Classic Rock 93.9

Eric Clapton’s iconic “Fool” guitar is going up for auction.

The 1964 Gibson SG electric guitar, which Clapton first played onstage while touring the U.S. with his band Cream, will be available during an upcoming Julien’s Auctions event, taking place November 16-18. It is expected to sell for somewhere between $1-$2 million.

The guitar got its name because of its custom-painted psychedelic finish, courtesy of The Dutch art collective The Fool.

And it’s not the only iconic guitar that’s part of the auction. Also up for grabs is the axe Nirvana‘s Kurt Cobain played during his final show with the band on March 1, 1994, in Munich, Germany. The blue, left-handed Fender Mustang, also known as the Skystang I, is also estimated to sell for between $1-2 million.

A portion of the proceeds from both guitars will be donated to the Kicking the Stigma mental health initiative.

Both guitars are part of Julien’s “Played, Worn & Torn: Rock ‘n’ Roll Iconic Guitars and Memorabilia” auction, which also features items from Eddie Van Halen, The Beatles, The Who and others. More information can be found at juliensauctions.com.

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U2 was back in Las Vegas for weekend two of their U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency and changed up the set list a bit in light of the ongoing violence in Israel, adding “Pride” to the show. 

“In the light of what’s happened in Israel and Gaza, a song about non-violence seems somewhat ridiculous, even laughable, but our prayers have always been for peace and for non-violence…,” Bono told the crowd ahead of the performance. “But our hearts and our anger, you know where that’s pointed. So, sing with us… and those beautiful kids at that music festival…”

Bono changed the opening lyrics to the song, singing, “Early morning, October 7/ as the sun is rising in the dessert sky/ Stars of David they took your life/but they could not take your pride.” 

This weekend’s shows also saw the residency debut of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” which was played during the acoustic portion of the show.

U2 is back at the Sphere for their next show on Wednesday, October 11. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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Guns N’ Roses are coming home for the final two shows of their U.S. tour. The rockers are set to headline the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on November 1 and 2, with special guests The Black Keys. 

The two concerts will mark Guns N’ Roses’ first Los Angeles shows since 2021 and their first time playing the Hollywood Bowl.  

The shows are also helping raise money for a good cause. They are in partnership with the Los Angeles County Parks Foundation (LACPF), with a portion of every ticket being donated to the organization. There will also be a special commemorative T-shirt sold exclusively at the Hollywood Bowl, with proceeds going to the LACPF.

A fan club and American Express presale kick off Tuesday, October 10, with the general onsale set for Friday, October 13, 10 a.m. local time.

Next up, Guns N’ Roses are set to play go in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 11. They wrap their entire tour on November 5 at the Hell & Heaven Festival in Mexico City. A complete list of dates can be found at gunsnroses.com.

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Man! She feels like a Foo!

Country-pop star Shania Twain made a surprise appearance during Foo Fighters‘ headlining set at the Austin City Limits Festival on Saturday, October 7, for a joint rendition of Dave Grohl and company’s “Best of You.”

“This was one off the bucket list for me!” Twain wrote in a social media post following the performance.
Firstly thank you to @foofighters for inviting me on stage – you are all so generous and ridiculously cool. I am a huge rock fan.”

“My first band [Longshot] was a rock band, my first big producer [Robert John “Mutt” Lange] was one of the worlds renowned rock producers, me and my son like to rock out,” she added. “Totally worth the adrenaline [fueled] run from my stage to yours Dave Grohl – you are a true friend and talent.”

Foo Fighters will return to ACL to headline the festival’s second weekend, taking place October 13-15.

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On This Day, October 9, 1985…

John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono joined Beatles fans for the opening of Strawberry Fields in New York’s Central Park, a memorial to the late Beatle named after the Lennon-penned track “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

Located on Central Park West at 72nd Street, the five-acre plot of land features a circular memorial with a mosaic of stones with the word “Imagine,” the title of Lennon’s iconic tune. It is located not far from Lennon and Ono’s New York apartment, The Dakota, where Lennon was killed on December 8, 1980.

