Classic Rock 93.9

The Rolling Stones are getting their very own trading cards.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have partnered with Panini America, the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company, for a new trading card set, Prizm The Rolling Stones, which will celebrate the band’s more than 60-year career. 

The partnership will kick off with a Color Blast set featuring cards with photos of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and the late Charlie Watts, in front of a color burst of the band’s iconic tongue and lips logo.

“The Rolling Stones are an iconic brand, are integral to the history of music, and have millions of dedicated fans across the globe,” Mark Warsop, CEO of Panini America, shares. “We are proud to be partnering with them and to share our products celebrating their legacy and so many of their memorable moments. We think that fans will be very excited.” 

Future Stones card collections include Albums, highlighting a variety of Stones album covers; Hot Lips, with photos of band members with the tongue and lips logo at the top; International Licks, with the tongue and lips logos featuring regional flags and colors; and Stubs, dedicated to their concert tours.

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REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin has paid tribute to Aerosmith following the news the band has retired from touring due to Steven Tyler’s vocal issues. 

Cronin writes on Instagram that in the ’70s they were often “sabotaged” by bigger bands who they were opening for on tour, but that wasn’t the case with Aerosmith, who they opened for in 1976.

“On the first night of the tour, (Steven) Tyler and Joe Perry came to our dressing room, (which was stocked with beer and assorted munchies), introduced themselves and welcomed us to their tour,” he writes. “Steven invited us to join them after every show for a great meal, we were given all access to their party suite; they treated us with respect.”

He notes, “Rather than mess with us, Steven and Joe wanted the best for us, as Aerosmith was not intimidated at all. They used the energy of the REO Speedwagon performance to lift them, they rocked extra hard as a result, and the audience was the ultimate winner.”

“I learned a lot from Steven Tyler. Any band who has opened for REO and been treated with love and respect has Steven to thank,” Kevin adds.

Regarding Aerosmith’s retirement announcement, Cronin notes, “It seems impossible that the great Steven Tyler’s retirement will be permanent. He is such a force of nature. But if this is the time for him to hang up his scarves, then so be it and more power to him. He has given so much of himself, and left so much of himself on stages in venues all around the world. He has earned the right to take his final bow whenever he sees fit.”

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Heart’s Nancy Wilson is set to share her musical expertise with aspiring musicians at the third annual Women’s Rock Camp, taking place Dec. 5 to Dec. 8 in Los Angeles.

Also taking part in the four-day camp is Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss, the Runaways’ Lita Ford, drummer Sheila E and Jeff Beck bassist Rhonda Smith. 

Unlike the usual Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camps, Women’s Rock Camp is open to female instrumentalists and vocalists only. Participants will get a chance to take part in master classes with all the rock star counselors, plus attend band rehearsals, jam sessions, Q&A sessions and more, culminating in a live performance at The Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.

“Rock Fantasy Camp for women is a meaningful gathering of women together. As a military brat I never felt constrained by my gender,” Wilson tells Billboard. “Encouraging women to wield their power outside confining gender expectations is always a happy task for me.” 

Reservations are now open. More information on Women’s Rock Camp can be found at rockcamp.com.

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The date has been announced for the 2024 Bowl for Ronnie, the annual celebrity bowling tournament held in honor of late metal icon Ronnie James Dio.

The event will take place Nov. 14 at PINZ Bowling Center in Studio City, California. As always, it will raise money for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. The 2023 Bowl for Ronnie brought in more than $80,000.

Participants in previous years included Dave Grohl, Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, Black Sabbath‘s Geezer Butler, Lita Ford and former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora. The bowlers for 2024 have yet to be announced.

Dio died of stomach cancer in 2010. He was 67.

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Pete Townshend is giving fans of The Who hope that another tour may be possible.

Although he and bandmate Roger Daltrey have made differing comments on whether the band will ever tour again, Pete reveals in a new interview with The Daily Beast that he’s open to the idea of it.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen with The Who. I’m hoping Roger and I can find some common ground and find some way to work again, possibly without an orchestra, because I think we’ve done that,” Pete says. “But also, there’s this sense that we’re in the last tour period of our career.”

He adds, “Are we just hoping to do what Bob Dylan does and just keep going? I’m encouraged by seeing what Roger’s doing in his solo tour. It seems to me that if we put a small band together and just decided to throw s*** at the wall, it might be great.” 

Unfortunately, Pete says right now he and Roger “don’t talk,” noting that “it might be difficult to land on something that we both share an interest in. But it’s there for the taking, I think.”

But Pete has no plans to convince Roger to hit the road.

“I’m not gonna try to bully Roger to do anything,” he says. “I don’t want to have the job that I used to have around the time of Quadrophenia, which is bullying everybody in The Who to do exactly what I want to do.”

