Classic Rock News

Earlier this year, Forbes reported that Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” was “officially the biggest song of all time.” But the band’s guitarist and songwriter Neal Schon is still pretty shocked it has gotten as big as it has.

“When I first heard the finished song I knew it was special, but it took years to get to the place where it’s a worldwide anthem,” Schon tells The Guardian. “Everybody has their own theory about why ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ exploded in the new millennium.”

One of those theories has to do with its use in several movies and TV shows.

“First, there was the movie Monster, with Charlize Theron. Then came The Sopranos – I remember my phone blowing up and all my friends saying: ‘Man, did you see the final scene?’” he says.

But it was the song’s use in the pilot episode of Glee that brought the tune to a whole new audience, although Schon says he was initially a bit concerned about the song being on the program.

“I was terrified by that because I thought it was a teenybopper show, not so cool for us,” he says. “Little did I know that it would open up a younger generation to our music.” 

He adds, “I’m a rocker and a blues guy, and we always joke that if I think something is too schmaltzy, it’s usually gonna be big!”

Fans can hear “Don’t Stop Believin'” and other hit songs this summer on Journey’s Summer Stadium tour with Def Leppard. The tour hits Citi Field in New York on Wednesday. A complete list of tour dates can be found at journeymusic.com. 

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It’s official – the Bob Dylan biopic is coming out on Christmas Day.

Searchlight Pictures just announced that the James Mangold-directed film A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet, will be released nationwide on Dec. 25.

Described as “the electric true story behind the rise of one of the most iconic singer-songwriters in history,” A Complete Unknown follows a 19-year-old Dylan as he arrives in the West Village from Minnesota in the early ’60s, where he meets artists like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez.

It is expected to follow him through his famed 1965 performance at the Newport Folk Festival, when he shocks the crowd by plugging in an electric guitar. 

In addition to Chalamet, who does his own singing in the film, A Complete Unknown stars Edward Norton as Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Baez, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash and Nick Offerman as Alan Lomax.

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Bon Jovi, Lenny Kravitz and U2 are among the artists vying for an MTV VMA this year.

All three are nominated in the Best Rock category: Bon Jovi for “Legendary,” Kravitz for “Human” and U2 for “Atomic City.”

Their competition in the category includes Green Day’s “Dilemma,” Coldplay’s “feelslikeimfallinginlove” and Kings of Leon’s “Mustang.”

Taylor Swift leads all nominees this year with 10, followed by Post Malone with nine. 

The MTV Video Music Awards will air Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET live from the UBS Arena in New York. Fan voting is open now and runs through Aug. 30.

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On This Day, Aug. 6, 1965…

The Beatles released their fifth studio album Help!, which was the soundtrack to their film of the same name.

The album produced three #1 singles, including the title track, “Yesterday,” and “Ticket to Ride.”

Help! was a critical success, and hit #1 on the Billboard Album chart, spending nine weeks in the top spot. It was also nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys, marking The Beatles’ first Grammy nomination in that category.

Help! was the second film to star The Beatles. It had the band trying to protect drummer Ringo Starr, who’s the target of a sinister cult and mad scientists trying to obtain a sacrificial ring he received as a gift from a fan.

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Green Day may have joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe during their show at New York City’s Citi Field on Monday.

While Billie Joe Armstrong was delivering a show-closing rendition of “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” drummer Tré Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt dressed up as Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively, and surprised their bandmate onstage.

In footage posted to Green Day’s Facebook, you can see Armstrong try to contain his laughter as he tries to finish the song while the costumed Cool and Dirnt dance behind him. 

“You were Marvelous New York!” the post’s punny caption reads.

Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds, responded in an Instagram Story, declaring, “I’ll never recover from this.”

As previously reported, “Good Riddance” is included on the soundtrack to the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie. Cool made a reference to the film during the concert by exclaiming, “Baby knife!”

Following Deadpool & Wolverine‘s premiere, Billboard reported that streams of “Good Riddance” increased by 88%.

Green Day is currently on tour supporting their new Saviors album while also celebrating the 30th and 20th anniversaries of their albums Dookie and American Idiot, respectively.

Disney is the parent company of Marvel and ABC News.

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The Rolling Stones are getting their very own trading cards.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have partnered with Panini America, the world’s largest sports and entertainment collectibles company, for a new trading card set, Prizm The Rolling Stones, which will celebrate the band’s more than 60-year career. 

The partnership will kick off with a Color Blast set featuring cards with photos of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and the late Charlie Watts, in front of a color burst of the band’s iconic tongue and lips logo.

