Classic Rock News

Pete Townshend has dropped a new video of a classic live performance.

The Who rocker has shared a video of his performance of “After the Fire,” which was shot in 1985 at the Brixton Academy in London. The concert highlighted in the video features Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour on guitar.

“After the Fire,” which was written by Pete, was actually a hit for Who frontman Roger Daltrey, who recorded it for his solo album Under a Raging Moon.

The video comes just one week after Townshend released Pete Townshend Live > In Concert 1985-2001, a 14-CD box set featuring newly remastered versions of his live solo recordings, seven of which have been long out of print. 

The set includes Deep End Live at Brixton Academy in London, plus shows recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1993, San Francisco’s The Filmore in 1996, London’s Shepherds Bush Empire in 1998 and the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California, in 2001. There’s also a recording of two nights at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the only time Pete ever attempted a full Life House show.

Pete Townshend Live > In Concert 1985-2001 is out now.

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Bryan Adams has dropped the new single “Rock and Roll Hell,” which is actually one of two songs he co-wrote with Jim Vallance and Gene Simmons for KISS. The other is “War Machine,” and Adams is set to release both on 7-inch vinyl on Aug. 30.

Both tracks appeared on KISS’ 1982 album, Creatures of the Night. Adams says at the time he was a “22-year-old struggling songwriter,” noting he was “thrilled” at the opportunity to write for KISS.

“‘Rock and Roll Hell’ was actually Jim’s song that had been released a few years earlier with Bachman Turner Overdrive, and I suggested, that we re-write it for KISS,” he says. “It’s incredible to think these themes are unfortunately still playing out for real in the world today, but I’m very grateful to the KISS guys for giving me the chance back then.” 

To coincide with the release of “Rock and Roll Hell,” Adams has dropped a new video for the tune, which was shot on the roof of London’s famed Royal Albert Hall, where Adams wrapped a three-night residency back in May.

“Rock and Roll Hell” and “War Machine” are being released as a limited-edition double A-side 7-inch single. The single is available for preorder now at bryanadams.com.

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The Alarm is set to release their new album, Music Television, in August.

The record features covers of songs made famous in MTV’s heyday, and was supposed to be available on vinyl and CD during the band’s Live Today Love Tomorrow tour. The tour was supposed to launch in May, but was postponed after Alarm frontman Mike Peters’ cancer returned.  

Now the album will be released digitally on Aug. 23, along with an additional recording of “Transition,” a song that originally appeared on The Alarm’s 2023 album, Forwards.

Peters was initially diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2005 and relapsed in 2022. Right before the tour, his cancer returned and he was diagnosed with a rare condition known as Richter’s syndrome. He’s currently hoping to find a donor for a stem cell transplant. He says he added “Transition” to the album “as a signal of my intent to survive the transplant and get back to real life sometime in 2025.”

“I have optimistic options ahead of me, and, like all the songs on Music Television that have survived the years since they were first written, so will I,” he adds.

In addition to “Transitions,” Music Television features The Alarm’s reinterpretations of such classic MTV staples as The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star,” which was the first song played on the network; Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing,” the first song played on MTV Europe; David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World”; Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight”; Modern English’s “I Melt With You”; and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”

Here is the track list forMusic Television:

“Money For Nothing” (Dire Straits)
“Video Killed The Radio Star” (The Buggles)
“Live Today Love Tomorrow” (The Blow Monkeys)
“Imagination” (Belouis Some)
“Beat It” (Michael Jackson)
“Don’t Change” (INXS)
“In The Air Tonight” (Phil Collins)
“I Melt With You” (Modern English)
“Screaming For Emmalene” (Gene Loves Jezebel)
“The Man Who Sold The World” (David Bowie)
“MTV Theme”
“Transition” (The Alarm)

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Devo has been added to Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder‘s Ohana Festival, which will take place Sept. 27-29 in Dana Point, California.

The “Whip It” rockers will perform on the festival’s opening night, replacing Garbage, who had to cancel after frontwoman Shirley Manson suffered an injury that requires surgery. 

“When a problem comes along, you must whip it…,” read the social media announcement, which also included a photo of Pearl Jam dressed like Devo. “Excited to welcome @clubdevo to @theohanafes lineup on Friday, 9/27!” 

Pearl Jam is set to headline two nights of Ohana, Sept. 27 and Sept. 29, with Sting headlining Sept. 28. Sting was a replacement for Neil Young and Crazy Horse, who canceled their entire tour due to health issues in the band.

Other artists playing Ohana include Alanis Morissette, Crowded House, The Breeders, Jenny Lewis and Glen Hansard.

More info can be found at ohanafest.com.

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John Mayer isn’t going to let a little thing like a finger injury stop him from taking the stage with Dead & Company at their Dead Forever residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

The guitarist revealed on Instagram that he recently injured his left index finger in a truck door, noting, “[T]he first thing that went through my mind was ‘I really need that finger in a week.’”

