Classic Rock News

KISS has announced plans for the 11th annual installment of The KISS Kruise, which will take place October 29 to November 3 this fall. According to a message on the seagoing rock festival’s official website, this year’s cruise will be the last time that the band “will perform on the high seas.”

The five-day nautical extravaganza will be the first KISS Kruise to set sail from and visit sites on the West Coast, embarking from Los Angeles and stopping at Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico, before returning to port.

You can sign up today at TheKISSKruise.com to have access to a pre-sale for the cruise. The KISS Kruise XI “Experience” will feature an unmasked concert by the band on deck, a full “masked” electric show in the ship’s Stardust Theater, an engraved commemorative gift, two activities with KISS, two activities with individual members of the group, an expo offering rare memorabilia, concerts by various other artists, autograph sessions with members of the cruise’s support acts, and more.

The lineup of acts joining KISS on the cruise is expected to be announced soon.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley appears in a video promoting this year’s KISS Kruise that been posted on the group’s YouTube channel.

“[W]e’re gonna have great bands. We’re gonna have a great time,” Stanley says in the clip, then teases, “Everybody says, ‘When is it gonna be the last one?’ Well, this is KISS Kruise XI, and you don’t want to miss it for a whole lot of reasons. I want you there. You deserve to be there. Be there!”

Meanwhile, KISS’ End of the Road farewell tour is scheduled to relaunch with a South American leg starting April 20 in Santiago, Chile. The trek likely will continue into 2023.

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Foo Fighters have gone metal. Well, sort of.

Dave Grohl and company have shared a new song called “March of the Insane,” released under the moniker Dream Widow for the band’s upcoming horror-comedy movie Studio 666.

The tune is credibly thrashy, and gives you a glimpse of what Foo Fighters might’ve sounded like if Grohl had grown up a Bay Area metalhead instead of in the Washington, D.C. punk scene.

You can listen to “March of the Insane” now via digital outlets.

Studio 666 premieres in theaters on February 25.

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Elvis Costello and his longtime backing band The Imposters have unveiled plans for a 20-date North American summer tour in support of their recently released studio album, The Boy Named If.

So far, 15 shows have been confirmed for the trek, which has been dubbed “The Boy Named If & Other Favourites,” spanning from an August 6 concert in Huber Heights, Ohio, through a September 3 performance in Las Vegas.

Opening most of the shows will be Elvis’ old pal and collaborator Nick Lowe, who will be performing with the wrestling-mask-wearing surf-rock band Los Straightjackets. This will mark the first time since 1989 that Costello and Lowe have toured together. Singer/songwriter Nicole Atkins, who lends guest vocals to The Boy Named If track “My Most Beautiful Mistake,” will be the support act at the Huber Heights concert and an August 9 show in Buffalo, New York.

Lowe’s association with Costello dates back to the 1970s, and Nick produced Elvis’ first four studios albums and co-produced two others. Elvis also famously covered “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding,” which Nick wrote in 1974 for his early band, Brinsley Schwarz.

Playing with The Imposters on the upcoming trek will be guitarist Charley Sexton, a longtime member of Bob Dylan‘s touring band. Sexton also joined Costello and The Imposters on their 22-date “Hello Again” tour in 2021.

Tickets for the upcoming concerts is year’s outing go on sale to the general public starting this Friday, February 18. Pre-sale tickets for many of the shows also will be available. Visit ElvisCostello.com for more information. More dates will be announced soon.

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Well, at least one member of Pearl Jam at one time liked Mötley Crüe.

Speaking to Revolver‘s Fan First podcast, guitarist Stone Gossard recalled buying the “Kickstart My Heart” outfit’s first album, 1981’s Too Fast for Love.

“At the time, it was punk-like,” Gossard said of the record.

Normally, a rock artist saying they once bought a Mötley Crüe album wouldn’t be news, but Gossard’s comments arrive in the middle of a tiff between band mate Eddie Vedder and Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx.

As previously reported, Vedder told The New York Times Magazine in a interview that he “despised” Mötley Crüe, a declaration to which Sixx responded by calling Pearl Jam “one of the most boring bands in history.”

Vedder seemingly returned fire during a recent live solo show, when he noted how the drum kit in his band “does not need to elevate or rotate to do its job,” which was interpreted as a jab at Crüe drummer Tommy Lee‘s elaborate drum roller coaster.

Should any other Pearl Jam members share their opinions on Mötley Crüe, we’ll let you know.

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Two dates on Eddie Vedder‘s ongoing solo tour are being postponed due to a positive COVID-19 case.

“We have been following COVID protocols but still had a positive test in our touring party,” reads a statement posted to the Pearl Jam frontman’s Instagram. “The appropriate response is to postpone the next two shows. Everyone, please take care.”

The affected dates include stops in San Diego and Los Angeles, originally scheduled for February 15 and 17, respectively. The shows will now take place February 25 in LA, and February 27 in San Diego.

Previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new dates. Refunds are available for those who can no longer attend.

The tour is expected to continue February 21 in Seattle. Vedder has been supporting his new solo album, Earthling, with his Earthlings solo band, which features Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, ex-RHCP guitarist and current Pearl Jam touring member Josh Klinghoffer, Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, and guitarist and producer Andrew Watt.

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Stevie Nicks is among the artists who will headline the inaugural Sound on Sound festival, taking place September 24-25 at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The other headliners for the event are Dave Matthews and The Lumineers. Matthews will be performing as a duo with his frequent collaborator, Tim Reynolds.

The bill, which features more than 20 acts in all, also includes Ziggy Marley, Spin Doctors, Gary Clark Jr., Brandi Carlile, Jenny Lewis and The National.

Sound on Sound is being put on by Founders Entertainment, the same company behind New York City’s annual Governors Ball Music Festival. For the full lineup and ticket info, visit SoundonSoundCT.com.

Nicks also is confirmed to perform at three other U.S. festivals this year — on May 7 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; on June 19 at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee; and in early September at the JAS Aspen Snowmass event in Snowmass, Colorado.

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Billy Joel‘s mother Rosalind Nyman Joel would have been 100 years old today, and a restaurant where she and Billy used to eat when he was a kid is marking the occasion in a unique way.

DiMaggio’s Pizza of New York is a pizzeria across the street from where Billy was raised in Hicksville, New York, and when Billy was a kid, he and his mom would stop there to grab food after she took him for his music lessons.  At noon today, the restaurant will dedicate the “Roz Pie” in honor of Rosalind, who was born February 15, 1922.  The inspiration for Billy’s song “Rosalinda’s Eyes,” Rosalind passed away in 2014 at the age of 92.

DiMaggio’s will also host a singalong with civic and community leaders on Hicksville’s Village Green, which Billy immortalized in the lyrics of his song “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.”

There’s no word on whether Billy himself will stop by, but there’s a good chance he’ll be in the area: His next concert date isn’t until February 26 in Las Vegas.

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Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder is among the nominees for the 2022 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards.

As its title suggests, the GMS Awards celebrate the best music supervisors, who select the music for visual media including films, TV, video games and trailers, along with the best songs written for such media.

Vedder is nominated in the Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film category for his song “My Father’s Daughter,” which he co-wrote with Glen Hansard for the film Flag Day. The track notably also marked the musical debut of Eddie’s daughter, Olivia Vedder.

Other nominees in the category include JAY-Z and Kid Cudi‘s “Guns Go Bang,” from The Harder They Fall; “Dos Oruguitas,” from Encanto; Anderson .Paak‘s “Fire in the Sky,” from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings; and Beyoncé‘s “Be Alive,” from King Richard.

Meanwhile, Flag Day music supervisor Tracy McKnight is nominated for Best Music Supervision for Film Budgeted Under $25 Million. The film’s soundtrack includes a number of original songs from Vedder, Hansard and Cat Power, as well as a cover of R.E.M.‘s “Drive” by the “Even Flow” rocker.

The 2022 GMS Awards take place March 20. For more info, visit GMSAwards.com.

Vedder just released his new solo album Earthling last Friday, and is currently touring with his Earthlings solo band, which features Hansard, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, ex-RHCP guitarist and current Pearl Jam touring member Josh Klinghoffer, Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, and guitarist and producer Andrew Watt.

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Journey is gearing up for a lengthy U.S. trek with Toto dubbed the 2022 Freedom Tour that kicks off on February 22 in Pittsburgh.

Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain tells ABC Audio that the two bands have a familial connection, because his daughter Madison is engaged to Toto guitarist Steve Lukather‘s son Trevor. The couple is slated to be married early this year.

“It’s all in the family now,” Cain jokes.

Meanwhile, Jonathan notes that this will be the first time that his group and Toto will hit the road together, and he says he feels the two acts are a good pairing.

“We did one show with Toto years ago,” Cain recalls. “And, you know, both crowds seemed to dig each other’s music, so we thought, ‘Why not?'”

Journey and Toto both feature virtuoso rock guitarists — Neal Schon and Lukather — and Cain says there’s a good chance that the two musicians will hit the stage together to jam during the trek.

“I’m sure that will happen a bunch,” he notes. “Been buddies for a long time and looking forward to it.”

The 2022 Freedom Tour will mark Journey’s first full-length tour since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.

“We are pleased as heck to be in the arenas [again],” Jonathan declares. “It’s a risky deal, but we’re going to follow the [COVID] protocol precautions for safety for the crew and the band.”

The tour is plotted out through a May 11 show in Hartford, Connecticut. Billy Idol originally had been announced as opening act for the first portion of the trek. However, sinus issues forced Idol to bow out of the tour, so Toto now is opening the entire trek.

Visit JourneyMusic.com for the full list of tour dates.

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