Classic Rock 93.9

After postponing a concert in Indianapolis due to unspecified illness, Pearl Jam resumed their tour on Wednesday, September 13, in Fort Worth, Texas, albeit with a slightly different lineup.

The show featured ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist and current PJ touring member Josh Klinghoffer on drums in place of Matt Cameron, who, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram‘s recap, is recovering from a bout of COVID-19.

Additionally, the Star-Telegram reports that Eddie Vedder was battling the flu, though he still powered through the 27-song set, which included a cover of Van Halen‘s “Eruption.”

Cameron previously missed a few Pearl Jam shows in 2022, during which Klinghoffer filled in on drums alongside Jeff Ament collaborator Richard Stuverud, original drummer Dave Krusen and even a local high school student.

Pearl Jam’s tour will continue with a second show in Fort Worth on Friday, September 15. The Indianapolis date, which was originally scheduled for September 10, has yet to be rescheduled.

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On This Day, September 14, 1981…

The Rolling Stones headlined a surprise show at Sir Morgan’s Cove club in Worcester, Massachusetts. The concert was a warm-up show ahead of their American tour, and they were billed as Little Boy Blue & The Cockroaches.

After a local radio station spilled the beans on the secret, over 4,000 fans showed up to try and get into the 350 capacity venue.

Lucky fans who did get in got to see The Stones play such songs as “Under My Thumb,” “Honky Tonk Woman,” “Start Me Up,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Brown Sugar,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and more.

The Stones’ full tour kicked off September 25 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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The Rolling Stones have just dropped some more info about their upcoming album, Hackney Diamonds, which drops October 20. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have confirmed the guests appearing on the record, including the already announced appearance of their late drummer Charlie Watts on two tracks: “Mess It Up” and “Live By The Sword” featuring their former bassist Bill Wyman.

“Live By The Sword” also features special guest Elton John on piano; he also plays piano on the track “Get Close.”

While The Stones and The Beatles are often pitted against each other, the album will feature a guest appearance by Beatles legend Paul McCartney, who plays bass on the track “Bite My Head Off.”

Finally, as previously revealed, Lady Gaga provides vocals on “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven,” which also features keys and piano from Stevie Wonder.

Hackney Diamonds will be released in a variety of formats, including a limited edition blue vinyl and a limited edition CD and Blu-ray box set, with hi-res 24/96 audio and Dolby Atmos versions of the album, plus a 64-page book with exclusive essays and photos of the band. All formats are available for preorder now.

Here is the track list for the album:

“Angry”
“Get Close”
“Depending On You”
“Bite My Head Off”
“Whole Wide World”
“Dreamy Skies”
“Mess It Up”
“Live By The Sword”
“Driving Me Too Hard”
“Tell Me Straight”
“Sweet Sounds Of Heaven”
“Rolling Stone Blues”

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R.E.M.’s Mike Mills is reminiscing about the band’s music in a new interview with Vulture and says he’s still surprised that “Losing My Religion” wound up being such a big hit for the group.

“When we started out, radio was still the dominion of what people disparagingly referred to as ‘corporate rock.’ It was safe and there was nobody taking many chances on it,” he says. “So the fact that we were able to break some of those doors down was very gratifying.”

Mills says “Losing My Religion” was only expected to be a “warm up track” to help get the next single played on the radio, but it took off. 

“Nobody would expect a five-minute song with no chorus and a mandolin being the lead instrument to be played on the radio at all — much less become a worldwide number-one hit,” he says. “It was just crazy. Anybody that says they saw that coming is lying to you.”

The tune was so big, Mills says they were once riding in the jungle in Paraguay and heard it being played on the radio. “That was pretty surprising,” he says. “That’s when we knew we had a worldwide hit.” 

Released February 19, 1991, “Losing My Religion” was the first single off R.E.M.’s hit album Out of Time. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the band’s highest-charting single to date. It also topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock charts.

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Bruce Springsteen’s classic solo album Nebraska is being celebrated with a special show in Nashville.

Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska: Celebrating A Rough Masterpiece will take place Tuesday, September 19, at Analog at the Hutton and will be part of Americanafest, which is happening in Nashville September 19-23. 

The event will be taped for PBS’ Recorded Live at Analog series, which will debut in 2024. It will be hosted by Warren Zanes, who wrote the recently released book about the album, Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, The Lumineers, Lucinda Williams and Noah Kahan are confirmed to perform songs from the album.

Released September 30, 1982, Nebraska featured such classic Springsteen tunes as “Atlantic City,” “Reason to Believe” and “Johnny 99.” It was a critical darling and a top 10 hit for The Boss, and has been included on several lists of the greatest albums of all time.

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Back in June, Paul McCartney sat down for a chat with Stanley Tucci at the National Portrait Gallery in London to promote McCartney’s photo exhibit, Paul McCartney, Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm. The event was livestreamed across the globe, but if you missed it, you now have a second chance to check it out. 

