Classic Rock News

Neil Young has been openly critical of President Donald Trump this year, and that criticism continued on Wednesday night, when Young and his band the Chrome Hearts performed in Chicago.

Young performed a brand-new song called “Big Crime,” concerning Trump’s use of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. He posted audio of the soundcheck version of the song on his Neil Young Archives website, along with the lyrics.

“Don’t need no fascist rules/ Don’t want no fascist schools/ Don’t want soldiers on our streets,” Young sings. “There’s big crime in DC at the White House.”

“No more money to the fascists/ the billionaire fascists/ Time to blackout the system,” he added. In his transcription of the lyrics, he put “Time to blackout the system” in all caps and italicized the repetitions of “Don’t want soldiers on our streets.”

Earlier this year, Young speculated that as a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, if he was critical of Trump, he might be “barred” from reentering the country, should he leave. He also called out Trump’s attacks on Bruce Springsteen and other musicians who have been critical of him.

He wrote, “STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT ROCKERS ARE SAYING. Think about saving America from the mess you made. Taylor Swift is right. So is Bruce. You know how I feel.”

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Billy Joel hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart with River of Dreams, his 12th studio album and his final pop/rock record.

The album, with a cover painted by Joel’s then-wife Christie Brinkley, was Billy’s fourth #1 and spent three weeks on top of the chart.

The album’s title track went on to become a top-five hit, Joel’s last on the Billboard Hot 100. The record also featured “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel),” which he wrote as a tribute to his daughter Alexa Ray Joel.

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In between getting fired from Foo Fighters and rejoining Nine Inch Nails, drummer Josh Freese has had a whirlwind year.

Freese, who joined Dave Grohl and company in 2023 following the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins, was let go from the Foos in May. In July, he announced his return to NIN, who he’d previously played with from 2005 to 2008.

Reflecting on his time with Foo Fighters in an interview with The New York Times, Freese says he felt “like I had to be firing on all cylinders all the time.”

“I’m coming in as Dave Grohl’s drummer, and the guy that’s supposed to save the day after the beloved Taylor Hawkins died,” Freese says.

When Freese shared the news that he was no longer in the Foos, he wrote that “No reason was given.”

“Looking back, it was probably more an issue with their management,” Freese now says. Speaking on his current feelings about the Foos, Freese replies, “It wasn’t music that I really resonated with.”

Freese’s return to Nine Inch Nails completed an apparent drummer trade. According to The Hollywood Reporter, longtime NIN drummer Ilan Rubin will be replacing Freese in Foo Fighters, though the Foos haven’t publicly commented on the situation.

“Ilan’s a phenomenal drummer, a phenomenal musician,” Freese says. “He’ll be perfect for the gig.”

Meanwhile, Freese’s name continues to pop up in speculation about another high-profile gig: Pearl Jam. The grunge outfit’s drummer of the last 27 years, Matt Cameron, announced in July he’d left the band.

“Whatever happens, I’m going to be out there playing,” Freese says of his drumming future. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

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Hard rockers Triumph, best known for such songs as “Magic Power,” “Fight the Good Fight” and “Lay it on the Line,” have been chosen for induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The band is part of this year’s Legends Induction and will be celebrated at an event at Toronto’s Lyric Theatre, Meridian Arts Centre, on Oct. 17.

Once inducted, the band will receive permanent recognition at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame’s location at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre in Calgary.

Triumph was at their peak of popularity in the ’70s and ’80s, releasing their last record, Edge of Excess, in 1993. They were known for their explosive live shows, which featured pyrotechnics, lasers and more.

This isn’t the first time the band was honored by their home country. They were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2019.

In June, the music of Triumph was celebrated with the release of the tribute album Magic Power: All Star Tribute to Triumph, featuring artists like Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, Heart’s Nancy Wilson and more covering songs from the band.

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Annie Lennox is set to release the “visual memoir” Annie Lennox: Retrospective in September, and she’s announced some U.S. events to promote the release.

The Eurythmics singer has confirmed five appearances in connection with the book in New Jersey, New York and Los Angeles.

Events kick off Oct. 11 at the Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center in New Jersey, where Lennox will take part in a moderated evening, followed by an Oct. 14 talk at Cooper Union in New York. She’ll end her East Coast dates with a book signing on Oct. 15 at Rizzoli Bookstore, also in New York.

Lennox will then head to Los Angeles for two appearances. She’ll sit down for a conversation at Live Talks LA on Nov. 2, followed by a book signing on Dec. 9 at Book Soup.

Tickets for all events are on sale now. More info can be found at AnnieLennox.com.

Annie Lennox: Retrospective, dropping Sept. 23, features over 200 photographs that take fans chronologically through the legendary singer’s career. The book includes shots from her personal archives, as well as album covers and music video stills, covering Lennox’s time with Dave Stewart in Eurythmics to her solo career and more.

The book is available for preorder now.

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The members of Heart are among the many people excited by the news that Taylor Swift is engaged to NFL star Travis Kelce.

During the band’s concert in Akron, Ohio, Tuesday, Nancy Wilson dedicated the song “These Dreams” to the happy couple. Nancy shared a clip of the moment on her Instagram page, with the caption, “Tonight in Akron I dedicated These Dreams to Travis and Taylor. Love is in the air!!!!”

