Classic Rock News

Michael McDonald is letting everyone know that he has the ability to laugh at himself.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Doobie Brothers singer tells the magazine how he felt about a scene in the 2005 Judd Apatow-directed movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin that basically makes fun of him.

In the scene in question, Paul Rudd loses it on his boss Jane Lynch after video of McDonald performing “Yah Mo B There,” his 1983 duet with James Ingram, keeps playing on the TV sets in their electronics store.

“If I hear ‘Yah Mo B There’ one more time, I’m going to yah mo burn this place to the ground,” he says in frustration.

“I have to be honest, I thought it was hysterical,” McDonald tells the mag. “When you get to a certain point in your career and your music becomes less relevant, your pathetic comic value might come in handy. And that was that moment for me.” 

But it seems Rudd may have felt bad about making fun of McDonald.

“Paul Rudd actually stopped me in the airport, and we were both rushing to different flights,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer shares. “And he goes, ‘I hope you weren’t offended by my performance in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.’ And I said, ‘Absolutely not. It was great. I still laugh about it when I think about it.’”

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A rare handwritten letter by John Lennon to Eric Clapton is set to go up for auction in Spain in December.

International Autographs Auctions Europe SL will auction off the eight-page document from the 1970s, which seems to be a draft of a note in which The Beatles legend writes of a new band he wants to start and personally asks Clapton to join.

In the letter, Lennon describes the project as a “nucleus group” featuring musicians like Klaus Voorman, Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins and Phil Spector, and says that Clapton’s addition would “bring back the balls in rock ‘n’ roll.”

The letter was written during the time when Clapton was infatuated with George Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd, and Lennon suggests the new band would help relieve some of the pressures he was dealing with. Clapton eventually married Boyd after she divorced Harrison.

Although Lennon never names the group in the letter, he was likely referring to the Plastic Ono Band, for which Clapton was one of the rotating members. 

The auction is set to take place Dec. 5. More info can be found at autographauctions.eu.

In other Beatles news, Capitol Records has announced a collaboration between The Beatles and the clothing company Online Ceramics for a new capsule collection celebrating the 60th anniversary of the band’s arrival in America. The collection is available for preorder now.

Plus, a special screening of the new documentary Beatles ’64 will take place Dec. 5 at the Paley Center for Media in New York, with the film’s director, David Tedeschi, and others on hand for a panel discussion following the screening. Beatles ’64 will stream exclusively on Disney+ starting Nov. 29.

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Timothée Chalamet does his own singing and guitar playing in the upcoming Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown, and apparently he had to learn a lot of the Dylan catalog to be ready for the film.

In a new featurette shared by Entertainment Weekly, producer Fred Berger shares just how extensive Chalamet’s preparation was for the role.

“There are 40 songs in the movie that he performs,” Berger says. “On guitar, on harmonica, and singing live take after take after take.”

The clip features behind-the-scenes footage of Chalamet performing as Dylan, set to his take on the Dylan classic “Like A Rolling Stone.”

“It was important for me to sing and play live,” Chalamet says. “Because if I can actually do it, why should there be an element of artifice here? And I’m proud that we took that leap.”

His co-star Elle Fanning said she had “goose bumps,” watching Chalamet at work, noting, “You can see how much love, and how hard he’s worked and how much he cares about getting this right.” 

The clip also features footage of Boyd Holbrook performing as Johnny Cash, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Ed Norton and Pete Seeger.

“It’s a movie about music that is unadorned and authentic,” the film’s director, James Mangold, adds. “You could feel the thing working for everyone.”

A Complete Unknown hits theaters Dec. 25.

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Sammy Hagar turned 77 in October, and it sounds like he’s pretty OK with aging.

“I love 99% of it, I really do,” he tells People. “There’s something about being a little bit complacent in your old age saying, ‘Nah, I already did that.’”

According to Hagar, the older you are, the better decisions you make.

“In my 40s, I spun more wheels. I spent more energy on [things] that I didn’t do than I do now on things that I do, and it’s just such a waste,” he explains. “I wasted so much time and energy and money and things I could have done for other people. The older you get, I’m just more directed, so I don’t bite on things. I don’t waste people’s time.”

The rocker, who recently announced dates for The Best of Both Worlds Las Vegas residency, insists it’s “kind of cool being old.”

“I’m healthy. I’m still active,” he says. “I still walk on the beach. I still work out. I still sing. I still run around and dance. I still chase my wife around the bedroom.”

Hagar says he’s had thoughts on retirement for the past 10 years, but once he gets on a stage that all changes.

“I get insecure in between shows, in between tours, and I think, ‘Gee, do I still have it? Can I really still do all that?’” he says. “And I get out there, and it’s like it’s riding a bike or having sex.”