“Anyway, I’m hopeful. I’m certainly not saying that we won’t do anything, but Roger and I do have a bit of a river to cross,” he concludes. “And once we cross that river, we’ll see what happens.”

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Rod Stewart‘s signature whiskey, Wolfie’s, has officially been around for one year, and the “Maggie May” singer celebrated the milestone Aug. 4 in Las Vegas.

According to spirits writer Fred Minnick, Rod, his wife, Penny, and three of his kids — Sean, Liam and Renee — celebrated at a speakeasy called The Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Rod sang “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” a cappella and led the crowd in a singalong of The Faces‘ classic song “Ooh La La.”

Rod also handed out shots of Wolfie’s, and guests enjoyed cocktails mixed with the whiskey, like the Do Ya Think I’m Sexy, which combined Wolfie’s, agave syrup, lime juice, mint and jalapeño. Rod was also presented with a cake in the shape of a bottle of Wolfie’s. You can see footage of the festivities over at Rod’s Instagram page.

The party also doubled as a celebration of the end of Rod’s 13-year residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. It will wrap up with the 200th show of the residency on Aug. 7.

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Chicago is spending more time on the road this fall.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just announced dates for a new North American tour, kicking off Oct. 24 in Nashville, Indiana. The tour features two-night stands in Port Chester, New York, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, with dates also booked in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and more, before wrapping Nov. 17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Tickets go on sale Friday at 9 a.m. 

The tour news comes as the band is getting ready to release the new live album, Chicago At The John. F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts, Washington D.C. (9/16/1971), on Sept. 27. 

In the meantime, Chicago is spending their summer on the Heart & Soul Tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. The trek hits Raleigh, North Carolina, on Aug. 12. A complete list of shows can be found at chicagotheband.com.

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James Hetfield turned 61 on Saturday and celebrated by imagining a world where Mickey Mouse fronted Metallica.

In a video posted to the ‘Tallica Instagram, Hetfield inhales helium from a balloon and exclaims, “Happy birthday to me! Hi everybody, I’m 61!” While his voice was still high-pitched, Hetfield started singing the “off to never never land” part of “Enter Sandman.”

Hetfield’s voice was back to normal during Metallica’s show Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, as part of their M72 world tour, which returned to North American on Aug. 2. The outing will resume Friday in Chicago.

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Queen’s Brian May has paid tribute to Aerosmith following the news they’ve decided to retire from touring following Steven Tyler’s vocal problems.

“This has brought a tear to my eye. Aerosmith have been a huge part of my life, as they have been for millions of other rock fans,” May shared on Instagram alongside the band’s retirement announcement. “Steve Tyler stands as one the greatest vocalists and front men of all time – and it’s heartbreaking that his extraordinary voice has been so damaged. We all send our love and prayers for your recovery, Steve.”

He adds, “It’s also typical of the pure class of the band that they have made and broadcast this bold decision in such style. The career of Aerosmith is truly something to celebrate forever. All things must pass – but the inspiring work of Aerosmith will live on – along with the memories of truly one of the most awesome bands to ever hit a stage.”

Aerosmith announced Friday they were canceling their Peace Out tour, which was due to relaunch in September. The tour initially kicked off in September 2023, but was postponed after a handful of shows when Tyler fractured his larynx.

The Black Crowes, who were due to open for Aerosmith on the tour, also paid tribute to the band on Friday, noting, “We are shocked and saddened by this news from earlier today … nothing but love and respect to our friends in @Aerosmith. Heartfelt thanks for all of the incredible memories.”

And they’re not the only ones. Slash also posted a tribute, while fan-shot footage shows Sammy Hagar calling Tyler “one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll singers of all time” during his concert in Michigan, saying it was sad but honorable he quit because he can’t sing anymore.

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Foo Fighters did not play the greatest song in the world during their show in Denver on Saturday, but they did offer a “Tribute.”

The set included a partial acoustic cover of Tenacious D‘s signature song. Dave Grohl played the role of Jack Black while singing and strumming a guitar, and subbed in keyboardist Rami Jaffee for mentions of Kyle Gass.

Grohl only got about a third of the way through “Tribute” before shouting, “I don’t actually know that song! I only play the drums on that song.”

Indeed, Grohl plays drums on all of the D’s albums.

Seeing the Foos cover part of “Tribute” might be the closest we get to Tenacious D performing for a while, as the band is currently on pause after Gass made a joke about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

Black said he was “blindsided” when Gass said during a D concert that his birthday wish was, “Don’t miss Trump next time.” Black added, “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold.”

Gass later posted an apology, though the post has since been deleted.

Foo Fighters, meanwhile, are currently touring U.S. stadiums in continued support of their latest album, But Here We Are.

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