Classic Rock 93.9

The Black Crowes launched their Happiness Bastards tour at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House on Tuesday, April 2, treating fans to a mix of new songs, hits and deep tracks. 

According to setlist.fm, the band kicked things off with the track “Bedside Manners” from Happiness Bastards, their first album in 15 years. In fact, the set featured several songs from the record, including their latest single, “Wanting and Waiting,” as well as “Cross Your Fingers,” “Flesh Wound” and “Rats and Clowns.”

Country star Lainey Wilson was a surprise guest at the show; she was introduced by Chris Robinson, who said, “I guess if you’re gonna play the Grand Ole Opry you have to have a bonafide country superstar.” She then joined the band for their Happiness Bastards collaboration, “Wilted Rose,” as well as the classic Shake Your Money Maker tune “She Talks to Angels.” 

The Crowes treated fans to a 17-song set list that also featured plenty of hits, including “Hard to Handle,” “Remedy,” “Sting Me” and “Jealous Again,” as well as “Twice as Hard” and the Southern Harmony and Musical Companion favorites “Thorn in My Pride” and “My Morning Song.” 

The band then wrapped the show with a cover of The Velvet Underground track “White Light/White Heat.”

The Black Crowes bring their Happiness Bastards tour to Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on Wednesday, April 3. A complete list of dates can be found at theblackcrowes.com.

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Bob Burns, the original drummer for Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, died in a car crash near his home in Cartersville, Georgia.

Burns helped to form Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1964 with Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins and Larry Junstrom, but left the group in 1974.

He is credited on recordings from the group’s first two albums: 1973’s (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) and 1974’s Second Helping. Those include such Lynyrd Skynyrd classics as “Free Bird,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Simple Man.”

In 1996, after years out of the public eye, Burns joined the band for a performance in conjunction with the film Freebird: The Movie. Then, in March of 2006, he returned to perform alongside the band at their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to tour to this day, although no members of the original band remain. The last original member, Gary Rossington, died in March of 2023. Skynyrd is currently on their Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour with ZZ Top, which hits Biloxi, Mississippi, on April 4. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com. 

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Classic songs by Queen and Fleetwood Mac are among the most-streamed songs in the U.K.

A new list compiled by the Official Charts Company has revealed the 300 most-streamed songs released in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, and while Oasis’ “Wonderwall” is #1, the top 10 is dominated by classic tracks. 

Queen’s iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the second-most streamed song on the list, with Fleetwood Mac at #3 and #4 with “Everywhere” and “Dreams,” respectively. Another Queen track, “Don’t Stop Me Now,” is at #5.

Also in the top 10 are Toto’s “Africa” at #6, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” at #9 and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” at #10, making her the only solo female artist in the top 10.

Fleetwood Mac also has two other songs in the top 20: “The Chain” at #11 and “Go Your Own Way” at #18. 

Other classics landing high on the list include Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ‘69” at #12, ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky” at #17, Tears For Fears‘ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” at #19, Michael Jackson‘s “Billie Jean” at #20 and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” at #21.

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Beyoncé’s latest album, Cowboy Carter, features her interpretation of The Beatles classic “Blackbird,” and it turns out she took more than just inspiration from the band.

Variety has confirmed that the song, retitled “Blackbiird” for Bey’s album, includes acoustic guitar and foot tapping by Paul McCartney, taken from the song’s original backing track.

Credits for the Cowboy Carter were not shared until after the album’s official release on Friday, March 29, and it did list McCartney as playing guitar, but a rep for the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has now confirmed that guitar contribution isn’t new.

Many reviewers have noted that it’s especially fitting that Bey recorded a cover of “Blackbird” given that McCartney has said the song was inspired by the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and in particular, the struggle of Black women.

So far, McCartney has not commented on Beyoncé’s cover, which also features backing vocals by four Black country artists: Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts and Brittney Spencer.

“Blackbird” originally appeared on The Beatles’ self-titled 1968 double album, which is commonly known as The White Album.

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Foreigner doesn’t seem ready to say farewell to their Farewell tour. The band just announced a new set of fall dates featuring special guests Lita Ford and Loverboy.

The latest leg of the tour kicks off September 23 in Charleston, West Virginia, with dates confirmed through October 9 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

A Foreigner presale kicks off Wednesday, April 3, at 10 a.m. CT, and tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday, April 5, at 10 a.m. CT.

Foreigner is currently in Las Vegas for residency at The Venetian Theatre, with three more shows left this month, April 3, 5 and 6. They will then resume their Farewell tour on April 11 in Ivins, Utah, and will team with Styx and special guest John Waite for the Renegades & Juke Box Heroes Tour, starting June 11 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

A complete list of Foreigner tour dates can be found at foreignerlive.com.

