Classic Rock News

Jon Bon Jovi wants fans to know that despite what Richie Sambora says, the guitarist hasn’t made any “great overtures” about rejoining Bon Jovi.

Since Sambora left Bon Jovi in 2013, he’s hinted several times that he might reunite with the band, most recently in November 2023. But according to Jon, if Sambora is interested in doing so, he hasn’t made it very clear. In fact, according to Jon, the two have had very limited contact since 2013.

“I’ve talked to him twice,” Jon tells Classic Rock magazine. “He. Quit. The. Band. I swear to Christ there was never a fight, nothing … He wasn’t kicked out, he quit. And he hasn’t made any great overtures about coming back.”  

Jon also tells the magazine the exact circumstances under which Richie departed the band right before a show in Calgary.

“I talked to him the day before, I remember it so well. It was Easter Sunday, 2013 … [I was in New York] and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m feeling great … see you up there [in Canada].’”

“He said: ‘Can I stay home one more day?’ ‘Of course. You want to fly private tomorrow? Sure. Do it. I don’t care. See you up there,’”  Jon continues. “And then the next day the phone rings at three in the afternoon, and, you know… ‘I can’t go on.’”

Since then, Sambora has claimed that one reason he wanted to leave was that the band was getting “stale,” which Jon refutes.

“I didn’t think so, and the collective, we didn’t think so,” he tells Classic Rock. “I personally thought that everything was going incredibly … And it was never brought up in the room, or in the writing, or in the recording, or during the first 20 shows of that tour.”

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Dead & Company‘s Las Vegas residency is very much alive.

The band has just announced six additional shows for their Dead Forever – Live at Sphere residency, beginning August 1. That brings the total number of shows at the Sphere to 30, for now.

You can register for the presale at Dead & Company’s website. The presale itself starts Thursday at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. PT via deadandcompany.com. Tickets start at $145, including taxes and fees.

You can also access VIP concert and hotel packages for the dates at deadforever.vibee.com.

The band’s residency launched on May 16.

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A painting that Bob Dylan created while living in Woodstock, New York, in the ’60s has brought nearly $200,000 at an auction held one day before his 83rd birthday.

At the May 23 sale, held by RR Auctions, the colorful abstract painting — featuring the outline of a bull’s head and an image of a red man in a wide-brimmed hat — went for $196,156. It had been anticipated to sell for $100,000.

Dylan originally gave the painting to a Woodstock woman named Sandy LePanto in exchange for LePanto creating an astrology chart for him. The painting was rediscovered as part of LePanto’s ex-husband’s estate. 

Another notable item sold at the auction was a rare recording of Jimi Hendrix performing with Little Richard at a concert in Boston in 1965. That went for $51,644.

The next Bob Dylan auction item to keep an eye on is the ’65 Fender Telecaster he played on Blonde on Blonde and on his 1966 tour with The Band, then known as The Hawks. On each night of that tour, Dylan was booed by audiences who were upset that he’d “gone electric.” The Band’s Robbie Robertson later used the guitar at various live gigs, on The Band’s albums Music From Big Pink and Stage Fright, and on sessions for artists like Joni Mitchell and Ringo Starr.

The guitar will be auctioned off May 29 by Julien’s Auctions and is expected to bring up to $700,000.

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Metallica‘s longest song has made its live debut.

The “Enter Sandman” metallers played the 11-minute “Inamorata” for the first time during their concert in Munich, Germany, on Sunday.

“Inamorata” is the closing song off Metallica’s latest album, 2023’s 72 Seasons.

Metallica played two nights in Munich to kick off the 2024 European leg of their M72 tour. For each headlining stop on the tour, Metallica is playing two nights with completely different set lists.

The M72 tour will return to the U.S. in August.

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If you Google “Peter Frampton,” it’s likely you’ll find a photo of him playing a Gibson Les Paul guitar. Which is why it’s fitting that the newly minted Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee will receive the annual Spirit Award from the Les Paul Foundation.

The Spirit Award is given to people who “exemplify the spirit of the late great [guitar pioneer] Les Paul through innovation, engineering, technology and/or music.” Frampton will receive the honor June 9, which would have been Les Paul’s 109th birthday, at Gibson Garage Nashville. A grant from the foundation will also be made to the charity of Frampton’s choice in his name.

“I cannot think of anyone more fitting to be honored with this year’s Les Paul Spirit Award than Peter Frampton,” said Michael Braunstein, executive director of The Les Paul Foundation, in a statement. “Not only is he an extraordinary talent who has given us an amazing array of extraordinary music, but he is an innovator who understands music, technologies, and the spirit of Les Paul. … If Les were still alive today, I have absolutely no doubt that he and Peter would be experimenting together at Les’ house.”

