Classic Rock 93.9

Def Leppard’s new album, Drastic Symphonies, is out Friday, May 19, and the band has just released yet another track from the record.

The album features 15 Def Leppard tunes recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Fans are now getting to hear the new take on “When Love and Hate Collide,” a song that was recorded for the band’s 1992 album, Adrenalize, but didn’t make the record. 

“When Love and Hate Collide” eventually appeared on the band’s 1995 anthology collection, Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits 1980-1995. The original demo version contained the final recorded guitar solo from Steve Clark, who passed away in January 1991.

Drastic Symphonies is available for preorder now.

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Queen’s Brian May and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi had a chance to hang out together this week, but it looks like it may have been more than just a social call.

“Joy ! A rare and special afternoon with my dear pal Tony Iommi,” May shared on social media, noting they got together for a “documentary on RIFFS!!!!”

Iommi added on his page, “It was so lovely to see my dear friend Brian yesterday and to spend some time together catching up. Brilliant!”

So far no other information about the documentary is known.

In other Queen news, a Queen The Greatest Pop-Up Store is set to open this weekend in Kyoto, Japan. This is the third such Queen pop-up to open; the first opening was in 2021 on Carnaby Street in London, followed by one in Tokyo in 2022. The Kyoto shop, which will feature a photo exhibit, plus a line of merch, including some new products, will be open from May 20 to June 4.

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Foo Fighters are performing at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Formula 1 race.

Dave Grohl and company will take the stage following the events of the race’s final day on November 26. The performance will mark the first Foos performance in the United Arab Emirates.

The Foos were previously announced to perform at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but the performance was canceled due to what a statement described as “unforeseen medical circumstances.” They’re playing the event this year as part of their live comeback following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.

Meanwhile, the new Foo Fighters album But Here We Are, their first since Hawkins’ passing, drops June 2. The graphic design company Morning Breath Inc, which apparently worked with Foos on creating the But Here We Are artwork, shared a closeup look at the record’s minimalist design, which features the line “For Virginia and Taylor” on the back corner, presumably in tribute to Hawkins and Grohl’s mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl.

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Graham Nash’s new album, Now, comes out Friday, May 19, and he isn’t afraid to sing about what’s bothering him about the current political climate in America.

In an interview with USA Today, Nash says he’s “very disappointed in America and particularly Republicans on their insatiable desire to please (Donald) Trump. I don’t understand it.”

And while some artists may worry about alienating fans with their political opinions, the 81-year-old Nash doesn’t seem to worry about that.

“Yeah well, I have a right to speak my mind. No one has to agree and no one has to listen,” he says. “But I live in America and have since 1968 and I love this country. It has its faults, but it has so much more going for it.” 

Nash also talks about the loss of his friend and bandmate David Crosby, who died in January just when they were starting to mend their broken relationship.  

“I’m beginning to really make the choice of trying to remember the good stuff because the bad stuff is not worth it,” he says. “I want to remember the good music we made … I see his face everywhere.”

Nash is currently on a solo tour. He plays New York’s City Winery on Wednesday, May 17. A complete list of dates can be found at grahamnash.com.

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Patti Smith & Her Band have been booked to play The National’s annual Homecoming Festival, this time returning to Cincinnati for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2018.

The festival is happening September 15-16 at the ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park, with Smith part of the lineup on September 15. The National headlines both nights of the fest, with the lineup also featuring Pavement, The Walkman, Snail Mail and more.

Single-day, weekend and VIP passes for the fest go on sale Friday, May 19, at 10 a.m. ET. More information and the complete lineup can be found at ntlhomecoming.com.

The show is one of many Smith has on the books this year. She kicks off a European tour in Copenhagen on June 1, with her first U.S. date set for August 7 in Pioneertown, California. A complete list of dates can be found at pattismith.net.

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The Rock for Ronnie concert, held in memory of the late Ronnie James Dio, raised over $50,000 for the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.

The event took place May 7 in Los Angeles and included performances by the Dio offshoot band Dio Disciples; Steamroller, featuring former Whitesnake members; and the Van Halen cover band The Atomic Punks. It closed with a jam featuring Eagles of Death Metal‘s Jesse Hughes, ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick and Thin Lizzy vocalist Ricky Warwick, among many others.

Dio passed away from stomach cancer in 2010 at age 67. The Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was founded in his honor to raise money for cancer research.

Along with Rock for Ronnie, the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund holds the annual Bowl for Ronnie charity bowling tournament.

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While Foreigner is currently on their farewell tour, it is without original member Lou Gramm. 

But now fans have a chance to see Gramm onstage: the rocker just announced dates for the Lou Gramm All Stars 2023 tour, featuring Scott Gilman and Jeff Jacobs, who both performed in Foreigner in the past, along with Tony Franklin, Alex Garcia and Ben Gramm.

The tour kicks off June 16 in South Bend, Indiana, and wraps November 4 in St. Charles, Illinois.

A complete schedule and ticket information can be found at lougrammofficial.com.

Gramm was the lead singer of Foreigner from 1970 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2003. He last performed with members of his former band in November 2018 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It was recorded for the live album Double Vision: Then and Now.

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Eric Clapton has just shared a new track from his upcoming limited edition box set, The Definitive 24 Nights, which drops June 23. The three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is treating fans to his reggae-infused performance of the Bob Dylan classic “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.”

The box set features six hours of music from Clapton’s historic 24-night run at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1991. The set includes 35 never-before-released performances, with Clapton performing with three lineups — a rock band, a blues band or an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen.

The Definitive 24 Nights will be released in a six-CD or eight-LP set. There will also be standalone versions of each genre — 24 Nights: Rock, 24 Nights: Blues and 24 Nights: Orchestra. All options are available for preorder now.

The new song release coincides with the global premiere of the concert film Eric Clapton Across 24 Nights, featuring 17 performances from the Royal Albert Hall run. It debuts in theaters Wednesday, May 17, with an encore screening on Tuesday, May 23. Tickets are on sale now.

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On This Day May 17, 1989…

After breaking up in 1982, The Doobie Brothers reunited to release their 10th studio album, Cycles.

The album featured most of the 1972-1974 lineup, with Tom Johnston, John Hartman and Michael Hossack rejoining the band for the first time since 1977, 1979 and 1974, respectively.

The first single from the record, “The Doctor,” was a Top 10 hit for The Doobie Brothers, landing at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at #1 on the Mainstream Rock charts. The album peaked at 17 on the Billboard 200.

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Yusuf/Cat Stevens is back with another song from his upcoming album, King of a Land. The latest is the track “All Nights, All Days.”

In the tune, Yusuf/Stevens blasts how “the rich tax the poor,” suggesting that the only way to fix things is to “lock those leaders in London’s Zoo.” Yusuf/Stevens notes, “The only way that we can get on in peace is to get rid of most of them. Not all, perhaps. But most.” 

“All Nights, All Days” is the third single Yusuf/Stevens has released from King of a Land, following the title track and “Take The World Apart.” The album, which is due out June 16, is available for preorder now.

Yusuf/Stevens has a few shows scheduled for this year starting in Berlin, Germany, on June 12. He’s also set to play the U.K.’s famed Glastonbury Festival on June 25. A complete list of dates can be found at catstevens.com.

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