Classic Rock News

The Rolling Stones will revisit their 1999 concert at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London for a new release.

Welcome to Shepherd’s Bush is a recording of the band’s June 8, 1999, club show. The concert was a “secret gig” by The Stones, happening just a few days before they played two sold-out shows at Wembley Arena. 

The concert was witnessed by a star-studded crowd, including such big names as The Who‘s Pete Townshend, Lenny Kravitz, Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Aerosmith, Jon Bon Jovi and more.

The concert featured several rarely played tunes, including the only known performance of the Voodoo Lounge track “Moon Is Up,” and “Melody” from Black and Blue, which had only been performed once prior. It also featured a guest appearance by opening act Sheryl Crow on “Honky Tonk Woman.”

Welcome to Shepherd’s Bush will be released Dec. 6 on 4K Ultra High Definition with a Dolby Atmos audio option, the first time a Stones video has been released in that format. It will also be released as a Blu-ray + two-CD set; a limited-edition two-CD package; a two-LP black vinyl package; and a two-LP set in 180-gram white vinyl.

Welcome to Shepherd’s Bush is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, Oct. 22, 1969 …

Led Zeppelin released their second studio album, aptly titled Led Zeppelin II, produced by the band’s guitarist, Jimmy Page.

The album was the rocker’s first #1 hit in both the U.S. and U.K., and featured the future Zeppelin classic “Whole Lotta Love,” which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a top 10 hit in several other countries around the world. 

Other fan favorites on the album include “Ramble On” and “Thank You.”

The album was the band’s first commercial success and went on to be certified 12-times Platinum by the RIAA. It is considered by many critics to be one of the most influential albums of all time.

It also earned a Grammy for Best Recording Package.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Joe Walsh’s annual VetsAid concert is happening in November, and he’s giving fans a chance to land a one-of-a-kind VIP experience.

The Eagles guitarist has just launched a new Fandiem sweepstakes, with the grand prize being round-trip travel for two to New York City, plus special VIP passes to VetsAid, which will be held Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York. 

The prize also includes seats in the friends and family section, access to a special friends and family VIP lounge with food and drink, a possible meeting with Walsh, access to soundcheck and a special VetsAid merch package.

To enter, fans need to make a donation to VetsAid, which raises money for charities helping veterans.

The 2024 edition of VetsAid will feature performances by Walsh, Post Malone, Toto, Eric Church and newly minted Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Kool and the Gang. Tickets are on sale now.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ahead of the release of his memoir Brothers on Tuesday, Alex Van Halen has released the full version of “Unfinished,” a previously unreleased track that was the last song he wrote with his brother, Eddie Van Halen.

The tune is featured on the audiobook of Brothers, but has now also been shared on VanHalen.com, where fans can also download it. 

Brothers is described by Alex as a love letter to Eddie, who passed away in October 2020. Alex launches a three-city book tour in support of the release on Monday in New York City. He will hit Northvale, New Jersey, on Tuesday, and Culver City, California, on Thursday.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Gene Simmons made a career playing bass for KISS, but he wouldn’t consider himself a virtuoso, and he’s perfectly happy with that. 

He tells Guitar World that he thinks virtuosos are simply “show-offs in music” and he’s not a fan.

“I don’t consider myself – and was never really interested in being – a bass virtuoso,” he says. “I don’t like show-offs in music. I’m much more attracted to things that are memorable. It’s part of the joy of music for me.”

He took aim at jazz bassists, noting that no matter how respected they are “the rest of the world doesn’t care,” adding, “We’re going to play a game: name a jazz player that means something.”

He also took aim at Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea, saying, “guys like Flea, who is really good on his instrument, but I can’t remember anything he plays – and I also do not like the sound of a bass being slapped.”

It seems Simmons would prefer to keep things simple, and he doesn’t think that’s easy.

“The hardest thing to do is write a good simple song or riff,” he says. “That’s really hard.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen has commented on the recent death of One Direction singer Liam Payne at the age of 31, telling The Telegraph, “That’s not an unusual thing in my business.”

“It’s a normal thing. It’s a business that puts enormous pressures on young people,” he elaborated. “Young people don’t have the inner facility or the inner self yet to be able to protect themselves from a lot of the things that come with success and fame. “

Springsteen says to compensate artists turn to drugs or alcohol “to take some of that pressure off,” something that’s not foreign to him or his band. 

