Classic Rock 93.9

In November, KISS‘ Gene Simmons told Page Six that the band had added “another 100 cities” to their End of the Road farewell tour and also claimed to know “the last day and date” of the tour, which has been ongoing since 2019. Well, all that is news to KISS’ Paul Stanley, who tells ABC Audio that both of Gene’s assertions are false.

“I love Gene to death. He’s my brother. We’ve been together forever,” Stanley said when asked about Simmons’ comments. “[But] if you put a microphone in front of him or a camera, there’s no telling what he’s going to say. Do we know the date of the last show? No. Are we adding 100 shows? Um, I don’t plan on being there.”

Paul does acknowledge, however, that the End of the Road has gone on longer than he expected due to fan demand and will be continuing. He also reveals that he knows where it will end, if not when.

“There is an end. And certainly I can say the end will be New York City, where it began,” Stanley notes. “[This is] the end of the road, yes, but they keep paving the road!”

He adds, “We’re going further … [but] to say we booked 100 shows or we know the exact date … Gene and I tend to know what the lay of the land is, and at this point, I’m scratching my head. Because I was like, “Really? Tell me!” 

Currently, the End of the Road tour is set to resume April 15 at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Bogotá, Colombia, and is mapped out through a July 15 show in Norway.

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There’s nothing like a live Metallica show, and now fans will get to relive some of their classic performances.

The band just announced they are bringing back their Wherever We May Roam archival streaming series, this time focusing on 10 “rare performances” from their tour supporting 1991’s Metallica aka The Black Album. 

The concerts will stream on nugs.net from Sunday, January 8, to February 6, with a new concert every Sunday and Monday. Things kick off with a September 11, 1991, show from Graz, Austria, and wrap with a June 30, 1993, show from Tel Aviv, Israel. 

Subscribers will also get to hear shows from Cleveland; Los Angeles; Washington, DC; Pasadena; Stuttgart, Germany; Montreal, Canada; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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On November 20, just a little over two months after announcing the loss of his eldest brother, Don, 94, Rod Stewart shared that his other brother, Bob, 87, had died. On Friday, the singer laid Bob to rest.

Posting a photo of Bob’s funeral program on his socials, Rod wrote, “I said Farewell to my Brother Bob today, with his coffin draped in a Rangers flag (life long Glasgow Rangers fan).”

“We loved our game days up in Scotland together,” he added. “Now he joins Brother Don, rest in peace boys. Two of my best mates gone within just a few months.”

Rod, 77, is the youngest of five siblings. His two sisters, Peggy and Mary, are still with us. Rod turns 78 on Tuesday.

When Rod initially announced Bob’s death, he called him and Don “irreplaceable buddies.”

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James Taylor is dipping into his archives to share a very special performance with fans. The singer just shared what he says is a “rarely seen” performance of his classic “You’ve Got A Friend.”

According to a post on Instagram, the performance is from the German TV program Live, which originally aired on October 14, 1993. 

“You’ve Got A Friend” was written by Carole King and appeared on her 1971 classic Tapestry. It also won her a Grammy for Song of the Year. Taylor’s version appeared on his 1971 album, Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won him a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

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Looks like music fans are getting yet another chance to see Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks in concert together.

The two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have just added another date on their co-headlining tour, which is billed as “two icons – one night.” The latest is set to go down November 10 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tickets go on sale January 13 at 10 a.m. local time.

This is now the sixth concert Billy and Stevie have confirmed. The others are set for March 10 in Los Angeles, April 8 in Arlington, Texas, May 19 in Nashville, August 5 in Columbus, Ohio, and August 19 in Kansas City, Missouri.

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As previously reported, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson are set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy, and now they’re sharing their feelings about the honor. 

“I can hardly fathom the Lifetime Achievement Award is coming to me and my sister Ann. It’s a deep acknowledgment for the nearly 50 years of our lives we put into this music. It is more than meaningful for both of us,” Nancy shares on social media. “It speaks to the relevance of the songs themselves and what those songs continue to mean to our loyal and our new fans.”

She adds, “And I hope it speaks to the new breed of amazing women who are now emerging in the world of rock – keeping it alive and kicking. And I plan to keep on kicking too.” 

Ann also posted a reaction to the announcement, sharing, “It’s such an honor to be recognized in this way after all the years, all the miles and all the songs! Thank you!” 

