Classic Rock 93.9

Former Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom “TC” Constanten is battling lung cancer, and the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is raising money to help support him.

Donated funds will go toward covering Constanten’s medical bills, as well as “other vital living expenses.”

“Over the years I have experienced such generosity that it boggles the mind,” Constanten says. “I count my wealth in friends, and it’s a blessing I’d never want to trade away. Still, situations change and things come up.”

“Sweet Relief is honored to help Tom during this difficult time in his life,” adds Sweet Relief Executive Director Aric Steinberg. “Our Directed Artist Funds can provide a meaningful solution when the community rallies around the recipient, and we know that Tom’s community cares about him deeply. His influence on the musical landscape with the Grateful Dead is long-lasting, and he has touched many people around the world.”

For more info, visit SweetRelief.org.

Constanten played on the Grateful Dead records Anthem of the Sun and Aoxomoxoa, released in 1968 and 1969, respectively, as well as the 1969 live album Live/Dead. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Dead in 1994.

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The Who is currently on a North American farewell tour, but if you’re hoping it will be accompanied by new music, Roger Daltrey has one specific condition.

When asked if he’d want to make another Who album, Daltrey tells The New York Times, “No, there’d be nothing in it for me, unless I co-wrote the songs with Pete [Townshend].”

“I would love to write songs with Pete,” the vocalist continues. “I wanted that for a long time. As good as his songs have been, who knows what might have been if we’d collaborated?”

Townshend, of course, has long been the main songwriter of The Who and wrote the band’s most recent album, 2019’s Who, nearly completely by himself.

As for whether Townshend would be open to writing with him, Daltrey says that his bandmate’s response has been “Go away.”

“He wanted to keep it to himself,” Daltrey says.

Elsewhere in the Times interview, Townshend shares that he “got readdicted to painkillers” after undergoing a knee operation earlier in 2025.

“I’d gone through severe alcohol addiction for many years, then narcotics,” Townshend says. “I’d been clean for over 30 years. I called a close friend who’s working for a recovery clinic in Spain, and he got my head sorted out. I’m feeling really good at the moment.”

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On This Day, Aug. 25, 1970 …

Elton John played his first-ever live show in North America, kicking off a six-night stand at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.

According to setlist.fm, Elton’s nine-song set opened with the now-classic “Your Song” and also featured “Border Song,” “Take Me to the Pilot” and “Burn Down the Mission.” He also performed a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman.”

Elton played shows in San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia, and eventually launched his first full-length tour that October in Boston.

Elton’s more than 50-year touring career had him performing in the U.S. countless times. He wrapped the final U.S. leg of his final tour, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, with a three-night stand at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in November 2022. The tour wrapped on July 8 in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Neil Young played his song “Long Walk Home” for the first time in 36 years during his concert in Wantagh, New York, on Saturday.

“Long Walk Home” was originally recorded for Young’s 1987 album Life with Crazy Horse, and he last performed it in 1989. In breaking it out again nearly four decades later, Young slightly updated the lyrics during Saturday’s performance, changing “From Vietnam to old Beirut” to “From Canada to old Ukraine.”

Young is currently on tour with his band Chrome Hearts. During a show in Toronto on Aug. 17, he played his song “This Note’s for You” for the first time since 1997.

The Chrome Hearts tour continues Monday in Bethel, New York.

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It was 50 years ago — Aug. 25, 1975 — that Bruce Springsteen released his third studio album, Born to Run, which was a massive hit. But it turns out, it was a make-or-break album for the New Jersey rocker.

After the commercial failure of his first two albums, 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, Bruce was in danger of being dropped from his label, Columbia Records, if he didn’t come up with a hit.

Peter Ames Carlin, author of the recently released book Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run, tells ABC Audio it was a “do or die” moment for Springsteen and his career.

“Bruce has got his back to the wall. It’s like now or never, basically,” he says. “You could see how he would fear that he was just gonna end up being the New Jersey bar band musician he had been up to that point.”

That needed hit turned out to be the album’s title track. But it took a lot of work for it to get where Springsteen wanted it to be, with the rocker spending almost six months perfecting it.

“It’s like everything they could think might work, they threw at the wall and eventually winnowed it down to the song that we know now,” says Carlin. “Which is, 50 years later, it’s as overwhelming as it was when it came out.” 

Born to Run wound up being everything Springsteen needed it to be. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and helped Springsteen reach mainstream audiences, with songs like the title track, “Thunder Road” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” It has since been certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA and was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2015.

