Classic Rock News

The members of Journey, including guitarist Neal Schon, made a guest appearance on Tuesday’s season finale of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, where they performed their classic tune “Don’t Stop Believin’” with this season’s winner, singing janitor Richard Goodall.

“We’ve been on tour for the last six months but I’ve been watching this phenomenon,” Schon said on the show about Goodall’s run. “He’s an amazing singer, an amazing man, and I’m proud to be here today for him.”

When asked how it felt to be onstage with his heroes, Goodall responded, “Somebody just pinch me.”

Goodall auditioned for the show with his take on “Don’t Stop Believin’” and in subsequent shows performed such tunes as Michael Bolton‘s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” and Journey’s “Faithfully.”

With his win, Goodall took home a grand prize of $1 million.

“Winning AGT is important and means so much to me,” he said. “Simon (Cowell) said two minutes can change your life. It has transformed mine, and I’d like to help others, one song at a time.”

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The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is happening in October, and the Hall just announced the presenters and performers who’ll help celebrate this year’s inductees.

Artists confirmed for the celebration include James Taylor, Roger Daltrey, Sammy Hagar and Slash, along with Busta Rhymes, Chuck D, Dr. Dre, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai, Keith Urban, Jelly Roll, Kenny Chesney, Lucky Daye, Mac McAnally, Method Man, Julia Roberts and The Roots.

In addition, several of this year’s inductees will perform at the event, including Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Dave Matthews Band, Kool & The Gang, Dionne Warwick and Mary J. Blige.

This year’s other inductees include Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest, with Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton getting inducted in the Musical Influence category and Jimmy Buffett, MC5 and Norman Whitfield being inducted in the Musical Excellence category.

The 2024 induction ceremony, taking place at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, will stream live on Disney+ Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. ET and will be available to rewatch following the ceremony. On Jan. 1, ABC will air the special 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, featuring performance highlights. It’ll be available the next day on Hulu and Disney+.

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Fans of The Beatles will soon be able to show off their love of the band with their fashion choices.

On Nov. 14, alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet will launch a new capsule collection with the legendary band, featuring artwork from the band’s career. 

The fashion brand previously teamed with The Beatles in 2018. This new limited-edition collection, alice + olivia x The Beatles, features 17 pieces, including dresses, tops, cardigans, and vegan leather and varsity jackets, ranging in price from $250 to $1,995. Some of the offerings are updates from the 2018 collection. 

Items in the latest collection include a sequin skirt embellished with the lyric “All You Need Is Love,” and a sequin dress with “Come Together” on it. There’s a white and black cardigan dress, also with “All You Need is Love,” and a vegan leather jacket filled with Beatles-related patches.

The collection, created in celebration of the 60th anniversary of The Beatles coming to America, will be available in a variety of stores, including alice + olivia, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.

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Journey drummer Deen Castronovo is sharing his support for the band’s frontman, Arnel Pineda, after Pineda received online criticism for his performance at the recent Rock in Rio festival.

The backlash prompted Pineda to launch a poll asking fans whether he should leave the band, noting he would if enough people wanted him to.

Castronovo has now come to Pineda’s defense, sharing on Facebook, “Arnel has RISEN to the challenge of Journey’s catalog, NIGHT after NIGHT, YEAR after tiring YEAR! He gives to YOU ALL and Journey, the best that he can give you.”

Noting that “the voice is a BIOLOGICAL INSTRUMENT” that can be affected by a variety of things, Castronovo asks, “what’s the point of hammering a human being over something they have no control over??”

“I know very few who can pull off what Arnel does without ego and with passion and grace,” he adds, warning, “BACK OFF TROLLS! You are MESSING with MY FAMILY NOW and I am A RABID PROTECTOR OF MY OWN!!!”

Castronovo is the second member of Journey to stand up for Pineda. Guitarist and founding member Neal Schon previously called the criticism “absolute garbage fabricated bulls***,” telling Arnel, “You’ve kicked a**!”

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It was a partial Black Sabbath reunion at the inaugural International Day of Birmingham on Tuesday.

The band originated in Birmingham, and Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward both attended the event, with Iommi sharing a picture of them together on social media.

“You just never know who you’ll bump into in Birmingham!” Iommi captioned the shot. “We both attended the Lord Mayor’s reception for International Birmingham Day.”

According to the Birmingham City Council, the event was actually called International Day of Birmingham and is described as “a day when Birminghams worldwide will celebrate their shared Brummie heritage with a collective chant of ‘Alright Bab.’” The reception the two rockers attended took place at Birmingham Council House, hosted by the lord mayor of Birmingham.

