Classic Rock News

Earlier this year, Rick Wakeman had to postpone a portion of the 2021 U.S. leg of his Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour until next year because of issues regarding COVID-19 restrictions.  Now the former Yes keyboardist has announced some added changes to his stateside itinerary.

The run of 2022 shows, which kicks off February 22 in Seattle, originally had been confirmed through a March 11 concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but a previously postponed concert in Kent, Ohio, has now been rescheduled for March 13 and a new performance in Toronto has been added on March 14.

In addition, postponed shows in Chicago and Buffalo, New York, have been canceled, a March 5 concert in Des Plaines, Illinois, has been added in place of the Chicago gig, an a new performance in Tucson, Arizona, also is now part of Wakeman’s 2022 outing.

As previously reported, Wakeman’s Even Grumpier Old Rock Star Tour shows feature him playing solo piano and keyboard versions of Yes classics, material from his solo albums, and well-known songs by other artists to which he contributed. Rick also presents his arrangements of a few Beatles tunes at the concerts, as well as telling bawdy jokes and humorous anecdotes.

Wakeman currently is in the middle of a U.K. holiday trek dubbed The Not Quite as Grumpy as Last Xmas Tour, which is scheduled to wind down on December 21 in Hull, England.

Check out his full tour schedule at RWCC.com.

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The M3 Rock Festival is set to return in 2022.  The event, which celebrates 1980s-era rock and heavy metal music, is scheduled to take place May 6-8 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

Next year’s 13th edition of the extravaganza will feature performances by Blue Öyster Cult, Tesla, Cinderella‘s Tom Keifer, Extreme, Ratt‘s Stephen Pearcy, Skid Row, Stryper, Yngwie Malmsteen, Zebra, Quireboys, Kix and many more.

Three-day and VIP packages for the fest go on sale this Friday, December 17, at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com.

Kix will headline the May 6 kickoff party, which also will include performances from Lizzy Borden and Doro.

The May 7 lineup is led by Kiefer and also features Blue Öyster Cult, Extreme and Pearcy. The festival wraps up with a loud bang on May 8, with Tesla headlining and Skid Row, Stryper, Malmsteen, Zebra and Quireboys also performing.

For more details, visit M3Rockfest.com.

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Last month, Paul McCartney‘s The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present was named 2021 Book of the Year by Barnes & Noble’s booksellers.  Now the tome is getting end-of-the-year love from People magazine, which has chosen The Lyrics as one of its “Top 10 Books of 2021.”

In picking the book for its list, the magazine staff writes, “The rock legend pulls back the curtain on his creative process in this two-volume set, including rare photos and personal anecdotes behind his hits. It’s just the thing to crack open after you’ve watched the Beatles documentary Get Back.”

As previously reported, The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present profiles 154 songs that McCartney wrote throughout his career, accompanied by his commentary about each tune. The book also features handwritten lyric sheets, rare personal photos, drawings and rough drafts of songs.

In other news, The Sunday Times of London reports that McCartney has made a major investment in the Audoo company, a London-based music technology company that’s developing an audio meter device that monitors what music is being played in public places such as stores, gyms and bars. The goal of the device is to gather more accurate information so that music artists can be fairly paid royalties for their work.

According to The Times, McCartney’s investment will help fund Audoo’s plans to expand into markets in North America and Europe. Among the previous investors is ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus.

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The Doobie Brothers had been scheduled to launch the 2022 leg of their 50th anniversary tour on June 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida, but now the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have announced plans to kick the trek of with a Las Vegas residency in May.

The eight-show engagement will take place at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and the dates are scheduled for May 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 25, 27 and 28. As with the band’s other 50th anniversary gigs, one-time Doobies singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald will join longtime core members Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee and the rest of the group’s current lineup at the Vegas concerts.

Tickets for the Las Vegas shows go on sale to the general public this Friday, December 17 at 10 a.m. PT. Members of Caesars Entertainment’s loyalty program, and Live Nation and Ticketmaster customers, will be able to buy pre-sale tickets starting Wednesday, December 15, at 10 a.m. PT.

The first leg of The Doobie Brothers’ 50th anniversary tour wrapped up in late October. Earlier that month, the band released Liberté, their first studio album of new original material in 11 years.

The 2022 tour leg is scheduled through a July 14 show in Noblesville, Indiana.

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Van Morrison is are among the artists in the running for the Best Original Song — Motion Picture honor for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards, nominees for which were announced this morning.

Morrison received his nod for “Down to Joy,” which he wrote for the movie Belfast.

Another Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Carole King, also is nominated in the category, for co-writing “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” from the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect. Jennifer Hudson, the star of Respect, and British songwriter and producer Jamie Hartman are nominated alongside Carole for co-writing “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home).”

Other Best Original Song nominees include Beyoncé for “Be Alive,” a song she co-wrote for the movie King Richard; Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas for “No Time to Die,” from the James Bond movie of the same name; and Lin-Manuel Miranda for “Dos Oruguitas,” a song he wrote for the animated film Encanto.

You can check out a full list of nominees at GoldenGlobes.com.

The Golden Globes will be handed out January 9, 2022.

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Back in October, Don McLean announced the initial dates for a 2022 U.S. tour commemorating the 50th anniversary of his classic anthem “American Pie” and his studio album of the same name. Now the singer-songwriter has unveiled about 20 additional North American shows.

The new dates run from an April 29 concert in Kansas City, Missouri, through a July 9 performance in Phoenix, Arizona, and stops in other cities including Indianapolis, Toronto, Nashville, Atlanta, St. Louis, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Denver, San Antonio and Houston.