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A dance production set to Sting’s music is coming to Blu-ray.

Message in a Bottle, which debuted in London in February 2020 and toured the U.K., Europe and North America, will be released on Blu-ray and TV On Demand on Oct. 10. It features a dance theater production choreographed by Kate Prince, described as “an imagined story about one displaced family, and a universal tale of survival, hope and love.”

Songs in the production include “Every Breath You Take,” “Roxanne,” “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” and “Fields of Gold.” All feature new arrangements by Hamilton composer Alex Lacamoire, recorded by Sting, with guests artists.

“When I first saw Message In A Bottle, I was overwhelmed by all the different styles of dance in the show. What I really didn’t expect was to be so emotionally engaged in the story,” says Sting. “Kate’s imaginative story and beautiful choreography has brought my songs to new life, and I am thrilled that there is now a film of the fantastic stage show.”

Message in a Bottle is available for preorder.

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Warren Haynes has shared a new track from his upcoming album, The Whisper Sessions, which features stripped down versions of songs from his 2024 solo album, Million Voices Whisper.

The latest is the song “From Here On Out,” which is available via digital services. A performance video is on YouTube.

“‘From Here On Out’ was composed during the COVID‑19 lockdown, capturing the shared emotional landscape of that period,” Haynes says. “The song is both nostalgic and thoughtful—looking back on life and good times and the carefree-ness of younger years while also grappling with larger themes of community, transformation, and hope during a pivotal historical moment.”

The Whisper Sessions will be released Sept. 12 and is available for preorder now.

Haynes is currently on tour with his band Gov’t Mule. Their next show is Aug. 27 in Milwaukee, with dates confirmed through Nov. 1 in Philadelphia. A complete list of shows can be found at WarrenHaynes.net.

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Cheap Trick is back with new music.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are set to release their 21st album, All Washed Up, on Nov. 14 and have dropped the record’s first single, “Twelve Gates.” Bassist Tom Petersson calls it “one of our best yet.”

“I really love how this song came out,” he adds. “It’s one of my favorites on the album.”

“Twelve Gates” is now available, with an accompanying animated video on YouTube.

All Washed Up, Cheap Trick’s first album since 2021’s In Another World, will be released digitally, on CD and on black vinyl. There will also be an orange marble variant, limited to 1,000 copies, sold through the band’s website. All formats are available for preorder now.

Cheap Trick is currently on tour and is set to play Salem, Oregon, on Thursday. They have dates confirmed through Dec. 7 in Waukee, Iowa. A complete schedule can be found at CheapTrick.com.

Here is the track list for All Washed Up:
“All Washed Up”
“All Wrong Long Gone”
“The Riff That Won’t Quit”
“Bet It All”
“The Best Thing”
“Twelve Gates”
“Bad Blood”
“Dancing With The Band”
“Love Gone”
“A Long Way To Worcester”
“Wham Boom Bang”

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The Who have canceled a second show on their The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour.

After postponing their Thursday night concert in Philadelphia, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have announced they are also canceling their show scheduled for Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

According to a post on Instagram, both cancellations are “due to illness,” although it didn’t reveal who is sick. The post encourages fans to “Hang onto your tickets as we work quickly to schedule a new date.”

The Who kicked off their North American tour on Saturday in Sunrise, Florida. Their next show is scheduled for Aug. 28 in Wantagh, New York, followed by a show at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Aug. 30. A complete list of dates can be found at TheWho.com.

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Sammy Hagar is giving fans a taste of his The Best of All Worlds residency with a new live album.

The rocker is set to release Sammy Hagar & The Best of All Worlds Band – The Residency on Oct. 10, capturing performances from his 2025 Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM.

The album features 19 tracks with Sammy backed by an all-star band made up of Van Halen’s Michael Anthony, guitar great Joe Satriani, drummer Kenny Aronoff and keyboardist/guitarist Rai Thistlethwayte.

As you’d imagine, the album includes performances of several songs from Hagar’s time with Van Halen, including the just-released “Summer Nights (Live),” which is now available via digital outlets.

“‘Summer Nights’ was one of the first songs we wrote for the 5150 record, on our very first day in the studio,” Hagar says. “Eddie played me that guitar riff and I just started singing ‘summer nights and my radio,’ and the rest of the lyrics just came out like a river of consciousness.”

“I don’t think there’s a better theme song for a beautiful summer night, so it had to be the first track this summer from the live album,” he adds.

Sammy Hagar & The Best of All Worlds Band – The Residency is available for preorder now.

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