Foreigner’s Jeff Pilson teases band’s future beyond farewell tour

January 3, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Foreigner kicked off their farewell tour back in July, but it doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon.

The band currently has dates on the books for 2024, including a Las Vegas residency that kicks off in March and a tour with Styx that launches in June. And during an interview with Bass Musician magazine, bassist Jeff Pilson suggested that there may be even more shows planned for 2025.

“There may be something going on in ’25, we just haven’t heard yet,” he shared. “But what I will tell you is at the end of ’24 will be the end of our doing long tours. That’s really what we mean by this farewell tour … no more nine months of the year on the road.”

As for why the band is ready to hang it up, he says the traveling is too much, plus they want to spend time with their families.

“We’re not that young. So, there is all that,” he says. “And basically, we wanna have a life, it would be nice to have more of a life.”

Foreigner’s 2024 dates kick off January 19 in Scottsdale, Arizona, and they’ll be back in Las Vegas for their Feels Like The Last Time residency, starting March 22. Their Renegades & Juke Box Heroes tour with Styx kicks off June 11. A complete list of dates can be found at foreigneronline.com.

Ace Frehley on his KISS replacement, Tommy Thayer: “It’s back to the breadline for him”

January 2, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley continues to diss his former band, and his latest victim is Tommy Thayer, the guitarist who took his place in the group from 2002 to 2023.

During an interview with Guitar World, Frehley was asked if his own guitar playing is based on instinct; he used his response to call out Thayer.

“It is. I’ve never had a guitar lesson. I was born with a certain technique that many people, namely Tommy Thayer, can’t duplicate,” he replied, noting that now that KISS is no longer touring, “It’s back to the breadline for him.”

Frehley recently released the title track off his upcoming solo album, 10,000 Volts, which drops February 23. He believes fans are more interested in his song than they are his former band.

“I was on YouTube last night and I noticed that the music video for ‘10,000 Volts’ is creeping up on half a million views,” Frehley says. “Then I checked on a video of one of KISS’ final live shows, and they didn’t have close to that.”

But even with those digs, Frehley insists he doesn’t take things as far as his former bandmates, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.

“I’ve always been the kind of guy to let the music do the talking, you know? The less I say … I think that sometimes, that’s the best route to go,” he says. “Paul and Gene always like to elaborate and put people down. … Maybe it makes them feel better, or perhaps it’s because they’re just insecure. I don’t know the reason.”

Could there ever be another Ozzfest tour?

January 2, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Since Ozzfest first began in the ’90s, festival culture has exploded. So could there ever be another Ozzfest tour?

That’s the question Ozzy Osbourne posed to his wife and Ozzfest founder Sharon Osbourne during the latest episode of The Osbournes Podcast.

“Yeah, sure,” Sharon replied. “Of course.”

The last full-scale Ozzfest tour took place in 2007. Since then, there have been pared-down tours and one- or two-day events, the last of which took place in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve 2018.

Among the issues that would face the resurrection of Ozzfest, Sharon said, are the financials.

“Why is it when it comes to us that everybody thinks that we are trillionaires?” Sharon asked. “Every manager who wants their band on our festival wants one of the f****** trillions they think we’ve got.”

Speaking about the broader festival landscape nowadays, Sharon is proud to see how much of it has been shaped by Ozzfest.

“It’s great, that’s what we wanted, everybody to do spinoffs and do their own festivals,” Sharon said. “It’s great for fans, it’s brilliant.”

“We started something,” she added. “People have taken it, and it’s still great for the genre.”

Should an Ozzfest tour ever come back, though, you probably shouldn’t expect to see Ozzy play all the dates. The Prince of Darkness announced in 2023 that he’d retired from touring due to health issues, though he still hopes to play one-off shows in the future.

Gene Simmons takes fans inside New York’s Electric Lady Studios

January 2, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

After KISS wrapped their End of the Road tour, Gene Simmons gave fans a chance to spend some time with him at Electric Lady Studios in New York. Now he’s sharing some behind-the-scenes footage of the experience.

The unique event happened December 4, 5 and 6, following the band’s final performance at Madison Square Garden on December 2. Those who took part paid $6,000 for the privilege, which included being able to record a song with Simmons and hear him share stories of his career.

In a video posted to YouTube, Simmons talks about how the studio, which was built by Jimi Hendrix, has a very personal connection to KISS.

“This was the first recording studio Paul [Stanley] and I ever recorded in. We did background vocals for other artists. And then KISS. Yes, our little band,” he shares. “This was the very first recording studio, Electric Lady, where we recorded our very first demo that had songs like ‘Deuce’ and ‘Black Diamond’ and so on.”

He talks of wanting fans to get to experience the studio where artists like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and more recorded, noting, “I wanted the fans to be able to stand there and actually record in the very same rooms that these superstars were in.” He added, “What an amazing experience. I hope to do it again.”

The clip then shows Simmons posing for photos with fans and directing them as they record their take on the KISS classic “Rock and Roll All Nite.”

As for doing it again, it sounds like there are already plans in the works. Simmons ends the video by teasing the same experiences coming to “a local recording studio where you live.”

John 5 on making music with Mötley Crüe: “It’s pretty magical”

January 2, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Mötley Crüe has been teasing new music for a while now. They first shared in April that they were once again working with Dr. Feelgood producer Bob Rock, and in December, bassist Nikki Sixx confirmed new tunes would be out in 2024.

