Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page, The Black Crowes‘ Chris Robinson, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons and Johnny Depp were among the famous faces paying tribute to the late Jeff Beck Monday night in London, on what would have been Beck’s 80th birthday.
People reports that the artists, along with Beck’s wife, Sandra Beck, celebrated the guitar legend at the Gibson Garage in London, with Depp performing a song with Sandra.
The show, curated by Irish singer Imelda May, also featured performances by Anika Milles, from Jeff’s live band, and Toby Lee.
In addition to celebrating Beck, the event celebrated the launch of the new Gibson Custom Jeff Beck “YardBurst” 1959 Les Paul Standard.
Beck passed away Jan. 10, 2023, from bacterial meningitis. He was 78.
Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 is shooting down internet speculation that he plays to backing tracks during Crue live shows.
Video posted to social media claims to show the guitarist playing to backing tracks, as his hand appears to not be on the guitar while it’s playing. But John 5 took to social media to prove that’s not the case.
“I just wanna clarify and clear things up here there was a false news story saying I was using backing tracks and I find it very comical so check it out and here is an example very simple technique,” he captioned a video in which he gives fans a tutorial on how he plays, as his hairless cat joins him on the couch.
“I do this thing where I flip the pick around on my neck,” he said, showing how he’s still playing despite it looking like his hand is not on the guitar. He also gave another demonstration on a technique known as hammer-ons and pull-offs.
“Very simple. It’s not a big thing,” he noted. “A lot of things are played with one hand. A lot of musicians know this. So, nothing to worry about, no backing tracks.”
Mötley Crüe kicks off a set of Canadian dates on July 11 in Calgary, then brings their tour to the U.S. starting July 19 in Minot, North Dakota. A complete list of dates can be found at motley.com.
In March, The Who headlined two Teenage Cancer Trust shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. And while some fans worried it would be the last time they’d see Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey on a stage together, Townshend doesn’t think that will be the case.
“I’m pretty sure there will [be more],” he tells NME, although it doesn’t sound like fans will know if or when they’ll be playing their last concert.
“I can’t really see the point of making a big deal of [last Who shows], apart from the fact that it might help sell a few tickets,” he says. “The story of the end of The Who is gonna be when either Roger or I drop dead or can’t function anymore on the stage.”
As for what may be in store for the future, Pete says he’s “interested” in the Las Vegas Sphere, “just as a crazy, narcissistic art school thing,” adding, “It’s interesting as a venue because it challenges you to beat the fabric of the theatre.”
He also says he’s not opposed to a hologram show, noting, “If somebody wants to do it I don’t know that I would stop them, but they’re not gonna get me in one of those grids.”
One thing he doesn’t see happening is another Who album.
“If there was a need or a place for a Who album, could I write the songs for it within six weeks? Of course I f****** could, it’s a piece of cake,” he shares. “The problem is I don’t think Roger wants to do it again.”
Fans of King Crimson now have more chances to check out the BEAT tour, which will celebrate the band’s ’80s-era music. After numerous stops on the originally announced itinerary sold out, more shows have been added to the trek.
As previously reported, the tour features former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, along with guitar great Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey, reinterpreting three King Crimson albums – 1981’s Discipline, 1982’s Beat and 1984’s Three Of A Perfect Pair. They were also the first three albums to feature Belew and Levin.
A total of 21 new BEAT dates have been announced: the new shows stretch from Nov. 18 in Thousand Oaks, California, to Dec. 18 in Highland, California, with dates scattered across the rest of the U.S. in between. The tour kicks off Sept. 12 in San Jose, California.
“The 1981 through 1984 King Crimson created a music all its own. Timeless. Beautiful. Complex. Fierce,” Belew shares. “For the fans who lived through it then, and the ones who never got to witness it, our aim is to bring it to life again. A monumental task but we’re going for it! There are not enough exclamation points to express my excitement!”
Levin adds, “This is going to be quite a tour. Revisiting some of my favorite music is a treat in itself, but in company of this stellar lineup, I expect to have my musical butt kicked!”
A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at beat-tour.com.
Ozzy Osbourne stars in a new ad for the metal-themed canned water company Liquid Death.
The commercial begins with two kids pouring Liquid Death’s Death Dust electrolyte drink mix into their beverage when the Prince of Darkness rolls up.
“Death Dust? Take it from me, don’t snort that stuff!” Ozzy tells the impressionable youngsters, who respond that they have no desire to do to Death Dust what the “Crazy Train” metaller may or may not have done to a line of ants.
“We weren’t planning on snorting it,” the kids say. “We’re gonna mix it with water and hydrate!”
Ozzy, however, has more advice to share.
“Whatever you do, don’t try freebasing it,” he continues. “And never, ever inject it.”
Liquid Death writes in a description for the ad, “Hey kids, Ozzy knows best. Take it from a guy who knows a thing or two about bad decisions: Liquid Death’s more intensely flavored Death Dust hydration powder is much safer when you mix it with water and drink it.”
Liquid Death previously put out an ad soundtracked by a cover of the Judas Priest classic “Breaking the Law,” and has teamed up with blink-182‘s Travis Barker to sell a signature, um, enema kit.
Peter Frampton is hitting the road again this fall.
