Neil Young praises Bob Dylan movie ‘A Complete Unknown’: ‘I loved it’

January 13, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Neil Young has shared his thoughts on the new Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown, and it turns out he’s a big fan.

“I love Bob Dylan and his music. Always have. He’s a great artist,” Neil wrote on his Archives website. “Once he was on my bus and I didn’t recognize him and threw him off but that’s another story.”

As for the film, which stars Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, Neil writes, “This movie is a great tribute to his life and music. I think if you love Bob’s music you should see this great movie. I loved it.”

While Neil gave the film a thumbs-up after seeing the flick, Dylan also threw his support behind the film without having seen it. In December he posted his thoughts on social media, sharing, “Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me.”

A Complete Unknown, which is in theaters now, follows a 19-year-old Dylan as he arrives in New York from Minnesota and tracks his rise as a folk singer during the ’60s, ending with his electric rock ‘n’ roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

Green Day headlining 2025 BottleRock Napa Valley festival

January 13, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Green Day is headlining the 2025 BottleRock Napa Valley festival, taking place May 23-25 in Napa, California.

The lineup also includes fellow headliner Noah Kahan, plus Cage the Elephant, Sublime, Kaleo, Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES, The Doors‘ Robby Krieger and Two Feet.

Additionally, you’ll find the reunited 4 Non Blondes on the bill. The “What’s Up?” outfit last performed together in 2014 after initially breaking up 20 years earlier.

Tickets go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT. You can get access to a presale beginning Tuesday at 8 a.m. PT by signing up for the BottleRock texting list.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit BottleRockNapaValley.com.

Shaina Shepherd, singer at Nudedragons show, says she ‘could never front Soundgarden’

January 13, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

In December, the surviving members of Soundgarden — Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd — reunited for a charity performance under the alias Nudedragons. Joining them on lead vocals was a Seattle musician named Shaina Shepherd, who’s now responded to the idea of joining the “Black Hole Sun” rockers full time.

She took to the Facebook comments of an article published by the site Hot Metal asking “Should Soundgarden permanently reform with Shania Shepherd?” Shepherd first fired back at readers who replied “no,” declaring, “Haters gonna hate while I live my dream.”

She then added, “Soundgarden is a revolutionary band that changed my life, your life, the world. I could never front Soundgarden.”

“But I love making music with those guys,” she continued. “I did it for me, for them like any other music endeavor. I don’t care what any of you think – never did. I care what they think – always will.”

Shepherd concluded that the original article is “meaningless.”

The Nudedragons show featured performances of songs including “Outshined” and “Hunted Down.” The three surviving members have reunited several times since frontman Chris Cornell‘s death in 2017, including at the 2019 Cornell tribute concert and during a 2021 Brandi Carlile show.

Eric Clapton’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ performance to debut in theaters

January 13, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Eric Clapton’s iconic MTV Unplugged performance is coming to the big screen.

Eric Clapton Unplugged … Over 30 Years Later is set to debut in select U.S. and U.K. theaters on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28. The 90-minute special will then stream on Paramount+ starting Feb. 12.

In addition to the original Unplugged special, the new release will feature new content, including commentary from Clapton about the inspiration behind the songs and footage of performances shot for the crew before he took the stage.

Clapton recorded his episode of MTV Unplugged on Jan. 16, 1992, in front of a small audience at Bray Film Studios in Windsor, England.

The taping featured performances of such songs as “Tears in Heaven,” about the death of his 4-year-old son, Conor, and an acoustic version of “Layla.”

A live album of the special was released in August 1992 and went to #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also won three Grammy Awards, including Record and Song of the Year for “Tears In Heaven,” and sold 26 million copies worldwide to become the bestselling live album of all time.

Tickets for Eric Clapton Unplugged … Over 30 Years Later are on sale now.

On This Day, Jan. 13, 1973: Eric Clapton made his stage comeback at the Rainbow Theatre in London

January 13, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, Jan. 13, 1973 …

Eric Clapton returned to the stage after a two-year hiatus with two back-to-back shows at the Rainbow Theatre in London. During that two-year break Clapton battled a heroin addiction and recorded his second solo album, 461 Ocean Boulevard.

An all-star lineup of guest stars supported Clapton at the show, including The Who’s Pete Townshend, who organized the concert, Ronnie Wood, Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi.

A live album of the concert was released that September, with an expanded edition released in 1995 to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the concert.

Tony Levin looks back at his life on the road with new video for ‘Road Dogs’

January 13, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Legendary musician Tony Levin, best known for working with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, is giving fans a glimpse of his life on the road with the video for “Road Dogs,” a track from his latest solo album, Bringing It Down to the Bass, which dropped in September.

The black-and-white comic book-style clip features personal photos and video from Tony’s career on the road, including his recent BEAT tour, which featured Adrian Belew, Steve Vai and Danny Carey celebrating the 1980s era of King Crimson, as well as from his time working with King Crimson, Gabriel and more. It also pays tribute to the crew that handles all the behind-the-scenes of a tour.

