Classic Rock News

The Talking Heads are reuniting, but unfortunately for fans, they won’t be playing music together.

Spin reports that band members David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison are set to take part in a Q&A at the Toronto Film Festival to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their classic concert film, Stop Making Sense.

A newly restored version of the film is set to screen at the festival on September 11, with the Q&A, moderated by Spike Jonze, to follow. Folks who are not in Toronto will be able to catch both at theaters across the country.

This is just one of the ways the 40th anniversary of the film will be celebrated. A24 is planning to release the newly restored Stop Making Sense nationally on September 23. Plus, a deluxe reissue of the soundtrack is dropping on August 18 and can be preordered now.

Directed by Jonathan Demme, Stop Making Sense was recorded over three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983. It is considered by many to be the greatest concert film of all time. In 2021, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

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On This Day, August 16, 1986…

Def Leppard performed at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Castle Donington, England. The show was drummer Rick Allen’s first live performance since the 1984 car accident in which he lost his arm.

Allen was able to continue playing drums thanks to a specially designed electronic drum kit; he plays drums with Def Leppard to this day.

The band is currently on the second leg of their North American stadium tour with Mötley Crüe.

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The Prime Video series Daisy Jones & the Six is based on a book loosely inspired by Fleetwood Mac, and it’s got Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks feeling a bit nostalgic. 

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the series, writing, “Just finished watching Daisy Jones + the 6 for the 2nd time. In the beginning, it wasn’t really my story, but Riley seamlessly, soon became my story.”

Stevie says watching it “brought back memories that made me feel like a ghost watching my own story,” adding, “It was very emotional for me.”

She also expressed a wish that her late bandmate Christine McVie would have been able to see it, noting, “She would have loved it.”

And Stevie wants more, concluding her post by sharing, “hopefully it will continue.”

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August 15 marked 54 years since the famed Woodstock Music & Arts festival, and while he played the fest, Carlos Santana doesn’t remember much of it. That’s because he took what he calls “medicine” from Jerry Garcia, not realizing he was about to take the stage.

“He had a beautiful smile when he gave it to me,” Santana tells ABC Audio. “So I wasn’t afraid until I took it. And then I realized that, like, all of a sudden, everything is like liquid and colors.” And it quickly became a problem. Santana explains, “Then there’s a voice that says, ‘You got to go on now, otherwise you won’t play at all’ and I was like, ‘Uh-oh.’”

But Santana says he was able to get through the set thanks to a little help from a higher being.  

He shares, “I didn’t know if I was able to articulate or make any sense, so I just said with conviction, ‘God, please help me. I know you’re here. I want to trust that you’re going to keep me in time and in tune. And I’m gonna trust that my muscles and my fingers have enough memory to remember what I need to do with these songs.'” 

Santana’s set on the second day of the festival wound up introducing him to an international audience. He went on to superstardom, selling millions of records throughout his career. Among his many honors, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Fans can hear this and many other stories about Santana in a new documentary, Carlos, which is set for release in September.

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A new documentary about a performer who has devoted his life to celebrating Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has found a new distributor: Abramorama plans to release the film on September 1, Deadline reports.

Mr. Jimmy tells the story of Japanese guitarist Akio Sakurai [Ack-eo Sack-er-I], who was so inspired by Page that he based his style, sound, live performances and more around him. That dedication led him to perform as “Mr. Jimmy” in clubs in Tokyo for 30 years; one night the real Page walked in to check him out. After getting a positive response from his hero, Akio moved to Los Angeles to play in Led Zeppelin tribute band Led Zepagain.

As a bonus for Led Zeppelin fans, the band approved the use of their music, so the film contains many of their greatest hits, performed by Akio. It also features music by Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush, John Lee Hooker and Elvis Presley. 

“Mr. Jimmy is much more than a music film. It’s a story about a dream coming true,” Abramorama’s Evan Saxon shares. “Truth can be stranger than fiction, and music works in magical ways. Mr. Jimmy documents both and shows that vision, passion and hard work can bring about more than one imagines. And who doesn’t love Led Zeppelin!”

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A new reimagining of the musical version of The Who’s Tommy just closed at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, and it was a rousing success. 

BroadwayWorld.com reports the show’s recent run broke box office records for the venue and is now its highest-grossing production in its 98-year history. The show wrapped on August 6, with The Who’s Pete Townshend making an appearance for the final bow.

