Classic Rock News

For the first time ever, Iron Maiden‘s Bruce Dickinson has met the band’s former singer, Paul Di’Anno.

The two were introduced in person on Saturday while they were both in Croatia, where Di’Anno has been living. Dickinson stopped in the country while on tour supporting his new solo album, The Mandrake Project.

“This was an exceptional opportunity for the two icons of heavy metal music and the legendary singers of the band Iron Maiden to meet for the first time after almost half a century,” says Di’Anno’s manager, Stjepan Juras. “This is an exceptional night for the entire Iron Maiden community and for metal fans around the world, because it shows that Iron Maiden and everyone who was in that band, is one big family.”

Video of the encounter was posted by Di’Anno’s record label, Bravewords Records.

Di’Anno sang in Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981 and was replaced by Dickinson.

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Foreigner’s Lou Gramm is about to become a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, but before he gets the honor, he’ll impart some rock ‘n’ roll wisdom to campers at the next edition of Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, taking place in New York City. 

Gramm tells ABC Audio that he enjoys getting to interact with the participants, sharing, “I recognize the same obsession that I had when I was their age, and I gravitate towards that right away.”

While some campers are there to learn more about music, others are just there to have fun, but Gramm says they are all usually “very intelligent and they ask great questions.”

“It’s a real positive experience,” he says. 

Part of that camp experience is that participants get to perform with the musician counselors, and Gramm says it’s fun to play songs like “Urgent” and “Juke Box Hero” with them.

“I get the impression that the young rockers really want to cut loose,” he says, “and those songs are perfect for that.” 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s Rock The Apple is happening July 18-21. In addition to Gramm, counselors include Bad Company’s Simon Kirke, and Cheap Trick’s Rick and Daxx Nielsen. More info can be found at rockcamp.com.

Gramm and the members of Foreigner are set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Oct. 19 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The ceremony will stream live on Disney+, followed by a special airing on ABC at a later date.

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Sammy Hagar kicks off his The Best of All Worlds tour on Saturday in West Palm Beach, Florida, and now the rocker is giving his fans a chance to own a guitar used during rehearsals for the trek.

Sammy just announced a new giveaway, with a grand prize of an electric guitar from bandmate Joe Satriani’s personal collection. The turquoise guitar, which was played by both Joe and Sammy during the band’s first tour rehearsals, is signed by all members of the band: Sammy, Joe, bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte.

To enter, fans simply have to follow Sammy or his Beach Bar Rum on Instagram, tag three concert buddies, and like and share the sweepstakes post. The contest runs from July 12 to July 19 at 12 p.m. PT, and a random winner will be selected and notified on July 20.

And speaking of Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum, that and his other alcohol options, including his canned cocktails, Red Rocker Lager and Santo Spirits tequila, will be available at concession stands at the first two stops on the tour, July 13 at iThink Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach and July 14 at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa.

A complete list of Sammy’s dates can be found at redrocker.com.

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Stevie Nicks performed at the BST Hyde Park summer festival in London on July 12, and her old pal Harry Styles showed up to sing a few songs with her.

Stevie and Harry have been friends for years; he inducted her into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist and has performed with her onstage several times. On Friday he joined Stevie to sing the late Tom Petty‘s part on the duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” then stuck around to help Stevie perform her Fleetwood Mac favorite, “Landslide.” You can watch fan-shot clips of the performances on social media.

Stevie’s set concluded with a version of her late bandmate Christine McVie‘s hit “Got a Hold on Me.” McVie,  who died in 2022, was born on July 12.

Harry’s last actual concert was his tour-ending show in Italy in July 2023.

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While The Police may have put out some legendary albums throughout their career, drummer Stewart Copeland says that making those albums wasn’t necessarily a pleasant experience.

“We had a great bond, which wasn’t strong enough to make recording together very easy,” Copeland tells The Guardian when asked about his relationship with bandmates Sting and Andy Summers. “We tore each other’s throats out in the studio but those two motherf****** came up with incredible stuff and we got on really well on stage, in the van, on the plane.”

As for their current relationship, Copeland shares, “To this day we still send each other dumb Instagram clips. It’s a myth that Sting and I fought all the time. I broke his rib once, but we were play-fighting.”

The Police are set to reissue their final and most successful album, Synchronicity, on July 26, and Copeland describes recording the album as “very dark.” 

“We beat the crap out of each other,” he says. “We’ve laughed about it since, but going back into that black hole isn’t something we tended towards.” 

The super deluxe edition of the reissue includes 55 previously unreleased tracks — alternate takes, instrumentals, demos and live recordings — and Copeland is hinting at that other albums may get similar treatment. 

