Classic Rock 93.9

AC/DC has gone Diamond.

The Aussie rockers just received their first-ever RIAA Diamond certification for their classic track “Thunderstruck,” meaning it’s now moved at least 10 million equivalent units.

According to the RIAA site, “Thunderstruck,” from the band’s 1990 album, The Razor’s Edge, was actually awarded Gold, Platinum and Diamond certifications on the same day.

And that wasn’t the only recent certification awarded to AC/DC. They earned new multi-Platinum certifications for singles “Hells Bells,” “Back in Black,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Highway To Hell,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” “T.N.T.” and more.

In addition, several albums received new multi-Platinum certifications, including their classic Back in Black, which was just certified 26-times Platinum.

AC/DC is currently performing those hit singles overseas on their Power Up tour. They play Hockenheim, Germany, on July 13. A complete list of dates can be found at acdc.com.

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The Zombies‘ Rod Argent is recovering from a stroke, the band’s management has revealed.

“Rod had recently returned home from a triumphant Zombies tour of the U.K., and spent a weekend in London with his beloved wife Cathy, celebrating his 79th birthday and their 52nd wedding anniversary, before the stroke occurred,” read a statement from the band’s management team. “He was hospitalized overnight, and released the next day.”

The statement adds that Rod’s doctors have advised him that he’ll need months of rest and recuperation, so he’s decided to make his health a priority and “immediately retire from touring.” 

“He was already preparing to wind down his live performance schedule after health scares on recent tours,” the statement continues. “However, the stroke was an unmistakable warning sign that the risks are too great.” 

But Rod isn’t giving up music altogether. He says he still plans to keep writing and recording with The Zombies and he “has already been back at his piano for some much-needed ‘Bach therapy.'”

As for The Zombies, Rod’s decision means planned shows for 2024 have been canceled, although their second annual Begin Here Festival in St Albans, England, set for November, will still happen. The Zombies show planned for the festival won’t take place, although management says they are hoping to put together a special show honoring Rod.

The Zombies played a series of shows in the U.S. in March and April. Their 2023 North American tour was cut short after Argent became ill with migraines, fatigue and exhaustion.

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Stevie Nicks is ready to make things right with her fans in Manchester and Glasgow.

Over the weekend the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer had to postpone her shows in both cities due to a leg injury that required a surgical procedure. But now she’s announced the rescheduled dates for the shows, with Stevie set to play Manchester’s Co-Op Live on July 16 and Glasgow’s OVO Hydro on July 24. 

But before both those shows, Stevie is set to headline BST Hyde Park in London on Friday. The show features a variety of special guests, including Brandi Carlile.

After wrapping her European dates in Glasgow, Stevie has two more shows on her schedule, both in the U.S. She’ll play Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sept. 24 and Hershey Park, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 28. Her complete schedule can be found at stevienicksofficial.com.

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Elvis Costello fans got a bit of a surprise at his show in Philadelphia Wednesday night.

Earlier in the day, the rocker revealed in an Instagram Story that two members of his band The Imposters were “indisposed,” so he was going to “initially take the stage alone,” adding “surprises and hilarity will ensue.” 

According to setlist.fm, Costello opened the show at the The Mann Center for the Performing Arts with just his longtime collaborator Steve Nieve, explaining that Imposters band member Davey Faragher and guitarist Charlie Sexton had “fallen afoul of a bad piece of fish.” 

He then treated the crowd to a set that included classics like “Pump It Up,” “Accidents Will Happen,” “A Face in the Crowd” and more, before being joined by Imposters drummer Pete Thomas, who remained for the rest of the set.

He went on to play hits like “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes,” which was dedicated to Willie Nelson, “Alison,” “Everyday I Write The Book,” “Peace Love and Understanding” and more.

Costello is currently on a co-headlining tour with Daryl Hall. They play Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Friday. A complete list of dates can be found at elviscostello.com.

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On This Day, July 11, 1959…

Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

Sambora joined Bon Jovi in 1983, replacing the band’s original guitarist Dave Sabo, after he left the band to form Skid Row. Sambora was responsible for co-writing such Bon Jovi hits as “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and more.

Sambora appeared on 12 Bon Jovi albums, his last being 2013’s What About Now. He left the band in 2013 prior to a concert in Calgary, Canada. 

He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Bon Jovi in 2018 and reunited with the band for the induction. It was his last time performing with the members of Bon Jovi.

Outside of Bon Jovi, Sambora has released three solo albums, the last being 2012’s Aftermath of the Lowdown.

Sambora recently participated in Hulu’s Bon Jovi documentary, Thank You Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story, although in an interview he described the doc as Jon’s project and perspective.

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Phil Collins’ 1993 solo album, Both Sides, is getting a special reissue for its 30th anniversary.

Both Sides (All The Sides) will be released Sept. 20 as a deluxe-edition five-LP box set, featuring a remastered version of the original album, along with a bunch of extras. 

Those extras include early demos, rarities, single B-sides and live tracks, all of which are on vinyl for the first time. Live tracks include songs recorded during Collins’ MTV Unplugged performance, including “Can’t Turn Back the Years” and “Both Sides of the Story.”

