A Foo-versary? Foo Fighters launch Substack page ahead of 30-year milestone

June 19, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

It appears that Foo Fighters are gearing up to celebrate a big anniversary.

Dave Grohl and company have launched a Substack page titled Foo Fighters Field Notes. The first entry features images and videos related to the Foos’ self-titled debut record, which turns 30 on July 4.

A Fourth of July festival celebrating the album’s 25th anniversary was previously planned for 2020, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Foos announced the Substack in a Facebook post alongside a clip of the video for the song “I’ll Stick Around,” along with #FF30. They also updated their Facebook cover photo to a black banner featuring the phrase “Est. 1995.”

As fans have noted in the post’s comments, the “I’ll Stick Around” video features William Goldsmith on drums, who Grohl had recruited to play in the first live iteration of the Foos after he recorded every instrument on the Foo Fighters album himself. That’s led some to guess that Goldsmith might be rejoining the Foos following the firing of drummer Josh Freese in May.

However, a reunion with Goldsmith seems unlikely, given the bad blood that’s persisted between him and Grohl following his departure from the Foos in the late ’90s. As the story goes, Grohl was unsatisfied with Goldsmith’s drumming on the sophomore Foo Fighters album, 1997’s The Colour and the Shape, and decided to rerecord the drum parts himself. When Goldsmith found out, he subsequently quit the band.

Beyond whatever they might be planning to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut, Foo Fighters’ 2025 schedule includes a tour of Asia in October and headlining Mexico’s Corona Capital festival in November. Those mark the first announced Foo live dates since Grohl’s 2024 infidelity scandal.

Original white label 7-inch test pressing of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to go up for auction

June 19, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Queen has contributed a unique piece of music history to an upcoming auction.

The band announced that an original white label 7-inch test pressing of their 1975 classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” will be part of the upcoming White Label Auction to benefit the Brit Trust on Oct. 7.

“With just a handful produced ahead of a release so artists, managers and labels can check the audio is just as it should be, these white label test pressings can be highly collectible, and, as the past five editions of the auction have shown, there is demand for them from collectors around the world,” White Label Auction founder and organizer Johnny Chandler shares. “As ever, I’m excited for this next auction, not least as we have an incredibly rare gem in the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ 7” single to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its release.”

Full details of the auction have yet to be announced, but Queen notes in a post on Instagram that “hundreds of rare lots” will be up for grabs.

The Brit Trust is a music industry charity established in 1989 to “improve lives through the power of music and the creative arts.” The annual White Label Auction has raised over $215,000 for the charity.

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” written by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, was featured on their album A Night at the Opera. It hit #1 in the U.K. and was Queen’s first chart-topper. The song was rereleased in 1991 following Mercury’s death and returned to the #1 spot.

In 1992, after it was included in the comedy blockbuster Wayne’s World, “Bohemian Rhapsody” returned to the chart again and peaked at #2 in the U.S.

#Whoscominghome: Mötley Crüe teases Friday announcement

June 18, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Mötley Crüe is looking to kickstart your weekend with some news.

The metal vets have shared an Instagram post teasing an announcement happening Friday. The accompanying photo features only what appears to be the letters Y and C in “Mötley Crüe” lit up on a billboard, while the caption is tagged #whoscominghome.

Things have been fairly quiet in the Mötley world since the band postponed their Las Vegas residency due to frontman Vince Neil undergoing an unspecified medical procedure. The Vegas shows, which were originally scheduled to begin in March, are currently set to kick off in September.

Mötley is also set to perform at the inaugural Rock the Tides festival in Mexico in November.

Deep Purple to release super deluxe edition of ‘Made in Japan’ live album

June 18, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Deep Purple is revisiting their 1972 live album Made in Japan, which featured performances from two shows in Osaka and one in Tokyo.

The band is set to release a new super deluxe edition of the record on Aug. 15: a five-CD/Blu-Ray set that includes new stereo and Dolby ATMOS mixes of the original album by producer Steven Wilson, as well as newly remixed versions of all three concerts and three rare single edits.

“It’s all completely as it happened on the night,” Wilson says of the new mix. “The album has a power and sense of abandon that they never quite captured in the studio. Hopefully this new mix makes it feel even more like you’re there.”

As a preview of the new set, Deep Purple has released a performance of “Highway Star,” recorded in Osaka, to digital services.

The set will also be released digitally and as a 10-LP black vinyl edition, which will be exclusively available on DeepPurple.com and Rhino.com. There will also be a two-LP vinyl edition featuring the Wilson remix, available in the U.S. on Oct. 3.

Live in Japan featured performances of songs from Deep Purple’s recently released album Machine Head, including their now-classic “Smoke on the Water,” as well as songs like “Child in Time” and “Strange Kind of Woman.”

The double LP was supposed to come out only in Japan, but eventually got a wider release. It was released in America that December and was a huge success. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Made in Japan (Super Deluxe Edition) is available for preorder now.

Sting to perform on CNN’s ‘The Fourth in America’

June 18, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Sting is one of several musical acts who’ll be ringing in Independence Day this year on CNN.

The cable network’s fifth annual special The Fourth in America will air starting at 7 p.m. ET live on CNN. The special will feature coast-to-coast firework shows from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego, New Orleans, Nashville and Seward, Alaska.

Counting Crows and a reunited 4 Non Blondes are also set to perform, along with ’90s alt-rockers CAKE and Sublime, Noah Kahan, The Fray and more.

CNN’s The Fourth in America is hosted by Dana Bash, Boris Sanchez, Victor Blackwell and Sara Sidner.

