Classic Rock 93.9

Bob Dylan is currently in Japan with his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, and he surprised fans at his recent show at the Tokyo Garden Theater with a Grateful Dead cover.

Rolling Stone reports that while Dylan doesn’t usually stray too far from the same set list each night on this tour, for his show Wednesday he added the Dead classic “Truckin’,” the first time he’s ever covered the song.  

“Truckin’,” written by Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and Robert Hunter, appeared on the Grateful Dead’s 1970 album, American Beauty. It was one of the 66 songs Dylan wrote about in his book The Philosophy of Modern Song, which came out last year.

Dylan’s tour of Japan still has three more shows at the Tokyo Garden Theater, April 14-16. He then wraps the tour with three shows in Nagoya, April 18-20. Dylan returns to the road in June for a European tour that kicks off June 2 in Lisbon, Portugal. A complete list of dates can be found at bobdylan.com.

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Toto’s Steve Lukather is ready to share a new solo album. Bridges, Lukather’s ninth studio album, will drop June 16.

The record features contributions from past and present members of the Toto family, including David Paich, Joseph Williams, Simon Phillips, Shannon Forrest, Lee Sklar and Steve Maggiora, along with Lukather’s son Trev and Gov’t Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson.

Lukather says the album title seems appropriate because it’s “a bridge between my solo music and Toto music,” adding, “It also proves that most of my old pals and I are still great friends, and I wanted to do a record ‘in the style of,’ as Toto will never record another studio album. This is as close as we will get.” 

And to give fans a taste of what to expect, Lukather has released the first single from the record, “When I See You Again,” which he wrote with Williams, Paich and Stan Lynch. 

But until the release, Lukather will be pretty busy on the road this summer. He’ll be touring as part of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, with the shows kicking off May 19 in Temecula, California. A complete list of dates can be found at RingoStarr.com.

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Sammy Hagar and Bob Weir are once again teaming up for a good cause. The two artists have announced their eighth annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure benefit concert, which raises money for the Pediatric Cancer Program at the University of California San Francisco’s Benioff Children’s Hospital.

The benefit, the first in three years, will take place May 13 at the Fillmore in San Francisco, with a lineup that features former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, Heart‘s Nancy Wilson, Chris Isaak, Don Was and more, plus yet-to-be-announced special guests.

“I’m thrilled that we’re back for an eighth year and back home at the Fillmore in San Francisco where it all began,” Hagar shares. “Most of all I’m so grateful to my friends and partners who lend their unconditional support year after year,” noting the artists “donate their time and deliver unbelievable performances so all of the profits can go directly to an incredible cause.” He adds, “That’s my kind of philanthropy!” 

Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, April 14, at 10 a.m. PT.

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There’s more drama in the land of Mötley Crüe.

As previously reported, guitarist Mick Mars sued the “Kickstart My Heart” outfit last week, alleging that the band decreased his share of tour profits from 25% to 5% after he announced he was retiring from the road last October. He also claimed that the other three members — Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and Vince Neil — played along to prerecorded tracks during last summer’s Stadium Tour and that Sixx in particular “did not play a single note on bass” live.

“I carried these bastards for years,” Mars told Variety in a subsequent interview.

Now, Mötley manager Allen Kovac is firing back, specifically at those representing the 71-year-old Mars, who cited his ongoing battle with the inflammatory disease ankylosing spondylitis in his retirement announcement.

“What’s upsetting to me is not Mick, but his representatives, who have guided Mick to say and do harmful things to the brand he cares about so much,” Kovac tells Variety.

“He has a degenerative disease and people are taking advantage of him,” the manager continues. “It’s called elder abuse.”

Kovac also contends that Sixx “played his bass and always has,” but Mars “would play the wrong songs and the wrong parts” during the tour. Mars has called such criticism of his guitar playing gaslighting.

At the heart of the suit, though, is the financial disagreement. Mars maintains that his retirement from touring does not mean he’s retiring from the band, and thus feels his share should not be affected.

“Resigning from touring — or even from the band entirely — is not resigning from the band’s corporations and LLCs,” says Mars’ lawyer, Edwin F. McPherson. “Corporate law doesn’t work that way.”

However, the Mötley team disagrees.

“[Without touring], there’s nothing left,” Kovac says. “What is left?”

