fighters will play a few U.S. festivals in May before launching a full North American stadium tour in August. 

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Rush is extending their Fifty Something tour into 2027.

Band members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, along with new drummer Anika Nilles, announced on Instagram that they’ll be taking the tour to South America, the U.K. and Europe next year. They also announced that keyboard player Loren Gold will be joining them.

South American dates run from Jan. 15 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Feb. 4 in Brasília, Brazil. The trek will then head to Europe and the U.K. starting Feb. 19 in Paris, with dates running until April 10 in Helsinki, Finland.

“We can’t wait to get back to all these cities we haven’t played in so long, as well as hitting some new places we’ve yet to play,” says Lee. “Both Alex and I are loving the hours of rehearsal time we’re spending with Anika and now Loren, learning around 40 songs which will enable us to keep the shows evolving, playing some different songs on different nights.”

He adds, “We are thrilled that many of our longstanding crew have come back to help us design the kind of Rush show that fans have grown accustomed to expect from us. We dearly hope you will come along and help us celebrate 50 years of Rush music, while giving Neil the long overdue tribute he so richly deserves.”

An artist presale begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

The Fifty Something tour, Lee and Lifeson’s first time touring as Rush since the 2020 death of drummer Neil Peart, kicks off on June 7 in Los Angeles, with North American dates running through Dec. 17 in Vancouver, Canada. A complete list of dates can be found at Rush.com.

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Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers is set to perform at the upcoming Adopt the Arts Sound & Vision Awards, which is honoring both him and Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler.

Rodgers shared on Instagram, “The plan is for me to play a couple of songs. Rehearsals start soon.”

The event is happening March 2 at the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, California. Guns N’ Roses drummer and Adopt the Arts founder Matt Sorum will be the night’s musical director, with an all-star lineup performing the music of the night’s honorees.

Musicians confirmed for the event include Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes, Billy Idol guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens, Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt, Stone Temple Pilots’ Robert DeLeo and more. Butler is expected to perform as well.

Tickets for the event are on sale now.

The Adopt the Arts Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to providing underserved elementary schools with high-quality music education. Rodgers previously worked with them in 2025 when he joined students of ATA’s The Changels honor choir for a new version of Bad Company’s “Rock and Roll Fantasy.”

Rodgers and Bad Company were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November, but he was unable to attend the ceremony due to his health.

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Drummer Zak Starkey took the stage at New York’s Gramercy Theatre Friday for a one-man show which led fans through an off-the-cuff, chaotic journey through his career of nearly three decades as The Who’s drummer, plus stints with his dad Ringo Starr, Oasis, Johnny Marr and more.

After screening a film that combined scenes of Starkey’s childhood with footage from his decades as a musician, the drummer got behind an onstage kit and played along with the last part of the film. He then asked the audience what they wanted him to do next, and began answering random questions.

Starkey clarified that despite having Ringo Starr as a dad and Keith Moon as a close family friend, his actual drum teacher was ex-Who drummer Kenney Jones. Moon, he said, only taught him about “girls, surfing, The Beach Boys, beer and being a mod.”

When the question about his departure from The Who in 2025 was raised, Starkey didn’t give details, only sharing that the band was “nuts,” “insane” and had an “addiction to friction.”

Later, in a sit down Q&A with The Ramones’ Marky Ramone, Starkey revealed that Abbey Road is his favorite Beatles LP, especially the song “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”

The remainder of the show featured Starkey playing drums live as video of past performances were screened behind him, including to John Entwistle’s isolated bass line from The Kids Are Alright version of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

The evening ended with The Rolling Stones’ Steve Jordan playing bass while Starkey drummed to The Who’s “Join Together.” Starkey complained that he hadn’t gotten to play any Oasis or Beatles songs, but said the venue insisted he end the show — “You’ll just have to come to another one,” he said.

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Former RATT frontman Stephen Pearcy has given fans a preview of what he’s been working on.

The rocker has shared a brief clip of a new song, “Drive,” which will appear on his next solo album, expected to be released later this year. A press release notes that the song, written by Pearcy, will feature a yet-to-be-revealed special guest on guitar, one of many guests expected on the album.

As fans wait for more news on Pearcy’s solo album, he’s getting ready to hit the stage with his former RATT bandmate, guitarist Warren DeMartini. They’ll play a show on Thursday in Highland, California. Pearcy also has solo shows and other Pearcy/DeMartini dates on his schedule for 2026, with more dates expected to be added.

A complete list of shows can be found at OfficialStephenPearcy.com.

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Shōgun star Anna Sawai is set to play Yoko Ono in Sam Mendes’ Beatles films, The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event. She tells Variety she hopes fans will come away with a better understanding of Ono, who married John Lennon in 1969 and has often been accused of breaking up The Beatles.

“It was my dream to tell her story and I didn’t think it would come this quick,” Sawai told the magazine. “There’s a version of her I feel people still don’t understand. And in this film, I think we’re going to be able to tell that side of the story.”

