Classic Rock News

The Long Island Music Hall of Fame has announced details of their upcoming Music Documentary Film Festival, happening Aug. 8-10.

The festival will include screenings of 24 music documentaries, covering artists like The Beatles, Harry Chapin and The Zombies.

Opening day will include a screening of the documentary Building the Beatles, followed by a Q&A with the film’s co-director John Rose and a performance by British artist Billy J. Kramer.

Also on opening night, there will be a screening of the Chapin doc, Cat’s in the Cradle 50th Anniversary: The Song That Changed Our Lives, featuring a musical tribute to Chapin, along with a Q&A with the film’s producer and director.

Closing the festival will be a screening of Hung Up On A Dream: The Zombies Documentary, featuring a Q&A with director Robert Schwartzman.

Other music docs screening at the festival include: They All Came Out to Montreux, about the Montreux Jazz Festival; Ron Delsener Presents, about famed New York concert promoter Ron Delsener; and My Back Pages, a short film about the world’s foremost collector of Bob Dylan memorabilia memorabilia and recordings.

More info and a complete lineup can be found at limusichalloffame.org.

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Bob Geldof is setting the record straight about a moment in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody that claimed donations to help famine relief in Ethiopia skyrocketed after the band performed at Live Aid.

Geldof, one of the founders of Live Aid, told The New York Times that it was actually David Bowie who was responsible for the surge in donations.

“The movie isn’t right. Queen were completely, utterly brilliant. But the telephone lines collapsed after David Bowie performed,” Geldof said in the article marking Sunday’s 40th anniversary of the charity concerts, which took place in Philadelphia and London.

Geldof says that ahead of Bowie’s performance, he showed him some outtakes from a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report on the Ethiopian famine, which were cut from the final report because of the “appalling” images.

“David was crying and said he would cut a song from his set to show the CBC report instead,” Geldof explained. “It’s an extraordinary moment during the concert, because at the end of ‘Heroes,’ which the crowd were all singing, he quietly introduces the clip and asks people to send their money in. It was like a slap in the face.”

Geldof added, “Bowie brought the house down. That was the key moment.”

Live Aid, organized by Geldof and Midge Ure, raised more than $150 million for Ethiopian famine relief.

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Mötley Crüe recently released a new version of their classic track “Home Sweet Home,” featuring Dolly Parton. In a new interview with Forbes, bassist Nikki Sixx reveals that Dolly had a special connection to the tune.

“Dolly looked at me and said, ‘I really love these lyrics,'” he tells the mag. “This was one of her husband’s … favorite songs.” Dolly’s husband, Carl Dean, passed away in March.

Sixx says Dolly really understood what the song meant, telling him, “When you’re young, you want to get as far away from home as possible. You want to chase those dreams. You want to chase whatever you want to do. And then once you get there, it’s the journey getting back to your roots.”

He adds, “I was like, ‘No one’s ever explained my lyrics to me that clear.’ That just touched me on so many levels.”

Nikki says getting Dolly on the record “was just a career high” and adds that it’s been “a real joy” seeing people respond to the collaboration.

“A song like ‘Home Sweet Home’ can touch a metalhead and it can touch a country person at the same time,” he says. “And that’s something you just don’t know about a song until it’s been around for a while.”

“Home Sweet Home” with Dolly appears on Mötley Crüe’s upcoming compilation, From the Beginning, dropping Sept. 12. It is available for preorder now.

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Bryan Adams is reflecting on some big milestones in his career.

The rocker shared a video on social media noting that “incredibly” it’s been 40 years since he released his iconic track “Summer of ’69,” as well as 40 years since his ballad “Heaven” went to #1. Both songs appeared on Adams’ fourth studio album, Reckless.

He captioned the clip, “I can barely believe this!”

But Adams’ career is far from over.  

“And we’re still out doing this every night,” he says in the video, adding a clip of the song “Make Up Your Mind” from his upcoming album, Roll With the Punches, which drops Aug. 29.

Adams then shared a snippet of the next track he’ll release from the record, “A Little More Understanding,” which is coming out on Wednesday. “We’re going for another 40 years, OK? OK.”

Roll With the Punches is Adams’ first album since 2022’s So Happy It Hurts. He’s already released several tracks from the record, including the title track, “Make Up Your Mind” and “Never Let You Go.”

Adams is currently on a European tour and will play Pompeii, Italy, on July 25. He launches a North American tour on Sept. 11 in Kamloops, British Columbia. U.S. dates that feature Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo as special guests begin Oct. 25 in Uncasville, Connecticut.

A complete list of dates can be found at BryanAdams.com.

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The band, led by Warren Haynes, has shared details for Island Exodus 16, which will be held Jan. 15-18, 2026, in Trelawny, Jamaica. 

Gov’t Mule will perform three two-set shows during the festival, with guitarist John Scofield sitting in with the band as a special guest. Haynes will also headline an afternoon solo set and will take part in a Q&A. The lineup also includes moe. and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country doing two shows each.

The 2026 festival will take place at a new location, the all-inclusive Royalton Blue Waters Montego Bay. The move was prompted by the closing of Jewel Runaway Bay, the resort they’d been using for the past nine festivals.

Presale for those who attended last year’s festival opens Thursday at 12 p.m. ET, and those who attended any of the other installments will be eligible for a presale that begins Friday at 12 p.m. ET. Reservations open to the general public Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.

More details can be found at islandexodus.com.

Gov’t Mule launched the annual Island Exodus back in 2010. Last year’s festival also featured three two-set beachfront concerts from Gov’t Mule, plus a headlining afternoon solo set from Haynes. Other artists on the bill included Drive-By Truckers, Karina Rykman, Big Sugar and Ron Holloway.