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A new trailer for the upcoming Disney+ original series The Muppets Mayhem has arrived, and carrying on the fine Muppets Show tradition, it doesn’t skimp on celebrity cameos, including Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.

The new comedy series follows the beloved Muppets band, The Electric Mayhem Band — including its famous members Dr. Teeth, Animal, Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot and Lips — and their comeback to record their first-ever studio album. 

The official trailer opens with some famous guest stars reflecting on their own experiences growing up with the famous band for The Muppet Show.

“The Mayhem? They taught Mötley Crüe how to shred and party,” Lee jokes. “They tattooed their name on me when I was passed out,” showing off a huge tat of “Mayhem” on his rib cage.

Other artists giving testimonials in the trailer include Chris Stapleton and Lil Nas X, while the upcoming series will feature guest appearances by Billy Corgan, Susanna Hoffs, Paula Abdul, Steve Aoki, Sofia Carson, deadmau5, Kesha, Morgan Freeman, Ben Schwartz, Kevin Smith, Zedd, Danny Trejo, “Weird Al” Yankovic and more.

All episodes of The Muppets Mayhem will be available to stream on Disney+ starting May 10.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News. 

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In 1991, Eric Clapton broke his own record for the longest run of shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall with 24 concerts. That legendary run was commemorated with a double live album and home video, but now fans are getting more. 

The record-setting run will be celebrated with a new limited-edition box set, The Definitive 24 Nights, dropping June 23. It features six hours of live music from those shows, with 35 never-before-released performances, including a previously unreleased orchestral version of “Layla,” which is out now.

The 24-night run featured Clapton performing with one of three lineups — a rock band, a blues band, or an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen — and the set will feature what amounts to a full concert of each genre.

The Definitive 24 Nights will be released in a six-CD or eight-LP set, with both featuring three Blu-ray discs, a hardcover book and an individually numbered lithograph of a Clapton photo by Carl Studna. There will also be standalone versions of each concert — 24 Nights: Rock, 24 Nights: Blues and 24 Nights: Orchestra. All options are available for preorder now.

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Metallica traveled back to the ’90s during the second night of their residency on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Instead of trotting out “Enter Sandman” or “Nothing Else Matters,” the metal legends decided to dig a little deeper into the Black Album track list and rocked the song “Holier Than Thou.”

You can watch the performance streaming now on YouTube.

Metallica launched the Kimmel residency Monday with a rendition of “Lux Æterna,” the lead single off the group’s upcoming album 72 Seasons, due out Friday. They’ll play the show again on Wednesday and Thursday.

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Paul Simon is ready to share new music and there’s a specific way he wants you to listen to it.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will release the new album Seven Psalms next month, which, as the press release notes, is “intended to be listened to as one continuous piece.” The 33-minute album features seven songs, all recorded on acoustic instruments. It features a guest appearance by his wife Edie Brickell, along with British vocal ensemble VOCES8.

“This whole piece is really an argument I’m having with myself about belief or…not,” Simon explains in a trailer for the album.

Seven Psalms, Simon’s first album since 2018’s In the Blue Light, will be released in entirety on vinyl, CD and digitally on May 19.

Here’s the track list for Seven Psalms:

“The Lord”
“Love Is Like A Braid
“My Professional Opinion”
“Your Forgiveness”
“Trail of Volcanoes”
“The Sacred Harp”
“Wait”

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Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band release the album ‘Live’ Bullet, recorded at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan.

Now considered one of the greatest live albums of all time, it helped Seger break through to a national audience, while the live version of “Turn the Page” became a rock radio staple. 

In addition to “Turn the Page,” several songs from the record actually became hit singles, including “Nutbush City Limits” and “Lookin’ Back.”

The album was certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA, and in 2012 it ranked at 10 on Rolling Stone’s poll of the all-time favorite live albums. 

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The Library of Congress has chosen 25 new recordings to join the National Recording Registry, including classics from John Lennon, Led Zeppelin and more.

Recordings chosen for preservation based on their “cultural, historical or aesthetic importance” include such songs as Lennon’s “Imagine,” Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Eurhythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” along with the albums Synchronicity by The Police and Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden shares. “The national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the public’s input on what songs, speeches, podcasts or recorded sounds we should preserve next.” She noted, “We received more than 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”

With the new additions, the National Recording Registry titles are now at 625, part of a recorded sound collection of about 4 million items. 

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