“I mean, I’ve had my own wrestling with different things,” he says. “Drugs were not uncommon in the E Street Band, you know.”

But Bruce drew the line on those things affecting his live shows. 

“I stayed out of your business, but if I was on stage and I saw that you were not your complete self, there was going to be a problem,” he said. “And so it made a bit of a boundary around that stage, where people had to be relatively sober and at their best.” 

He added, “And I always say, one of the things I was proudest of is that if one of my fellas passed on, they passed on of natural causes.”

After Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau mentioned artists who died young like Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, Springsteen added, “and people continue to fall to it. It’s a death cult.”

“It’s a grift, man. That’s a part of the story that suckers some young people in, you know, but it’s that old story,” he added. “Dying young – good for the record company, but what’s in it for you?”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards was in Nashville on Sunday to help celebrate guitarist James Burton’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

According to Billboard, Richards, who inducted Burton into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, attended the Hall of Fame’s 2024 Medallion Ceremony, performing “I Can’t Dance” with Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill. 

Elvis Costello was also on hand to honor Burton, performing “Believe What You Say” with musician John Jorgenson.

Burton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in the Recording and/or Touring Musician Category. The legendary guitarist played on records by artists such as Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Jr., The Everly Brothers and Glen Campbell, and toured with Elvis Presley.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Iron Maiden has issued a statement on late former singer Paul Di’Anno, whose death was announced Monday.

The metal icons write in a Facebook post, “We are all deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Paul Di’Anno earlier today.”

“Paul’s contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been travelling as a band for almost five decades,” the post reads. “His pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and on our first two albums, will be very fondly remembered not just by us, but by fans around the world.”

Di’Anno, 66, was a member of Maiden from 1978 to 1981 and sang on their first two albums: 1980’s self-titled debut and 1981’s Killers. After being let go from the band, Di’Anno was replaced by current-day Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson.

In his own statement, Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris says, “It’s just so sad [Di’Anno is] gone.”

“I was in touch with him only recently as we texted each other about West Ham [soccer team] and their ups and downs,” Harris writes. “At least he was still gigging until recently, it was something that kept him going, to be out there whenever he could. He will be missed by us all. Rest in peace mate.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Devo is set to play the 2025 Cruel World Festival, happening May 17 at Brookside at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Cruel World will be headlined by New Order and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, with a lineup that also includes The Go-Go’s, Buzzcocks, Garbage, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Madness and Alison Moyet. 

Passes for the festival go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. PT. A complete lineup can be found at cruelworldfest.com.

Next up, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale and Robert Mothersbaugh will sit down for a Q&A following screenings of De-evolution is Real: The Restored Films of Devo at AFI Fest 2024.

The screenings will take place Wednesday and Saturday at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The screenings feature a selection of the band’s film, video and audio archives, which were restored for their 50th anniversary.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Billy Joel took his family to see Taylor Swift at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium over the weekend, which apparently helped Taylor break one of his attendance records.

Prior to the show, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer shared a Reel of the fam headed to the concert, with Billy wearing a T-shirt that read “I’m The Dad It’s Me,” a reference to Taylor’s song “Anti-Hero.”

On Monday he shared a photo of them at the concert with Taylor’s mom, as well as an older photo of him with Taylor, his wife and his daughters, Della Rose, 9, and Remy Ann, who turns 7 on Tuesday. In the caption he gave the pop star props for breaking a record he had previously set with Elton John. 

“Our family attended the Taylor Swift concert at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami where Billy Joel/Elton John’s ‘Face to Face’ concert previously held the seating record,” he shared. “Taylor’s second concert at Hard Rock Miami set a new record and ushered in a new era at Hard Rock Stadium. We were so happy to be a part of this record-breaking concert!”

He also shared, “Celebrating someone’s success does not negate your own. She is showing our girls all that is possible. Onward and upward #swifties.”

Billy is set to play San Antonio with Sting on Friday. He also just added a new tour date to his schedule, March 15 at Toronto’s Rogers Arena. A complete list of dates can be found at billyjoel.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.