Classic Rock 93.9

Paul McCartney and Elton John have paid tribute to director Rob Reiner following the news that Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday.

Both musicians had cameos in Reiner’s last film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, which came out in September.

“What a tragedy the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, is,” McCartney wrote on Instagram next to a photo with Rob. “It is so shocking in many ways but for me especially so, because over the last year I had been working with him. He directed me in ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. He was such an upbeat, lovable man.”

McCartney added, “Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it. His father, Carl Reiner, was a great humourist before him and Rob followed in his dad’s footsteps doing a terrific job making many great films. I will always have fond memories of Rob and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking.”

Elton shared a message about Rob and his wife on his Instagram Story, writing that he was in “disbelief” over the news of their deaths.

“They were two of the most beautiful people I’d ever met and they deserved better,” he added. “My thoughts are with them and their loved ones.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, Dec. 15, 1967…

The Who released their third album, The Who Sell Out, a concept album created to sound like a broadcast from one of the popular pirate radio stations in the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s.

In addition to songs, it featured jingles, PSAs and commercials that the band wrote and recorded for real products like Heinz Baked Beans, Medac acne cream and Odorono deodorant.

The album included The Who’s highest-charting U.S. single, “I Can See for Miles,” which peaked at #9, as well as music that was later reused for their 1969 album, Tommy.

The Who Sell Out went to #13 in the U.K. and made it to the top 50 in the U.S. It is often included on lists of the greatest albums of all time.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Billy Joel is going to be the subject of a new symposium at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook, New York.

According to the description, the June conference will be “devoted to the music, lyrics, themes, and cultural impact of Billy Joel.” It will feature scholars, critics, musicians and more, offering “critical analysis of Joel’s artistry, life, and legacy.”

“Joel’s body of work offers a unique lens through which to explore popular music, regional identity, and American culture,” the description continues.

And the public is getting a chance to shape the conference, with the LIMEHoF requesting submissions on a variety of subjects, including Joel’s lyrics and narratives, his music and style, and his cultural impact.

Submissions are due by Jan. 15, and those chosen will be put together by theme for 90-minute panels.

More info on the symposium can be found at limusichalloffame.org.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Disney World has announced the last date of operation for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith.

It was previously reported that Aerosmith’s video intro for the ride, which featured Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, had been removed in order for construction to start on a Muppets revamp of the roller coaster. Disney World’s website has since revealed that the last day of operation for the ride will be March 1.

It was announced in November 2024 that Aerosmith was being replaced by The Muppets on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando. When The Muppets take over the ride, guests will go on a search for the Electric Mayhem crew, who go missing ahead of a gig headlining a big Hollywood concert.

The decision to change the ride came after Disney decided to replace Muppet Vision 3D with Monsters Inc. land. It will mark the first time Jim Henson‘s lovable characters are the focus of a Disney ride.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (then named Disney-MGM Studios) in July 1999. It started with the band in the studio before taking off to a concert, and bringing the riders along with them. It featured iconic tunes from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, including “Walk This Way,” “Love in an Elevator” and “Sweet Emotion.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A documentary on Grammy winner Billy Preston is coming to theaters in February.

Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It was directed by Emmy winner Paris Barclay and premiered at South by Southwest. It’s set to open Feb. 20 at the Film Forum in New York City, with plans to release it in select theaters in North America sometime in 2026.

“We are more than thrilled that the soul of Billy Preston will be reborn thanks to our friends at Abramorama — and in the theater, where everyone can experience it,” said Barclay. “His story has reverberated with festival audiences, in part because we illuminate Preston’s brilliance — and also because it has so much to say about the world we live in today.”

The film will give fans insight into the six-decade career of the legendary singer and keyboardist, known for such hits as “Nothing From Nothing,” “Will It Go Round in Circles” and “Space Race.” He also co-wrote and recorded the classic “You Are So Beautiful,” which became a hit for Joe Cocker.

Preston, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, is also known for his association with other artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton and Aretha Franklin.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The second episode of the three-part YouTube series looking back at Freddie Mercury’s debut solo album, Mr Bad Guy, has just been released.