“We road dogs who tour all the time aren’t just the players onstage – as the lyrics say, there’s trucking & rigging and loading and gigging,” Tony shares. “[M]any of my photos of the crews in action seemed right for the video.”

Bringing It Down to the Bass is available now on double vinyl, CD, Blu-ray and digital streaming.

Bruce Springsteen, Roger Daltrey among the musicians paying tribute to Sam Moore

January 12, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bruce Springsteen is one of the many artists paying tribute to legendary Sam & Dave singer Sam Moore, who passed away Friday at the age of 89.

“Over on E Street, we are heartbroken to hear of the death of Sam Moore, one of America’s greatest soul voices,” Springsteen wrote on social media. “There simply isn’t another sound like Sam’s soulful tenor in American music.”

“Having had the honor to work with Sam on several occasions, he was a sweet and funny man,” Bruce added. “He was filled with stories of the halcyon days of soul music, and to the end had that edge of deep authenticity in his voice I could only wonder at. We offer our prayers to his wife Joyce and thanks for the immortal recordings Sam left us. God bless.”

Along with the message, Springsteen and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame shared a video of The Boss being joined by Moore for a performance of Sam & Dave’s classic tunes “Hold On, I’m Coming” and “Soul Man” at the Rock Hall’s 25th anniversary concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2009.

In addition to that performance, Moore appeared on three songs on Springsteen’s 1992 album Human Touch, while Springsteen appeared on Moore’s track “Better to Have and Not Need.”

The Who’s Roger Daltrey also remembered Moore, writing, “When I think back to my teenage years and the sounds of the records which would eventually shape my life to come, Sam Moore’s voice still rings fresh in my ears. His pure soul voice was inspirational to me. Thank you, Sam for the great music.”

Others paying tribute to the soul legend include Sammy Hagar, Jon Bon Jovi, Nile Rodgers, Stevie Van Zandt, Chuck D and more.

Who needs Dylan? Timothée Chalamet to be host and musical guest on ‘Saturday Night Live’

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Timothée Chalamet does his own singing and guitar playing in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, and it looks like he’s getting ready to do it live.

The actor has been booked to not only be the host of the Jan. 25 episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, he’s going to be the musical guest, as well.

While it’s unknown if Chalamet will sing as Dylan during the broadcast, the announcement comes after he was nominated for a Golden Globe and SAG Award for playing Dylan in the film, which is in theaters now.

And Chalamet certainly has plenty of Dylan songs to pick from. In a November interview with Entertainment Weekly, the film’s producer Fred Berger revealed that Chalamet performs 40 Dylan songs in A Complete Unknown.

This will be Chalamet’s third time hosting SNL and his first time as musical guest.

After more than 300 weeks, Elton John’s ‘Diamonds’ tops the UK album chart

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Elton John has landed another #1 album in the U.K., but it sure took him a long time to get there.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s 2017 best-of, Diamonds, tops the U.K. Official Chart after spending 374 weeks on the chart. When the album was first released it debuted at #5 and eventually peaked at #2 — until now.

Diamonds now holds the record for having both the most weeks in the top 40 and the most consecutive weeks in the top 40 before hitting #1. And after not dropping out of the top 100 since its release, the album is now the Elton record to spend the most time in the top 100.

“I’m so happy to have a UK #1 album with Diamonds,” Elton wrote on social media. “It came out in 2017, which feels like a lifetime ago. This is the first time it’s topped the charts since its release, I’m blessed that so many incredible things have happened with my career during that time. I’m overjoyed and want to sincerely thank all my incredible fans for their constant love and support.”

“What a great start to the year,” he said in an accompanying video. “I could not be happier. Yesss!!!!”

Elton’s husband and manager, David Furnish, told Music Week that the #1 is “a testament to the ongoing relevance of the hardest working artist there is.”

Diamonds’ recent resurgence is thanks to the release of a super-deluxe Blu-ray edition and a limited-edition vinyl version of the album.

The album is now Elton’s ninth #1 in the U.K. His previous chart-toppers include 1973’s Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road; 1974’s Caribou and Elton John’s Greatest Hits; and 2021’s The Lockdown Sessions.

Billy Joel pushes January gig to November due to ‘medical procedure’

January 10, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

After a stellar 2024, Billy Joel‘s 2025 is starting off a little bumpy: He’s had to reschedule his first concert of the year — not counting New Year’s Eve — for medical reasons.

Billy was set to perform Jan. 17 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, but the show has now been postponed to Nov. 1 due to “a medical procedure,” according to a statement on his Instagram.

“I’m disappointed to share that I must postpone my concert at Hard Rock Live,” Billy said. “I appreciate your understanding and look forward to seeing everyone in November.” Tickets for the Jan. 17 show will be valid for the new date. Fans who can’t make the new show can get refunds from the point of purchase from now through March 11.

Billy is scheduled to perform Feb. 8 with Sting in Indianapolis and has a solo show planned at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Feb. 22.

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