Survey reveals if Americans want a Dead & Company Sphere residency

January 4, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

A recent report claimed that Dead & Company were in talks to play a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, but a new poll suggests they aren’t the artists most folks want to see headline the state-of-the-art venue.

Considering there have been lots of rumors as to who may play the venue next, a new survey by casino.org asked 3,000 Americans who they’d most like to see. Well, it turns out Dead & Company doesn’t top the list. In fact, they’re the artists most would least like to see at the venue, with Lady Gaga being America’s top pick.

Other bands coming in ahead of Dead & Company include Paul McCartney at four, Eagles at five, Bon Jovi at six and KISS at eight.

For now, U2 is still at the venue until March 2, with U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. Phish will follow from April 18-21.

So far, there’s been no official announcement that the rumored Dead & Company residency is going to happen. The band, made up of Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, went on their final tour in 2023, but Mayer recently gave fans some hope that the group is not completely over.

During a New Year’s Eve appearance on CNN, Andy Cohen asked Mayer about the future of Dead & Company, and he replied, “I’m not at liberty to say just yet. But, have hope is what I’ll say. Have hope … just like you should for all things in 2024.”

Survey questions, methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.

James Hetfield talks pyro safety at Metallica shows: “No more barbecues onstage”

January 3, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Even more than fuel and fire, safety is that which James Hetfield desires.

The Metallica frontman is well aware of the thrill and danger of onstage pyrotechnic productions — he was infamously burned in a pyro accident during a 1992 concert. Thirty years later, Hetfield explains how much safer the pyro is now at Metallica shows.

“We’ve learned a lot over all the years on what to do, what not to do,” Hetfield says on the latest episode of The Metallica Report podcast. He emphasizes the importance of “spotters” — people dedicated to monitoring the onstage movements of the band members to make sure that nothing’s going off that would put them in danger.

“We’re on the stage and we’re concentrated on the riffs, we’re playing music,” Hetfield shares. “But these guys gotta know that the band is kind of important, so don’t blow ’em up, please. No more barbecues onstage.”

Hetfield adds that Metallica’s pyro team has “got a love for it like we have a love for music.”

“They want to make it cool,” Hetfield says. “They will push the limits to, ‘Here’s what we can do here, here’s what we can’t.’ They’ll find that middle ground, where it’s pushing the limit a little bit but not too much.”

“We love the fact that we have some safe guys that are still slightly insane,” he adds.

Metallica and their pyro will return to the stage when their M72 world tour resumes in May.

Paul McCartney shares highlights from Brazilian Got Back tour

January 3, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Paul McCartney wrapped his 2023 Got Back tour in Brazil last month, and he’s sharing highlights from the trek with fans.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer debuted a video recapping the five-city tour, which kicked off with a club show in Brasília on November 28 and wrapped December 16 in Rio De Janeiro. The dates were McCartney’s first time back in Brazil since 2019.

“Brazil has been fantastic. It’s a beautiful nation,” he shares in the clip. “When you go on stage with an audience like that the feedback you get, it’s like meeting a dear friend in the street who you haven’t seen for a long time. But it’s that 40,000 times over.”

The video recap features footage of McCartney performing in each city, clips of him warming up backstage and more. There’s footage of crying and screaming fans in the audience as well as crowds waiting for him to arrive, including one fan who revealed that she learned English listening to McCartney’s music.

“When people ask me, why do you still do it, it’s cause of the crowds,” McCartney says in the clip. “Brazil, the people, they love to dance, they love to sing. For us it’s been brilliant just coming and performing for all of those crowds.”

McCartney’s Brazil shows were the final dates of his 2023 Got Back tour. So far, he has no shows planned for 2024.

Graham Nash wishes bandmate Stephen Stills a happy birthday

January 3, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Graham Nash took to social media to wish his bandmate Stephen Stills a happy 79th birthday on Wednesday, January 3.

“Happy Birthday to one of the most genuinely cool and kind people I’ve been lucky enough to call my friend,” Nash wrote on Instagram next to a picture of him, Stills and the late David Crosby. “Hope it’s a great one, Stephen! Much love my friend.”

Meanwhile, Stills’ Instagram account marked his birthday with a montage of photos set to The Beatles “Birthday.” The post was captioned with a quote from Stills about aging.

“Getting older is like a long rock and roll song,” he writes. “Some parts are epic solos, and others are just the drummer trying to find the beat.”

Brian May & Tony Iommi jam together on Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”

January 3, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Back in May, Queen‘s Brian May posted a photo with his good friend Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, sharing that they were filming a documentary on guitar riffs. Now, fans in the U.S. are finally getting to see what went down.

The two rockers teamed for the three-part Sky News series, Greatest Guitar Riffs, which aired in the U.K. back in November. Guitar World has just debuted a clip of them chatting and performing together.

Asked how he came up with his Sabbath riffs, Iommi explains, “I don’t know. I think it’s within.”

“Normally, we jam around and play something, and Ozzy (Osbourne) will go, what the f**** that,” he continues, adding, “It just feels right.”

They then discuss Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid,” which Iommi says happened because they didn’t have enough tunes for their album, and their producer told them they needed another song.

“The others had gone out to have something to eat. I came up with this riff, so when they got back I played them this idea of ‘Paranoid’,” he explains. “It’s basic. It’s not technical by any means. What I’ve always done is, not try and play anything that’s flash. I play things that I think is right for the song.”

Iommi and May then jam on the song’s classic riff, although May seemed hesitant to play.

“I’m going to commit sacrilege by joining in!” May jokes, before adding, “It is a good riff. It will go far.”

The Rolling Stones, The Beatles among the UK’s bestselling vinyls for 2023

January 3, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

Vinyl sales continue to grow in the U.K., and one of the biggest vinyl albums of 2023 comes from none other than The Rolling Stones.

The U.K. Official Charts reports that while Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was the U.K.’s bestselling vinyl album in 2023, The Stones land at #2 with Hackney Diamonds, their first new album in 18 years, making it the bestselling vinyl by a U.K. artist last year.

Hackney Diamonds debuted at #1 on the U.K. charts back in October, becoming The Stones’ 14th #1 album. It also topped the chart for a second week in December, becoming the U.K.’s official Christmas #1 album.

Meanwhile, The Beatles‘ “Now and Then” was the biggest selling vinyl single of 2023. The tune, billed as the final song from the band, has moved 33,000 vinyl copies. The numbers were helped by the band offering various vinyl options, including 12-inch and 7-inch versions in clear, light blue and blue/white marble.

On This Day, January 3, 1945: Stephen Stills is born

January 3, 2024 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, January 3, 1945….

Stephen Stills, best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Manassas, was born in Dallas, Texas.

Stills has written such tunes as “For What It’s Worth,” “Sit Down, I Think I Love You” and “Bluebird” for Buffalo Springfield, and “Carry On,” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” for CSN.

“Love the One You’re With,” from his 1970 self-titled solo debut, was Stills’ biggest solo hit, peaking at #14 on the Billboard charts. The tune features his CSN bandmates, David Crosby and Graham Nash, and Rita Coolidge on background vocals.

Stills has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash and Buffalo Springfield. Both inductions happened in 1996 and he is the only artist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame twice in the same night.

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.

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