Archival footage of Mercury’s 1985 interview with journalist David Wigg looks at the Queen frontman’s approach to songwriting, with Mercury noting “the actual structure of the melody comes easy to me, it’s the lyrical content I find hard.”

“I like to write nice little catchy tunes, but in terms of the lyrical content it’s difficult. So I have to work on that part of it,” he says. “I’m not a poet and I hate writing lyrics anyway. I wish somebody else could do it.”

Mentioning Elton John’s songwriting partner, he jokes, “I wish I had a Bernie Taupin, but I’m not like that. I like to do it all myself, I’m a greedy b****.”

He later says that all his songs are about “emotion and feeling.”

“I’d love to write songs about something totally different, but they all seem to end up in a very emotional and tragic way,” he says. “Maybe I’m a very tragic person. I don’t know why, but there’s an element of humor at the end. I’m a very loving person, you know.”

The video also features footage from the Dante-inspired music video for the album’s second single, “Made in Heaven.” At one point in the clip Wigg asks Mercury, who died in 1991, if he thinks he’s going to heaven.

“No, I don’t want to,” Freddie says, joking, “Hell is much better. Look at the interesting people that you’re going to meet down there.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Slash and his Conspirators bandmate Myles Kennedy are featured on a new cover of U2 and B.B. King‘s collaborative 1989 single, “When Love Comes to Town.”

The cover is part of blues rocker Joe Bonamassa‘s King tribute album, B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100. It also features blues singer Shemekia Copeland, who handles King’s vocals while Kennedy sings Bono‘s parts.

“We knew early on we wanted to include this U2 song in an effort to span the breadth of B.B.’s entire career,” says producer Josh Smith. “It turned into such a standout.”

B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100 is due out Feb. 6.

The most recent Conspirators album is 2022’s 4, though a new record is in the works. Slash also teamed up with Kennedy and company for a cover of “Feel Like Makin’ Love” for a Bad Company tribute album. 

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Rock stars including Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder, Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slash and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Yungblud all performed at a private company party Thursday at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.

The night’s house band was Smith & Watt Steakhouse, which features RHCP drummer Chad Smith and producer Andrew Watt.

You can watch footage of a Yungblud-fronted cover of The Rolling Stones‘ “Start Me Up” via the Smith & Watt Steakhouse Instagram.

A company employee also posted footage from the concert on Instagram, which included Bruno Mars singing Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” 

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On Dec. 10, 2007, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin — Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones — reunited for their first concert together in 19 years at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at London’s O2 Arena. And Page is now reflecting on the experience.

The rocker shared pictures from the evening on Instagram, recalling how they were originally offered a 20- to 30-minute set, which wasn’t good enough for him.

“I thought, I wasn’t going to do that – we needed to do a full-length set, because the energy, power, synergy and synchronicity would build as the show continued,” he wrote. “We wouldn’t have been able to achieve that in 20 minutes. We would have always regretted the fact that we didn’t play another hour at least.”

“I just really wanted to go out there, play well, and show what we could do,” he added. “To stand up and be counted, so that people would leave the concert saying, ‘I expected them to be good, but I had no idea they could or would deliver like this.'”

In a separate post featuring video of their “Kashmir” performance, Page continued to reflect on the show.

“I felt the adrenaline rising as the evening approached. The euphoric tidal wave was overwhelming,” he wrote. “We had done the O2 and the response to it was so positive. The spirit of the band was shining.”

Jason Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, backed the band behind the drum kit for the show, and he commented on Page’s second post.

“So grateful, I had the chance to play drums with you on so many occasions but this one was very special,” he wrote.

The O2 show was the last time all three surviving members of Led Zeppelin performed together.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, Dec. 12, 2012 …

12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief was held at New York’s Madison Square Garden to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy, which struck portions of the Northeastern United States, the Caribbean and the Mid-Atlantic in late October 2012.

The concert featured performances by Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters with Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder, Coldplay with R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and more.

Paul McCartney closed the show, where he was joined by the surviving members of Nirvana — Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and touring guitarist Pat Smear — for their first performance together in 18 years.

The concert was broadcast live in the U.S. on a variety of networks, and a documentary, DVD and CD of the concert were also released.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.