Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder calls recent health scare a “near death experience”

July 7, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

After postponing three shows due to an illness in the band, Pearl Jam returned to the stage in Barcelona Saturday night, where frontman Eddie Vedder opened up about the health issues they were dealing with.

Fan-shot footage posted to social media shows Eddie addressing the crowd before a performance of “Wasted Reprise,” sharing, “the last week it almost felt like a near death experience. It was very uncomfortable and it got frightening.”

The comments came just after a performance of “Just Breathe,” with Vedder saying the issue was chest related. “It felt like maybe you couldn’t breathe, maybe you wouldn’t make it through the night, maybe you’d have to go to the hospital,” he said.

Eddie then noted that it wasn’t just him, and “a few of us” had it.

“You just realize how precious this life is, how lucky we are to have been living on a planet where we could go round and play to incredible people like the people in this room here tonight,” he added. “So, it was a poignant experience. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon and we won’t be forgetting tonight anytime soon.”

Next up, Pearl Jam plays a second night in Barcelona on July 8. They return to the U.S. on August 22 with a show in Missoula, Montana. A complete list of dates can be found at pearljam.com.

Stevie Nicks postpones two shows due to leg injury

July 7, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Stevie Nicks is the latest artist forced to postpone tour dates.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer postponed her July 6 Glasgow show, as well as her planned July 9 show in Manchester, with a now-vanished Instagram Story post from Stevie blaming it on “a recent leg injury requiring a minor surgical procedure that will need a few days of recovery time.”

The post noted fans should keep their tickets and rescheduled dates will be announced soon.

It also indicated that Stevie still plans to continue with her upcoming July 12 show in London, noting, “Stevie looks forward to seeing everyone at Hyde Park in London.”

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo reworking musical ‘Invincible’

July 6, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Pat Benatar and husband Neil Giraldo are offering up an update on their musical Invincible, a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet using their music catalog.

The musical originally opened in late 2022 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, and after mixed reviews, Benatar now tells Billboard they are planning to totally rework the show.

“The place we’re at right now is about tearing it to shreds and starting over,” Benatar shares. “We have the liberty to do that because we haven’t gone to even off-Broadway or anything like that. So we’re tearing it apart, doing a similar show but with a lot of different elements to it.”

Giraldo adds that after the changes, the musical will be “different and the same at the same time.”

“It will take it in a little different direction, maybe go back to the very beginning,” he says. “I think we got too far in the weeds with it and it started getting a little messy.”

In addition to the title song, the show features such classic Benatar/Giraldo tunes as “Love Is a Battlefield,” “Heartbreaker,” and “We Belong” and despite the setbacks, Benatar says the process has been “exciting” and “fun.”

She notes, “You just keep evolving ’til we get to the place we feel like it’s time to put it out there.”

So far there’s no word on when or where exactly they plan to put it out there, although Benatar suggested it could open next in Giraldo’s hometown of Cleveland.

Clive Owen says David Bowie inspired him to become an actor

July 5, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Actor Clive Owen has revealed that David Bowie was a huge inspiration for him wanting to become an actor.

“Bowie probably has more to do with me being an actor than any actors,” Owen told Variety at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

“He showed me that you can create worlds,” Clive says. “My imagination was fired — that was the beginning of going into acting. It was Bowie that provoked my understanding of the art.”

Variety notes that Owen said he has no intention of ever trying to play Bowie in a project.

While Bowie, who passed away in 2016, is known mostly for music, he did dabble in acting throughout his career. He appeared in such films as 1976’s The Man Who Fell To Earth, and 1986’s Absolute Beginners and Labyrinth, as well as Martin Scorsese’s 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ, 2006’s The Prestige and more.

Eddie Van Halen’s 1993 Canada Day flag guitar going up for auction

July 5, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

An Eddie Van Halen guitar emblazoned with the Canadian flag is going up for auction later this year.

The long-lost 1993 Ernie Ball Music Signature Canada Day guitar will be part of Julien’s Auctions biannual Played, Worn, & Torn: Rock ‘N’ Roll Iconic Guitars auction.

According to the auction house, the guitar, unseen for 31 years, was played by Eddie at a July 1, 1993, Canada Day concert at Molson Park in Barrie, Ontario. It features the red Canada maple leaf, with signatures of all the band members.

The auction is happening Nov. 21-22, and fans can register to be a part of it now. Eddie passed away in 2020 due to complications from throat cancer; to honor the rocker, proceeds from the sale will be donated to the cancer research and treatment nonprofit City of Hope.

KISS’ Paul Stanley shares a look at his guitar collection

July 5, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

KISS’ Paul Stanley is giving fans an inside look into his guitar collection.

The rocker appears in the latest episode of Gibson TV’s The Collection, where he gives folks a behind-the-scenes look at the KISS warehouse, where he stores his guitars.

In the video, Stanley shares that seeing Eddie Cochran on TV inspired him to want to play guitar, noting, “There was something about him that was rogue and seemed ruthless, a great attitude.”