“I need all my fingers, but the left index is the team captain of my fretting hand. It will heal just fine, but will be out of commission for a while,” he added, along with a picture of his bandaged digit.

But Mayer wasn’t about to miss a show to recover. 

“In the meantime, I have spent every day practicing guitar using the other three fingers and I think I have it sounding pretty good!” he writes. “I’ve always felt like every part of me belongs to these shows, and it’s my responsibility to return to the stage each night without screwing up the equipment, and I’m sorry for the misadventure here.” 

Finally, he shares, “The power of the music and the love for these shows will prevail! See ya tonight.”

Dead & Company kicks off their second-to-last weekend of their Dead Forever residency on Thursday. Their final show is scheduled for Aug. 10. A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

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Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia would have turned 82 on Thursday, and to mark the occasion the Sausalito Center for the Arts in California is launching a new exhibit, The Art of Jerry Garcia.

The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 1, features 30 museum quality digital prints donated by The Jerry Garcia Foundation. Fans who can’t make in person will be able to check out the Garcia exhibit virtually via the Neverworld Grid metaverse.

The Art of Jerry Garcia will launch on Thursday with an opening concert by the Keystone Revisited Band, led by bassist Tony Saunders, son of the late keyboardist Merl Saunders, who was a frequent Garcia collaborator. 

In addition to the Garcia artwork, those attending the exhibit will be treated to a private never-before-seen collection of Grateful Dead memorabilia, including autographed album covers and posters. There will also be behind-the-scenes rock ‘n’ roll photos from photographer Carol Scott, featuring photos that have remained unseen for 40 years.

More info can be found at sausalitocenterforthearts.org. 

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A new MC5 song called “Can’t Be Found” has been released.

The track appears on the influential proto-punk outfit’s upcoming album, Heavy Lifting, which late guitarist Wayne Kramer had recorded prior to his death in February.

“Can’t Be Found,” which you can listen to now via digital outlets, features Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid and late MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson, who passed in May. Kramer and Thompson had been the last surviving members of the MC5’s classic Kick Out the Jams lineup.

Heavy Lifting is due out Oct. 18. It also features guest spots from Slash, Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, Alice in Chains‘ William DuVall and Rise Against‘s Tim McIlrath. 

MC5 is among the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. They’ll be enshrined with the Musical Excellence Award.

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Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson is giving fans a sneak peek at the upcoming box set dedicated to his solo career.

The rocker just shared an unboxing video in which he meticulously goes through Ian Anderson 8314 Boxed, which drops Aug. 23.

The limited-edition 10-LP box set includes the first-time vinyl releases of 1995’s Divinities: Twelve Dances with God, 2000’s The Secret Language of Birds and 2003’s Rupi’s Dance. It will also include half speed masters of 1983’s Walk Into Light and 2014’s Homo Erraticus, with the Divinities: Twelve Dances with God LP also a half speed master.

There’s also 2012’s Thick as a Brick 2, which was a sequel to Jethro Tull’s 1972 album, Thick as a Brick, and Roaming in the Gloaming, an LP of previously unreleased live recordings from 1995 to 2007, plus a 96-page book with a foreword by Anderson.

Anderson says in the clip he’s very proud of the set, noting “it does represent such a labor of love over the years and the opportunity to have all this rereleased in a format, which hopefully you will enjoy.” 

8314 Boxed is available for preorder now.

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Def Leppard is currently on their Summer Stadium tour with Journey, and each night fans are being treated to a set list filled with hits, including several songs from their hit album Pyromania, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Of course there will always be fans who would love to hear a deep cut during a show, and frontman Joe Elliott has some ideas on a rare track he’d be interested in playing.

The revelation came when a fan asked the band on TikTok, “What song would you like to see added to the set list that is rare or never played? It can’t include any song from Pyromania.”

Elliott replied, “I would say one song that might be fun to try one day would be ‘You Got Me Running,’ off High and Dry,” referring to the band’s sophomore album. He notes, “I think we did actually play it in 1981 like two or three times and we abandoned it for whatever reason.”

He adds, “I think it might work, who knows?” 

Def Leppard and Journey’s Summer Stadium tour hits Toronto, Canada, on Sunday. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com. 

Meanwhile, Def Leppard wants to see how their fans interpret their songs.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have launched a cover contest with instrument retailer Sweetwater, asking fans to share videos of them covering their favorite track off Pyromania. The winner will receive over $13,000 worth of gear inspired by Def Leppard. Participants have until Sept. 13 to enter by uploading their performance to YouTube or Instagram with #PyromaniaCover2024, along with tags for @SweetwaterSound and @defleppard. The winner will be announced Sept. 20.

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