Classic Rock News

The trailer for the upcoming documentary The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel is out now.

The film was originally announced by Netflix in January under the title The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and was said to focus on the early years of the “Californication” outfit, specifically the artistic vision of original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died in 1988.

In a subsequent statement, RHCP clarified that film is not a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary and that they “had nothing to do with it creatively.” The band added that frontman Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea gave interviews for the movie “out of love and respect for Hillel and his memory.”

“We have not yet made a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary,” the statement read. “The central subject of this current Netflix special is Hillel Slovak and we hope it sparks interest in him and his work.”

The doc’s name has now been updated with the Our Brother, Hillel subtitle.

“Everything about the Red Hot Chili Peppers was all Hillel’s vision,” Kiedis says in the trailer.

The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel premieres March 20 on Netflix.

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The Who’s Pete Townshend is the latest celebrity to take part in the Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s Colbert Questionert.

Townshend revealed that his favorite sandwich is pastrami on rye with mustard and a pickle; his first concert ever was Bill Haley & His Comets in 1958; his favorite action movie is Ang Lee’s Hulk; and that if he got only one song to listen to for the rest of his life it would be “Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson.

Asked what happens when we die, Townshend said he doesn’t believe anything happens.

“I think consciousness is what we are, not our bodies. So I think consciousness probably goes on in some form or other,” he said, adding that when people die, consciousness moves on. “Maybe then there’s a possibility of reincarnation or heaven and hell, whatever, I don’t know.”

When asked if he ever had an out-of-body experience, he shared a funny story of a bad STP trip he had on an airplane, noting that at some point he left his body and floated above the airplane, flying through the sky, which was filled with lost items like socks and buttons.

Asked whether he prefers cats or dogs, he choose dogs, but had a good reason why. Townshend said growing up he was a “snotty” kid, and every time he was sick his mother, who took in stray cats, would give him a cat to keep him company. When he was 12 he got tested and found out he was allergic to cats, noting that while his mom was trying to help, it actually “just made it worse.”

Finally, when asked to describe the rest of his life in five words, Townshend thought hard about it before saying, “Make another record, lazy (bleep).”

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On This March 6, 1946…

Pink Floyd guitarist, singer and songwriter David Gilmour was born in Cambridge, England.

The now 80-year-old joined Pink Floyd in 1967, a few months before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett.

Gilmour’s first album with the band was 1968’s A Saucerful of Secrets, appearing on all but two songs. He has appeared on every Pink Floyd album since and took over leadership of Pink Floyd following the 1985 departure of Roger Waters.

Pink Floyd went on to become one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 250 million records worldwide. Their best-selling album, 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, has been certified 14-times Platinum.

Gilmour has also released five solo albums, the most recent being 2024’s Luck and Strange.

Gilmour was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 as a member of Pink Floyd, and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2003.

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The Who is getting ready to release a new live album.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are set to release Live at Eden Project, a recording of their July 2023 concert at Cornwall’s Eden Project, the home of a sustainable network of biomes in the English countryside.

The concert, part of The Who Hits Back tour, featured Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, backed by the Heart of England Philharmonic Orchestra, treating the crowd to such Who classics as “Who Are You,” “My Generation,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Baba O’Riley” and “Pinball Wizard,” the latter of which is now available via digital outlets.

The set also featured rarely performed tracks like “Cry If You Want,” “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” and “The Rock.”

Live At Eden Project will be released May 29 digitally and as two-CD and three-LP sets. It is available for preorder now. 

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Metallica has added four more shows to their upcoming Life Burns Faster residency at the high-tech Sphere venue in Las Vegas.

The newly announced dates take place March 4 and 6, and 11 and 13, 2027. Presales for members of the Metallica Fifth Member fan club begin Friday at 7 a.m. PT.

Metallica’s Sphere schedule now includes a total of 24 shows. Along with the March dates, performances will take place on Oct. 1 and 3, 8 and 10, 15 and 17, 22 and 24, and 29 and 31; Nov. 5 and 7; Jan. 28 and 30; and Feb. 4 and 6, 18 and 20, and 25 and 27.

Each show takes place on a Thursday or Saturday, with the Thursday concert featuring a completely unique set list from its corresponding Saturday performance.

It would seem that the March dates are the final shows to be added. In a post on their website, Metallica writes, “This is it—we’re maxing out Life Burns Faster.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday at 10 a.m. PT.

For all Metallica Sphere info, visit Metallica.com.

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The critically acclaimed Led Zeppelin documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin is being released in a special high-definition box set.

Becoming Led Zeppelin Limited Collector’s Edition, dropping April 14, is a two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray set that comes with a host of extras.