Nile Rodgers, who is also set to be honored with a Lifetime Achievement honor, reacted to the news on social media, simply sharing “#nowords #purelove #gratitude.”

This year’s Lifetime Achievement honorees, who also include Nirvana, Bobby McFerrin, The Supremes, Ma Rainey and Slick Rick “The Ruler,” will be celebrated at the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards Ceremony, taking place February 4 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.

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The Black Crowes and John Fogerty are heading to the beach this spring. Both acts are confirmed for the 2023 Beachlife Festival, happening May 5 to 7 in Redondo Beach, California.

The Crowes are set to headline Sunday, the closing night of the festival, with Fogerty just ahead of them and billed as performing the “music of Credence Clearwater Revival.”

The rest of the lineup includes The Black Keys headlining Friday night, with Gwen Stefani topping the bill on Saturday. Other artists set to perform include Mavis Staples, Pixies, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Sugar Ray, Sublime with Rome and Tegan and Sara.

Tickets for the festival are on sale now. Click here for the complete lineup.

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Rob Halford is celebrating 37 of years of sobriety, and he marked the occasion with an inspirational post to social media.

Noting that the key to his sobriety is to take things “one day at a time,” the Judas Priest frontman holds up a coin representing the amount of time he’s been sober and shares, “When I look at this commemorative coin, I’m full of love for my higher power and grateful to you because having you in my life helps me maintain my focus making the best I can in all areas of metal as well as trying to be a better person by taking a daily inventory.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer adds, “I believe we never stop growing and searching to find ways to do anything that improves not only our lives, but also for all those we love. None of this is easy and it wasn’t meant to be. We constantly have to work and dig deep into every aspect of ourselves to stay clean and sober.” 

Halford then offers some supportive words for “those of you on this same journey,” sending them his “unconditional love.” He adds, “And to those of you who are about to begin, please take that first step into your new life. I love you.”

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It seems Neal Schon has problems not just with his Journey bandmate Jonathan Cain, but with Cain’s wife, Paula White-Cain, as well.

The New York Post reports Schon sent White-Cain, a former spiritual adviser to Donald Trump, a cease-and-desist letter last month accusing her of accessing the band’s bank accounts without Schon knowing or giving his permission. The letter demanded she take herself off the accounts by December 27, although there’s no word on whether she actually did. He also demanded she stop “inserting” herself into the band’s business. 

But White-Cain’s lawyer Alan Gutman calls Schon’s claims “nonsensical” and “entirely pretextual,” noting that Schon and Cain each own 50% of the band through a personal trust, and White-Cain is a co-trustee of her husband’s trust, so she is allowed to have access to it. Plus the lawyer adds Schon was fine with the arrangement for two years, and while Cain offered up a suggestion to resolve the issue, Schon “refuses to cooperate in any resolution.”

As previously reported, Schon and Cain have been in the news a lot lately because of their legal battles. The most recent incident had Schon sending a cease-and-desist letter to Cain over a performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’” at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Schon also had an issue with Cain opening up an Amex credit card through the band’s company and not giving him access to it.

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Peter Gabriel is out with new music. The artist just released the new single “Panopticom” from his upcoming album i/o, which is his first album of new songs in 20 years. 

“The first song is based on an idea I have been working on to initiate the creation of an infinitely expandable accessible data globe: The Panopticom,” Gabriel shares. “We are beginning to connect a like-minded group of people who might be able to bring this to life, to allow the world to see itself better and understand more of what’s really going on.”

The new song, featuring electronics from Brian Eno, was released in connection with Friday’s full moon, and Gabriel plans to release new songs with each full moon this year.

“Some of what I’m writing about this time is the idea that we seem incredibly capable of destroying the planet that gave us birth and that unless we find ways to reconnect ourselves to nature and to the natural world we are going to lose a lot,” Gabriel says. “A simple way of thinking about where we fit in to all of this is looking up at the sky … and the moon has always drawn me to it.”

And each new song will be accompanied by its own unique piece of art, with “Panopticom” featuring the piece “Red Gravity” by David Spriggs.

i/o is expected to come out this year, but so far it doesn’t have an exact release date.

And that’s not all. Gabriel also announced dates for i/o – The Tour, starting off in Europe on May 18 in Krakow, Poland, and running through June 25 in Dublin, Ireland. North American dates are expected to be announced soon.

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