Classic Rock News

Bret Michaels will no longer be playing the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair.

“When this opportunity was originally presented to my team, it was described as a celebration of our country through music and a chance to honor our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life,” the Poison frontman writes in an Instagram post. “As the son of a veteran, and coming from a family that has proudly served, that is something I have always been honored to support.”

Michaels says that he’s “spent my entire career bringing people together through music, positivity and good vibes,” and that his concerts have “never been about politics.”

“Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of,” Michaels writes. “Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”

He continues, “Because of that, I have made the difficult decision to step away from this performance.”

The Great American State Fair, which was announced Wednesday, is set to take place June 25 through July 10 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Several other announced artists have also dropped off the bill, including Morris Day and the Time, Martina McBride, The Commodores and Young MC.

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It’s been four years since Def Leppard released their last album of new material, Diamond Star Halos, but it sounds like fans won’t have to wait much longer for a new record. Frontman Joe Elliott tells ABC Audio the band has recorded several songs for a new album, with plans to have it out by the end of 2026/early 2027.

“We’ve got a game plan, but it is kind of loose and we like it that way,” he says. “It’s not like we’re being told by management and labels it has to be delivered on this day.”

The band’s been touring constantly, but thanks to new technology, recording an album has been a lot easier than in the past. Elliott says the days of them all having to be in the studio together are over, which is something they learned during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

“That’s the beauty of the technology is that you never get a period where, OK, here’s the start of a recording of an album and it’s going to run for three months,” he says. “It’s just an ongoing process.”

Def Leppard wrapped their Las Vegas residency in February and will launch a European tour on June 13 in Sweden, and it doesn’t sound like they’re ready to slow down. But Elliott says the end isn’t something completely out of their minds.

“Sometimes you do think that maybe this could be the last tour, but there’s no reason for that,” he says. “I think because we like each other so much, and we like what we do, and like being on tour and playing the songs.”

He adds, “The little guy on your shoulder that keeps going, ‘You know what, it’s going to come to an end at some point,’ it’s not based in logic.” 

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There’s gonna be a riot in Chicago in September and you’re invited.

The Windy City’s 2026 Riot Fest takes place Sept. 18-20 and features an eclectic lineup of artists, including three Rock & Roll Hall of Famers: Elvis Costello & the Impostors, Patti Smith and Iggy Pop.

Also on the bill are Alanis Morissette, Morrissey, Social Distortion, Sugar, the reformed Sex Pistols — now featuring Frank Carter on vocals — and former Sex Pistols frontman John Lyndon’s band, Public Image Ltd.

Tickets are on sale now. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit RiotFest.org.

Patti Smith, Morrissey and the Sex Pistols are also playing the 2026 CBGB Festival, taking place Sept. 26 in Brooklyn, New York.

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Heart’s Ann Wilson is currently promoting her new documentary, In My Voice, by traveling to different cities with director Barbara Hall. On Wednesday night they hosted a screening at New York’s City Winery, followed by a Q&A with fans.

In the documentary, Ann tells her story “in my own voice,” hence the film’s title. “It’s about time people understood who I am,” she says in the movie, which features contributions from some of her former Heart bandmates, KISS’ Paul Stanley, Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, pop star Chappell Roan, Paul Shaffer, Ann’s husband, Dean Wetter, and her son, Dustin Wilson.

One person who’s absent from the film, though, is Ann’s sister and bandmate Nancy Wilson. “Nancy declined to participate in this film, and I’m OK with that,” Ann says in the movie. “She’s a full-fledged person, and so am I.”

Using archival footage, home movies and new interviews, the movie follows Ann from her childhood to her stardom in Heart, her solo career, her experiences as a single mom, her role as a den mother to the Seattle grunge rockers of the ’90s, her “miraculous” recovery from cancer and her life today, recording and touring with her band Tripsitter. As she notes in the movie, “Being successful means that I love what I do.”

During the Q&A, Ann shared her favorite Heart song to perform — “Mistral Wind” — and her least, “All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You,” which she says “kinda grosses me out.” She confirmed that the script for a Heart biopic is being written and that she’d love for Florence Pugh to play her.

Asked to name the greatest sacrifice she’s made for her art, Ann said, “Everything.”

There’s no word yet on when the movie will be widely available.

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Journey is currently out on their Final Frontier Tour, which is scheduled through the end of November, and keyboardist Jonathan Cain says the band’s retirement is coming at the right time.

Describing the tour as “a grind,” Cain tells the Rock & Roll High School podcast, “I think the only reason I’m still out here is the fans, you know? It’s time for me to close the chapter. It’s a beautiful time to say goodbye, for me.”

Cain notes, “After playing the stadium tour with Def Leppard last year, I just felt like we’d done it. And we’re just repeating ourselves. The new albums don’t seem to move the needle. That’s why I’ve gotten into Christian music, because I can still sing a melody there and praise the Lord, and it still, you know, gets received.”

