Classic Rock 93.9

Mötley Crüe has announced a new box set collecting each of the band’s first five albums.

Dubbed Crücial Crüe: The Studio Albums 1981-1989, the package will arrive on February 17, 2023, and will be available in five-LP and five-CD configurations, each of which is limited to just 10,000 copies.

Inside Crücial Crüe, you’ll find 1981’s Too Fast for Love, 1983’s Shout at the Devil, 1985’s Theatre of Pain, 1987’s Girls, Girls, Girls and 1989’s Dr. Feelgood. In the vinyl edition, each of the records will be printed on a different colored LP.

Crücial Crüe is available to preorder now.

Mötley Crüe spent their 2022 on their reunion Stadium Tour alongside Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. They’ll link back up with Def Leppard for an international tour in 2023, though they’ll do so without guitarist Mick Mars, who’s retired from the road. Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 will fill in for Mars.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of Michael Hutchence’s death, and the INXS frontman’s ex-girlfriend, supermodel Helena Christensen, paid tribute to him in a post on social media.

“Hey Michael, was just on the phone with some friends of yours who all love you very much. We shared some beautiful memories and of course we laughed a lot cause being around you was so fun and joyous,” she shared next to photos of them topless and hugging each other. “You made everyone feel alive and loved, there was always such a magical light shining from you ~ a light that will shine forever.”

The post comes just days after Michael’s sister, Tina, blasted Christensen for not revealing the truth about the singer’s state of mind at the time of his death. It wasn’t until the 2019 documentary Mystify that the model revealed he had suffered brain damage as a result of an assault by a taxi driver in Copenhagen, which caused him to suffer uncontrollable rages.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Guitarist Wilko Johnson, best known for his work with the ’70s British band Dr. Feelgood, passed away Monday at the age of 75. No official cause of death was announced, but he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer nearly 10 years ago.

“This is the announcement we never wanted to make, and we do so with a very heavy heart: Wilko Johnson has died,” read a statement posted to social media. “Thank you for respecting the family’s privacy at this very sad time. RIP Wilko Johnson.” 

As a member of Dr. Feelgood, Johnson appeared on the band’s first four albums, Down by the Jetty, Malpractice, Stupidity and Sneakin’ Suspicion. He left the group in 1977, went on to become a member of Ian Dury and The Blockheads, and also released music on his own. In 2014, he paired up with The Who’s Roger Daltrey to release the album Going Back Home.   

“More than anything Wilko wanted to be a poet,” Daltrey shared in a statement paying tribute to Johnson. “I was lucky to have known him and have him as a friend. His music lives on but there’s no escaping the final curtain this time.”

In addition to music, Johnson dabbled in acting; he most recently appeared as mute executioner Ser Ilyn Payne on the first two seasons of HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Misfits will no longer be ringing in 2023 onstage.

The reunited horror punks — consisting of original members Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only, along with longtime guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein — have canceled their upcoming New Year’s Eve show in Las Vegas, citing an “unexpected personal matter.”

“We look forward to hopefully seeing you at a show in 2023,” the group says.

Those who purchased tickets will receive refunds at their point of purchase.

Danzig and Only reunited in 2016 — 33 years after the former left the Misfits in 1983 — and have played a number of one-off shows since. Their most recent performance took place last month in Dallas to celebrate Halloween weekend.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Journey’s Jonathan Cain is speaking out after his bandmate Neal Schon filed a lawsuit over the finances of their company Nomota, including an American Express card that Cain signed up for.

While Schon is arguing “millions of Journey funds have flowed through” that Amex card, which Cain set up without his knowledge, Cain says that’s not true, and claims Schon’s lawsuit is basically an attempt to cover up the guitarist’s own “excessive spending and extravagant lifestyle.”

“This is a matter that should have been resolved privately, but I am forced to publicly respond now to Neal’s malicious lies and personal attacks on my family,” Jonathan shares in a statement, saying Schon’s lawsuit is “ill-conceived” and has “absolutely no merit.”

Cain insists Schon has access to all credit card statements, noting, “What he lacks — and what he is really seeking — is the ability to increase his spending limits.”  He claims he has evidence proving Schon’s been “running up enormous personal charges on the band’s credit card account.”

Cain goes on to say that when they tried to limit Schon to using the card just for band expenses, Schon “decided to attack me rather than trying to get his reckless spending under control.” 

“I am saddened by the situation — for Neal and for our fans,” he adds, “but since Neal filed a lawsuit, I suspect he will not be able to ignore the court like he has ignored the countless financial advisors and accountants he has fired over the past several years who have tried in vain to help him.”

In his response, Schon tweeted, “For the record I’ve never even carried a corporate Nomota credit card for over 2 decades.. never cared. When I called Amex they informed me I’d been blocked since 1998 by [Jonathan Cain].”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Elton John is a bi-coastal guy: Sunday night, he was rocking the crowd at LA’s Dodger Stadium on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, and Tuesday night, he was singing in the middle of New York City’s Fifth Avenue.

