Classic Rock News

Willie Nelson is bringing back the Outlaw Music Festival for another season. He’s announced 16 shows, which will continue this year’s celebration of his 90th birthday (his actual birthday is April 29). 

The lineup for the 2023 Outlaw Music Festival Tour features Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, John Fogerty and Gov’t Mule, along with The Avett Brothers, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Marcus King and others.

“I can’t wait to be on the road with the amazing group of artists joining us on this year’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour,” Nelson shares. “It is always a great day of music and fun with family, friends and the incredible fans, and even more special this year in celebration of my 90th birthday.” 

The tour kicks off June 23 in Somerset, Wisconsin, and runs through August 13 in Cincinnati, Ohio, with additional shows to be announced at a later date.

Tickets for the Outlaw Music Festival Tour go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. More information, as well as the complete lineup, can be found at outlawmusicfestival.com.

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On This Day, March 14, 2005 …

The annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place in New York City, with U2 and The Pretenders inducted into the prestigious institution, along with The O’Jays, Buddy Guy and Percy Sledge.

U2 was inducted by Bruce Springsteen, who joined the band for a performance of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” The band also performed “Until the End of the World,” “Pride (In The Name of Love)” and “Vertigo.” 

Neil Young was on hand to induct The Pretenders, who performed “My City Was Gone” and were then joined by Young for “The Needle and the Damage Done.”

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Metallica is following in the footsteps of Jack White by announcing a partnership with Furnace Record Pressing.

The metal legends have acquired the majority interest in the Virginia-based vinyl pressing company, which was founded in 1996. Metallica’s previously worked with Furnace for vinyl reissues of Master of Puppets and The Black Album, among others.

“Furnace has been great to Metallica and more importantly to our fans,” frontman James Hetfield says. “This deepened relationship between Metallica and Furnace ensures that fans of vinyl everywhere, particularly our Fifth Members, will have continued access to high quality records in the future.”

Meanwhile, Metallica is prepping the release of a new album, 72 Seasons. The much-anticipated follow-up to 2016’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, arrives April 14.

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Roger Daltrey hasn’t given up on his planned biopic on The Who’s late drummer, Keith Moon. In fact, in a new interview with NME he shared the latest update on the project, which he insists “will be made.” 

“I’m at a draft that’s ready to go to directors,” he tells the mag. “I’m waiting on a reply from a director that I was talking to prior to starting writing the script. I’m very pleased with the script, it will be made. … as soon as he’s finished the film that he’s on, he will read it and I’ll get a reply from him. Hopefully we’ll get it made ASAP.”

Daltrey says getting the film made has been “tricky,” noting several writers tried and failed at writing scripts. He decided to do it himself and “write the kind of story I had in my head of how to tell a story that engages people, that really does expose the full Moon.” 

Daltrey says Moon, who died in September 1978, was an “extraordinary character,” adding, “He was flawed, like we all are. But he was wonderful and he was an absolute uncontrolled genius. And people like him are greatly missed in life today, because life is so full of f****** mediocrity, it’s unbelievable.”

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Gary Glitter’s freedom didn’t last long. Sky News reports that just a month after being released from jail, Glitter is back behind bars after breaching his bail agreement.

Glitter was serving a 16-year sentence for various sexual offenses against minors when he was released in February after serving only half of his term. His fixed-term sentence meant he’d automatically be freed halfway through. 

According to a Ministry of Justice spokesperson, a condition of his release was that he would be “closely monitored” by the police and Probation Service. 

“Protecting the public is our number one priority,” said the spokesperson. “That’s why we set tough license conditions and when offenders breach them, we don’t hesitate to return them to custody.”

So far there’s no word on what Glitter did to warrant his return to jail.

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More Def Leppard fans will now be able to get their hands on the band’s anthology book, Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard. 

The book, which is described as “part memoir, part scrapbook,” was originally announced in October. It was released in two limited editions — The Collector’s and Deluxe editions — which were quickly snapped up by fans.

For fans who missed out on the first release, Genesis Publications recently announced it’s coming out in a hard cover bookstore edition on May 9. 

The book features hundreds of pieces of history of the band, including handwritten correspondence, photos of stage clothing, set lists, lyrics, music video storyboards and album artwork, along with pictures of the band on tour, in the studio, backstage and on planes.

The book is available for preorder now.

