Classic Rock News

Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee has shared a statement as he continues to recover from being shot in Las Vegas on Tuesday. 

Lee writes in a Facebook post, “I deeply appreciate all the concern and well wishes. Makes everything going on a little better.”

Lee was walking his dog, Coco, early in the morning when he was shot three times.

“Don’t want to go into details now, I’m tired, but I feel relatively very lucky,” Lee writes. “The police found 15 shell casings at the scene which means he emptied his clip on me. I could only dodge so many so one bullet went through my forearm, one through my foot, and one in the back which broke a rib and damaged a lung.”

“Priority now is to keep draining my lung till it’s done crying,” he continues. “Then we can pull that tube out and concentrate on the more minor injuries.”

Lee concludes by assuring, “Coco’s fine and appreciates your inquiries!”

Lee played in Ozzy’s band from 1982 to 1987. In a statement to TMZ, Ozzy said, “It’s been 37 years since I’ve seen Jake E. Lee, but that still doesn’t take away from the shock of hearing what happened to him,” adding, “It’s just another senseless act of gun violence …  I just hope he’ll be OK.”

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On This Day, Oct. 17, 1980 …

Bruce Springsteen released his fifth studio album, The River – his only double album to date.

The project was originally intended as a single album called The Ties That Bind, but Springsteen canceled its release at the last minute and wrote more songs. Retitled The River, the album’s 20 tracks featured a deliberate mix of fun, upbeat tunes and darker material.

The River went on to become Bruce’s first #1 album and contained his first top 10 hit, “Hungry Heart.” It has since been certified quintuple Platinum by the RIAA.

Many songs on the album became fan favorites, including “Out in the Street,” “Sherry Darling,” the title track and “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch),” with many becoming staples of The Boss’ live shows. 

In 2015, Springsteen released the box set The Ties That Bind: The River collection and celebrated the original album’s 35th anniversary with a tour in which he performed the double album in its entirety.

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Jake E. Lee is on the mend after he was shot multiple times in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

That’s according to a text exchange between the former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist and former Guns N’ Roses and Sixx:A.M. shredder Ashba, who posted a screenshot of the conversation in his Instagram Story.

“Please tell me you’re okay??” Ashba texted Lee, who then responded, “Doing surprisingly well.”

“I am one luck mother f*****,” Lee continued. “Just make sure your bday bash is wheelchair accessible! Just jestin’.”

According to a statement from Lee’s management, Lee was shot while walking his dog early Tuesday morning in what is believed to be a completely random incident. The statement added that Lee is “expected to fully recover.”

Lee played in Ozzy’s solo band from 1982 to 1987. In a statement to TMZ, Ozzy said, “It’s been 37 years since I’ve seen Jake E. Lee, but that still doesn’t take away from the shock of hearing what happened to him today. It’s just another senseless act of gun violence. I send my thoughts to him and his beautiful daughter, Jade. I just hope he’ll be OK.”

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Madame Tussauds is set to honor Elton John with a brand new wax figure.

The museum just revealed a preview of a new gravity-defying statue featuring Elton’s signature 1970s keyboard handstand move. The figure is expected to debut later this year in Madame Tussauds London’s Impossible Festival music zone, which already features statues of Queen’s Freddie Mercury and David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, as well as Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Amy Winehouse.

“We’ve been creating figures of Sir Elton John since the beginning of his legendary career, and he has always inspired us to go above and beyond in our creations,” Steve Blackburn, general manager at Madame Tussauds London, says. “Back in the 1970s, his first figure was our first talking figure, and in 2024 we’re determined to go big again.” 

He adds, “The figure’s iconic, gravity-defying pose will capture the essence of Elton’s legendary early performances in a way that only Madame Tussauds London can.”

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A new class of musicians will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, and Sting, a Hall of Fame member himself, is excited by some of this year’s inductees.

The rocker tells ABC Audio he’s particularly happy to see Peter Frampton and Mary J. Blige get in this year.

“I’m a big fan of Peter Frampton,” Sting says. “I think he’s had an amazing career from way back when he was in England and I was a kid. So, yeah, it’s great.” 

He adds, “Mary’s a dear friend of mine. We worked together, so that’s fantastic.”

Sting’s also happy to see the late British blues musician Alexis Korner get recognized in the Musical Influence category.

He notes Korner was a “very, very influential figure in London in the blues scene, in the jazz scene,” sharing, “The Rolling Stones came out of that thing and so many other people,” a reference to the fact that Stones drummer Charlie Watts was in Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, along with several other artists. 