“I first saw this fantastic version of Tommy, the definitive version surely now, this afternoon,” Townshend told the audience. “So this was my second show, and it just gets better.” He added, “This has been a real shock for us how stupendously this has turned out. It’s just a wonder. It’s a triumph.”

The show sold out 36 performances and was even able to land a record for number of single tickets sold. Fans came from all over to country and the world to check it out. In addition to U.S. fans, tickets were sold to people in 21 other countries.

The Chicago production of Tommy featured a cast of 28, a nine-piece band and brand new staging. So far there’s no word on whether it will play in any other cities or possibly move to Broadway.

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Robert Plant is spending more time on the road with his acoustic band, Saving Grace. The Led Zeppelin frontman, who sings and plays harmonica with the group, has announced a set of U.K. dates with the group, which features Suzi Dian.

The trek, with special guest Taylor McCall, kicks off November 1 in Brighton, England, with dates confirmed through November 23 in Stoke-On-Trent, England.

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, August 18, at 10 a.m.

Plant and Saving Grace are set to kick off a set of European shows starting August 24 in Portorož, Slovenia. A complete list of dates can be found at robertplant.com.

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ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons is getting honored for his songwriting. The rocker, who’s responsible for writing such hits as “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” “Cheap Sunglasses” and more, is set to receive BMI’s Troubadour Award next month.

According to the music rights management company, the honor celebrates “a songwriter who has made a profound impact on the creative community as their craft continues to set the pace for generations to follow.”

“With a career spanning several decades, Billy has penned an array of timeless hits that have left an inedible mark on the music industry,” said Clay Bradley, BMI’s VP of Creative Nashville. “His ability to craft lyrics that resonate with audiences across generations is a testament to his songwriting prowess and he is the epitome of what the BMI Troubadour Award represents.” 

Gibbons will receive the award on Monday, September 18, at an event at BMI’s Nashville office, featuring surprise tributes and performances.

Previous BMI Troubadour winners include Lucinda Williams, John Prine and John Hiatt.

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Neil Young has added a second date to his celebration of The Roxy’s 50th anniversary.

As previously reported, Young is set to perform at the famed West Hollywood venue on September 20. Now, he’s added a second show on September 21.

Both shows will benefit The Painted Turtle, a camp for children with serious medical conditions, and The Bridge School, which educates children with severe speech and physical impairments.

The concerts are taking place almost 50 years to the day Young first performed for the venue’s opening. He opened The Roxy with a three-night stand September 20-22, 1973, and a recording of the concerts, Roxy: Tonight’s The Night Live, was released as a live album in April 2018.

So far, there’s no info on when Young tickets will go on sale. When there, it will be posted to theroxyturns50.com.

But that’s not the only way The Roxy is celebrating its 50th year.  

Roxy owner Lou Adler is set to curate a new album, Live at the Roxy, featuring performances from such stars as Young, Bruce Springsteen, the Ramones, Warren Zevon and more. Music fans will be able to listen to it at the Grammy Museum exhibit, The Roxy: 50 and Still Rockin’, which opens in September. It will also be available for purchase there, with proceeds going to MusiCares.

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Aerosmith is still together and about to set out on their Peace Out farewell tour, but things weren’t always so happy in the band. In fact, back in 2009, Aerosmith had a falling out with frontman Steven Tyler when he left to do American Idol, and the other members almost went on without him.

To do so, they needed someone to replace Tyler; rocker and former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry says Aerosmith’s Joe Perry offered him the gig.

“I get this random call from Joe Perry,” Daughtry said on The Dave Rickards Podcast. “I thought it was a joke at first, but he didn’t even take time to, like, ‘How you doing?’ He just went into his reason for calling me.” Perry told him the band “wanted to work” despite Tyler not being interested, and then he asked, “How would you feel about hitting the road with us?”

Daughtry said the offer left him “speechless,” but he ultimately passed for many reasons. “First of all, I don’t consider myself any caliber of singer that Steven Tyler …He is irreplaceable, in my mind,” he said. “Furthermore, Steven Tyler’s alive. This whole fear of p****** off one of my heroes was just looming.”

While the idea of fronting Aerosmith was “a terrifying concept” to Daughtry, he’s still happy he was asked, sharing, “it is a story that I will hold near and dear for the rest of my life, for sure.”

As for Aerosmith, they eventually reunited with Tyler. Their Peace Out tour, with openers The Black Crowes, kicks off September 2 in Philadelphia. A complete list of dates can be found at aerosmith.com.

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