A recording of the chat is now available to rent on the National Portrait Gallery’s website for about $12; fans have until October 1 to check it out. 

McCartney offered a preview clip from the chat on his YouTube page, where he breaks down a photo he took of The Beatles‘ arrival at the Miami airport, discussing the folks in the crowd who gathered for their arrival.

“That’s one of the beauties of rediscovering these [photos], because I must admit when I took it, I just grabbed it quickly, because it looked so exciting,” he says. “But then when we started looking at them, that was the great thing. You actually started to pore over them.”

Paul McCartney, Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm is at London’s National Portrait Gallery until October 1. It then moves to North America, coming to the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, from December 5, 2023, to April 7, 2024.

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You don’t often think of R.E.M. when you hear The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz, but that’s about to change.

Rolling Stone reports that Dolenz will release a tribute EP to the Athens rockers, Dolenz Sings R.E.M., on November 3. It features the just-released cover of the Out of Time track “Shiny Happy People,” produced by Michael Nesmith’s son Christian, who plays many of the instruments on the EP.  

The EP also includes Dolenz’s take on R.E.M.’s debut single, “Radio Free Europe,” as well as the Automatic for the People track “Man on the Moon” and Around the Sun’s “Leaving New York.” 

“These songs are absolutely incredible,” R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe shares. “Micky Dolenz covering R.E.M. Monkees style, I have died and gone to heaven. This is really something. … ‘Shiny Happy People’ sounds incredible (never thought you or I would hear me say that!!!).”

R.E.M. has shared in the past that they were fans of The Monkees, something Dolenz calls “incredibly flattering.” “Those guys were such great poets,” he tells the mag. “The lyrics at times remind of Michael Nesmith lyrics. They’re very poetic, which I love.”

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Atlantic Records has announced new vinyl reissues in honor of the label’s 75th anniversary, including one for Led Zeppelin’s 1971 release, Led Zeppelin IV, which will be available on crystal-clear 180g vinyl on October 27.

Atlantic has been celebrating their 75th anniversary throughout the year with reissues of albums by artists including INXS, The Velvet Underground, Genesis, Yes, Buffalo Springfield, Bad Company, Foreigner and Crosby, Stills, & Nash, among many others.

“Our 75th anniversary has given us an incredible opportunity to revisit the amazing range and depth of the music that Atlantic has released across the decades,” says Atlantic Records chairman & CEO Craig Kallman.

Released November 8, 1971, Led Zeppelin IV featured several of the band’s best-known tunes, including their epic rock anthem “Stairway to Heaven.” It is the band’s best-selling album and has been certified 24-times Platinum by the RIAA.

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Chrissie Hynde wants fans to know that when she doesn’t stop to say hi to them, it’s nothing personal.

The Pretenders frontwoman shared a post on Facebook following the end of their current run of shows, which included opening for Guns N’ Roses and Pretenders club dates. In it, she explained why she’s stopped chatting with fans.

“I want to apologize for not stopping to say hello outside the venues. I used to, but certain individuals have made it too much brain damage to deal with,” she writes. “It’s not you lovely fans – it’s the guys with stacks of albums and guitars they want signed. (Personally , I appreciate a good scam, but c’mon! How cheap),” adding, “You would not believe how entitled some people think they are. Aggressive? Don’t get me started.”

Hynde also says she doesn’t like “being recognized or approached in public.”

“Why? Because I like doing ordinary things like walking around on my own on the street, or shopping, or going to museums and whatnot. Exploring cities,” she explains. “That’s why I do this, the music is a byproduct of wanting to see the world.”

She adds, “So I would like to say to those that make it a problem, ”Go f*** yourselves – and do it today’! (Thank you Robert Crumb for coining that excellent phrase ).”

Next up for Pretenders, they’re set to release their new album Relentless on Friday, September 15. They also have more concert dates on their schedule, with the next U.S. show happening October 1 at the Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California. A complete list of dates can be found at thepretenders.com

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Billy Joel is revisiting the second half of his recording career with the brand new vinyl box set, Billy Joel –The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2, dropping November 3.

The 11-LP set includes such classic Billy albums as 1980’s Glass Houses, 1982’s The Nylon Curtain, 1983’s An Innocent Man, 1986’s The Bridge, 1989’s Storm Front and 1993’s The River of Dreams, which was Joel’s final pop album. The set also includes the 2001 instrumental album, Fantasies & Delusions, which featured classical compositions written by Joel and performed by classical pianist Richard Joo.

As an added bonus, the set comes with the three-LP live album, Billy Joel – Live from Long Island, a homecoming show recorded December 29, 1982, at Nassau Coliseum. Highlights from the concert aired on HBO the following year, with the full concert getting a VHS release, but this is the first time it’s coming out on vinyl. A digital version of the concert film is being released as well.

Joel first revisited his catalog in 2021 with The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1. It focused on his rise to stardom, featuring his albums from the 1970s.

Billy Joel –The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2 is available for preorder now.

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