Classic Rock 93.9

As suspected, Aerosmith is saying goodbye to the road. The band just announced dates for their “Peace Out” farewell tour, featuring special guests The Black Crowes.

“It’s not goodbye it’s PEACE OUT!,” the band shared in a statement. “Get ready and walk this way, you’re going to get the best show of our lives.” 

The tour is set to kick off September 2 in Philadelphia, hitting such cities as Pittsburgh, Detroit, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville and more before wrapping, January 26, 2024 in Montreal, Canada. The trek also includes a New Year’s Eve show in the band’s hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.  

One person who won’t be joining the band for their farewell run is drummer Joey Kramer. “While Joey Kramer remains a beloved founding member of Aerosmith, he has regrettably made the decision to sit out the currently scheduled touring dates to focus his full attention on his family and health,” the band explained. “Joey’s unmistakable and legendary presence behind the drum kit will be sorely missed.” 

Ahead of the official announcement the band teased the news with a trailer that featured cameos by such stars as Ringo Starr, Slash, Kelly Clarkson, Eminem, Dolly Parton and Bill Burr, with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler ending the clip by saying “and if you think we’re joking, dream on,” a reference to their classic song.

Tickets for the Peace Out tour go on sale Friday, May 5 at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of dates can be found at Aerosmith.com.

(Video contains uncensored profanity)

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John Fogerty kicked off his Celebration Tour last week, marking his first tour since regaining the worldwide rights to his Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer fought for 55 years to get those rights back, and he’s learned some big lessons along the way.

So, what would he say to young artists who are so eager to get a deal that they’d be willing to sign any contract?

“Don’t do it,” he tells ABC Audio. “I know you think you’re going to write another great song tomorrow and it doesn’t matter, but it’s really an abomination that somehow at the moment, you’re writing this masterpiece of yours down on paper, it’s now whisked away from you and it gets to be owned by someone else. That’s just a tragedy.”

Of course, it’s easy for young artists to get discouraged if nothing’s happening in their career, but Fogerty urges them not to be too eager.  

“I would sure tell a young person, look, if you have the talent, it’s going to come through no matter when you decide to let it shine,” he says. “And doing it with a gun to your head is really a poor outcome for you because you don’t want to end up doing what I had to do (which was) fight for my rights for, you know, 50 years or longer.”

He notes, “There’s so many more positive things that you should be doing with music.” 

Fogerty’s Celebration Tour picks up again on May 6 in Pomona, California. A complete list of tour dates can be found JohnFogerty.com.

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In U2′s 2004 song “Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own,” which is about Bono‘s late father, he sings, “You’re the reason the opera is in me.”  At his Stories of Surrender book tour event in New York City on Saturday night, Bono devoted much of the evening to exploring the truth of that particular line.

“I’m still pretending this is a book tour,” he told the sold-out audience at the Beacon Theater. In truth, it’s more of a one-man show, with Bono recreating the stories from his book on a stage that was bare except for some chairs and tables, used as props to great effect.

Bono punctuated those stories with performances of U2 songs like “Sunday Bloody Sunday, “With or Without You” and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” with help from producer Jacknife Lee on keyboards and percussion, cellist Kate Ellis and harpist/singer Gemma Doherty.  Stripped of U2’s backing, Bono’s singing seemed even more emotional than usual.

But while the rapt audience heard about Bono’s relationship with his band mates and his wife Ali, the show’s main set piece involved Bono acting out the weekly chats he had with his dad, Bob, whose hobby was singing opera, in their local pub.

Bob remained stubbornly unimpressed by his famous son, and in scenes alternately funny and heart-breaking, Bono described his desperate attempts to impress his dad, which mostly involved boasting to him about his friendship and musical collaboration with opera icon Luciano Pavarotti.

Bono’s tales of his father, opera and their all too infrequent moments of connection culminated in the show’s closing number. Bono delivered a stunning, a cappella performance of “Come Back to Sorrento” — one of his father’s favorites — in Italian.

The show continues in New York through May 8.

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Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band kicked off their European tour in Barcelona, Spain Friday with The Boss bringing out two very special guests to help him out. 

After being spotted the night before dining with Former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama and director Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw, it appears The Boss felt the need to put some of them to work. Video on social media shows Michelle and Kate joining Springsteen to play tambourine and sing back up on “Glory Days.” 

As for the rest of the night, Springsteen didn’t stray too far from the set he’s been playing at his U.S. shows, but, according to setlist.fm, he did play “Human Touch” for the first time on the tour and the first time since 2016. 

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band play a second night in Barcelona on Sunday, April 30. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

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The upcoming long-in-the-works Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet may have found its Joan Baez.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Monica Barbaro, who appeared in the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, is in talks to play the legendary folk singer in the James Mangold-directed film A Complete Unknown. 