And speaking of getting on a stage, Sammy and Van Halen’s Michael Anthony performed during the halftime show of the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Denver Broncos game Nov. 24. The rocker has now shared pro-shot footage of the performance, featuring “I Can’t Drive 55” and Van Halen’s “Right Now.”

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The Eagles are sticking around Las Vegas a little bit longer.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just added four more weekend shows to their Eagles Live in Concert at Sphere residency. The new dates are happening April 4, April 5, April 11 and April 12.

Presale sign up is open now, with presales beginning Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. PT.

The Eagles launched their Sphere residency on Sept. 20, treating fans to a set filled with classic tunes, like “Hotel California,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “New Kid in Town,” “Take it to the Limit,” “Life’s Been Good,” “Take It Easy” and “Heartache Tonight.”

They return to the Sphere for their next show on Dec. 6. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com.

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U2’s The Edge is once again sharing a bit of info about what the band has been working on in the studio.

During an interview with BBC Radio 2‘s Jo Whiley, the guitarist revealed that he and Bono have been in the studio with producer Brian Eno, who U2 previously worked with on The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can’t Leave Behind and more.

“Bono and I are working on some crazy kind of sci-fi Irish folk music,” he said of the sessions. “Which could end up becoming a part of the new U2 album. We’re not sure yet, we’ll see.”

“Part of our kind of process is to go so widely away from, off track, and the sort of the process of bringing things back on track is kind of how you get sort of unique sounding music,” he added, noting the music may include “a bunch [of] beautiful Irish musicians.”

Bono previously described the band’s next album as a rock record, but in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, The Edge clarified that thought, sharing, “I don’t think it’s going to be a heavy rock album. I think it’s going to be a very different kind of use of the guitar, not a straight-up rock thing.”

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On This Day, Nov. 26, 1994 …

The Eagles hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart with the live album Hell Freezes Over, the first record they released following a 14-year break.

The album contained 11 tracks recorded by band members Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmidt for an April 1994 MTV special, plus four new studio tracks. 

The title of the album was inspired by a response Henley gave during an interview after the band’s 1980 breakup. Asked if they’d ever play again, he said “when Hell freezes over.” 

Hell Freezes Over spent two weeks at #1 and went on to sell over 9 million copies.

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Patti Smith is set to be celebrated with a tribute concert in New York City in March, and now we know the artists who’ll be performing at the event.

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Ben Harper, Kim Gordon, The National‘s Matt Berninger, Karen O and Sharon Van Etten are among the artists booked for People Have the Power – A Celebration of Patti Smith, taking place March 26 at Carnegie Hall.

The lineup, which also includes Courtney Barnett, the Kronos Quartet, Angel Olsen and the Kills’ Alison Mosshart, will be backed by a house band, made up of bassist/keyboardist Tony Shanahan and guitarist Lenny Kaye, from Smith’s band, as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan.

The night will include performances of songs from Smith’s full catalog, but will also celebrate next year’s 50th anniversary of her classic album Horses.

People Have the Power – A Celebration of Patti Smith is the latest in a series of charity concerts put on by New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf, with each one celebrating a different artist. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Carnegie Hall series. 

Since the series launched in 2004, the concerts have raised over $2 million for charity. Other artists who’ve received such tributes include Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, R.E.M and last year, Crosby Stills & Nash.

Proceeds from the Smith concert will go toward music education for underserved youth.

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Last year, Elton John closed out his farewell tour in the U.K. with his first-ever performance at the U.K.’s prestigious Glastonbury Festival. It’s just been announced that his old pal Rod Stewart will be taking the stage next year.

On Instagram, Rod wrote, “I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’ll be playing @glastofest 2025! After all these years, I’m proud and ready and more than able to take the stage again to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury in June. I’ll see you there!”

Rod last headlined Glastonbury in 2002, alongside Coldplay. When he takes the stage there next year, he’ll be 80, but that won’t make him the oldest performer in the festival’s history. In 2022, Paul McCartney played Glastonbury a few weeks after his 80th birthday, and in 2015, 87-year-old Burt Bacharach performed.

Specifically, Rod will be performing in what’s called the “Legends” slot on the festival, which takes place “Sunday teatime,” as the festival quaintly puts it. That’s the afternoon of Sunday, June 29, if you’re thinking of going.  This past year, Shania Twain had that slot.

The festival is taking 2026 off, and organizer Emily Eavis writes on Instagram, “Bringing Sir Rod Stewart back for the Sunday afternoon slot on the Pyramid stage is everything we could wish for. What a way to bow out with the final legends slot before we take a fallow year. We cannot wait!”

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