The set, housed in a Steelbook case, comes with a special letter from the film’s director, Bernard MacMahon, plus two limited-edition guitar picks, four photo card prints, an iron-on jacket patch and vinyl stickers.

Becoming Led Zeppelin Limited Collector’s Edition is available for preorder now.

Becoming Led Zeppelin, described as a “hybrid docu-concert film,” was the first officially sanctioned documentary about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group. It featured archival footage of Led Zeppelin, along with new interviews with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, as well as archival audio from their late drummer, John Bonham.

When it opened in February 2025 it set a record for IMAX theaters, becoming the biggest opening weekend ever for an IMAX exclusive music release. It also landed in the top 10 at the box office during its debut week.

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There’s no guarantee that the artist who tops the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fan vote will actually get into the Rock Hall, but at least they can take comfort in the fact that fans think they belong there.

Over 2.5 million votes have been cast since the nominees for induction were announced, and so far Phil Collins is #1 in the fan vote by a comfortable margin. Were he to make the cut, it would be his second time in the Hall, since he’s already in as a member of Genesis.

Coming in at #2 is R&B boy band New Edition, followed by Pink at #3. The late R&B icon Luther Vandross is currently #4, followed by Billy Idol, INXS and Sade — which, by the way, is a group and not just a person.

The rest of the top 10 vote-getters are, in descending order, Mariah Carey, Wu-Tang Clan and Lauryn Hill.

The nominee with the fewest votes on the leaderboard? The late singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley, who released one highly influential album, Grace, before he accidentally drowned in 1997.

Of course, the leaderboard can change many times before the deadline to vote is reached. As previously reported, the results of the fan vote are submitted as a single ballot, as though all the fans together were one actual Rock Hall voting member. There are roughly 1,200 voting members in all. The winner of last year’s fan vote, Phish, did not make it into the Hall.

The 2026 Rock Hall of Fame inductees should be revealed in April; the ceremony will take place in the fall.

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Metallica has added even more dates to their upcoming Life Burns Faster residency at the high-tech Sphere venue in Las Vegas.

The newly announced shows will take place in 2027 on Feb. 4 and 6, 18 and 20, and 25 and 27. Presales begin for members of Metallica Fifth Member fan club at 3 p.m. PT.

Metallica’s previously announced Sphere dates take place Oct. 1 and 3, 8 and 10, 15 and 17, 22 and 24, and 29 and 31; Nov. 5 and 7; and Jan. 28 and 30.

With each pair of shows, which take place on Thursdays and Saturdays, the Thursday concert will feature a completely unique set list from its corresponding Saturday performance.

Presales to the previously announced shows are ongoing. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. PT.

Metallica’s also announced the launch of the Royal Flush ticket, which gets you into every Metallica show of 2027.

For all Metallica Sphere info, visit Metallica.com. 

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Guns N’ Roses announced in February they were headlining the bp Adelaide Grand Final Concert on Nov. 29 in Adelaide, Australia. Now it turns out that while they’re Down Under, they’re going to be playing some other shows, as well.

The “Sweet Child O’ Mine” rockers just announced dates for a tour of Australia and New Zealand, which will have them hitting seven cities. The trek kicks off with the Adelaide show, and then the rockers will visit Townsville, Brisbane, Newcastle, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, before wrapping the tour on Dec. 17 in Auckland, New Zealand.

A presale for the Guns N’ Roses Nighttrain fan club begins Friday. A complete list of tour dates and ticket information can be found at GunsNRoses.com.

Guns N’ Roses is set to launch a North American tour on May 5 in Hollywood, Florida. Their next show is March 28 in Monterrey, Mexico.

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Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider is setting the record straight about his health and how he feels about former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach taking over lead singer duties on select Twisted Sister shows this year.

In early February Snider pulled out of the band’s planned reunion tour due to health issues. But in new posts on X he reassured fans that he’s doing OK.

“Been waiting for the dust to settle…but it hasn’t,” he started off his string of posts.

“For a retired 71 yr old I’m great. But I’ve only got so much tread left on these tires,” he wrote. “I decided to use it for the rest of my journey…and not burn them up on stage trying to prove I’m as good as I ever was. I can live with that choice. I would’ve been a shadow of my former self out there anyway.” 

In another post, he continued, “The story of my retirement for health reasons ran wild! I’m not dying. (No, not never!) Just can’t do the things I used to do. I’m cool with it. I have a great life!”

He then shared his thoughts on Bach joining Twisted Sister, writing, “And I totally approve of @sebastianbach stepping in for me. He’s a true fan & will honor what I did with every show!”

On Tuesday, Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda announced that Bach would be fronting the band on select dates this fall. So far they haven’t announced when those shows will take place.

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