Classic Rock 93.9

Eddie Vedder is set to headline two hometown shows for a good cause.

The Pearl Jam frontman will play Seattle’s Benaroya Hall on October 23 and 24, with all proceeds going to EB Research Partnership. The organization was co-founded by Vedder and his wife, Jill, to raise money for treatments and cures for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disorder that causes painful skin blisters.

Members of Pearl Jam’s Ten Club will have access to a members only presale that runs through August 21 at 5 p.m. PT. The general on-sale is happening August 25 at 10 a.m. PT; fans will have to register through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan for a chance to purchase tickets.

For the past three years EBRP has raised money through its Venture into Cures benefit concert stream. Last year’s stream featured performances by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish and more.

As for Pearl Jam, they are getting ready to kick off a new tour on August 31 and September 1 in St. Paul, Minnesota. A complete list of dates can be found at pearljam.com.

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Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen appear in the new video for the Barbie soundtrack song “I’m Just Ken.”

Both the Guns N’ Roses shredder and the Mammoth WVH frontman contribute guitar to the song, in which Ryan Gosling‘s Ken sings about living in the shadow of Margot Robbie‘s beloved and iconic Barbie. As the tagline goes, “She’s everything. He’s just Ken.”

The video, which is streaming now on YouTube, features behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of Barbie and the recording of “I’m Just Ken,” including shots of Slash and Wolf in the studio. New Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese, who also plays on the song, pops up in the video, as well.

Both the Barbie movie and the soundtrack are out now.

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Devo is set to launch a new U.S. tour in November, so fans may want to make sure they see them because it will likely be their last chance. The band has confirmed they’ll be retiring from the road after the trek, and in a new interview with The Guardian, they open up about their decision.

As for why they have are hanging it up, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh says, “Are you married? Imagine you had four wives and you worked together. It’s tricky being in a band.”

Gerald Casale added, “You’ve got a body of work informed by a whole manifesto and philosophy. Do you let go and move on to the next thing? You want change, otherwise you’re stale, but you don’t want to be contrived.”

However, it does sound like Casale is going to miss being on the road with the band. “I’m in denial,” he says. “Because I love performing and I’ll hate to see it go. It was part of Devo’s DNA. But we did as well as we could, for as long as we could.”

Even though they’ll be off the road, Devo fans still have some things to look forward to. A new box set of rarities is coming in September, and a documentary, directed by Chris Smith, is in the works.

Devo’s Celebrating 50 Years of De-evolution tour kicks off November 3 in Paso Robles, California, wrapping November 18 in Huntington Beach, California. So far there’s no word on whether any other U.S. dates will be added to the trek. A complete list of Devo dates can be found at clubdevo.com.

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Queen’s Greatest Hits album is short one hit on the audio platform Yoto, which is aimed at children. 

While 16 tracks from the album are available, including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites The Dust” and “We Will Rock You,” the band’s 1978 classic “Fat Bottomed Girls” is nowhere on the site.  

“Fat Bottomed Girls” does contain some raunchy lyrics, which some parents may not want kids to hear, including, “Left alone with big fat Fanny/ She was such a naughty nanny/ Hey, big woman, you made a bad boy out of me.”

In addition to the removal of “Fat Bottomed Girls,” the album comes with a warning for parents, which reads, “Please note that the lyrics in some of these songs contain adult themes, including occasional references to violence and drugs.” It suggests parental discretion before playing them for young children.

So far, Queen has not directly commented on the song’s removal, although a rep did tell Entertainment Weekly that the band did OK the song’s removal. 

And apparently parents seem to be eager to let their kids appreciate the music of Queen. Yoto tells the mag the album is its “biggest ever music launch and one of our fastest ever selling cards.”

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Bob Dylan may be 82, but it certainly doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced a new North American leg of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. The trek kicks off with two nights in Kansas City, Missouri, October 1 and 2. It hits such cities as St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Toronto and more, before wrapping October 30 in Schenectady, New York. 

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, August 25. A complete list of dates can be found at bobdylan.com.

Dylan launched his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour in 2021, and his website says it will run until 2024. He wrapped a European leg of the tour on July 9 in Rome, Italy.

