Classic Rock 93.9

In a 2023 New York Times article, R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe opened up about his long-in-the-works solo album. Well, fans are still waiting on that album, and now Stipe’s giving them another update on the project.

In an interview with the U.K. Times, Stipe says the album has “taken longer than I wanted,” noting, “Covid didn’t help, but I’m finishing it.”

R.E.M. broke up in 2011, and Stipe tells the paper that after that he “just needed a break,” adding, “I took five years but I got pulled back into music.”

“It’s been a struggle. That’s the main thing,” he says of the album. “I want it to be great, but I’ve got the pressure of having been in R.E.M. and it’s a high bar, because I want this to be as good as that, and that’s near impossible.”

“So it’s f****** exciting but also terrifying, and I’m doing the music for the first time too, and I think I’m good at it but not great,” he says of the album. “But I love my voice. I don’t like my speaking voice but I love my singing voice, and I so want to immerse myself back into offering music to the world.”

It sounds like Stipe has plenty of work to do, with the article noting he still has lyrics to complete on eight songs before the album’s done, although he’s hoping to have it out before the end of the year.

As for the title, Stipe says he hasn’t settled on one yet, noting, “But I did think about Meet THE Michael Stipe.”

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Elton John’s annual Oscar viewing party, a fundraiser for his AIDS Foundation, took in $10.6 million Sunday night in West Hollywood.

The party featured Grammy-winning singer Lola Young as the musical entertainment, and included a cocktail reception, dinner and an auction where guests bid on an Elton John pinball machine, dinner with Elton and his husband David Furnish, jewelry, art photography, Rolex watches and a painting that was created live while Elton played a solo piano version of “Tiny Dancer.” 

Guests at the event included Olympic star Alysa Liu, Dua Lipa and her fiancé Callum Turner, Fran Drescher, JC Chasez of *NSYNC, Brandi Carlile, Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, Adam Lambert, Melissa McCarthy, Patricia Arquette, Tiffany Haddish, Yungblud, Donatella Versace, Bernie Taupin, Damiano David and his fiancée Dove Cameron, Keke Palmer and many more.

Over the years, Elton’s viewing party has raised over $125 million for the Foundation’s efforts to end AIDS. On Sunday night, Elton thanked his guests, adding, “We have a lot of work to do, still, but we’re gonna fight on. You know, I said I will never rest until this is finished. Well, I’m not gonna rest until it’s finished, and you’ve been a huge part of that.”

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Rod Stewart is once again headed back to Las Vegas.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has announced a new set of dates for his Las Vegas residency, The Encore Shows, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

The new dates consist of six shows running from Aug. 18-29.

A Citi presale for tickets begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, followed by a fan club presale on Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time. Presales for Caesars Entertainment’s loyalty program, Live Nation and Ticketmaster begin Thursday at 10 a.m. local time.

Tickets then go on sale to the general public starting Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

Stewart launched The Encore Shows in 2025. It followed his successful previous Caesars Palace residency, Rod Stewart: The Hits, which launched in 2011 and ran for over 13 years.

In addition to Las Vegas, Stewart has several U.S. shows scheduled in 2026. His next concert is happening April 15 in Knoxville, Tennessee. A complete list of dates can be found at RodStewart.com.

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Queen’s Brian May made a surprise appearance during pop star Benson Boone’s set at the 2025 Coachella Festival in Indio, California, and he did again at Boone’s Sunday concert in Birmingham, England.

May came out during Boone’s encore, joining him on guitar for Queen classics “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions,” as well as Boone’s hit track “Beautiful Things.”

“While (sic) lotta fun with Benson Boone last night,” May wrote on Instagram. “His show is sensational – I just provided a little icing on the cake.”

May added, “Gotta say pure fun and adrenaline are just one reason I wanna spend my weekend in Birmingham.” He then went on to explain several other reasons, including it being a “big challenge to step into this massive production and deliver,” noting he likes to be challenged “even though it makes me nervous.”

He wrote that Boone’s band is incredible and that the singer “is not only an awesome performer but one of the most genuine, thoughtful and generous people I’ve ever met.” Plus, May explained that his appearance “was a chance for my grandchildren to share a moment and experience what my life has been like.”

May praised Boone for returning to the U.K. for just one show to fulfill a promise to fans after he had to cancel a show three months prior due to vocal issues. 

He also said he was thrilled by the reaction of the crowd.

“To be greeted with that ROAR from a Birmingham audience was beyond priceless – I felt that old love – Queen had such great times in Birmingham,” he wrote. “Great days ! I feel lucky.”

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Guns N’ Roses are hopping off the “Nightrain” and picking up a different mode of transportation for an upcoming show.

The “Welcome to the Jungle” rockers will be playing the official Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix kickoff concert, taking place April 30 at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. 

Members of GN’R’s Nightrain fan club will have access to a presale beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. ET.

For all ticket info, visit GunsNRoses.com.

The F1 Miami Grand Prix takes place May 1-3.