Sting, whose Sting 3.0 tour hits Miami on Sunday, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 as a member of The Police. During their induction he reunited with bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland to perform three songs: “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle” and their #1 hit “Every Breath You Take.” 

Meanwhile, the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held Saturday at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. It will stream live on Disney+ at 7 p.m. ET and will be available to rewatch following the ceremony.

On Jan. 1, ABC will air the special 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, featuring performance highlights. It’ll be available the next day on Hulu and Disney+. 

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Just as they did for Hurricane Helene relief, Metallica is donating $100,000 to help those affected by Hurricane Milton.

Through their All Within My Hands charity foundation, the metal legends are sending $50,000 to Feeding America and $50,000 to the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center.

“The series of storms has strained food bank operations, and there is a need for the swift restoration of essential technology and communications infrastructure,” Metallica says.

For more info, visit AllWithinMyHands.org.

Metallica’s Hurricane Helene donation included $50,000 to World Central Kitchen and $50,000 to Team Rubicon.

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While Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde may love the band’s fans, it seems she’s sick of seeing the same ones in the front row time and time again. 

In a post on social media, Hynde addressed fans who come to multiple shows and get in the front row, letting them know why they may not be keeping the spot they snag.

“First of all, thank you to everyone who’s come to see our shows. We’re in the homestretch of this year‘s tour and it’s been a real pleasure,” she writes. “Fantastic cities and fantastic audiences. We’ve had a great time playing for you.”

But she shares that there’s “[o]ne thing we feel obliged to explain: When we go on tour, the whole point of it for the band is that we are playing to a different audience every night.” She notes they “look forward to seeing local faces. This is what makes it new for us every night.”

“We appreciate those of you who follow us and buy tickets for multiple nights, so please don’t be offended if we request you to move out of the front row,” she adds. “All we are asking is that you give the local fans a chance. This is what keeps it new for us…especially after being on tour for so many months.”

Pretenders are currently on a U.K. tour. They play Edinburgh, Scotland, on Wednesday and Gateshead, England, on Thursday. A complete list of dates can be found at thepretenders.com.

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Bruce Springsteen posed for pictures with The Bear star Jeremy Allen White at the New York premiere screening of The Boss’ upcoming documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

White is set to play Bruce in the upcoming film Deliver Me From Nowhere, about the making of Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska, and this was the first time they’ve been photographed together.

The Road Diary screening took place Tuesday at the Museum of Modern Art, with Bruce, director Thom Zimny, guitarist Stevie Van Zandt and Bruce’s manager Jon Landau in attendance, along with musicians Marky Ramone, Paul Shaffer and G.E. Smith, actor Andrew McCarthy, comedian Sandra Bernhard and others. 

Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band debuts Oct. 25 on Hulu and Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News. 

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Sammy Hagar has shared a classic Van Halen performance clip on YouTube.

Hagar posted a video of the band — him, Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony — performing the 5150 track “Why Can’t This Be Love,” which was recorded in August 1995 in Toronto for Canada’s Much Music.

“It’s so touching when I see old clips of Eddie singing his heart out!” Sammy shared in the caption. “He wasn’t a natural lead singer, but when he sang, he had [sic] with soul and passion. This is a prime example.” 

He added, “And Mikey, rockin’ that mullet hard! I Love finding this old stuff for ya.”

The video release comes just a day after Rolling Stone released Alex Van Halen’s first interview since Eddie’s October 2020 death. In it, Alex seemed to discount Sammy’s contribution to the band, saying “the heart and the soul and the creativity and the magic” of Van Halen was the original four members, him, Eddie, Anthony and David Lee Roth.

The mag also noted the only mention of the Van Hagar years in Alex’s upcoming memoir, Brothers, due out Tuesday, is Alex writing, “We had a lot of other singers over the years.”

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The Metallica pinball machine is getting an update.

A “remastered” version of the metal legends’ signature game has been revealed by the company Stern Pinball, which also put together the original 2013 cabinet. 

The updated machine features expanded gameplay options, additional songs, new video and animation, and updated voice recordings from the Metallica members. 

“Obey your pinball master!” frontman James Hetfield declares in a new trailer released by Stern.

If you have room in your home for a Metallica pinball machine and $9,699 to spend, you can order one now via Metallica.com.

You can hear more about the pinball machine on the latest episode of The Metallica Report podcast.

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