A public celebration, which took place at Victoria Square, featured a brass band playing a cover of Sabbath’s “Iron Man.”

Ward split from Black Sabbath shortly after they announced their 2011 reunion. Back in July, he took to social media to share that he’d be up for reuniting with his bandmates for a final show in England. 

“I’m in for playing some of everyone’s old favorites,” Ward wrote on social media. “Loved playing them then, I’d love to play them one last time.”

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Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong appears in the new campaign for Marshall’s new Monitor III A.N.C. headphones.

Armstrong is seen in the clip wearing the headphones while walking down the street, oblivious to the strange things happening around him, including a falling street lamp, a dog driving a car and money flying out of an ATM.

“The world, well, it’s sort of chaos,” he says in a voice-over. “It’s easy to get lost in the midst of all that. But things have a way of falling into place.”

It ends with him playing his guitar surrounded by fans, before adding, “But hey – what do I know?”

Marshall’s Monitor III A.N.C. headphones feature 70 hours of playtime with active noise cancellation, or 100 hours without, and come with Soundstage spatial audio technology for a more immersive listening experience. 

“If you know anything about me then you know that for me, the music never turns off,” Armstrong shares. “Marshall is and has always been one of my loudest co-pilots along the way – from the stage to now, the street.”

More info on the headphones can be found at Marshall.com.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd was forced to cancel their concert Tuesday in Anchorage, Alaska, so frontman Johnny Van Zant could be with his daughter, who was dealing with a “medical emergency.” 

“Early this morning, Johnny Van Zant was informed his daughter must undergo emergency surgery,” read a message on the band’s social media accounts. “Johnny has asked all fans to pray for a successful procedure and recovery.” 

Ticketholders will be refunded their money for the canceled show. As for the rest of their schedule, the statement notes, “Updates tied to all confirmed upcoming appearances will be announced in the coming days.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd is currently on their Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour with ZZ Top. Their next scheduled show is Thursday in West Valley City, Utah. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.

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Elton John‘s new book, Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life on Tour, is out now. It includes Elton’s detailed reminiscences of his touring career, both from the past and from his final trek, which wrapped up last year.

The book includes a forward by Elton’s husband and manager, David Furnish, and an introduction by Elton in which he gives a bit of background on his five decades of touring, as well as his decision to stop. 

“Imagine this book as a montage of moments from my distant and recent past, like a convergence of flashing memories,” he writes. “It will give you a glimpse of what it was like to say goodbye to the road and hello to whatever is next.”

That’s followed by a section in which Elton talks about conceptualizing the tour, from the sets and costumes to the set list. Each subsequent chapter in the book is titled after a different city or country that Elton visited during the tour, which, due to COVID-19, spanned from 2018 to July 2023. From the U.S. to the U.K. to Australia and back, Elton recalls what it was like playing in each place, both in the past — if applicable — and during the Farewell tour.

There are also Concert Flashback chapters, where he recalls specific and memorable shows, such as Live Aid in 1985, where he shares his memories of hanging out with his friend Freddie Mercury backstage. There’s also a chapter on what he did when COVID-19 put the tour on hold for months.

Throughout, there are plenty of photos documenting Elton onstage and off, plus set lists, photos of Elton with his celebrity pals and their quotes about the tour, wardrobe and memorabilia photos and more.

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Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is set to join rock band Thunderpussy for a special benefit show in Seattle.

The Stand for Innocence concert will take place Oct. 10 at The Showbox, with proceeds benefiting the Washington Innocence Project, a nonprofit that works to free innocent people imprisoned in Washington.

The show is the 10th anniversary of the group’s Stand for Innocence fundraising event. Tickets are on sale now.

Up next, McCready and Pearl Jam are set to headline two nights at the Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California, which runs from Sept. 27 to Sept. 29. The band will then head down under for an Australia/New Zealand tour that kicks off with a two-night stand in Auckland, Nov. 8 and Nov. 10. A complete list of dates can be found at pearljam.com.

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Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band have canceled the final two shows on their fall tour due to illness.

“Ringo has come down with a cold and after consulting a doctor he was advised to cancel these two remaining shows and get rest,” reads a statement released by the rocker’s rep. “As always, Ringo and the All Starrs send peace and love to their fans and hope to see them soon.”

Canceled concerts are Tuesday’s show at the TD Pavilion at The Mann in Philadelphia and Wednesday’s at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Ticketholders will receive automatic refunds.

Ringo and his All Starr Band kicked off the fall leg of their tour on Sept. 7 in San Diego. They have no other shows on the schedule for 2024.

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