The flick is set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where Dylan infamously divided folk fans by going electric. Baez joined Dylan at the festival to perform “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

Movie and music fans have been waiting a long time for this Dylan film to finally be made. Earlier this month Mangold revealed that production is expected to begin in August, with Chalamet doing all his own singing.

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Steve Winwood is the latest performer ready to celebrate England’s new king. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has been added to King Charles’ The Coronation Concert, taking place Sunday, May 7, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

“I was alive and just about remember the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and I, together with millions and millions of other people all around the globe, am a lifelong monarchist,” Winwood shares. “So to be included in the Coronation celebrations of Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla is for me a lifetime achievement for which I’m extremely humbled and honored.”

And Winwood will be getting some help with his performance. He’ll be joined by the Commonwealth virtual choir, made up of choirs and individuals from over 40 Commonwealth countries.

In addition to Winwood, The Coronation Concert will include performances by Lionel Richie, Katy Perry,  Paloma Faith, Nicole Scherzinger, Take That, Andrea Bocelli, Sir Bryn Terfel and Freya Ridings. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bonnie Raitt is dealing with a health situation that is causing her to change up her touring schedule. 

“Bonnie has a medical situation that requires surgery to address,” reads a post on social media. “The doctors say that in order for her to heal properly, they recommend she not perform for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, this overlaps our five tour dates in May.” 

Bonnie has postponed four of the shows: concerts in Athens, Georgia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were moved to sometime in 2024, while her show in Louisville, Kentucky, was moved to June 20 and an Indianapolis, Indiana, concert was moved to July 1. Unfortunately, the change in plans has forced Raitt to cancel her appearance at Brandi Carlile’s Mothership Weekend on May 14. 

“It’s always upsetting to have to disappoint her fans, band, crew and our promoters, but sometimes unforeseen things just happen. Thankfully, Bonnie’s in great hands,” the post notes.  

It adds, “Thank you for your well wishes and understanding, and we very much appreciate your respecting her request for privacy at this healing time.”

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John Fogerty launched his Celebration Tour in Uncasville, Connecticut, Thursday, marking his first tour since regaining the worldwide rights to the songs he wrote for Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Not surprisingly, Fogerty’s set was filled with CCR classics, with SetList.fm reporting he opened with “Bad Moon Rising,” one of 18 CCR songs in the set. Others included “Up Around The Bend,” “Born on the Bayou,” “Who’ll Stop The Rain,” “Travelin’ Band” and “Have You Ever Seen The Rain.”

He also closed the show with three CCR tunes, “Fortunate Son,” “Down on the Corner” and “Proud Mary.”

But his solo work was not forgotten, with Fogerty also performing his classic “Centerfield,” “The Old Man Down The Road” and more.

John Fogerty’s Celebration Tour continues with a show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Friday, April 28. A complete list of dates can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

John Fogerty launched his Celebration Tour in Uncasville, Connecticut, Thursday, marking his first tour since regaining the worldwide rights to the songs he wrote for Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Not surprisingly, Fogerty’s set was filled with CCR classics, with SetList.fm reporting he opened with “Bad Moon Rising,” one of 18 CCR songs in the set. Others included “Up Around The Bend,” “Born on the Bayou,” “Who’ll Stop The Rain,” “Travelin’ Band” and “Have You Ever Seen The Rain.”

He also closed the show with three CCR tunes, “Fortunate Son,” “Down on the Corner” and “Proud Mary.”

But his solo work was not forgotten, with Fogerty also performing his classic “Centerfield,” “The Old Man Down The Road” and more.

John Fogerty’s Celebration Tour continues with a show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Friday, April 28. A complete list of dates can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Rehearsals have begun for the upcoming Black Sabbath ballet, and guitarist Tony Iommi is still pretty shocked it’s happening. 

“I wouldn’t have believed them really, to be honest,” he tells Birmingham World when asked if he ever imagined Black Sabbath’s music could be turned into a ballet. “I’m looking at our music differently now with this, because it is being interpreted in a different way.”

He adds, “I never thought for a minute, we would have people dancing to Black Sabbath and ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Iron Man.’ But here we are, you know.”

While the music is being interpreted for ballet, Iommi says it hasn’t changed so much that fans can’t recognize the tunes, noting he’s “very happy” with how things are going.  

As for whether he thinks heavy metal fans will embrace ballet after this, he says, “I certainly hope so. I mean, it is a strange combination, but you’ve got to push the boat out.” 

The Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Black Sabbath – The Ballet is set to run from September 23 to September 30 at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Theatre Weekly reports that it will then move to London’s Sadler’s Wells from October 18 to 21, with tickets going on sale May 22.

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