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Just one week after the death of guitarist and founding member Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd was back onstage Sunday at the Plant City Strawberry Festival in Florida, where they paid tribute to their late guitarist.

Rolling Stone reports that in the middle of the show the band played “Tuesday’s Gone” as video and images of Rossington, who passed away March 5 at the age of 71, were projected on the screen, along with the words “For Gary.” 

Rossington hasn’t played with the band since November, with Damon Johnson filling in for him alongside their other guitar players, Rickey Medlocke, who’s been with the band since 1996, and Mark Matejka, who’s been with them since since 2006.

The rest of the set featured such Lynyrd Skynyrd classics as “What’s Your Name,” “Gimme Three Steps” and “Sweet Home Alabama,” along with the show closer “Free Bird,” which saw Rossington’s picture projected on the screen alongside the other late members of Skynyrd.

Lynyrd Skynyrd has a little time off the road before their next gig. Their next show is scheduled for April 29 in Brandon, Mississippi. They’re also due to hit the road with ZZ Top this summer. A complete list of tour dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.

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David Lee Roth has shared another song with his fans. This time he’s dropped a cover of Marvin Gaye’s 1965 tune “Ain’t That Peculiar.”

The track was recorded at Henson Studios in Los Angeles, the same place Roth recorded a set of Van Halen tracks that he’s been releasing, including “You Really Got Me,” “Dance The Night Away,” “Panama,” “Everybody Wants Some!!” and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” as well as the most recent release, “Unchained.”

Released in 1965, Gaye’s tune was produced by Smokey Robinson, and written by Robinson and his Miracles bandmates Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore and Marv Tarplin. The song topped the Billboard Hot R&B singles chart and peaked at eight on the Hot 100.

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Rolling Stone magazine has come out with yet another list that’s bound to spark debate from music fans. The latest reveals their picks for the 100 greatest heavy metal songs of all time, with artists like Black Sabbath, Metallica and Iron Maiden making the list. 

Landing at number one is Black Sabbath’s “Black Sabbath,” which the mag describes as a “true metal original,” noting of the tune, “It’s the feeling all metal bands have been chasing ever since and it still reigns supreme.”

And that’s not the only Sabbath tune on the list. In fact, three of their tracks make the top 10, with “War Pigs” at five and “Iron Man” at seven. Plus, “Paranoid” is at 13, and “Heaven and Hell” is at 31. And Ozzy Osbourne‘s solo classic “Crazy Train” lands at six, while “Bark At The Moon” is at 56.

Just behind “Black Sabbath” at two is Metallica’s 1986 classic “Master of Puppets,” which the mag notes “brought nuance and complexity to their speed-metal assault and opened up the entire genre to new possibilities.” 

Other songs in the top 10 include: Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” at three, Judas Priest’s “Breaking The Law” at four, Slayer’s “Raining Blood” at eight, Dio’s “Holy Diver” at nine and Iron Maiden’s “Run To The Hills” at 10.

The complete list of 100 songs can be found at rollingstone.com.

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Rod Stewart is rallying to bring an end to trophy hunting, which he called “savagely cruel and senseless.”

The Mirror reports Sir Stewart signed onto the publication’s campaign to ban the practice in the U.K. and bar hunters from bringing their kills back home. The effort was launched ahead of a critical vote on a potential law change in the country on Friday.

When supporting the outlet’s bid, Stewart said in a statement, “We are in danger of losing some of the world’s most magnificent wildlife because of the selfishness of ‘trophy’ hunters.”

“How can this so-called sport be considered a pleasure or even fair when the opposition is unarmed?” he continued, adding that it’s “time to stand up for animals.”

Stewart’s remarks were echoed by Liam Gallagher of Oasis. “Trophy hunters are spoilt little brats; haven’t they got enough toys to play with?” he said in a statement of his own. “They’re wiping out wildlife. Soon there will be nothing left for them to kill. How are we going to explain that to future generations? Let’s get it banned.”

Succession star Brian Cox also signed onto the campaign and expressed concern that “wildlife is on the brink.”

Trophy hunting is the legal practice of selectively hunting wild game animals, usually for the purpose of taking back home taxidermied parts of their kill, such as the head or carcass, for display.

Humane Society International says trophy hunters tend to be wealthier individuals who can pay exorbitant prices to kill animals like lions, leopards, elephants and rhinos.

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