Elsewhere in the podcast, Cain talks about Journey’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Former lead singer Steve Perry did join them onstage for the honor, but he didn’t sing with them, which Cain says he’s still surprised about.

“I was certain — I would have bet money he would’ve changed his mind and come and sang ‘Lights’ with us or something, but he didn’t, which was weird,” Cain says. “I would have bet money that he was gonna come to soundcheck the day before and show up. I kept looking in the wings and he never came.”

Cain also owns up to starting a rumor that Perry might pop up at some point during the farewell tour. “He got wind of it and immediately shot it down,” Cain said. “I always had said that he’s welcome on our stage any time. And he knows that that’s an open invitation. And he might still change his mind, we never know.”

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U2 has been added to the track list for the upcoming tribute album to late Pogues frontman and fellow Irish artist Shane MacGowan.

Bono and company have put their spin on the Pogues song “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah” for the compilation, due out Nov. 13.

The album, titled 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan, also includes Bruce Springsteen’s previously released cover of “A Rainy Night in Soho.” Other contributing artists include Hozier, who sings the holiday classic “Fairytale of New York” alongside Oscar-winning actress Jessie Buckley, Dropkick Murphys, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Tom Waits and The Pogues themselves.

You can check out the full track list via MacGowan’s Instagram.

MacGowan died in 2023 at age 65.

The Pogues reunited in 2024 and launched a U.S. tour in 2025 featuring original members Spider Stacy, Jem Finer and James Fearnley alongside guest vocalists and musicians. 

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A new Paul Di’Anno live album has been announced to accompany the upcoming documentary about the late former Iron Maiden singer.

The set, which was recorded in 2022 in Croatia, is due out June 26. You can listen to its included rendition of the Maiden song “Phantom of the Opera” out now.

“Phantom of the Opera” first appeared on Maiden’s 1980 self-titled debut album. Di’Anno sang on Iron Maiden and its 1981 sophomore follow-up, Killers, before parting ways with the band. He was replaced by Maiden’s current singer, Bruce Dickinson.

The Di’Anno documentary, titled Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer, will be released June 9 on Blu-ray/DVD and digital. It features appearances by Maiden bassist Steve Harris, Metallica’s James Hetfield and KISS’ Gene Simmons.

Di’Anno died in 2024 at age 66. He’ll be posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Maiden as part of its 2026 class.

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On This Day, May 28, 2007 …

The Police launched their reunion tour at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band, was the first time Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers had toured together since 1986.

The band treated the crowd to a hits-filled set that included such songs as “Message in a Bottle,” “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” “Roxanne,” “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Every Breath You Take” and more.

The tour hit North America, Europe, the U.K., Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, before wrapping Aug. 7  in New York City. It earned over $360 million making it one of the highest grossing tours of all time.

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Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters are among the artists who’ll be performing at Power to the People Festival, scheduled for Columbia, Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion on Oct. 3.

Described as a “non-partisan” “day of peace, love, justice, and music,” the festival is curated by Tom Morello,  who’s part of Springsteen’s current Land of Hope and Dreams tour. He announced the festival on stage during Springsteen’s show at Washington, D.C.’s Nationals Park on Wednesday night.

According to the event’s website, it will serve to remind people of the “power everyday human beings have when they come together … to shape our country and our planet on, and beyond, Election Day.”

In addition to Springsteen and Foo Fighters, performers include Morello, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Jack Black, Taylor Momsen, ex-Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron, grandson, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Cypress Hill, Killer Mike, The Linda Lindas, Serj Tankian of System of a Down and Dropkick Murphys.

A portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales will go to VoteRiders, a pro-democracy, pro-voter organization, and HeadCount, which will also be on site to help fans register to vote.

Presales start May 20 at 10 a.m. ET at PowerToThePeopleFest.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public May 30 at 10 a.m. ET.

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Original Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm is currently on tour and tells ABC Audio that getting out on a stage is something he loves to do.

“I get excited about seeing a large audience,” he says, “and then running out there and starting the first song is incredibly exciting.”

The tour follows the March release of Gramm’s new solo album, Released, which is made up of songs the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer recorded in the 1980s that didn’t make it onto his previous solo albums.

On tour, fans can expect a mix of solo singles like “Midnight Blue,” and Foreigner tunes like “Cold As Ice” and “Hot Blooded,” plus songs from the new album.

As for which new songs he’s most excited to perform, Gramm notes, “They’re all special. I mean, we took 2 1/2 years putting a lot of songs together, and picking songs that sounded the best and different from each other.”

And while Gramm still loves to perform, he does admit that at 76 he’s just not up for long tours anymore.

“I don’t have the stamina, and my mind starts to wander,” he says. “I enjoy playing and I enjoy performing to an audience and it’s a lot of fun, but an hour and a half set is taxing to an old bird like me, you know?” 

Gramm is set to play Stamford, Connecticut, on Thursday, with the tour wrapping Oct. 8 in Columbia, South Carolina. A complete list of dates can be found at LouGrammOfficial.com.

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