Classic Rock News

Billy Joel has a chance to add an Emmy to his trophy case. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just earned an Emmy nod for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded) for his CBS special, Billy Joel: The 100th –  Live at Madison Square Garden.

He does face some stiff competition, including comedy specials from Dave Chapelle, Trevor Noah and Nikki Glaser, and the CBS special Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic.

Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden aired back in April and, as the title gives away, is a recording of his 100th show at the iconic New York venue.

The airing wasn’t without issues, though, as the beginning of the program was delayed due to the Masters tournament, and the end got cut off in the middle of “Piano Man” in order to cut to local news. CBS wound up apologizing and then re-airing the show a few days later. 

The nomination comes as Billy is getting ready to say goodbye to his MSG residency. His final residency show is happening July 25.

Also earning an Emmy nod this year is the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, which means Lionel Richie is up for an award as the doc’s producer. The film is also up for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.

The Greatest Night in Pop is about the making of the all-star charity single “We Are The World,” which featured musicians like Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson and others.  

The 76th Emmy Awards will broadcast live on ABC on Sept. 15 from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE and stream the next day on Hulu.

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Ozzy Osbourne has some strong opinions about all those dancing videos Britney Spears shares on social media. 

In the latest episode of The Osbournes podcast, Ozzy and his family — wife Sharon, daughter Kelly and son Jack — are discussing TikTok dancing, when suddenly Ozzy says, “I’m fed up with seeing poor old Britney Spears [dancing].”

“Every f****** day!” he adds.

When Jack replies, “Save Britney,” Kelly chimes in, “I know, I feel so sorry for her.”

“It’s sad,” Ozzy continues. “Very, very sad.”

“Poor little thing,” says Sharon. “Very sad indeed,” Jack notes.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Sharon adds.

Meanwhile, the episode is titled “Are The Osbournes Leaving Hollywood?” and Ozzy and Sharon offer an update on their plans to move back to England, with Sharon revealing Ozzy’s health has delayed their relocation.

“Well, we’re trying to get on a flight,” Ozzy says, before Sharon adds, “Yeah, it just seems that every time we’re set to go, something happens with Ozzy’s health.”

The rocker, who’s set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a second time in October, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 and that same year had several surgeries on his spine.

“We’ll get there,” Sharon said about returning to the U.K. “We want to go back so bad, but we’ll get there. Won’t we, Ozzy?” to which he replied, “Yeah.”

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons is playing a special concert to help raise funds for an upcoming documentary on Antarctica. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer announced that he and his band the BFGs, featuring Mike Flanigin and Chris Layton, will headline a July 30 fundraiser at Villa at the Vineyard in Driftwood, Texas.

The concert is raising money for the feature documentary True South: An Antarctica Story, from National Geographic award-winning photographer Rodney Bursiel and Australian filmmaker James Douglas Cooper. Production on the film is scheduled to begin in February. 

“Will you help us on our bold mission to create a cinematic, world-class, award-winning independent feature documentary and photography series worthy of a worldwide audience?” reads a post on Gibbons’ Instagram account.

The filmmakers will be at the event, which will include food, drinks and a special auction.

Tickets are on sale now.

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Simon Kirke, drummer for legendary rock bands Bad Company and Free, is ready to share all he’s learned over his more than 50-year career with campers at the upcoming Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp in New York.

Kirke has done about nine previous camps, and tells ABC Audio that he got involved years ago when he was touring with Ringo Starr and was asked by the promoter, who also ran the camp, whether he’d be interested in teaching. He says the idea intrigued him.  

“I know this sounds a little trite, but it was a chance to give something back to the fans and people who follow me and my bands over the years,” he says.

Kirke can see how music fans get a lot out of the experience, sharing, “When you get a chance to hang out with your ‘heroes,’ it’s wonderful. And once you put all that sort of aside, you want to learn from them.” 

And the campers aren’t the only ones who learn a thing or two at these camps.  

“I mean, I learn a lot by teaching,” Kirke says. “When you’re trying to impart knowledge to a beginner or relative newcomer, it helps you hone your own knowledge, as it were.”

He adds, “And I do love doing it.” 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s Rock The Apple is happening Thursday through Sunday. In addition to Kirke, counselors include Foreigner’s Lou Gramm and Cheap Trick’s Rick and Daxx Nielsen. More info can be found at rockcamp.com.

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Grateful Dead’s Bobby Weir has announced a set of shows that will have him backed by symphonies from each city he plays in.

Billed as Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack, the fall tour hits three cities, starting Nov. 13 in Cincinnati, backed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. They’ll then play Chicago Nov. 17-18, with the Chicago Philharmonic, before wrapping the trek Nov. 22-23 in New Orleans, backed by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tickets for the shows in New Orleans and Chicago go on sale Friday at 10 a.m., while the Cincinnati show goes on sale Monday at 10 a.m.

Until then, Weir will continue to perform with Dead & Company at their Dead Forever residency at the Sphere Las Vegas. The band returns to the venue Aug. 1, with shows confirmed through Aug. 10. A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

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John Lennon fans are being encouraged to check out some classic memorabilia through a new John Lennon Memorabilia Treasure Hunt that was just launched by Hard Rock International and the John Lennon Estate. 