In the video, Nancy tells the audience, “There’s a dedication I’d like to make to a very romantic couple in popular culture today, you know Travis and Taylor got engaged. So here’s a romantic dedication to Travis and Taylor.”

Ann Wilson also chimed in, making a comment about the ring Travis proposed with.

“These Dreams,” released in 1986, was the third single off Heart’s self-titled eighth studio album. It was the band’s first single to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Heart has a few more dates left on their summer tour, with the next show Wednesday in Allentown, Pennsylvania. They’ll also play Canandaigua and Bethel, New York, on Friday and Saturday, respectively. 

Heart will then return to the road later this year for shows in November and December. A complete list of Heart dates can be found at Heart-Music.com.

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Bon Jovi has enlisted some of their superstar friends for a new take on their 16th studio album, Forever.

The band is set to release Forever (Legendary Edition) on Oct. 24, which has them collaborating with an A-list lineup of artists to reimagine songs on Forever, which was released in 2024. Guests appearing on the new release include fellow New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Jelly Roll, Ryan Tedder, Avril Lavigne, Jason Isbell, James Bay and Lainey Wilson.

And Bon Jovi is set to preview the album on Friday by dropping two songs — the lead-off single, “Red, White & Jersey,” which was not a part of the original album, and a new take on “Hollow Man,” featuring Springsteen.

“This album is more than just a collection of collaborations, it is an album born out of necessity,” Jon Bon Jovi shares, noting it was made while he was still recovering from vocal chord surgery.

“Without an ability to tour at that time, I continued working in the studio and called on some friends, great singers, artists, musicians and also just great people,” he says. “The result is an album with a new viewpoint and new spirit — a collaboration album that proves we all get by in this world with a little help from our friends.”

Jon adds, “I feel tremendous joy and gratitude releasing this album and I think it shows in the music. I can say with certainty that there is always something bigger than ME, and that’s WE.”

Forever (Legendary Edition) is available for preorder now. Here is the track list:
“Red, White, and Jersey”
“Legendary” (with James Bay)
“We Made It Look Easy” (with Robbie Williams)
“Living Proof” (with Jelly Roll)
“Waves” (with Jason Isbell)
“Seeds” (with Ryan Tedder)
“Kiss The Bride” (with Billy Falcon)
“The People’s House” (with The War & Treaty)
“Walls Of Jericho” (with Joe Elliott)
“I Wrote You A Song” (with Lainey Wilson)
“Living In Paradise” (with Avril Lavigne)
“My First Guitar” (with Marcus King)
“Hollow Man” (with Bruce Springsteen)
“We Made It Look Easy / Hicimos Que Pareciera Fácil” (with Carin León)

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John Fogerty is heading out on the road again this fall.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced dates for The Legacy Tour, which is set to kick off Sept. 29 in Mexico City, Mexico. The tour will make stops in Atlantic City, Nashville, Atlanta, Virginia Beach and more before wrapping Nov. 14 in Boston.

The tour is in celebration of Fogerty’s recent release, Legacy: the Creedence Clearwater Revival years, which had him rerecording his Creedence Clearwater Revival classics. Songs on the album include “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Fortunate Son,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” and “Born on the Bayou.”

Up next for Fogerty, he’s set to play Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Friday. A complete schedule and ticket information can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

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Ringo Starr is getting ready to showcase his art for the public.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s artwork will be on display at the Animazing Gallery in the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas starting Sept. 5, which coincides with Ringo’s upcoming residency with his All-Starr Band.

The Starr Art exhibition, which runs through Oct. 15, is Ringo’s first art show since 2019, with 100 percent of all proceeds going to Ringo’s Lotus Foundation charity. The exhibition will be the first time Ringo will be displaying his original paintings and will feature a collection of Ringo’s Spin Art pieces.

“I loved Spin Art the first time I saw it,” Ringo says. “I saw a video of some kids doing it and I thought I’m going to try that. … You know it is always a surprise what you end up with and of course I love that part of it.”

He notes, “One of the great surprises has been that I started putting canvases around the room to capture the overflow and whatever paint the spinning threw off and those became their own art.”

The Starr Art exhibition will be open to the public and Ringo will attend a private event for collectors who purchase any pieces prior to the event. 

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band — Toto’s Steve Lukather, Men at Work‘s Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette and Buck Johnson — will kick off their latest Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Sept. 17, with dates confirmed through Sept. 27. Their next show is Sept. 10 in Chicago. A complete list of dates can be found at RingoStarr.com. 

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Lenny Kravitz is set to headline the 2025 Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival, which is scheduled for Oct. 22 to Oct. 26 at the Baha Mar resort. Kravitz’s performance will take place Oct. 24.

The annual event is described as a “celebration of world-class culinary talent and Caribbean artistic expression.”

“The Bahamas has always been my home, as well as heartfelt inspiration for my music,” Kravitz, who’s Bahamian on his mother’s side and who has a home in Eleuthera, says. “I’m humbled to join fellow Caribbean artists, creatives and innovators for The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival, and I look forward to sharing this experience with a community that means so much to me.”

“We are honored to welcome home one of the world’s greatest musical icons, Lenny Kravitz, to The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival stage,” said Graeme Davis, president of Baha Mar. “His deep personal connection to The Bahamas resonates with us all, and his performance is a full-circle moment.”

Tickets for the festival are on sale now.

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