Foreigner is also currently nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Inductees will be announced in late April, with the ceremony taking place this fall in Cleveland.

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Dead & Company are spending some more time in Las Vegas. The band just added some new dates to their upcoming Dead Forever residency at Sphere Las Vegas.

The band — Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti — have extended the residency through July, with six new shows taking place July 4, 5 and 6, and 11, 12 and 13. Tickets for all shows on sale now. 

According to the initial press release, the shows will have a different set list each weekend and include “never-before-seen visual storytelling.” The residency kicks off Thursday, May 16, with Dead & Company playing each weekend on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

The concerts will be the first Dead & Company shows since wrapping what they said would be their final tour July in San Francisco.

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The ’80s-era music of King Crimson will be celebrated on a new tour featuring former members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin.

The BEAT tour will have the two musicians teaming up with guitar great Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey to reinterpret three King Crimson albums – 1981’s Discipline, 1982’s Beat and 1984’s Three Of A Perfect Pair – which were also the first three to feature Belew and Levin. 

“The 1981 through 1984 King Crimson created a music all its own. Timeless. Beautiful. Complex. Fierce,” Belew shares. “For the fans who lived through it then, and the ones who never got to witness it, our aim is to bring it to life again. A monumental task but we’re going for it! There are not enough exclamation points to express my excitement!” 

Levin adds, “This is going to be quite a tour. Revisiting some of my favorite music is a treat in itself, but in company of this stellar lineup, I expect to have my musical butt kicked!” 

The BEAT tour kicks off September 12 in San Jose, California, with dates confirmed through November 8 in Las Vegas. A ticket presale is already open, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday, April 5.

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Heart is extending their time on the road. Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have just added some more dates to their upcoming Royal Flush tour, which is their first tour together in five years.

The new dates kick off September 26 in San Francisco, with added stops in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Nashville, New York, San Diego and more, before wrapping December 15 at the BleauLive Theater inside Fontainebleau Las Vegas. 

The new shows feature Cheap Trick, Bachman Turner Overdrive featuring Randy Bachman and Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening as special guests on select dates.

Presales for the new shows begin Wednesday, April 3, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday, April 5, at 10 a.m.

The first leg of the Royal Flush tour, featuring special guest Cheap Trick, is set to kick off April 20 in Greenville, South Carolina. Heart will also bring the tour overseas, where they’ll be playing festivals and some headlining shows with special guest Squeeze.

In addition to their Royal Flush tour, Heart is scheduled to open three dates on the Def Leppard and Journey stadium tour this summer. A complete list of Heart dates can be found at heart-music.com.

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Jeff Lynne’s ELO has added more dates to their Over and Out Tour, which is being billed as the band’s final tour. 

The new dates include a second show in four big cities: New York’s Madison Square Garden on September 17, Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center on September 21, Chicago’s United Center on September 28 and Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on October 26.

The tour will kick off August 24 in Palm Desert, California, with the October 26 Kia Forum date the final show of the trek. A complete schedule can be found at jefflynneselo.com.

An artist presale for the new shows will begin Wednesday, April 3, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday, April 5, at 10 a.m.

The Over and Out Tour will be the first tour for Jeff Lynne’s ELO since 2019, although they did play Joe Walsh’s VetsAid in Chula Vista, California, in 2023, treating the crowd to such classics as “Evil Woman,” “Don’t Bring Me Down” and “Mr. Blue Sky.”

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Bruce Springsteen came to the rescue of one of his young fans, who was skipping school to see Bruce’s concert at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sunday, March 31.

Fan-shot footage posted to Facebook shows the rocker kneeling down to sign an excuse note for a young girl who was holding up a sign that read “skipping school sign my note?” As he handed the note back he blew a kiss to the fan.

This isn’t the first time Springsteen has signed a child’s excuse note. Back in 2016, he signed 10-year-old Michael Fenerty’s absence note after he and his father went to the Free Library of Philadelphia to get The Boss’ memoir, Born To Run, signed. 

As for the Springsteen concert on Sunday, according to setlist.fm Springsteen opened with the tour debut of “Light of Day,” from the 1987 Michael J. Fox movie of the same name. It was the first time The Boss has performed the song with The E Street Band since 2016.

The show also featured Springsteen classics like “Hungry Heart,” “Badlands,” “Thunder Road,” “Dancing in the Dark” and “Born To Run.”
 

Next up, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band hit the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, for shows on April 4 and 7. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.
 

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