“The Rolling Stones are an iconic brand, are integral to the history of music, and have millions of dedicated fans across the globe,” Mark Warsop, CEO of Panini America, shares. “We are proud to be partnering with them and to share our products celebrating their legacy and so many of their memorable moments. We think that fans will be very excited.” 

Future Stones card collections include Albums, highlighting a variety of Stones album covers; Hot Lips, with photos of band members with the tongue and lips logo at the top; International Licks, with the tongue and lips logos featuring regional flags and colors; and Stubs, dedicated to their concert tours.

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REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin has paid tribute to Aerosmith following the news the band has retired from touring due to Steven Tyler’s vocal issues. 

Cronin writes on Instagram that in the ’70s they were often “sabotaged” by bigger bands who they were opening for on tour, but that wasn’t the case with Aerosmith, who they opened for in 1976.

“On the first night of the tour, (Steven) Tyler and Joe Perry came to our dressing room, (which was stocked with beer and assorted munchies), introduced themselves and welcomed us to their tour,” he writes. “Steven invited us to join them after every show for a great meal, we were given all access to their party suite; they treated us with respect.”

He notes, “Rather than mess with us, Steven and Joe wanted the best for us, as Aerosmith was not intimidated at all. They used the energy of the REO Speedwagon performance to lift them, they rocked extra hard as a result, and the audience was the ultimate winner.”

“I learned a lot from Steven Tyler. Any band who has opened for REO and been treated with love and respect has Steven to thank,” Kevin adds.

Regarding Aerosmith’s retirement announcement, Cronin notes, “It seems impossible that the great Steven Tyler’s retirement will be permanent. He is such a force of nature. But if this is the time for him to hang up his scarves, then so be it and more power to him. He has given so much of himself, and left so much of himself on stages in venues all around the world. He has earned the right to take his final bow whenever he sees fit.”

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Heart’s Nancy Wilson is set to share her musical expertise with aspiring musicians at the third annual Women’s Rock Camp, taking place Dec. 5 to Dec. 8 in Los Angeles.

Also taking part in the four-day camp is Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss, the Runaways’ Lita Ford, drummer Sheila E and Jeff Beck bassist Rhonda Smith. 

Unlike the usual Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camps, Women’s Rock Camp is open to female instrumentalists and vocalists only. Participants will get a chance to take part in master classes with all the rock star counselors, plus attend band rehearsals, jam sessions, Q&A sessions and more, culminating in a live performance at The Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.

“Rock Fantasy Camp for women is a meaningful gathering of women together. As a military brat I never felt constrained by my gender,” Wilson tells Billboard. “Encouraging women to wield their power outside confining gender expectations is always a happy task for me.” 

Reservations are now open. More information on Women’s Rock Camp can be found at rockcamp.com.

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The date has been announced for the 2024 Bowl for Ronnie, the annual celebrity bowling tournament held in honor of late metal icon Ronnie James Dio.

The event will take place Nov. 14 at PINZ Bowling Center in Studio City, California. As always, it will raise money for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. The 2023 Bowl for Ronnie brought in more than $80,000.

Participants in previous years included Dave Grohl, Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, Black Sabbath‘s Geezer Butler, Lita Ford and former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora. The bowlers for 2024 have yet to be announced.

Dio died of stomach cancer in 2010. He was 67.

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Pete Townshend is giving fans of The Who hope that another tour may be possible.

Although he and bandmate Roger Daltrey have made differing comments on whether the band will ever tour again, Pete reveals in a new interview with The Daily Beast that he’s open to the idea of it.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen with The Who. I’m hoping Roger and I can find some common ground and find some way to work again, possibly without an orchestra, because I think we’ve done that,” Pete says. “But also, there’s this sense that we’re in the last tour period of our career.”

He adds, “Are we just hoping to do what Bob Dylan does and just keep going? I’m encouraged by seeing what Roger’s doing in his solo tour. It seems to me that if we put a small band together and just decided to throw s*** at the wall, it might be great.” 

Unfortunately, Pete says right now he and Roger “don’t talk,” noting that “it might be difficult to land on something that we both share an interest in. But it’s there for the taking, I think.”

But Pete has no plans to convince Roger to hit the road.

“I’m not gonna try to bully Roger to do anything,” he says. “I don’t want to have the job that I used to have around the time of Quadrophenia, which is bullying everybody in The Who to do exactly what I want to do.”

“Anyway, I’m hopeful. I’m certainly not saying that we won’t do anything, but Roger and I do have a bit of a river to cross,” he concludes. “And once we cross that river, we’ll see what happens.”

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