Classic Rock News

Members of The Doobie Brothers and The Beach Boys’ Mike Love are among the artists chosen for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year.

Love and The Doobies’ Mike Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons will be inducted into the 2025 class in the performers category, along with George Clinton.

Non-performing songwriters set for induction this year include Rodney “Darkchild” Jenkens, best known for writing such songs a “Say My Name” and “The Boy Is Mine,” hit country songwriter Ashley Gorley and Tony Macaulay, who penned such songs as “Build Me Up Buttercup.”

“The foundation of the music industry exists because songwriters compose great songs,” SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers said. “Without them, there is no recorded music, no concert business, no fans, or merchandising; it all starts with the song and the songwriter. We are therefore very proud that we are continually recognizing some of the culturally most important writers of all time and that this year’s slate represents not just iconic songs, but also diversity and unity across genres and ethnicity.”

He adds, “These songwriters have enriched the lives of billions of listeners the world over. It’s our honor to honor them.”

Artists who were nominated, but not chosen this year, include Bryan Adams, Steve Winwood, Boy George, Bread’s David Gates, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Janet Jackson, Eminem, Tommy James and the members of Public Enemy.

The 2025 class will be celebrated at the annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala, taking place June 12, in New York City.

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Creedence Clearwater Revival rocker John Fogerty is set to be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming South by Southwest Conference and Festival March 7-15 in Austin, Texas.

Fogerty and Jay Graber, CEO of the social media site Bluesky, are the latest additions to the SXSW keynote lineup, which also includes IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna.

“Whether it be insights from the CEO of one of the fastest-growing social media platforms or tales from a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, the unique perspectives showcased each March is what makes SXSW such an exceptional event,” Hugh Forrest, president and chief programming officer, says. “Jay Graber and John Fogerty are excellent additions to what is developing into a fascinating Keynote Speaker lineup.”

Fogerty has yet to announce a tour for 2025, but he has several shows already on the books. He’s headlining a three-night residency at the Encore Theater at The Wynn in Las Vegas starting Wednesday. He’s also set to play the FireAid benefit concert in Inglewood, California, on Jan. 30 and will be part of the 2025 edition of New Orleans Jazz Fest, taking place over two weekends, April 24-27 and May 1-4.

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Sammy Hagar is clarifying his comments about his future on the road.

Sammy is due to kick off a new residency in Las Vegas in April, and ahead of the shows he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “I don’t think I want to go on tour anymore. I hate to say that, because I don’t want to piss my fans off.”

But in a video posted to social media, Sammy suggested in the caption that the comment was “taken out of context” and used as clickbait.

“The last couple of weeks, yeah, I’ve been getting all these messages from people, ‘Oh my God. You’re not gonna tour anymore,’” he shared. “I didn’t say I’m not gonna tour anymore.”

He said the comments were referring to the residency, noting he’s “hoping that that will be a lot easier” for him than the challenges of the road.

“I’ll be chomping at the bit when it comes showtime, because I will be well rested without all that travel,” he said. “I just think it’s gonna be great. And maybe I will able to squeeze fifty, a hundred more shows out of this voice, you know, and this body.”

“I’m a performer. I like to perform, and it takes it out of you,” he added. “So that’s all I’m saying, is hopefully the residency will be the answer to be able to continue on for many more years, because if not, touring is getting tough, and I will be doing less and less. And eventually, probably won’t be able to do it at all. I mean, it’s inevitable. I’m only human.”

The Best of All Worlds Tour – The Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM runs from April 30 to May 17. 

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Metallica is giving fans a chance to fly to a show in style.

The band, and their All Within My Hands Foundation, just launched their first fandiem sweepstakes of the year, with a grand prize of tickets to an M72 gig of their choice for them and up to six guests, along with travel to the show on their own private NetJet.

The upcoming M72 tour is made up of No Repeat Weekends — two shows with two unique sets — as well as one-night-only shows; depending on which city the winner picks, the prize will include one or two Metallica gigs.

The prize also comes with passes to the preshow Black Box Lounge and $5,000 toward hotels and other travel expenses, as well as a merch and vinyl package.

Fans can donate as little as $10 for a chance to win the package, with proceeds going to the All Within My Hands Foundation, which will help “create sustainable communities through workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical services.”

Metallica’s M72 tour kicks off with a one-night-only show in Syracuse, New York, on April 19. Their first M72 No Repeat Weekend happens April 24 and April 26 in Toronto. A complete list of dates can be found at metallica.com.

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The John Lennon/Yoko Ono documentary One to One: John & Yoko is set to hit IMAX theaters this spring.

The film, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, was just acquired by Magnolia Pictures for North America and will open exclusively in IMAX theaters on April 11. It will eventually expand to additional theaters, and it will air on HBO and stream on Max later in the year.

One to One follows the 18 months John and Yoko lived in New York’s Greenwich Village in the early ’70s, and culminates with the pair’s 1972 One to One concerts, which were Lennon’s only full-length performances after The Beatles‘ 1970 breakup. The film features never-before-seen and fully restored footage of the concert.

One to One: John & Yoko had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2024 and its North American debut at the Telluride Festival. It is also set to screen at the Sundance Film Festival, which runs from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2.

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Peter Frampton is hitting the road for the first time since becoming a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The legendary guitarist, who was inducted into the Rock Hall in October, has announced dates for the Let’s Do it Again tour. The 10-show run launches March 30 in Uncasville, Connecticut, and wraps April 19 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

“I am so thrilled to be able to come out and play again for you,” Frampton shared on Instagram, “it’s been a spectacular year, looking forward to seeing everyone soon.”