October 9 is also Lennon’s birthday and the opening ceremony coincided with what would have been his 45th birthday.

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Judas Priest has new music to share.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers revealed during their Saturday set at Power Trip in Indio, California, that they’ll be releasing a new album, Invincible Shield, on March 8. The first single, “Panic Attack,” drops Friday, October 13.

Invincible Shield is available for preorder now.

The album comes out just a few days ahead of Judas Priest’s planned U.K. and European tour. The tour kicks off in Glasgow, Scotland on March 11, wrapping April 8 in Paris, France. A complete list of dates can be found at judaspriest.com.

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Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett is set to reissue two of his solo albums on vinyl for the first time.

Newly remastered versions of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s 2003 album To Watch The Storms and 2006’s Wild Orchids will be released December 8 on 180-gram two-LP black and colored vinyl. Signed copies will be available as well.

“I’m delighted to announce the release of both To Watch The Storms and Wild Orchids on vinyl for the first time,” Hackett shares. “I’ve always been proud of these albums and it feels great to give them another lease of life.”

Both albums are available for preorder now.

Meanwhile, Hackett is busy on the road on his Foxtrot At Fifty & Hackett Highlights tour. He plays Albany, New York, on October 10. A complete list of dates can be found at hackettsongs.com.

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Bruce Springsteen recently released the new song “Addicted to Love” from the movie She Came To Me, starring Marissa Tomei, Peter Dinklage and Anne Hathaway. The idea to get The Boss for the song came from The National‘s Bryce Dessner.

Dessner produced the song and composed the music for the film. He tells Variety that while watching the movie with the film’s director, Rebecca Miller, he saw Tomei’s character as a “miraculous, amazing and powerful woman,” noting, “She just felt like she could be a character from a Springsteen song.”

“It was an absurd idea, but it just came to me,” he says. “What would normally feel insurmountable to most people is not the thing that occurs to Rebecca first, but she said, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’”

Dessner had a feeling Bruce would agree to the song. After Miller finally approached Springsteen, he watched the movie and was on board.

“Bruce loved the idea. He loved the film. He was inspired and he allowed me to produce the song, and we became texting buddies,” Dessner says. 

He adds, “It’s a good testament in life. Just ask. Why not try things as opposed to thinking they’re not going to happen?”

She Came To Me opens in theaters Friday, October 6.

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Guns N’ Roses will not be playing Arizona’s Chase Field after all.

The band’s October 11 concert, originally scheduled at the Phoenix stadium, has now been moved to Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre. The move is happening because the Arizona Diamondbacks are set to play an MLB playoff game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field that night.

Unfortunately, Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre doesn’t have the same capacity as Chase Field, but GN’R says they “aim to accommodate as many Phoenix fans as possible!” 

Anyone holding a Chase Field ticket will receive a refund from Ticketmaster and an email that will give them access to an exclusive presale for the new show. 

There will also be a general onsale for the show starting October 8 at 1 p.m. local time.

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U2 launched their Las Vegas residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, on September 29. Now that they’ve done a few shows, guitarist The Edge seems to be thrilled with how things are going.  

“I’m just so happy with the fact that it’s landed. It’s exceeded our wildest expectations in many ways,” he tells Wired. “You don’t really know how it’s gonna play until you have an audience in the house. Within about four songs of the opening night, I was like, this is definitely working.”

The Edge says he could tell there were times the visuals may have taken the spotlight off their performance, noting, “it’s a fistfight between the band and the immersive screen. We kind of win most nights, but it’s almost an even fight.”

Still, he says the songs are a crucial element to what fans see on the screens behind them, sharing, “That’s still the core of this event. Without the music, it would be an empty spectacle.”

Right now, the residency is set to wrap on December 16, but it sounds like the band may be open for more.

“We always thought in the back of our mind that we might do some additional shows next year. But we haven’t even started the discussion,” The Edge says. “There’s this kind of balance between keeping this show going, which is, in many ways, a one-off to commemorate Achtung Baby. So we’re weighing whether to push forward with a new album, new material, and a new tour versus extending this run.” 

U2’s next show is happening Saturday, October 7. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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