The set comes in a slipcase with picture sleeves and includes a 16-page booklet featuring new liner notes written by journalist Michael Hann. 

Released in November 1993, Both Sides was Collins’ fifth solo album and the follow-up to 1989’s blockbuster #1 …But Seriously. It was a true solo album for Collins, as he performed, wrote and produced the album by himself at his home studio. It went to #1 in the U.K. and peaked at #13 in the U.S. 

Both Sides (All The Sides) is available for preorder now.

And in more Phil Collins news … a limited-edition 10-inch vinyl, Live From the Board: Official Bootleg, will be released for Record Store Day Black Friday on Nov. 29. The four-track EP, originally released in 1995, features songs recorded during 1994’s Both Sides tour. 

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After ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill passed away in July 2021, Elwood Francis, the band’s guitar tech, took over the job permanently, but he says he’s still not completely comfortable in the role. 

While it was Hill’s wish for Elwood take over for him, Elwood tells Guitar World it still feels “weird” having the gig, which he originally thought would just be temporary.

“When I first started doing it, Dusty was just sick and going home for a few weeks. It was entirely different; I was just helping out,” he says. “I didn’t have to worry about the weight of the crown because I was just helping.”

He adds, “They pulled me aside and said, ‘Can you honestly say you can’t play his parts?’ I said, ‘I can do it, but I don’t think people would enjoy me doing it.’ They said, ‘You can cover him for a few weeks.’” 

Elwood’s now been ZZ Top’s bassist for three years, but he still has mixed feelings about it.  

“We’d done some gigs when Dusty passed, and by that time, I wouldn’t say I was comfortable because I’m still not f***** comfortable,” he shares. “It’s just weird. Dusty is their bass player. I’m not the bass player.”

He adds, “I’m not in the band. I’ll never be in the band. I shouldn’t be in the band. It’s Dusty’s thing. Sure, I’ll still play with them, but it’s a weird thing, man.”

Elwood and ZZ Top are currently on tour overseas and will play London’s OVO Arena Wembley on Thursday. A complete list of dates can be found at zztop.com.

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Elton John‘s new musical The Devil Wears Prada is currently in out-of-town previews before it moves to London’s West End this fall. Vanessa Williams plays the role that Meryl Streep had in the movie, the fearsome fashion editor Miranda Priestly, and she gave Kelly Clarkson a bit of a preview of one of Elton’s songs for the show while appearing on Kelly’s talk show Wednesday.

“I am honored because I grew up listening to Elton John on my little transistor radio on my windowsill with my two antennae, listening to ‘Bennie and the Jets’ and [Goodbye] Yellow Brick Road — that was my childhood,” she told Kelly. “So, to be able to work with him and have him write new songs that I get the chance to sing for him is pretty epic.”

“The script is very much based on the movie, so you see all the aspects of that, but it’s amplified by the music,” Vanessa continued, before singing an a cappella rendition of a song that she says Miranda sings at a Paris fashion show, when everyone thinks she’s about to lose her job at Runway magazine.

Vanessa says the songs that Elton wrote for the show are musical theater, but are “pop, too,” adding, “There’s going to be remixes on the radio from The Devil Wears Prada, because he know what works in both genres.”

The Devil Wears Prada opens in London’s West End in October. Also in October, Elton’s other musical, Tammy Faye, will open on Broadway.

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Nirvana‘s long-running copyright lawsuit against Marc Jacobs is set to finally come to a close.

The band’s Nirvana LLC entity and the fashion label filed a notice of settlement on Tuesday, according to case info viewed by ABC Audio. The notice is signed by lawyers for both parties, as well as attorneys for Robert Fisher, a former art director for Geffen Records who later entered the case.

“The parties agreed to the Mediator’s Proposals … and are in the process of fully documenting their settlement agreement,” the case docket reads. 

Nirvana LLC — made up of surviving members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic and the estate of the late Kurt Cobain — first sued Marc Jacobs in 2018, alleging that its Bootleg Redux Grunge collection copied the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” outfit’s signature smiley face logo.

In between various motions to dismiss and countersue, Fisher joined as a plaintiff-in-intervention in 2020, claiming that he was the one who originally created the logo, and not Cobain, as Nirvana LLC maintained.

Since filing the notice of settlement, the parties will have 21 days to agree on the exact details and terms of the agreement.

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Peter Frampton and Scandal frontwoman Patti Smyth are set to perform at the New York City Parks Foundation Dinner & Concert gala, which will honor tennis brothers John and Patrick McEnroe with the City Parks Foundation Icon Award.

The event will take place at SummerStage in New York’s Central Park on Sept. 26, with Smyth, who is John McEnroe’s wife, performing with Steve Jordan, the current drummer for The Rolling Stones.

The City Parks Foundation’s annual fundraising gala raises money to support SummerStage concerts, as well as free environmental education, sports and community volunteer programs for New York’s underserved communities. 

Tickets are available now on the City Parks Foundation website.

Frampton’s appearance will come just three days after he wraps his The Positively Thankful Tour, and ahead of his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That’s happening Oct. 19 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, with the ceremony to stream live on Disney+, followed by a special airing on ABC at a later date.

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