Classic Rock 93.9

The final book from Rush’s Neil Peart is coming in May.

Silver Surfers focuses on Peart’s lifelong passion for cars, with Rush sharing on Instagram, “[I]n his final literary creation, he writes about his beloved Silver Surfers collection; the joy of collecting these exquisite, rare, and important sports cars, and the myriad ways that they brought him great joy.” 

“Silver Surfers is an homage to these cars that meant so much to him, and to the passion of the road that fueled his life,” reads the book’s description.

Silver Surfers will be released May 7 and is available for preorder now. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Neil Peart Memorial at Lakeside Park and the American Brain Tumor Association from The Estate of Neil Peart.

Peart passed away January 7, 2020, after a battle with brain cancer. He was 67. He previously authored seven nonfiction books, including 1996’s The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa, 2002’s Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road and his 2004 memoir, Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times.

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Sammy Hagar was in Scottsdale over the weekend for the Barrett-Jackson auction to promote the Arizona debut of his Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. premium sparkling rum canned cocktails. And evidently he decided to get up on the stage and play a few tunes.

The rocker surprised fans who came out to see Red Voodoo on the Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum Live Music Stage Friday, January 26, by joining the band for a few songs. 

Hagar treated the crowd to songs like “Mas Tequila,” “Your Love is Driving Me Crazy,” “Heavy Metal” and “I Can’t Drive 55.” He was also joined by his Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony for “Finish What Ya Started,” from Van Halen’s 1982 album, OU812.

Hagar was supposed to be auctioning off his 2015 LaFerrari at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, but that particular auction was postponed until October because the car needed a new battery. It didn’t stop Hagar from having fun, though. According to AZ Central, he told the crowd that he and Anthony spent the day hanging out and drinking.

“This is so awesome. For me, this is like (expletive) heaven,” he said. “I would rather be here than at a (expletive) Rolling Stones concert. All these cars?!”

The performance was just a precursor to what fans can expect this summer when Hagar heads out on his The Best of All Worlds Tour with Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Joe Satriani. The tour kicks off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

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Should a guy who once bit the head off a bat be honored with the title of “sir?” According to Judas Priest‘s Rob Halford, the answer is yes.

Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Halford says, “If one person deserves a knighthood, it’s Ozzy Osbourne. Just for the joy he’s given people over the years.”

Usually when rock stars are knighted, it’s for “services to music,” as well as for charitable activities — two things that Ozzy can conceivably claim.

While he doesn’t have a knighthood himself, Halford did meet the late Queen Elizabeth II. He tells Classic Rock that he was at Buckingham Palace for an event celebrating British music when he was introduced to the queen by singer and actress Cilla Black.

“Cilla … says, ‘This is Rob Halford, he’s flown in from Finland to be here,’” Halford recalls. “And the Queen said, ‘You play music? What kind of music do you play?’ So I said, ‘Heavy metal.’ And she said, ‘Oh, heavy metal? Why do they have to play so loud?’ So I just went, ‘So you can bang your head, Your Majesty.’”

“It was such a lovely night, talking about heavy metal to the Queen.”

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REO Speedwagon is heading out on the road with Train this summer for what they’re calling the Summer Road Trip 2024 Tour. 

The trek kicks off July 8 in Somerset, Wisconsin, and is set to wrap up September 11 in Phoenix, Arizona. The popular yacht rock band Yacht Rock Revue will open all dates.

To get fans hyped for the tour, the bands will perform together at LA’s iconic Whisky a Go Go club on February 1. Tickets for the show are on sale now via TicketWeb. Ahead of that, they’ll also perform together on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! on January 31; the show will stream the next day on Hulu. 

A Citi card presale begins January 31 at 10 a.m. local time via citientertainment.com; artist presales also start that day and time. The general on-sale date is February 2 at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of dates can be found at SaveMeSanFrancisco.com and REOSpeedwagon.com.

Train singer Pat Monahan and REO Speedwagon singer Kevin Cronin have done several charity events together over the years. In a statement, Kevin shares, “I love the idea of bringing together people of all ages, who share a common love for well-crafted songs and high energy live performances.” 

Pat adds, “This tour won’t just be a great time with great people, but a tour that will have a ton of familiar songs to most generations.”

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The music of Paul Simon will be celebrated in Los Angeles this week.