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After announcing the postponement of four European concerts due to vocal issues, Bruce Springsteen has now taken to Instagram to address fans directly.

“Hey, it’s Bruce Springsteen. I’m in Marseille. Unfortunately, I could not sing for you,” says Bruce in his video message. “But we will be back — to Marseille, to Prague and to Milan — to give you the show of your life. That, I promise you.”

“In the meantime, I’d like to thank our Irish fans, our British fans, our fans in Wales for giving us a series of shows that [were] deeply memorable and we just had great times,” he continues. “We’ll be back, comin’ back to Madrid and Barcelona, where we plan to rock you into the ground. Alright, be seeing you soon. Bye bye.”

The message is followed by a video montage of Bruce & The E Street Band‘s U.K. shows.

Bruce and the band will resume their tour June 12 in Madrid.

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On This Day, May 28, 1945 …

Legendary rocker John Fogerty was born in Berkley, California.

Fogerty rose to fame as the lead singer, lead guitarist and principal songwriter for the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, which he co-founded in 1968 with his brother Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford and Stu Cook.

The band had nine top-10 singles, including such classics as “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Fortunate Son,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Green River,” “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” and “Down on The Corner.” Eight of their albums have been certified Gold. 

CCR broke up in 1972 and Fogerty launched a successful solo career. His 1985 solo album, Centerfield, gave him his first and only solo top-10 single, “The Old Man Down The Road.” Fogerty was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

In January 2023, after a 50-year battle with his former record label, Fogerty regained control of the worldwide publishing rights to his music with Creedence Clearwater Revival, which encompassed more than 65 songs.

Fogerty will be hitting the road this summer, with his tour kicking off June 2 in Simpsonville, South Carolina. A complete list of dates can be found at johnforgerty.com.

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Pearl Jam‘s headlining set at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival featured a surprise appearance by Bradley Cooper.

The Oscar nominee joined frontman Eddie Vedder for a rendition of the song “Maybe It’s Time” from the movie A Star Is Born, which Cooper starred in and directed. Cooper also stuck around for PJ’s set-closing performance of Neil Young‘s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

Fan-shot footage of the onstage collaborations is streaming now on YouTube, and Pearl Jam posted the BottleRock set list alongside a photo of Vedder and Cooper hugging on Facebook.

Cooper has long cited Vedder as one of the inspirations for his A Star Is Born character, Jackson Maine. Vedder has also performed “Maybe It’s Time” solo and played it for the first time during a Pearl Jam show in Las Vegas on May 16.

Pearl Jam is currently on tour in support of their new album, Dark Matter. The outing continues Tuesday in Seattle.

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Basketball legend and sportscaster Bill Walton died Monday at the age of 71, and he was remembered by some of his closest friends: the members of Dead & Company.

Walton was a Grateful Dead superfan and, at 6 feet, 11 inches tall, likely one of the “biggest” Deadheads ever. Dead & Company wrote on Instagram, “Fare you well, fare you well, we love you more than words can tell. Bill was an irreplaceable force and spirit in our family. Father Time, Rhythm Devil, biggest deadhead ever.”

“Over 1000 shows and couldn’t get enough. He loved this band and we loved him,” they continued. “We will miss our beloved friend, @BillWalton, deeply. Rest in peace and may the four winds blow you safely home.”

Dead & Company’s Bob Weir posted a separate tribute, writing, “Yo Bill, thanks for the ride. Thanks for the wonderful friendship, the years of color commentary – and the Hal of Fame existence that you wore like headlights. Bon voyage ol’ buddy. We’re sure gonna miss you – but don’t let that slow you down.”

Drummer Mickey Hart wrote, “Bill was my best friend, the best friend I ever had. He was an amazing person, singular, irreplaceable, giving, loving. His love for our music was beyond description … He was the biggest Deadhead in the world and used our music as the soundtrack to his life … Bon voyage, old friend, I love you.”

Drummer/percussionist Bill Kreutzmann also paid tribute to Walton, writing in part, “Bill was a genuine fan that became a genuine friend … his towering presence was more than just literal. Whenever I play, there will now always be a hole where a seat should be, about ten rows back, center, where Bill used to stand, eyes closed, arms raised, while he felt the music running through him … I loved Bill Walton.”

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Jane’s Addiction has announced a co-headlining U.S. tour with Love and Rockets.

The joint outing kicks off August 9 in Las Vegas and concludes September 26 in Indianapolis.

Presales begin Tuesday. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit JanesAddiction.com.

The tour news follows the reunion of Jane’s classic lineup — frontman Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery — for the first time in 14 years during an intimate show in London on May 23. Avery rejoined the group in 2022, while Navarro had been absent from the band since late 2021 due to long COVID-19.

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