Well, now guitarist John 5 is getting fans excited for what to expect, revealing in an interview with Illinois Entertainer that Nikki is constantly working on new material.

“Just the other day, Nikki called me and he was playing guitar over the phone and he’ll play a riff, and he’ll sing this melody, and it sounded like it could be something off of Too Fast For Love,” he says, referring to the band’s 1981 debut album. “It’s just natural for him to write these songs that I have loved and lots of other people have loved.”

He adds, “I think we’re always going to make new music because man, this guy is pumping out amazing lyrics and great music. When we all get together, it’s pretty magical.”

Jimmy Page shares his admiration for Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Link Wray

January 2, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

After helping induct guitarist Link Wray into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Musical Influence category in November, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page opened up about his admiration for Wray in a post on Instagram.

Page shared that he’s admired Wray from the moment he heard “Rumble,” which he performed during the induction.

“I first heard it when I was 14, roaring from a jukebox in my hometown of Epsom,” Page shares. “As a guitar instrumental the attitude of it was totally unique in its mystery, imagination and execution — it had a profound effect on me.”

He adds, “Link Wray and Rumble stand alone at the pinnacle in the world of instrumentals and I was thrilled to stand on stage in New York with drummer Anton Fig and bassist Tim Givens at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame to induct one of my heroes.”

The post promoted a comment from Wray’s daughter Charlotte, who wrote, “Thank you for playing my dad’s song at the Rock Hall.” She added, “me and my siblings that were there cried, cheered and loved every moment!!!!”

Highlights from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony recently aired on ABC, but fans can still catch the full show streaming on Disney+.

Is Elton John’s new album a collaboration with Brandi Carlile?

January 2, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Elton John told attendees at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November that he’d made a new album with his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, and in his end-of-year message to fans, he said it would be coming out in 2024. Now, it seems there might be another artist involved in the project.

In an interview that was published in Clashmusic magazine last month, The Who‘s Pete Townshend, a good pal of Elton’s, seemingly revealed an interesting detail about the new album. “Elton is so fraught with loss at not knowing what to do next,” said Townshend, referring to the fact that Elton will no longer be touring.

“He’s just gone over to LA to make an album with Brandi Carlile,” Townshend continued. “They made an album together in two weeks. He says it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done.”

If this is the same album that Elton’s been talking about, having Brandi Carlile involved isn’t a surprise: He and the singer/songwriter are close friends. A huge fan of Elton’s, Brandi appeared on his Lockdown Sessions album and also sang with him at his final U.S. concert at LA’s Dodger Stadium.

As for what her involvement entails, it’s possible that Carlile actually produced Elton’s album. She’s won multiple Grammys for producing an album by country star Tanya Tucker and also produced Joni Mitchell‘s recent live album and the latest album by Brandy Clark, who co-wrote the hit Broadway musical Shucked.

We’ll have to see if more details become available.

On This Day, January 2, 1969: The Beatles begin work on their final studio album, ‘Let it Be’

January 2, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, January 2, 1969…

The Beatles began rehearsals for what would wind up being their final studio album together, Let It Be.

Rehearsals took place at Twickenham Film Studios and were marred by tension within the band, which was captured on film as cameras were recording the sessions for a documentary.

Let It Be was released in May 1970 along with the documentary of the same name, which featured The Beatles’ unannounced rooftop concert, their last public performance together. The album, which featured such classic Beatles songs as the title track, “Get Back” and “Across the Universe,” went to #1 in the U.S., the U.K. and several other countries.

The footage from the Let It Be documentary was later used by director Peter Jackson for the Emmy Award-winning docuseries The Beatles: Get Back, which was released in 2021.

Green Day’s ‘NYRE’ performance calls out “MAGA agenda”

January 2, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Green Day began 2024 with a political statement.

During the punk trio’s performance on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong slightly changed the lyrics of their song “American Idiot.” He replaced the line “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda,” referring to supporters of former President Donald Trump.

That Green Day took a swipe at Trump shouldn’t be too much of a surprise — among their many vocal oppositions to him included making a T-shirt out of his mugshot, which was taken after his indictment over charges of election interference in Georgia. The original “American Idiot” was written in protest of the George W. Bush administration.

The NYRE performance kicked off what is shaping up to be an eventful year for Green Day, which includes a world tour in support of their upcoming album Saviors, due out January 19.

Carlos Santana reveals whether he plans to retire: “why would I stop?”

January 2, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Carlos Santana is set to return to the Las Vegas stage in January, but fans don’t have to worry about this being their last chance to see him. While he may be 76 years old, the guitar great has no plans to retire anytime soon.

“I don’t think like that because it’s like this: people are flowers, music is water and I’m a hose,” he tells ABC Audio. “Why would I stop?”

And Santana has some strong opinions about artists who make big announcements about retiring from the road, like Elton John, KISS and Aerosmith, to name a few.

“Usually when people say that they’re already done anyway mentally, and so they’ve been retiring for the last 50 years,” he says. “I wish they would just, you know, either do it or shut up or stop saying it.”

But even though Santana’s not hanging things up for good, he knows he can’t keep going at the pace he once did.

“I promised my daughter Stella that I would balance it more,” he says, although he adds, “I feel really strong, really clear and very passionate about living life to the fullest.”

Carlos’ Las Vegas residency, An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live, returns to the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay on January 24, with dates booked through May. A complete list of shows can be found at santana.com.

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