Variety reports that the annual Americana Music Association pre-Grammys event will be a salute to Simon, featuring performances by Jackson Browne, Jason Isbell with 400 Unit guitarist Sadler Vaden, Allison Russell, Brandy Clark, Rufus Wainwright, Marcus King, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor and more.

The event is taking place Saturday, February 3, one night before the Grammys, at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Tickets for the concert go on sale Tuesday, January 30, at 10 a.m. PT.

The Americana salute comes just two years after the Grammys paid tribute to Simon with Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon, which took place in LA and aired on CBS. It featured performances by such artists as Sting, Dave Matthews, Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, Bonnie Raitt and more.

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Heart is returning to the road for the first time in five years. The band, headlined by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, just announced dates for the Royal Flush tour featuring special guests Cheap Trick.

“We’re excited and all geared up to hit the road in 2024 to perform for our devoted fans,” Ann shares, with sister Nancy adding, “I am incredibly proud of the show that our band has crafted and am looking forward to reconnecting with our fans. We can’t wait to share our music with everyone and celebrate the big electric energy of a completely live on the spot rock show.”

The tour kicks off April 20 in Greenville, South Carolina, hitting Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Pittsburgh and more, before wrapping September 22 in Morrison, Colorado.

A Citi presale for tickets will kick off Tuesday, January 30, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday, February 2, at 10 a.m.

Heart will also bring the tour overseas, where they’ll be playing festivals and some headlining shows with special guests Squeeze. A complete list of tour dates can be found at heart-music.com.

Back in December, Heart performed their first shows in five years, headlining a New Year’s Eve show in Seattle and a couple of warmup shows in California. In addition to their Royal Flush tour, they are scheduled to open three dates on the Def Leppard and Journey tour this summer.

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Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper have decided to spend more time together. The two rockers have announced a new summer leg of their Freaks on Parade tour.

The 2024 trek, which will once again feature special guests Ministry and Filter, kicks off Tuesday, August 20, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and wraps Wednesday, September 18, in Forth Worth, Texas. 

Citi and artist presales will kick off Tuesday, January 30, with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday, February 2, at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of dates can be found at alicecooper.com.

The first leg of the Zombie and Cooper Freaks on Parade tour kicked off in August. Zombie previously launched the Freaks on Parade tour in the summer of 2022 alongside the reunited Mudvayne, Static-X and Powerman 5000.

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After a six week break, U2 returned to Las Vegas for their U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency on Friday, January 26, and treated fans to a song they’ve never performed before.

Fan-shot footage posted to YouTube shows the Irish rockers performing an acoustic cover of Crowded House’s classic “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” which, according to setlist.fm, they dedicated to Crowded House’s Neil Finn, his brother/musician Tim Finn and their mother, Mary.

Neil reacted to the cover in a post on Crowded House’s Instagram Story. “Bono has the best memory ever…I told him in 1980 that my mother Mary was born in Limerick,” he wrote, adding, “We’re touched to get a @u2 dedication .. thanks fellas.”

Released in October 1986, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” was the biggest international hit for Crowded House, with the tune hitting #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

U2’s next residency performance is happening Wednesday, January 31, with shows set to run until Saturday, March 2. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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On This Day, January 29, 2010… 

Neil Young was honored by the Recording Academy as the MusiCares Person of the Year, at the organization’s 20th anniversary gala.

Young was celebrated at the gala for his philanthropic work, with a star-studded lineup performing Young tunes. Artists who performed that evening included Crosby, Stills & Nash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Leon Russell, Ben Harper and John Fogerty.

Proceeds from the gala benefited MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charity arm, which provides critical health and welfare services to the music community.

The 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year is Jon Bon Jovi and he’ll be celebrated at a gala happening Friday, February 2, in Los Angeles.

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Green Day‘s back in the top 10 on the Billboard album chart.   

The band’s latest album, Saviors, has debuted at number four on the chart, giving the trio their 12th top 10 album. The first single from the album, “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” hit #2 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart: It was their 25th top 10 on that tally.

Billboard notes that Saviors’ debut comes just two weeks before the band’s 30th anniversary on the publication’s album chart. Back in February 19, 1994, Dookie made its debut at a not-very-impressive #127; a year later, it had climbed to #2.

As previously reported, Green Day will mark the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot on their upcoming tour, playing both in full each night. The U.S. leg of the tour starts in July.

Elsewhere on the chart, Noah Kahan‘s Stick Season has climbed to #5.

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