Warren Haynes to release new stripped-down solo album, ‘The Whisper Sessions’

June 18, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes is offering up a new take on his recent solo album, Million Voices Whisper.

The rocker is set to release The Whisper Sessions on Sept. 12. The nine-track album features seven stripped-down versions of songs from the album, which came out in November. It also includes a new version of the Allman Brothers Band classic “Melissa,” featuring Haynes and his ABB bandmate Derek Trucks.

“We didn’t plan to release stripped-down versions of the songs from Million Voices Whisper, it just kind of happened organically,” Haynes says of the album. “We were combing through these performances and realized that they offer a unique perspective into the songs themselves, so we thought it would be cool to make them available.”

Trucks actually appears on three of the album’s tracks. Another one is “These Changes,” which was co-written by both artists.

“I love this song, which is about looking back and forward at the same time and navigating your way through an ever-changing life,” Haynes shares. “The instrumental section at the end, where we are trading guitar riffs and playing off of each other, was not in the original arrangement as we wrote it – it just came about organically once we started recording the song.”

He adds, “It was a great opportunity for the two of us to rekindle our chemistry that we’ve had for a long time.”

The Whisper Sessions is available for preorder now.

Chicago to release expanded version of ‘Chicago IX’ greatest hits collection

June 18, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Chicago is set to release an expanded version of their greatest hits collection, Chicago IX, to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The original collection of 11 songs was released in 1975 and featured Chicago hits from 1969 to 1974, including such songs as “25 or 6 to 4,” “Saturday in the Park” and “If You Leave Me Now.” It went to #1, spent 72 weeks on the Billboard 200 and became one of the band’s bestselling albums.

The new expanded edition adds 10 Chicago hits that were released through 1980. They include songs like “Baby What a Big Surprise,” “Street Player” and “Thunder and Lightning.”

Chicago IX: Greatest Hits Expanded, which features a new cover in gold in honor of the album’s 50th anniversary, will be released on CD and two-LP black vinyl. It is available for preorder now.

Chicago is set to launch a new North American tour on Wednesday in Dubuque, Iowa, with dates confirmed through Nov. 16 in Brookings, South Dakota. A complete list of dates can be found at ChicagoBand.com.

Ahead of ‘Tracks II’ release, Bruce Springsteen teases ‘Tracks III’: ‘There are five full albums of music’

June 18, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bruce Springsteen is set to release Tracks II: The Lost Albums on June 27, a box set featuring seven previously unheard Springsteen records.

The set includes 83 songs, all of which were originally recorded between 1983 and 2018. Of those songs, 82 have never been released before and 74 have never been heard before. While that may sound like a lot, the rocker has even more to share.

“Tracks III, that is finished,” he tells The New York Times. “It’s basically what was left in the vault.” The paper notes that includes music dating back to his 1973 debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

“So there was a lot of good music left,” Springsteen adds. “There are five full albums of music.”

Springsteen released the original Tracks compilation in 1998, which was comprised of single B-sides, demos and alternate versions of already-released material. As for why it took so long to release a follow-up, Springsteen tells the paper it was all about timing.

“I believe I’m engaged in a conversation with my audience that has a certain ebb and flow as to when records are released,” he says.

And in addition to Tracks III, it sounds like Springsteen is already plotting his next album.

“I’m a better man when I’m working,” he says. “I feel like I’ve got plenty of work left in me, and our band does too. Our band’s in great shape, and we carry on.”

Tracks II: The Lost Albums is available for preorder now.

Springsteen and the E Street Band are currently touring Europe. They play Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday. A complete list of dates can be found at BruceSpringsteen.net.

Grateful Dead’s next Meet-Up at the Movies to screen ‘The Grateful Dead Movie’ in IMAX

June 18, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Grateful Dead fans will once again have the chance to head to the theaters to see their favorite band on the big screen, and this time the event will be part of the continued celebration of the band’s 60th anniversary.

The Dead’s latest Meet-Up at the Movies will take place Aug. 14. It will feature a showing of the band’s concert film The Grateful Dead Movie, which will be shown in theaters, as well as on IMAX screens for the very first time. An advance screening will also be held in 60 IMAX North American locations on Aug. 13.

The Grateful Dead Movie is a recording of their five-night stand at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom in October 1974, which at the time was believed to be their final run of shows. It features not only performances, but interviews with the band and animation, along with a focus on the band’s fans and their “Dead Head” lifestyle.

It will also feature a bonus performance of “China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider” at the end, the first time the performance is being shown on the big screen.

The film, one of only two directed by the late Dead founder Jerry Garcia, was originally released in movie theaters in 1978. The new screening marks the first time it’s being shown in theaters in eight years.

Tickets for The Dead’s Meet-Up at the Movies go on sale June 26 at 9 a.m. ET. More info can be found at MeetUpAtTheMovies.com.

On This Day, June 18, 2015: Van Morrison, Jerry Garcia celebrated at Songwriters Hall of Fame induction

June 18, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, June 18, 2015…

Van Morrison and the late Jerry Garcia were celebrated at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction gala in New York City.

Morrison, known for writing such songs as “Gloria,” “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Moondance” and more, was honored with the Johnny Mercer Award for songwriting excellence at the ceremony. He was previously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Michael Bublé honored Morrison at the ceremony with a performance of “Moondance.”

Garcia, who passed away in 1995, and his Grateful Dead songwriting partner Robert Hunter were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Country star Zac Brown performed “Casey Jones” in celebration of the pair, while Hunter was on hand to perform “Ripple.”

Cyndi Lauper, Linda Perry, Toby Keith, Willie Dixon and Bobby Braddock were among the other inductees that year.

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