“After spending the past 18 months at home, I am thrilled to be getting back on the road with my band,” says McLean in a statement. “2022 marks the 50th anniversary from when ‘American Pie’ landed at the #1 spot on the Billboard chart and we will be celebrating on tour all year long. We will be performing all the songs from the American Pie album plus many of the other hits that fans will be expecting to hear.”

As previously reported, McLean’s 2022 American Pie 50th Anniversary Tour kicks off with a three-show engagement, January 28-30, at The Blue Note club in Honolulu, and features several other U.S. concerts taking place in February.

Among the confirmed gigs is scheduled on February 3 at the historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. That of course is the venue where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper performed on February 3, 1959, before perishing in a plane crash later that evening. The tragic incident is now known as “The Day the Music Died,” and served as an inspiration for McLean to write “American Pie.”

Don also will perform on the 2022 Rock Legends Cruise, taking place February 14 to February 18.

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A revised and updated version of the authorized 1992 Queen biography Queen: As It Began, which told the story of the legendary British rock band through the 1991 death of frontman Freddie Mercury, will be published on March 24, 2022.

Queen: As It Began (Revised and Updated Edition) features new contributions from Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, including exclusive interviews with the two band mates, and adds to the story of the group through 1996.

The updated version of the book features a new foreword penned by May, as well as many additional photographs.

Queen: As It Began was co-written by respected Queen expert Jim Jenkins  and Jacky Smith, who has run the group’s official international fan club for 40 years.

The book offers an in-depth look at the band’s history, including the childhoods and early musical endeavors of its four members — Mercury, May, Taylor and bassist John Deacon — the band’s late 1960s origins as a group called Smile that initially featured May and Taylor, the emergence of Queen after the additions of Mercury and Deacon, the group’s path to global superstardom, Freddie’s tragic death at age 45 from AIDS, and its aftermath.

“A source of much pleasure to anyone who has an interest in the inside story of the making of that unusual phenomenon known as Queen,” May says of the book.

You can pre-order the updated version of Queen: As It Began now at the band’s official online store.

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Founded in 1969, Genesis has fans that range from those who discovered them in their early Peter Gabriel prog-rock years, to those who came onboard in their ’80s pop era. Since Genesis’ current The Last Domino? tour will reportedly be their last, it’s been crafted to please all segments of the band’s fandom.

The band’s Friday show at the shiny new UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. saw Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks — ably assisted by longtime tour guitarist/bassist Daryl Stuermer, two backup singers and Collins’ 20-year-old son Nic on drums — take fans through every era of their career in a masterful display of musicianship, accompanied by stunning visuals and lights.

Collins, who for medical reasons has been performing seated, still played the part of the ringmaster, introducing songs, cracking jokes and encouraging audience participation. His insistence on calling Elmont, N.Y. “Elwood” became a running joke.  While some songs were slowed down to accommodate him, his voice seemed to get stronger as the night progressed.

Faced with the daunting task of handling his dad’s complex and strenuous drum parts, Nic Collins passed with flying colors, earning wild, sustained cheers and applause from the crowd.

Fans of Genesis’ pop era cheered for the hits, from their sole U.S. number one — “Invisible Touch” — to “That’s All,” “Follow You, Follow Me,” “Throwing It All Away” and early ’90s singles like “No Son of Mine.” 1986’s “Land of Confusion” is, sadly, still timely, and album cuts like “Mama,” “Home by the Sea” and “Domino” still rock.

Meanwhile, instrumental showcases like “Duke’s End,” “The Cinema Show” and “Firth of Fifth,” snippets of fan favorites like “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” and full performances of deep cuts like “Duchess” and “Afterglow” were warmly received by old-school fans.

If this truly is Genesis’ final go-round, The Last Domino? did its best to keep all the customers satisfied.

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Finally, Billy Corgan is on Cameo.

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman and his longtime partner Chloe Mendel have joined the site, which allows you to purchase personalized video messages from celebrities, to raise money for their hometown no-kill animal shelter PAWS Chicago.

Corgan, of course, is a longtime supporter of PAWS Chicago — you may remember the adorable photo of him and his cats on the cover of a 2014 issue of PAWS Chicago magazine.

The Cameos cost $250 for personal use, and $4,500 for business use, in case you’re hoping to use Corgan’s words to inspire your employees or customers.

For more info, visit Cameo.com/BillyCorgan.

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Micky Dolenz, now the last living member of The Monkees, has taken to social media to mourn his late bandmate, Mike Nesmith, who died on Friday at the age of 78.

“I’m heartbroken. I’ve lost a dear friend and partner,” writes Dolenz, along with a recent photo of the two men embracing onstage. “I’m so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together doing what we loved best – singing, laughing, and doing shtick. I’ll miss it all so much. Especially the shtick.”

“Rest in peace, Nez. All my love, Micky,” he finished.

Other celebrities who paid tribute to Nesmith included The Bangles‘ Susannah Hoffs, director Edgar Wright, comedian Patton Oswalt, magician Penn Jillette, the E Street Band’s Steve Van Zandt and “Cars” singer Gary Numan.

KISS’ Paul Stanley wrote, “WOW! Sometimes it’s hard to know why someone’s passing hits you a certain way but this is another one that hit me. I watch my world change as people that I thought to be timeless pass on, and that is sobering. Lives end and life goes on. RIP Mike Nesmith.”

And Beach Boy Brian Wilson wrote, “I’m sorry to hear about Mike Nesmith. The Monkees had some great songs, those were fun days. Love & Mercy to Mike’s family and friends.”

 

 

 

 

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