Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, April 24, 1976…

Following rumors of a possible Beatles reunion, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels used a segment of the show to try and make that happen.

Michaels directly addressed Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, noting that a reunion would be “great” and offered them $3,000 to reunite, holding up a check made out to The Beatles, noting they’d have to perform three songs.

Michaels joked about the check, “You divide it any way you want: if you want to give Ringo less that’s up to you. I’d rather not get involved.”

While the reunion never happened, it turns out McCartney and Lennon watched the segment together at Lennon’s New York apartment the Dakota, and thought about the offer, but in the end decided against it.

In the book All We Are Saying, by David Sheff, Lennon said they almost went to the studio but in the end decided they were too tired.

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No need to ask a friend, we can tell you that the new Foo Fighters album is here.

Your Favorite Toy, the 12th studio effort from the “Everlong” outfit, is out now. It’s the follow-up to 2023’s But Here We Are, and arrives after a couple tumultuous years for Dave Grohl and company.

In September 2024, Grohl shared that he’d fathered a child outside his marriage, and the Foos canceled their remaining scheduled show. Then in May 2025, drummer Josh Freese, who’d joined Foo Fighters in 2023 following the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins, announced that he’d been fired from the band.

The Foos officially reemerged in July 2025 with the single “Today’s Song.” They returned to the live stage in September 2025, which marked the debut of their new drummer, Ilan Rubin, formerly of Nine Inch Nails.

Another new song, “Asking for a Friend,” arrived in October 2025, before the Foos finally announced Your Favorite Toy in February and released its shouty title track. Two more songs, “Caught in the Echo” and “Of All People,” followed.

In addition to working through the tumult in new music, Grohl says he started going to therapy.

“I’ve been in therapy six days a week for 70 weeks,” Grohl told The Guardian in an interview published in March. “I did the math the other day: over 430 sessions.”

Foo Fighters will celebrate the arrival of Your Favorite Toy on Saturday with a performance on Saturday Night Live UK. They will play a one-off show in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on April 28, followed by headlining sets at the Welcome to Rockville and BottleRock Napa festivals in May. They’ll launch a full North American stadium tour in August.

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Ringo Starr’s new album, Long Long Road, which has roots in country and Americana, is out today.

It’s the second straight album he’s done with producer T Bone Burnett. At a recent listening party in Los Angeles, Ringo said Burnett made making the album easy, noting, “There’s a lot of great players in Nashville, and he knows most of them.”

Ringo said Burnett would send him “tracks with some meat on” them, and he would send back his drum and singing parts. Then Burnett would “complete the deal,” which Ringo describes as “a great way of working.”

And it was just as easy for Burnett, who said he’s been listening to Ringo play drums for so long that “his feel is in my DNA at this point. It’s in my cells, you know.”

“I’ve always thought of him as a Texas musician because he played so Texas,” he added. “He’s the swinginest drummer in the history of the United Kingdom. I can tell you that.”

Ringo said the title of the album represents “the road I’ve taken,” adding, “You know all of those stop marks on your walk of life, it’s so far out.”

He said that the title track “is me going through my things about my life.” And while he said some of it may have been bad, most of it wasn’t.

“I’ve been a lucky human being,” he said. “I got to do what I love to do.”

Long Long Road is the follow-up to Ringo’s 2025 country-inspired album, Look Up. It features guest appearances by Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle and Sarah Jarosz.

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More than 300 Grateful Dead-related instruments and memorabilia went up for auction Thursday in San Francisco, with a custom acoustic guitar one of the tops sellers.

Treasures From The Golden Road Featuring Property From “Big Steve,” “Ram Rod” & Trixie Garcia featured instruments, keepsakes and more from the personal archives of members of the Grateful Dead’s inner circle, including crew chief and Jerry Garcia Band manager “Big Steve” Parish, Jerry Garcia’s daughter Trixie Garcia and Grateful Dead head roadie Lawrence “Ram Rod” Shurtliff.

The top seller was an Alvarez Yairi acoustic guitar, custom made for Jerry Garcia in 1988, which brought in $256,000, three-times more than the estimated price. Another guitar, Garcia’s 1939 Gibson Super 400 N Archtop, also sold for $256,000, two-times more than the estimate.

Other sale highlights include a Grateful Dead signed 1993 New Year’s Eve concert poster, which sold for $35,200; a Jerry Garcia handwritten set list from a 1989 Jerry Garcia Band show, which sold for $22,400; and a Winterland Grateful Dead dressing room plaque, which sold for $19,200.

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We’re getting our first look at a new documentary about legendary Allman Brothers Band founder Gregg Allman.

A new teaser for Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul, from Grammy- and Golden Globe award-winning filmmaker James Keach, has just been released. The clip opens with Cher, who married Allman in 1975,  introducing him on what appears to be her variety show. It’s followed by archival photos and footage of the rocker throughout his career, including snippets of old interviews.