The hunt coincides with the recent release of Lennon’s Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection, as well as the launch of the new John & Yoko social website citizenofnutopia.com, where fans can access meditation affirmations, leave messages of gratitude for John and Yoko and more.

“We’ve been working on the box sets of Mind Games for years now. Initially I thought, ‘Mind Games’.. game… What if we ‘gamified’ Mind Games?” John and Yoko Ono’s son, Sean Lennon, shares. “So that’s all I’ll say for now, but there are many levels to this release, including the box sets and far beyond – that will slowly unravel – and I hope will potentially entertain and engage everyone for many years to come.” 

Fans are encouraged to check out Lennon memorabilia at Hard Rock locations across the globe, then scan QR codes that will reveal more stories about what they are seeing.

Items featured in the hunt include a black suit worn by Lennon during The Beatles’ 1965 U.S. tour, at the Hard Rock Café Bucharest; Lennon’s 1966 Guild Starfire 12-sting guitar, at the Hard Rock Honolulu; Lennon’s tan trademark collarless suit, at the Hard Rock Atlantic City; and handwritten “Help!” lyrics at the Hard Rock Cafe New York.

Aa part of the treasure hunt, Hard Rock is offering discounts to any members of John and Yoko’s Citizens of Nutopia site, and participants can earn points and rewards through the Hard Rock Unity loyalty program.

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Bruce Springsteen is back on the charts, thanks to country star Zach Bryan.

Billboard reports that the pair’s collaboration, “Sandpaper,” debuts at #26 on the Hot Country Songs chart, marking The Boss’ first appearance on the country chart. The tune also debuts at #71 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, which is Springsteen’s first time on the singles chart since February 2009, when “Working on a Dream” debuted at #95.

Springsteen first hit the Hot 100 in 1975 with “Born To Run,” which peaked at #23. He’s gone on to have 12 top-10 singles, including his highest-charting tune, “Dancing in the Dark,” which went to #2 in 1984.

“Sandpaper,” from Bryan’s new album The Great American Bar Scene, has similarities to Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. classic “I’m On Fire,” a #6 hit for The Boss. The pair first performed the tune together in concert back in March when Springsteen flew from San Diego to join Bryan onstage at his concert at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

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Classic concerts from Black Sabbath and Eric Clapton are coming out this fall on 4K Ultra High Definition.

Black Sabbath The End is a recording of the band’s February 4, 2017, farewell show in their hometown of Birmingham, England. The concert, originally released November 17, 2017, on DVD and Blu-ray, features the final show with Sabbath’s founding members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler together, performing such Sabbath classics as “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” “Paranoid” and more.

The release also includes the bonus of The Angelic Sessions, an intimate in-studio live session with the band playing hits that were not part of the tour’s set. It was recorded in the days after the final live public performance.

As for Clapton, his release, Slowhand at 70-Live At The Royal Albert Hall, originally came out in November 2015 on DVD, Blu-ray and more. It was recorded on May 21, 2015, during Clapton’s 70th birthday celebration tour. It was part of a seven-night stand at the iconic London venue, which included Clapton’s 200th show there.

The concert features performances of such Clapton classics as “Layla,” “Wonderful Tonight,” “I Shot the Sheriff” and more, as well as a bonus performance of “Little Queen of Spades.”

Both 4K UHD releases are due to drop on Sept. 13.

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On This Day, July 16, 1952 …

Stewart Copeland, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer for The Police, was born in in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Police were formed in London in 1977 and released their first album, Outlandos d’Amour, in 1976. They released five studio albums in total, including their fifth, final and most successful release, 1983’s Synchronicity.

Synchronicity spent 17 weeks at #1, with the single “Every Breath You Take,” their only #1 song, spending eight weeks on top.

After a tour to support the album, The Police went on hiatus in 1984 and eventually disbanded in 1986.

In 2003 they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and reunited to perform three songs together. It was their last live performance together until they reunited in 2007 for a tour that lasted until 2008. They broke up again after that.

Outside of The Police, Copeland has composed music for several films, including Wall Street and Men at Work, and has released several solo albums, including his most recent release, 2023’s Police Deranged for Orchestra.

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Grateful Dead fans will soon have a new opportunity to get their hands on some one-of-a-kind band memorabilia.

Relix Marketplace and ANALOGr.com have teamed up to offer some rare and unique music collectables, starting with the sale of 19 Grateful Dead items from the band’s career post 1960. 

Items up for grabs include a variety of posters, like a “New on Warner Bros” promo poster for their 1971 Skull and Roses album, owned by Grateful Dead roadie Ram Rod, which is priced at $500, and a rare first print “Quick & The Dead” glow poster, priced at $22,500. 

One of the larger items is a half-scale working model of The Dead’s Wall of Sound PA speaker system, which is being offered for $300,000.

There’s also a signed contract from the Grateful Dead’s 1985 Twilight Zone TV appearance, priced at $15,000; a 1995 “Northbound Train” Summer tour T-shirt for $200; a contact sheet with photos of The Dead and Bob Dylan for $2,500; and a Grateful Dead logo pressing by Bob Thomas and Owsley Stanley for $27,500. 

The Relix Marketplace/ANALOGr.com Grateful Dead sale will happen online starting Thursday at 1 p.m. More info can be found at relix.com.

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