Classic Rock News

Graham Nash is recovering from a fall.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who is known to share pictures and video on Instagram of his walks around New York City, let his followers know why he hasn’t gone on a walk in a while.

“Well…. about six weeks ago I fell and broke my patella. Oops,” he shared alongside video of him walking with a cane and his leg in a brace. “I’ve been laying low, taking things slowly but surely and am well on the healing path!”

“Most importantly, I feel great, my spirits are up, I’m not in pain, and I’m doing everything I should be to get stronger each day,” the 83-year-old adds.

But Nash isn’t going to let his injury stop him from performing.  He’s about to head out on the road, sharing, “if it’s okay with all of you, I might just have a seat for our shows this time around and sing you some songs like that.”

“Hope you won’t mind. I’ve still got the best band playing with me and we are ready to make you smile,” he writes. “Your good energy will be part of what will boost me up each day. So, here I come! One small but steady step at a time.”

Nash kicks off a new leg of his More Evenings of Songs and Stories tour on Tuesday in Red Bank, New Jersey. A complete list of dates can be found at GrahamNash.com.

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The Band‘s Richard Manuel is the subject of a new biography, Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band.

One of The Band’s three main vocalists, as well as pianist, occasional drummer and sometime songwriter, Manuel died by suicide in 1986. The book by Stephen T. Lewis has new interviews with friends, family and colleagues, like Eric Clapton and Van Morrison, plus detailed commentary on Manuel’s entire musical output. 

Lewis tells ABC Audio he decided to focus on Manuel after watching the 2019 documentary Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band.

“I think I was hoping for more out of [the film],” Lewis says. “And while the idea had been spinning around, all that kind of gave me the inspiration to say, ‘Hey, let’s dive a little deeper into this guy’s life.'”

Lewis details Manuel’s background, his musical roots and his self-destructive tendencies.

“I think once fame took over, it was hard for him to stay creative,” Lewis notes, describing Manuel as a perfectionist who couldn’t take the pressure. “The record label was like, ‘We need 12 songs.’ Robbie [Robertson], a different kind of guy, is like, ‘Twelve songs. Let’s go!’ Richard’s like, ‘Twelve songs?!’ … That was his undoing in a lot of ways.”

The Band was hugely influential, inspiring the likes of Clapton, The Beatles and Elton John, but they’re not often mentioned with other top bands of that era. Lewis feels his book might help correct that.

“Their music was so honest and so real that it wasn’t popular,” he says. “But over the years, I feel like it’s getting the respect that’s due. And that’s kind of the reason I wrote about Richard, is if you have a band that moves rock music in an entire direction, he’s got such a critical part in that.” 

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The original members of Black Sabbath — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward — reunited for one final performance Saturday in their hometown of Birmingham, England. The epic concert, dubbed Back to the Beginning, spanned about 10 hours, and also marked the last live show ever of Ozzy’s career.

Ozzy, who has been kept from playing a full concert for nearly seven years due to a variety of health issues, took the stage while seated in a throne for a five-song solo set, performing “I Don’t Know,” “Mr. Crowley,” “Suicide Solution,” “Mama, I’m Coming Home” and “Crazy Train.” 

The Prince of Darkness was then joined by Iommi, Butler and Ward to close the night with a four-song Sabbath set, including “War Pigs,” “N.I.B.,” “Iron Man” and “Paranoid.”

Leading up to Sabbath and Ozzy’s farewell, a stacked bill of big-name metal and hard rock bands helped send them off, including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon, who performed a mix of their own songs and covers.

The lineup, which was put together by musical director Tom Morello, also included a number of all-star jams, featuring Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler, blink-182‘s Travis Barker, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool’s Adam Jones and Danny Carey, Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, Disturbed‘s David Draiman, Sammy Hagar, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, Ghost‘s Papa V Perpetua and Yungblud.

Actor Jason Momoa hosted the day. AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson and Angus Young, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Elton John, Marilyn Manson, Jack Black, Limp Bizkit‘s Fred Durst and Korn‘s Jonathan Davis were among those who sent in video messages.

You can find the complete set list at setlist.fm.

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Foreigner just announced they’re releasing a deluxe version of their 1981 multi-Platinum album 4 with lots of bonus material, and now they are giving fans a preview of one of those extras.

The band has released the track “Fool If You Love Him,” featuring the original Foreigner band members. It’s one of five previously unreleased songs on the set.

According to the description on YouTube, the song was initially recorded and left unfinished during the 4 recording sessions at New York’s Electric Lady Studios. Original frontman Lou Gramm returned decades later to add a new verse, record new vocals and finish the song.

Foreigner 4 Deluxe, dropping Sept. 12, is a five-disc CD/Blu-Ray package that includes newly remastered stereo and Atmos remixes of the album, as well as previously unreleased songs, early and alternative versions of tracks, instrumentals, and live performances recorded on tour between 1981 and 1982.

The deluxe edition will also be released digitally, while the remastered and remixed album will get a vinyl release. All versions are available for preorder now.

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The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger will make a guest appearance on the upcoming album from Nigerian singer/songwriter Burna Boy.

Burna Boy will release his album No Signs of Weakness on July 11 and just revealed the track list, which includes the tune “Empty Chairs” featuring Jagger.

Jagger and his bandmates recently appeared on a tribute album celebrating the late King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier. The band covered the track “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” on A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, which is out now.

As for their own music, The Stones haven’t released any new music since 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, which was their 24th studio album and their first album of new material in 18 years. The album won best rock album at the 67th annual Grammy Awards. 