“So that was really the start of my introduction to guitar, although I grew up in a family with a lot of folk music and bluegrass and opera and classical music and all,” he says. “But I was convinced I could play the guitar when I had no knowledge of the guitar, just because there was some sort of connection.”

Stanley says he kept trying to get his parents to buy him a guitar, and requested an electric guitar for his 13th birthday, but instead he got a “used nylon-string guitar.”

“I was shattered ’cause you can’t play rock ‘n’ roll on this,” he said. “A couple of months later, I said, ‘You know, let me give that a go.’ So that was really the start … I took to it really quickly.”

He adds, “I took a few lessons, and I wanted to go faster, and for some reason the teacher was, ‘No. You have to stay at this pace.’ So he went and the guitar stayed.”

The Rolling Stones give fans a behind-the-scenes look at ‘Voodoo Lounge’ recording session

July 5, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Rolling Stones have given fans a look inside the studio as they recorded their 20th studio album, Voodoo Lounge.

The band shared a behind-the-scenes clip from inside the studio, where guitarist Keith Richards talks about drummer Charlie Watts hitting his peak during the recording. There’s also a clip where Watts is chatting about his performance with Keith, Mick Jagger and producer Don Was.

The clip reveal comes as The Stones are set to reissue Voodoo Lounge in honor of its 30th anniversary. The album will be reissued on red- and yellow-colored vinyl on July 12, along with a limited-edition Rolling Stones store exclusive 10-inch single, containing B-sides “I’m Gonna Drive,” “So Young,” “Jump On Top Of Me” and “The Storm.”

The Voodoo Lounge 30th anniversary reissue is available for preorder now.

David Gilmour shares rehearsal clip of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”

July 5, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

David Gilmour is set to play some solo dates later this year, and he’s just given fans a sneak peek at what to expect.

The rocker shared a clip of him rehearsing the Pink Floyd classic “Wish You Were Here” with musician Ben Worsley, as Wesley the dog listens on.

Gilmour is set to kick off his solo tour with a six-night stand in Rome, starting Sept. 27, followed by dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall beginning Oct. 9. In the U.S. he’ll play four shows in Los Angeles, starting Oct. 25 at the Intuit Dome, with the other three dates happening at the Hollywood Bowl. He’ll wrap the tour with five nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, starting Nov. 4.

The tour is in support of Gilmour’s new solo album, Luck and Strange, which drops Sept. 6. It is his first album of new material in nine years.

Luck and Strange is available for preorder now.

Zach Bryan thanks Bruce Springsteen for his contribution to new album

July 5, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bruce Springsteen is featured on the song “Sandpaper,” on Zach Bryan’s new record, The Great American Bar Scene, and the country star took to social media to thank The Boss for his participation.

“thank you for the day @springsteen,” he writes next to a picture of Springsteen holding a guitar. “thank you for your kind words thank you for letting me take this picture thank you for making my whole life a dream of a younger me a reason to believe.”

“Sandpaper” has similarities to Springsteen’s classic “I’m On Fire.” The pair first performed the tune together in concert back in March, when Springsteen flew from San Diego to join Bryan on stage at his concert at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center.

And Springsteen isn’t the only collaborator on Bryan’s album. John Mayer is on the track “Better Days,” and he showed his appreciation to Zach on social media.

“I always knew this song Zach wrote was special. I had no idea how beautiful, powerful and deep an album it would be a part of,” he wrote. “I’m stunned. I’m blessed to have been able to fulfill my dreams of making music. What I never saw coming: to be asked to play with an artist as deeply tapped in as @zachlanebryan is. Thank you for inviting me into your dream-coming-true.”

Def Leppard’s Phil Collen is ready to get his “rock star on” at Summer Stadium Tour with Journey

July 5, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Def Leppard is getting ready to launch their Summer Stadium Tour with Journey, and guitarist Phil Collen is excited for what’s in store.

The two bands previously toured together in 2018, and Collen tells ABC Audio that it’s a pairing that works well.

“We always do great with Journey, even when Journey are not doing great with themselves,” he says, adding he’s a “huge fan” of the band.

Collen says that with the recent 40th anniversary of their third studio album, Pyromania, fans can expect the set list to “lean heavily” on that album. He also says they plan to clean things up from some of their previous tours, noting, “We’ve got rid of a lot of chaff.”

“When I say that, I mean, you know, stuff that bands do that you don’t realize you’re doing,” he explains. “We don’t need to waffle on and do this here and audience participation that lasts so long that you could actually fit another song in there.”

He notes, “We’ve kind of really surgically … chopped things up and made it just way more exciting.”

The tour marks another summer Def Leppard is spending headlining stadiums, and for Collen there’s nothing better.

“I think when you start playing, that’s the dream is to be able to do that and, you know, the bigger the better,” he says. “You get your rock star on. … It’s really cool.”

Def Leppard and Journey’s Summer Stadium Tour, with special guests Steve Miller Band and Cheap Trick, kicks off Saturday in St. Louis. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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