The actress notes that she’s been doing a lot of research for the role, including “so much reading.”

“So many books, so many videos, so many articles,” she explained. “She has so much artwork that also shows her personality.”

Sawai also offered up some insider info on how her co-stars Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan are handling performing as The Beatles for the film.

“They’re not even looking at the sheet music anymore,” she says. “They can just play it off and sing it, and it really sounds like the Beatles to me. It feels surreal.”

The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event will consist of four films, each told from the perspective of one of the band members. It is set expected to open in theaters in April 2028.

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Heart’s debut album, Dreamboat Annie, is getting an audio upgrade.

The album, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, is set to be released as part of UMe’s Vinylphyle audiophile series.

The release, mastered from the album’s original 1975 Can-Base Studios tapes, has an initial pressing of just 3,000 copies and will come with liner notes from veteran music writer Rick Florino.

The Dreamboat Annie Vinyphyle release is available now.

Released in September 1975, Dreamboat Annie was a top-10 hit for Heart, peaking at #7 on the Billboard 200. It features two songs that would go on to become Heart classics: “Magic Man,” which was their first top-10 single, and “Crazy on You,” a top-40 hit.

In early February, the album was chosen for induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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A new documentary about legendary Allman Brothers Band frontman Gregg Allman is headed to theaters later this year.

The U.S. independent film production and distribution company Subtext has acquired the doc Gregg Allman: Music of My Soul, with plans to release it in theaters this summer.

“Gregg Allman’s music is woven into the fabric of American culture, and this film captures both the artistry and the humanity behind the legend,” said Brian Levy of Subtext. “We’re proud to bring the film to American audiences, offering devoted fans rare insight and archival material while introducing Gregg’s legacy to a new generation.”

The film, directed by Grammy and Golden Globe award-winning filmmaker James Keach, will feature never-before-seen interviews and rare archival performances, including what’s described as “rarely seen concert footage that captures the Allman Brothers at their creative peak.”

According to the description, the film will trace the rocker’s journey “through profound personal tragedy and hard-won redemption, revealing how his raw honesty and blues-soaked power permanently reshaped American music.”

“I personally connected to Gregg Allman in his close relationship to his brother and his battles with addiction,” says Keach. “For me, Gregg’s incredible voice resonates not just in his music but in his humanity, in overcoming the murder of his father, the early death of his brother Duane, and his personal demons.”

He adds, “His soulful voice and brilliant songs reflect a life of redemption and hopefully will inspire all who witness his journey.”

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Lou Gramm has shared another preview of his upcoming solo album, Released.

The former Foreigner frontman has dropped the new track “Long Hard Look,” the second single from the record following “Young Love.”

The song, written by Gramm and his former Black Sheep bandmate Bruce Turgon, is described in a press release as a “brooding, mid-tempo rock anthem” that’s “both defiant and reflective.”

“Long Hard Look” is available now via digital outlets.

Released, available for preorder now, is Gramm’s third solo album and his first since his 1989 release, also titled Long Hard Look. It is made up of unreleased songs the rocker recorded in the 1980s for his previous solo albums but didn’t make the cut.

Gramm is due to hit the road in support of the album this summer, with dates to be announced.

He is set to reunite with Foreigner, hosting the opening weekend, March 6 and 7, of their Foreigner: The Hits Orchestral – Celebrating 50 Years Live in Vegas residency at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort. He will also join them for a string of Florida shows that kick off April 17 in St. Augustine, wrapping April 23 in Key West.

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Dave Grohl has shared his perspective on Foo Fighters’ decision to part ways with drummer Josh Freese in 2025.

Freese joined the Foos in 2023 following the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins. In an interview Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Grohl calls Freese a “consummate professional” and says the band had “such a blast” touring with him. 

After finishing their last tour with Freese in 2024, Grohl says he and the rest of the Foos took a few months away from the band. During that time, he says he and his bandmates made the decision to bring in a different drummer.

“This didn’t happen overnight, it was six or seven months,” Grohl says. “In those six or seven months, we, as a band, talked about what to do next and new direction. We thought, ‘OK, let’s call Josh and let him know that we’re gonna move on with a different drummer.'”

“All of us called, it wasn’t just me,” the “Everlong” rocker continues. “We called Josh, and we were like, ‘Hey man, that was awesome, that was such a blast, thank you so much, but we’re gonna move on and find another drummer.'”

Grohl doesn’t give an exact reason as to why he and the Foos felt it necessary to move on from Freese, but refers to a comment Freese made in an interview with The New York Times.

“I think Josh said it best when he was, like, he didn’t feel like our music really resonated with him,” Grohl says. “And that’s really important.”

He adds, “We found that now with [new Foo Fighters drummer] Ilan [Rubin], and it’s like, we feel like a band again.”

Foo Fighters will release a new album called Your Favorite Toy, their first with Rubin, on April 24.

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