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A band was disinvited from playing Black Sabbath‘s massive Back to the Beginning reunion/farewell concert because, as Sharon Osbourne tells Billboard, they “wanted to make a profit.”

“It’s not the time to make a profit,” Sharon says of the show.

Sharon does not name the act that was booted from the bill, though it seems they won’t stay anonymous for very long.

“After the show I’ll let everybody know who it was,” Sharon says. “I think people will be shocked.”

Sharon previously said that she kicked a band off the lineup amid a “huge to-do” with their manager. It’s unclear if she’s referring to the same act or a different one.

Even without whatever band or bands are no longer playing, Back to the Beginning certainly isn’t hurting for big names. Along with the original Sabbath lineup’s final performance and Ozzy Osbourne‘s last live show ever, the lineup includes Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God and Anthrax.

All that adds up to about a 10-hour music experience, according to Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, who will be the show’s musical director. 

“The goal from day one was very, very simple — to make it the greatest day, the most important day in the history of heavy metal music,” Morello says. “There’s never gonna be a dull moment. We’ve unearthed some incredible footage of things and people that no one’s ever seen, and a lot of surprises in a lot of other areas, too.”

Back to the Beginning takes place Saturday in Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham, England. The concert will stream online.

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As the United States of America gears up to celebrate its birthday, so does the debut Foo Fighters album.

The self-titled record was released on July 4, 1995 — 30 years ago Friday.

Coming off the death of Kurt Cobain and the dissolution of Nirvana in 1994, drummer Dave Grohl entered the studio and started working on possible solo material. While he was recording, Tom Petty recruited Grohl to play drums with The Heartbreakers during their performance on Saturday Night Live, and even offered him the full-time gig. However, Grohl, who was still mourning Cobain and the end of Nirvana, decided instead to focus on his own project.

That project became the album Foo Fighters, which Grohl recorded entirely on his own, save for a guitar solo by Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs. Once Foo Fighters was finished, Grohl recruited a full band, consisting of Nirvana touring guitarist Pat Smear, and bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith of Sunny Day Real Estate.

With the singles “This Is a Call,” “I’ll Stick Around” and “Big Me,” Foo Fighters proved Grohl was equally adept at being a frontman as he was manning the kit. That anyone at one point thought otherwise now seems absurd, as Foo Fighters and Grohl especially have continued to be the face of modern rock three decades later.

Smear and Mendel remain in the Foos alongside Grohl, while Goldsmith was replaced by drummer Taylor Hawkins. Guitarist Chris Shiflett joined in 1999, and keyboardist Rami Jaffee started touring with the group in 2005. That lineup remained the same until Hawkins died in 2022 and was replaced by Josh Freese, who was fired from the Foos in May.

Foo Fighters marked their debut’s anniversary Wednesday with a new single called “Today’s Song.”

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Ringo Starr is profiled in a new article in the New York Times, and his Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney discusses the importance of their more than six decades of friendship. 

With their bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison gone, McCartney says they understand “nothing lasts forever.”

“So we grasp onto what we have now because we realize that it’s very special. It’s something hardly anyone else has,” he says. “In fact, in our case, it’s something no one else has. There’s only me and Ringo, and we’re the only people who can share those memories.”

In the article, McCartney recalls his December reunion with Ringo onstage at McCartney’s show at the O2 Arena in London, where they played “Helter Skelter” together. McCartney shares that while the song was “an out-and-out rocker” he got “a little bit emotional” during the performance.

McCartney also had nothing but praise for Ringo’s abilities, telling the paper, “Even though I’ve played with other drummers, he’s the best. Ringo has got a certain feel that is very difficult for other drummers to capture.”

He adds, “He’s Ringo. And nobody else is.”

But one area where Ringo wasn’t so confident, at least in the beginning, was in his writing songs. 

“It’s hard to come to the front when you’ve got John and Paul,” he says. “I’d say, ‘I’ve got this song.’ And halfway through they’d all be laying on the floor laughing, because I wasn’t writing new songs. I was writing new words to old songs.”

McCartney adds, “We’d say, ‘Yeah, that’s a great one. That’s a great Bob Dylan song.'”

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John Mellencamp is giving a shoutout to Olivia Rodrigo after the pop star was photographed wearing a Mellencamp T-shirt at the Glastonbury Festival over the weekend.

The 73-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer reshared a photo of the 22-year-old Rodrigo in a vintage tee from his The Lonesome Jubilee era, simply writing, “‘Thank You’ @oliviarodrigo.”

The post also featured a clip of the Mellencamp song “Thank You,” which appeared on his 2019 box set On The Rural Route 7609.

Rodrigo wasn’t even alive when Mellencamp released The Lonesome Jubilee in 1987. It was the rocker’s ninth studio album and featured three hit singles, “Paper and Fire,” “Check it Out” and “Cherry Bomb.” The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200.

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After headlining 65 North American tour dates in 2024, former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, guitar great Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey are set to release a live album of their Beat tour.

The tour, which also hit Mexico and South America in 2025, had the four artists celebrating the ’80s-era music of King Crimson, reinterpreting three of the band’s albums – 1981’s Discipline, 1982’s Beat and 1984’s Three of a Perfect Pair – which were also the first three to feature Belew and Levin.

The live album captures the Beat performance at the United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles. You can watch video of the performance of the song “Neal and Jack and Me” streaming on YouTube.

Beat Live will be released Sept. 26 as a three-LP set, a two-CD/Blu-ray set, and a limited collector’s edition that adds a bonus CD and 36-page art book to the two-CD/Blu-ray edition.

The next live Beat concert will be a record release show, Sept. 1 at Tokyo’s famed Budokan venue.

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