A ticket presale begins Wednesday at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at Frampton.com.

The Let’s Do it Again tour is Frampton’s first trek since his Positively Thankful tour, which kicked off in September.

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The FireAid concert on Jan. 30 in Inglewood, California, is taking place in two separate venues: Kia Forum and Intuit Dome. Now we know who’ll be playing in which venue, so those who are planning to purchase tickets to see the event in person can choose which artists they’d like to be in the same room with.

In the Intuit Dome, fans will see Rod Stewart, Sting, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire, along with Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, rapper Lil Baby, Olivia Rodrigo, Latin star Peso Pluma and Tate McRae.

In the Kia Forum, you’ll see Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, John Fogerty, Joni Mitchell and The Black Crowes, as well as Green Day, Dave Mathews and John Mayer, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Silk Sonic‘s Anderson .Paak and Dawes.

The event at the Kia Forum will begin at 6 p.m.; at the Intuit Dome, things will get underway at 7:30 p.m., but doors will open at 5 p.m. Fans at each venue will be able to watch the action in the other venue via screens inside.

If you can’t attend in person, the event will be broadcast and streamed live on Amazon Music/Prime Video, Apple Music, Disney+/Hulu, Facebook/Instagram, Max, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock/NBC News Now, SoundCloud, Veeps and YouTube, among other platforms. It will also be shown in select AMC Theatre locations.

Tickets go on sale Jan. 22 at noon PST through Ticketmaster. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to LA wildfire relief.

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Billy Idol is hitting the road this summer with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

Idol just announced dates for a new trek, dubbed It’s A Nice Day To … Tour Again, with Jett and the Blackhearts along for the ride as special guests.

Idol announced the tour with a video featuring comedian Matt Rife, with appearances by Idol’s longtime collaborator and guitar player Steve Stevens and Jett. In it, Rife keeps subtly dropping the lyrics to Idol’s most popular tunes, leading the rocker to feel it’s a sign to go back out on the road.

The tour will kick off April 30 in Phoenix and wraps Sept. 25 at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, with the latter raising money for the victims of the California wildfires. For every ticket purchased for the LA show, $5 will be donated to the American Red Cross, with Idol set to match the donation.

A presale for tickets kicks off Wednesday at 9 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday at 9 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at billyidol.net.

And it sounds like there’s even more good news on the way for Idol fans. The press release for the tour notes that he’s planning to share details about a new album soon.

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A group of A-list artists have signed up to celebrate the Grateful Dead at the Recording Academy’s upcoming MusiCares Person of the Year gala, taking place Jan. 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood, The Police’s Stewart Copeland, Sammy Hagar, Dave Matthews, and former Dead collaborator and friend Bruce Hornsby are set to honor the band with performances, as are Norah Jones, Maren Morris, Noah Kahan, Vampire Weekend, Zac Brown, Dwight Yoakam, Wynonna Judd, The War and Treaty, The War on Drugs, My Morning Jacket, Maggie Rose, Billy Strings, Sierra Ferrell and Lukas Nelson.

Dead & Company, which includes Dead members Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, will also perform at the ceremony, with a set celebrating The Dead’s late founding members, Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh.

Watch What Happens Live host and well-known Deadhead Andy Cohen will be the emcee for the evening, with funds raised going to help music professionals in need, including those affected by the California wildfires.

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Garth Hudson, the keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist who was the last surviving member of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Band, has died. He was 87.

The Band’s official Instagram confirmed Hudson’s passing, writing, “Today, we sadly say goodbye to Garth ‘Honey Boy’ Hudson, the last living original member of The Band. A musical genius and cornerstone of the group’s timeless sound, Garth once said, ‘I found some true enjoyment in helping people get to the bottom of their feelings.’ Through his music, he did just that—helping us all feel more deeply and connect to something greater. Rest easy, Garth.”

Hudson’s former manager tells ABC Audio that the musician died in his sleep early Tuesday morning in a nursing home near Woodstock, New York.

The oldest and only classically trained member of The Band, Eric “Garth” Hudson was best known for his distinctive Lowrey organ work on songs like “Chest Fever” and its dramatic live improvised intro, known as “The Genetic Method.” But he also played saxophones, woodwinds, synthesizers, accordion and other instruments on the group’s acclaimed albums. 

Hudson, born in Windsor, Ontario, was one of four Canadian members of The Band, along with guitarist/songwriter Robbie Robertson, keyboardist/vocalist Richard Manuel and bassist/vocalist Rick Danko. Along with American drummer/vocalist Levon Helm, the musicians first came together as rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins‘ backup group. Hudson famously convinced Hawkins to pay him $10 extra a week so he could give “music lessons” to the other band members — a deal that mollified his parents, who were concerned he was wasting his years of musical training.

After leaving Hawkins, the five, known as The Hawks, initially gained fame as Bob Dylan‘s backing group before releasing their debut album, Music From Big Pink, in 1968. After The Band called it quits as a touring act following their The Last Waltz concert in 1976, Hudson worked as a session musician with many artists, including Van Morrison and Leonard Cohen. 

The Band reformed in 1983 without Robertson. Manuel died by suicide in 1986, but The Band continued; Hudson appeared on the three albums they released in the ’90s. He also continued to work with his bandmates, including Robertson, on their solo projects, in addition to contributing to multiple film soundtracks. Danko’s death in 1999 ended the group’s career.

Subsequently, Hudson continued to work as a session artist, released two albums with the group Burrito Deluxe, formed his own 12-piece ensemble and wrote the score for an off-Broadway show. His last public performance came in April 2023.

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