The film is described as “a profound portrait of Gregg Allman, a luminous figure whose life and songs mirror his struggles and salvation,” told through archival recordings, interviews and live performances. The description notes that the film includes some rarely seen footage of the Allman Brothers Band “at their creative peak.”

Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul will premiere in New York on June 9, and feature an acoustic performance by Devon Allman and Duane Betts, sons of Greg and fellow Allman Brothers Band member Dickey Betts. That will be followed by a June 11 premiere in Macon, Georgia, which will include an appearance by Allman Brothers Band member Chuck Leavell. Both premieres will feature a Q&A with the filmmakers.

The film will also have one-week exclusive engagements in Los Angeles and New York, before its full theatrical release on June 17.

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Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the Ramones’ self-titled debut album, and the milestone will be celebrated throughout the year.

One of those celebrations is the July 4 world premiere of the only authorized exhibition dedicated to the Ramones at The Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas. The exhibit was organized and curated by the museum in collaboration with Linda Ramone, wife of the late Johnny Ramone, and Ramones Productions Inc. It will include performances, artist conversations and interactive experiences.

According to a press release, the exhibit “connects audiences to the Ramones’ legacy, cultural impact, and continuing aftershock across music, art, design, and public memory.”

The upcoming year will also include physical Ramones releases and reissues from Rhino. In addition, newly remastered videos for “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “Rock N Roll High School,” “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” and more have now been released on the Ramones’ official YouTube page.

Released April 23, 1976, Ramones was recorded in one week, opening with what would become a Ramones classic: “Blitzkrieg Bop.” While Ramones wasn’t a commercial success, only making it to #111 on the Billboard charts, it was a hit with critics and went on to be considered one of the most influential punk records in the U.S. It has also landed on several best-of lists, including Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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David Lee Roth has revealed that he’s sold his publishing.

In an interview with The Associated Press at the Coachella Festival, which was just published to YouTube, the former Van Halen frontman reveals he sold his publishing catalog “eight months ago.” He didn’t reveal who he sold it to.

He then told the reporter, “Ask me how I feel.” When they did, he replied with a laugh, “Rich,” noting, “For the first time in my life I can rub two coins together and create a little interest. No, really.”

Roth was the surprise guest during both weekends off Coachella, coming out to perform “Jump” with Teddy Swims.

Roth is currently on a U.S. tour, where he’s been performing a set filled with Van Halen classics. He’s even been performing the track “Little Dreamer” from Van Halen’s 1978 self-titled debut, which is the first time he’s performed the song since 2003.

Roth’s Don’t Love Me, Rent Me tour hits Austin, Texas, on April 29. A complete list of dates can be found at DavidLeeRoth.com.

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KISS recently announced the dates for the 2026 KISS Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas, and now Gene Simmons has revealed details of this year’s lineup.

This year’s convention will be held Nov. 13-15 at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. In addition to two unmasked KISS shows featuring Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, the weekend will feature an all-star tribute to KISS founding member Ace Frehley, who passed away in 2025. According to the announcement, the tribute will include “sit-ins from members of KISS & guests.”

The weekend will also include performances by Night Ranger, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick, Slaughter and Faster Pussycat. There will also be a pre-party on Nov. 12 featuring the Ace Frehley Band, Enuff Z’Nuff and others.

In addition to performances, the weekend will include a whole host of activities, like Q&A artist panels, a KISS lookalike contest, KISS karaoke and artist meet-and-greets.

Folks can register now at KissKruiseVegas.com to get the first info on when reservations open.

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Live Nation is once again giving fans a way to enjoy live music this summer without breaking the bank.

The concert promoter is set to launch what they’re calling the Summer of Live, offering $30 all-in concert tickets to over 4,000 shows.

The promotion includes tickets for artists like John Mellencamp, Rod Stewart, John Fogerty, Paul Simon, The Black Crowes, James Taylor, Chicago and Styx, Deep Purple, Sammy Hagar, Santana and The Doobie Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner, The Guess Who, Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe and more.

The promotion runs from April 29 to May 5 at LiveNation.com/SummerofLive. After picking a show, there will be the option for tickets labeled “Summer of Live Promotion,” to add to your cart.

There’s also an option for early access for Live Nation All Access members starting Thursday, April 23, and T-Mobile members starting Tuesday, April 28, at 10 a.m. local time.

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On This Day, April 23, 1976…

The Rolling Stones released their 13th studio album, Black and Blue, which was their first following the departure of guitarist Mick Taylor.

His eventual replacement, Ronnie Wood, is featured on three songs on the album. The Stones used the recording sessions as auditions for Taylor’s replacement, with other guitarists like Jeff Beck, Robert A. Johnson and Wayne Perkins taking part.

The album went to #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, where it spent four weeks.

In November, ahead of the album’s 50th anniversary, The Stones reissued the album as a five-LP or four-CD super-deluxe box set, featuring an album of outtakes and jams, and a recording of a 1976 concert at Earls Court in London, which was part of a six-night residency at the venue.

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