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Mick Fleetwood is doing what he can to help the victims of the Maui wildfires, and that includes using his musical connections to put together a benefit concert to raise money and awareness of the devastation in the area.

“I’ve already got a lovely sort of catalog of people that are concerned. I will remain mute on who they are, but I will either become part of something that we can do on a grand scale, which is great,” the Fleetwood Mac star told Entertainment Tonight about the concert. “Not to jump too far ahead, but the intention would be absolutely to be part of, or to be right shaking the flag, to rally around and put on a great incredibly beautiful show. Which I know can be done.” 

He adds, “So, all of this is unfolding is something I feel I can be apart, or really be spearheading,” noting, “And it’s not now, but music heals, and music does its version of what I’m doing now.”

Fleetwood has lived on Maui for the past 30 years and owns a restaurant, Fleetwoods on Front Street, which was destroyed in the fires.

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Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel are two of the biggest rockers to come out of the tristate area, and now, a new book will explore the differences and similarities of their careers, and how being so close to New York influenced them.

Bridge and Tunnel Boys: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the Metropolitan Sound of the American Century by Jim Cullen promises an in-depth look at the two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, who both launched their careers in the ’70s.

“While their critical receptions have been very different, surprising parallels emerge when we look at the arcs of their careers and the musical influences that have inspired them,” reads the description of the book, noting it looks at how both New Jersey native Springsteen and Long Islander Joel “forged a distinctive sound that derived from his unique position on the periphery of the Big Apple.” 

The description adds, “By placing these two New York–area icons in a new context,Bridge and Tunnel Boys allows us to hear their most beloved songs with new appreciation.” 

Bridge and Tunnel Boys will be released by Rutgers University Press on October 13.

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On This Day, August 21, 1965…

The Rolling Stones landed their first #1 album in the United States with Out Of Our Heads, which went on to hold the top spot for three weeks.

The band’s fourth album released in the States, Out Of Our Heads featured the future Stones classic “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” which became their first #1 single in the U.S. It also featured the Top 10 single, “The Last Time.” 

Out of Our Heads was certified Platinum by the RIAA. In addition to topping the U.S. chart, the album peaked at #2 in the U.K. and Australia. 

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Guns N’ Roses debuted their new song “Perhaps” on Friday, August 18, and it didn’t take long for them to add it to their set list.

The rockers played the track live for the first time at their concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the same night, with fan-shot footage quickly showing up on YouTube. 

“Forgive me if I don’t run around and try to project as much because I’m gonna try to figure out how to f***** sing it live,” frontman Axl Rose told the crowd before launching into the song. “I like to think of when we wrote this song, it was like the immaculate inception.”

After the performance, he added, “Thank you. Now that was an experience.”

According to setlist.fm, the “Perhaps” performance came 12 songs into the set, just after “Estranged” and ahead of their cover of Paul McCartney and Wings‘ “Live and Let Die.”

Axl and his bandmates will have plenty of time to perfect the performance. Guns N’ Roses’ tour hits Boston’s Fenway Park on Monday, August 21, and wraps October 16 in Vancouver, Canada. A complete list of dates can be found at gunsnroses.com.

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Def Leppard is sharing another behind-the-scenes look at their world tour, and this time it comes with a big celebration. 

Episode 12 of their video tour diary finds them kicking off the recent North American leg of their Stadium tour with Mötley Crüe. The first show took place in early August in Syracuse, New York, on the same day the band was celebrating the 44th anniversary of them signing their first record contract.

“The record deal was signed in (drummer) Rick Allen’s parents’ kitchen because he was 15, he wasn’t old enough to sign one himself,” frontman Joe Elliott shares.

“One thing I’m sure most people know these days is how supportive our parents were of this band and of all of us,” Allen adds. “I mean, we were beside ourselves getting our first record deal. I mean, it’s unheard of. Not too many people get to do that, so thank you, parents, and thank you all for sticking with us and being so loyal.”

The clip also features footage of their shows in Syracuse and Columbus, Ohio, and follows the band as they go to a cryotherapy treatment center in Columbus, where they undergo various treatments, including full body cryo, infrared therapy and leg compression therapy.

Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe just wrapped the North American leg of their tour on August 18 in El Paso, Texas. The tour picks up again November 3 in Yokahama, Japan. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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