The rocker announced dates for The Positively Thankful Tour, sharing on social media that he called it that “because I got nominated and you guys voted and you got me into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Thank you so much.”
Frampton is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in October. He’ll hit the road before the big day, with the tour kicking off Sept. 8 in North Charleston, South Carolina.
The trek includes a show at New York’s Beacon Theatre and will also hit Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia before wrapping Sept. 23 in Northfield, Ohio.
A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at Frampton.com.
The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction will take place live 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.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Last year Bernie Taupin, who’s been writing the lyrics for Elton John‘s hits for more than 50 years, published his autobiography, Scattershot. But fans will soon have a chance to learn even more about the man behind the songs: a documentary is in the works, focusing on his life and career.
According to a press release, the film will “dive deep into the roots of Bernie’s creativity.” It features new interviews with artists like Ringo Starr, Annie Lennox, The Who‘s Pete Townshend, Metallica‘s James Hetfield, Alice Cooper and Brandi Carlile, as well as archival content.
Director Matthew Miele says in a statement, “I think many people are unaware that the phenomenon that is Elton John is really two people. And as talented and flamboyant as the melody maker of that duo has become, one can’t help but be curious about the one who writes the words, the storyteller.”
Bernie, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Elton last year, adds, “Reticent as I am to scrutiny, this project has been enlightening both on an emotional and analytical level. The originality of all parties involved has made participating in it much easier as I loosen my grip on the cards I hold closest to my chest.”
There’s no word yet on when we can expect the documentary, or where it will be screened or streamed. As previously reported, Elton John: Never Too Late, a new doc about Elton, will have its world premiere gala screening at September’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Def Leppard just released the video for their latest single, “Just Like 73,” featuring Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello.
The clip, which takes place in May 1973, features computer-generated younger versions of the guys in the band as they head to Earl’s Court in London, with Morello flying to the U.K. and parachuting in just in time for his guitar solo.
Guitarist Phil Collen tells ABC Audio that director Frank Gryner didn’t base their looks on actual old footage of him and his bandmates.
“I think I did look like that around 14, you know, that was kind of interesting,” Collen says. “He kind of pretty much nailed it without even seeing the photos from then.”
Collen says the band liked the video because it was “quaint” and “didn’t seem like it was trying too hard.”
He adds that the director also got all the details for the time right, noting, “That little bike that I’m riding is a Chopper, which all the kids had on my block and around my area in East London when I grew up.”
And fans will soon get to hear the band play the song live. Def Leppard is set to launch their summer stadium tour with Journey July 6 in St. Louis, with the band noting, “We can’t wait to play this one for you all on the tour!”
A new lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles accusing Warner Music of stealing footage for the 2021 Tom Petty documentary, Somewhere You Feel Free.
Filmmaker Martyn Atkins claims in his lawsuit he was hired in 1994 as art director for Petty’s solo album Wildflowers, and would “on his own volition and at his own cost” film Petty while making the album. He says he and the rocker would discuss possibly making a documentary from his footage, although it never happened due to Petty’s 2017 death.
The suit says in 2020 he met with the Petty Estate and the rocker’s daughter Adria Petty and they discussed a possible Wildflowers documentary, with him as a producer and director. He claims they discussed the location of his footage, which he shared. The footage had been stored at Warner Records because in 2014 Petty offered to hold it for him “for safekeeping” while Atkins was moving.
Atkins says after that initial meeting he never met with anyone again, and then in 2021 the documentary premiered with “a shocking 45 minutes” of the 90-minute film made up of his footage, which he insists he’s “the exclusive owner and author” of. He says the doc also incorrectly claimed the footage was “discovered” when he always knew where it was.
“The Film’s producers did not seek or obtain consent from Atkins to use his copyrighted footage,” reads the lawsuit, adding, “Defendants not only stole and misappropriated the Works, but also deprived Atkins of the opportunity of creating (and thus becoming ‘the filmmaker who brought you’) the project Atkins largely filmed and which he had always envisioned.”
Atkins is suing Warner for copyright infringement, and is seeking actual and compensatory damages, as well as an accounting of profits for the film and more.
The Who’s rock opera Quadrophenia is coming to the stage again, this time as a ballet.
Quadrophenia: A Mod Balletwill bedirected by Rob Ashford andwill feature the orchestral version of the album by Pete Townshend’s wife, Rachel Fuller, recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It will feature a large cast of dancers, with choreography by Paul Roberts.
Quadrophenia was released in 1973 andwritten entirely by Townshend; it was The Who’s second full rock opera following 1969’s Tommy. It featured such classic songs as “The Real Me,” “Love Reign O’er Me” and “5:15.”
The story, set in Brighton, England, in 1965, follows a young working-class mod named Jimmy on a journey of self-discovery. The album’s title was inspired by Jimmy’s four-way “split personality,” with each member of the band representing a different facet of that personality.
Like Tommy, Quadrophenia inspired a film, but unlike Tommy, it was a drama, not a musical. Released in 1979 to critical acclaim and commercial success, it starred Phil Daniels as Jimmy, with The Police’s Sting as Ace Face.
Quadrophenia: A Mod Ballet is set to tour the U.K., starting in Plymouth at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, where it will run from May 28 to June 1. It will open at London’s Sadler’s Wells on June 24 and run through July 13.
A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at modballet.com.