GN’R will play a previously announced show at the Hard Rock Live on May 5 before headlining the Welcome to Rockville festival on May 7 in Daytona Beach. They’ll launch a full U.S. tour in July.

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On this Day, March 16, 1954…

Nancy Wilson, one half of the rock duo Heart, was born in San Francisco, California.

Nancy and her older sister Ann, along with Roger Fisher and Steve Fossen, formed Heart in 1973. They were later joined by Michael Derosier and Howard Leese, and  released their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, in 1975, which featured future Heart classics “Crazy on You” and “Magic Man.”

The group went on to sell over 35 million records and landed two #1 singles: “These Dreams” and “Alone,” along with top-40 singles “Barracuda,” “What About Love,” “Never,” “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You” and more.

The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

Nancy and sister Ann also formed the acoustic group Lovemongers, which released the EP Battle of Evermore in 1992 and the full-length album Whirlygig in 1997. Nancy also released several solo albums; the most recent, You and Me, came out in 2021.

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The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music’s fourth annual American Music Honors will take place April 18, and folks now have a chance to snag a VIP experience to the event.

Julien’s Auctions, in partnership with New Jersey’s Monmouth University, where the Bruce Springsteen Center is located, is auctioning off a VIP package for two to this year’s celebration. The event will honor Patti Smith, The E Street Band, The Doors, Dionne Warwick and Dr. Dre. It will also include a posthumous tribute to The Band.

American Music Honors will be held at the Pollak Theatre on the Monmouth campus. It will feature Stevie Van Zandt’s Disciples of Soul as the evening’s house band, with Springsteen, Van Zandt and music producer Jimmy Iovine serving as presenters.

The VIP experience will include two tickets to the American Music Honors, plus admission to a VIP cocktail reception, access to event rehearsals, a meet-and-greet with this year’s honorees, a signed poster and a VIP swag bag.

Bidding on the package is open now and closes March 30 at 1 p.m. ET. It is estimated to sell for between $2,000 and $4,000.

Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, which will officially open to the public on June 7. The American Music Honors auction is the first in a series of auctions in support of the Bruce Springsteen Center.

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James Hetfield will soon be off to married married land.

The Metallica frontman has announced he and his girlfriend, Adriana Gillett, are now engaged.

The “Enter Sandman” metallers revealed the news in a photo posted to Instagram featuring Hetfield and Gillett underwater in scuba gear. Hetfield is holding a sign reading, “Adriana Gillett will you marry me?” while Gillett holds the ring in one hand and gives a thumbs-up with the other.

“She said yes!” the caption reads. We can only hope Gillett responded with a patented Hetfield “Yeah!”

Hetfield was previously married to Francesca Tomasi for 25 years before divorcing in 2022. They share three children.

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Longtime Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell has died at age 64.

Campbell’s band the Bastard Sons, which includes his children, announced the news in an Instagram post Saturday reading, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved father, Philip Anthony Campbell, who passed away peacefully last night following a long and courageous battle in intensive care after a complex major operation.”

“Phil was a devoted husband, a wonderful father, and a proud and loving grandfather, known affectionately as ‘Bampi,'” the post continues. “He was deeply loved by all who knew him and will be missed immensely. His legacy, music and the memories he created with so many will live on forever. We kindly ask that our family’s privacy is respected during this incredibly difficult time.”

Campbell joined Motörhead in 1984 in place of Brian “Robbo” Robertson, who played in the band for a year following the departure of classic lineup guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke in 1982. The first iteration of the band with Campbell also included frontman Lemmy Kilmister, drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor and another guitarist, Michael “Würzel” Burston, turning the longtime trio into a quartet.

After several changes behind the kit, Motörhead brought in drummer Mikkey Dee in 1992. Following Burston’s departure in 1995, Motörhead returned to a trio with Kilmister, Campbell and Dee. That lineup remained intact until Lemmy’s death in 2015, upon which Motörhead disbanded.

Campbell played on 16 Motörhead’s studio albums. Outside of Motörhead, Campbell released three albums with the Bastard Sons, as well as a solo record in 2019.

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Sunday marks 50 years since KISS released their fourth studio album, Destroyer, and to celebrate the occasion the band has released a new line of products and merchandise.

The Destroyer anniversary collection includes a metallic gold and purple fire vinyl pressing of the album, which will ship March 27, as well as a limited purple liquid-filled vinyl edition, which will be released May 1.

In addition, there’s a Destroyer jacket, featuring an embroidered KISS logo, plus a pullover sweatshirt, raglan sleeved shirt and belt buckle, along with a T-shirt with the Destroyer cover, available only to members of the KISS Army.

All items are available at shopkissoline.com.

Released March 15, 1976, Destroyer featured future KISS classics “Detroit Rock City,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “God of Thunder” and the ballad “Beth,” which became their first top-10 single. The album peaked at #11 on the Billboard Album chart, making it the third consecutive KISS record to make the top 40.

Within a year, Destroyer was certified Platinum by the RIAA, making it the band’s first Platinum record; it was eventually certified double Platinum.

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