He notes, “But it was such fun listening to the demos and songs that didn’t make it, so there will be more reissues. We’re starting at the end and working backwards.”

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Even if you don’t get to see Billy Joel perform his ongoing residency at Madison Square Garden before he calls it quits, don’t worry — the Piano Man will still be in a “New York State of Mind.”

In a preview of an interview with Willie Geist that will air on NBC’s Sunday TODAY, Billy says that during the decade that he’s been doing his residency, there was an “exclusivity aspect” of the deal that prevented him from playing other New York-area venues. But now, he says, “We can play stadiums. Yankee Stadium, Giants Stadium, Citi Field, where the Mets play, so there’s plenty of that lined up. I’m not going to stop doing shows. That’s what I do.”

“We have a whole schedule laid out into 2025, where we’re going to be playing,” he continues.

And he’s not even considering retiring, he says. “I’m not going to stop doing shows. That’s what I do. What else am I going to do? Stop doing shows and sit around, and watch TV, and turn into a vegetable? No. I don’t want to do that,” he notes.

Billy also says he’s happy that his audiences are filled with younger people, and not just people who’ve been around since he started his career 50 years ago.

“Yeah, and we’re getting all different age demographics. I’m seeing a lot of younger people in our shows. It’s like they’re coming to see the antique,” he laughs. “That’s all that I can do. But it helps having new audiences come in all the time.”

The final show of Billy’s MSG residency will take place on July 25.

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Elvis Costello is once again adjusting his show due to illness in his band.

The rocker announced on his Instagram Story that Imposter bassist Davey Faragher and special guest guitarist Charlie Seton are still unable to take the stage, so like his show in Philadelphia on Wednesday, he’ll be performing as a trio at his Friday show at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. 

“THIS IS AS CLOSE TO THE ATTRACTIONS AS YOU ARE EVER GOING TO GET,” he writes, explaining that he’ll be taking the stage with drummer Pete Thomas and longtime collaborator Steve Nieve, both members of his previous band the Attractions, “for a unique trio performance.”

He adds, “Tonight’s show promises even more new arrangements and different song choices.”

Costello explained at his Philly show that Faragher and Sexton had “fallen afoul of a bad piece of fish.”

He writes in his latest post that he hopes they “will soon return to match fitness after illness,” but adds, “you should not miss the opportunity to see E.C. and his ‘Attractive’ cohorts in action.”

Costello is currently on tour with Daryl Hall. After Friday’s show they play Boston on Sunday. A complete list of dates can be found at elviscotstello.com.

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Jeff Lynne is offering up a unique live experience for fans.

The rocker is set to kick off the last-ever tour of Jeff Lynne’s ELO in August, and he’s teamed with Prizeo for a sweepstakes with a grand prize of a VIP experience to their Sept. 28 show in Chicago.

Two VIP packages are up for grabs in the sweepstakes, and they include tickets to the concert, roundtrip airfare, two nights’ accommodations and VIP access to the Jeff Lynne’s ELO lounge, including drink tickets, appetizers and a desert bar. It also includes a green screen photo booth experience, specially designed merch and a limited-edition tour poster.

Fans who donate at least $10 will be entered to win the package, although the larger the donation the more entries into the sweepstakes. Proceeds will benefit Simms Mann UCLA Center, which helps provide vital care to cancer patients and their families. 

Jeff Lynne’s ELO will kick off The Over and Out tour on Aug. 24 in Palm Dessert, California. A complete list of dates can be found at jefflynneselo.com.
 

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Sting has announced two very special shows in New York City.

The rocker will be performing at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Philippe Petit‘s highwire walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center.

“While Philippe and I have been friends for many years, this event marks the first time we will collaborate professionally – you won’t want to miss it,” Sting shares on Instagram. 

Information on tickets can be found at stjohndivine.org. 

Petit’s illegal walk between the two buildings in lower Manhattan happened on Aug. 7, 1974. It was the subject of the 2008 documentary Man on Wire, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. Joseph Gordon-Levitt played Petit in a 2015 fictional movie based on the event, The Walk.

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Lenny Kravitz has posted yet another thirst trap for his fans.

The rocker just shared two new black-and-white photos on Instagram, both showing him relaxing in a bubble bath while reading a magazine. Both show off his chiseled chest and numerous tattoos. He is, of course, still wearing his sunglasses. 

Kravitz captioned the photos “Buongiorno,” which means “good morning” in Italian.

As you can imagine, Kravitz fans were eating up the photos. “Stop teasing me, Lenny Kravitz,” one wrote, while another added, “Good Jesus thank you Lord for Lenny.”

The caption is appropriate for Lenny, as he’s currently in Italy, where he’s playing a show in Lucca on Friday. A complete list of dates can be found at lennykravitz.com.

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