This holiday season, Elton’s partnered with famed department store Saks Fifth Avenue for a curated holiday collection, proceeds from which will go to The Elton John AIDS Foundation. The collection is available to shop now and as part of the partnership, Saks is donating $1 million to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

That’s why Elton was the store’s special guest Tuesday night as Saks unveiled its famous holiday windows. Fifth Avenue was shut down as a grand piano was rolled out into the middle of the street, and Elton’s husband David Furnish and their sons Zachary and Elijah took their seats. Elton himself then appeared, sat down at the piano and thanked Saks CEO Marc Metrick for the million-dollar donation.

“This will help turbo charge our mission to end AIDS and it means a great deal to me to have your support –thank you so much,” said Elton. “I’m so thrilled to kick off the holiday season tonight and be a part of this spectacular and iconic window unveiling and light show.”

He then invited Metrick, David and the kids to join him for “the exciting part” — they counted down to the unveiling.

The entire front of the Saks building was then illuminated with a dazzling light show, as Elton performed his signature hit, “Your Song.”  Fireworks erupted from the top of the building, and even after Elton left, the display continued, soundtracked to Elton hits like “Step Into Christmas.”

You can watch the whole thing now at Saks Fifth Avenue’s website.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

A new exhibit about John Mellencamp is set to open at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on November 30. The pocket exhibit will draw connections between Guthrie and Mellencamp, highlighting their many similarities. 

“Most people might shortsightedly think of Mellencamp’s ‘Jack & Diane’ and mistake it as a pop song rather than a Midwesterner’s reverence to the innocence found in small-town, working-class youth,” Woody Guthrie Center Director Cady Shaw shares. “With a closer look, you’ll find Mellencamp has been weaving threads of Heartland charm with folk-steeped storytelling and heavy-mitted activism through his lyrics, paintings and advocacy his whole life,” adding, “Mellencamp has consistently been an active voice for the greater good.”

The exhibit will feature Mellencamp photographs and album covers, as well as the singer’s guitar that features a profane sentiment carved into it, similar to what Guthrie once did. It will also feature a painting done by Mellencamp himself, which depicts Bob Dylan and Guthrie together.

Tickets for the exhibit are on sale now at the Woody Guthrie Center website.

And speaking of Mellencamp’s art, the singer’s coffee table art book, John Mellencamp: American Paintings and Assemblages, is out now and can be purchased on the singer’s website.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bonnie Raitt is set to help Brandi Carlile celebrate motherhood next May. The singer is one of several artists who have signed on for Brandi’s new Mothership Weekend festival, taking place May 12 to 14 aka Mother’s Day weekend, in Miramar Beach, Florida. 

“This is a celebration of matriarchy through rock & roll,” Brandi shares on Instagram. “Bring the kids, bring your wife, bring your mom, or just come alone and you’ll immediately find yourself surrounded by family.” 

Bonnie is booked to perform Sunday, right before Brandi’s headlining spot, with Fancy Hagood also on Sunday’s bill. Brandi also headlines Friday, on a bill that includes Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and Danielle Ponder, with Hozier headlining Saturday’s bill with Mavis Staples, The Milk Carton Kids and Katie Pruitt. 

Tickets go on sale December 5 through the festival’s website.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of the death of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence. The singer’s suicide at age 37 certainly came as a surprise to many, including his U.S. manager, Martha Troup, who says on the day of his death he was discussing his plans for the future. 

“He wanted to start a publishing company. And he wanted to get an apartment in New York,” she tells the New York Post. “That’s what he said to me.” But, she says a few hours later he sounded different in a message he left. “He goes, ‘Things aren’t good, you know?’ And then the next one was like, ‘Hey, are you there?’” she says. “In the second one, it was more like he was tired. It was, like, almost sadness I heard in his voice.” He was found dead only hours later. 

Troup calls Hutchence magical, noting, “He was the quintessential rock star. He was mesmerizing. He had a sensuality about him.” But she says he was also shy and sensitive: “He had his ups and downs, and he had his insecurities.”

Troup says that before his death the rocker was making plans for an Australian tour, but she was concerned because “he just seemed out of sorts.” She suggested cancelling the tour, but he insisted he couldn’t cancel, saying, “I would never do that to the fans in Australia.’”

Meanwhile, friend Dorothy Carvello still believes Hutchence didn’t mean to kill himself. “I’m not sure that he really intended to do that,” she tells the Post. “I think it was a rash act that happened in the heat of the moment, whatever happened. Because think about it — no [suicide] note. And for somebody whose job was to write words, I always found that strange.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Van Morrison is ready to bring some Christmas cheer to his home city. The singer is set for two very special performances in Belfast, Ireland.

The intimate “jazz club” shows, dubbed Life Ain’t No Dress Rehearsal, are set for December 4 and 5 at Belfast’s Europa Hotel. Morrison is set to perform his many hits as well as tunes from his most recent albums. 

The shows are the last two Morrison has booked for 2022. He does have 2023 dates set to kick off March 13, in support of his upcoming album Moving on Skiffle, which drops March 10 in Milton Keyes, England.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.