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Sunday marked the 40th anniversary of the Live Aid charity concerts, and U2 frontman Bono has revealed the one regret he has about the band’s performance at London’s Wembley Stadium.

In an interview that aired Sunday as part of CNN’s four-part Live Aid docuseries, Live Aid: When Rock ‘n’ Roll Took on the World, Bono shared that he can’t get over how he looked on the big day.

“I can’t look back at this moment with two eyes because it was such a bad hair day,” he said, according to People. “[H]onestly, one of the most famous moments of your life and your activism, you’ve got a mullet.”

U2 performed two songs during Live Aid, “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Bad,” with Bono climbing down to the audience during the latter song and pulling one fan out to give them a hug.

U2 marked the anniversary with a post on Instagram, writing, “U2 were excited to play a small part in this gigantic moment forty years ago.” They noted that they “sensed LIVE AID was a coming of age for our audience as much as our band. A day when everyone seemed to agree that where you live should not decide whether you live.”

Live Aid, organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, took place at London’s Wembley Stadium and Philly’s John F. Kennedy Stadium. The benefit concerts, which raised more than $150 million for Ethiopian famine relief, were watched by about 2 billion people in more than 100 countries.

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On This Day, July 14, 1978…

Talking Heads released their sophomore studio album, More Songs About Buildings and Food. The album’s cover was made up of over 500 Polaroid photos that put together became a picture of the band.

The record was a top-40 hit for Talking Heads, peaking at #29 in the U.S. It contained the band’s first hit single, a cover of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” which also peaked at #29.

More Songs About Buildings and Food is being revisited with a three-CD/Blu-ray deluxe edition, dropping July 25. It will include the remastered album, as well as 11 rarities, four of which are previously unreleased versions of album tracks. There’s also a live album, featuring a recording of the band’s August 1978 show at New York’s Entermedia Theatre.

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Matt Cameron may no longer be playing in Pearl Jam, but that doesn’t mean he’s done playing music for good.

A week after announcing that he was leaving the “Even Flow” outfit after a 27-year tenure, Cameron has shared an Instagram Story thanking fans for their “kind words of support” while adding, “For the record, I’m still an active musician.”

As for what bands or projects he might be an active musician with, that has yet to be revealed. Notably, he’ll be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the second time in November as a member of Soundgarden. He was inducted for the first time with Pearl Jam in 2017.

In other Soundgarden-related news, the band has put out a statement regarding their absence from the big Back to the Beginning concert, which marked the final live performances from the original Black Sabbath lineup and Ozzy Osbourne. Sharon Osbourne had said that members of the “Black Hole Sun” band would be playing the show, but they were missing from the event when it took place on July 5.

“We are super bummed and regret that we were unable to coordinate the schedules of our individual and collective projects to attend and contribute to the festival,” Soundgarden says in an Instagram post. “The warmth, love and support from the Black Sabbath team has been a continuing source of encouragement and strength throughout our career.”

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The Who will launch The Song Is Over North American Farewell Tour in August, and while so far they haven’t announced additional dates anywhere outside North America, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are out of the question.

A new Pollstar article features an interview with the band’s manager, Bill Curbishley, and Live Nation tour promoter Steve Herman about the tour, and both think more shows are a possibility.

“I’ve been asking, believe me,” Herman says. “I don’t expect them to do too many more shows, but I think there’s a possibility outside of North America that there would be a few stops, if they decide that they like it and it makes sense.”

He adds, “I think we take this bite and then we see how we’re doing, if they’re enjoying themselves, that’s the main thing. I think they’re doing this because that’s what they do. I don’t think they’re doing this for any other reason.”

Curbishley also says he’s “not totally discounting” more shows in the future.

“If any really important shows came up that appealed to them, I’m sure they would pick up their gear and they’d want to do it,” he says.

He also tells the mag he hopes The Who get a chance to say goodbye to the rest of the world, although right now there are no plans to do so.

He says, “I really would like them to say farewell to the planet, then get Elon Musk to put them in a rocket and send them somewhere.”

The Who’s The Song Is Over North American Tour kicks off Aug. 16 in Sunrise, Florida, and wraps Sept. 28 in Las Vegas. A complete list of dates can be found at TheWho.com.

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Jeff Lynne’s ELO was supposed to play their final show ever Sunday, headlining London’s BST Hyde Park, but the concert is no longer going on as planned.

After canceling their show Thursday in Manchester due to illness, Lynne has now axed the London show as well, also for health reasons.

“Jeff Lynne is heartbroken to report that he will not be able to perform at tomorrow’s BST Hyde Park show,” read a message on social media. “Jeff has been battling a systemic infection and is currently in the care of a team of doctors who have advised him that performing is simply not possible at this time nor will he be able to reschedule.”

“The legacy of the band and his longtime fans are foremost in Jeff’s mind today – and while he is sorry that he cannot perform, he knows that he must focus on his health and rehabilitation at this time,” the post continued, advising fans to go to the BST Hyde Park website for info on refunds.

The ELO U.K. tour, which kicked off July 5 in Lynne’s hometown of Birmingham, had problems right from the start. Lynne was unable to play guitar during the shows. According to setlist.fm, he explained to fans that he had an accident and had broken his hand.

Lynne announced back in March 2024 that ELO would be heading out on their final tour, dubbed The Over and Out Tour. In October of that year he announced that the BST Hyde Park show would be their last ever concert. At the time he said that London seemed “like the perfect place to do our final show.”

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