Classic Rock News

Jon Bon Jovi has given fans some hope that a new Bon Jovi tour may be happening in the near future.

The rocker previously revealed that he is still recovering from surgery for atrophied vocal cords and that he wouldn’t tour again unless his voice was back 100%. In a new interview with Planet Rock, he seems to suggest he’s close to getting there.

Jon’s surgery and recovery are detailed in the recently released Hulu docuseries Thank You, Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story, but Jon says what fans see in the series covers things that happened up to two years ago.

“It’s been a slog,” he says of the recovery. “Nothing that I would ever wish on my worst enemy.” But, he says, “The recovery is proceeding, it’s progressing, it’s getting there, and it’s sort of out of your control at this point.” He notes, “The good news is we’re coming through it.”

And when the idea of a possible tour with the band was mentioned, Jon seemed more than hopeful.

“Oh, I’m not worried about it. It’s gonna happen. Not tonight but very soon,” he says. “For me to be in this clear a voice at 9 a.m. in the morning after eight hours of talking yesterday, it’s there. It’s just a matter of time now.”

As fans wait for a tour, at least they’ll get to enjoy some new music. Bon Jovi will release the new album, Forever, on June 7.

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Billy Idol is opening up to People about his path to sobriety, revealing that he’s currently “California sober.” 

The rocker says he decided “not be a drug addict anymore” after he was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in 1990, but his sobriety didn’t happen overnight. 

“It took a long time, but gradually I did achieve some sort of discipline where I’m not really the same kind of guy I was in the ’80s,” he says. “I’m not the same drug addicted person.”

“I mean, AA would say, ‘You’re always a drug addict.’ And that may be true, but I don’t do anything that much anymore. I got over it somehow,” he adds, noting, “I was really lucky that I could get over it because a lot of people can’t.” 

Idol says his “California sober” lifestyle means he’ll have the occasional glass of wine, sharing, “I don’t have to do nothing.” 

“I just tell myself I can do what I want, but then I don’t do it,” he says. “If I tell myself I can’t do anything, I want to do it. So I tell myself, ‘You can do anything you like.’ But I don’t actually do it.”

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A new book about The Doors will take a deep dive into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band as they celebrate their 60th anniversary. 

Night Divides the Day, the first official anthology on The Doors, is being described as the “most definitive book yet” on the band. It features new interviews with surviving members Robby Krieger and John Densmore, and archival contributions from the late Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek.

Hours of archival interviews were used as sources for the book, which also features rare photos, song lyrics, poster artwork and more. It also includes contributions from artists like Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Nancy Sinatra and Van Morrison.

Only 2,000 copies of the book will be available — in two different editions. The Collector edition is limited to 1,650 copies, all signed by Densmore and Krieger. It comes with a 24-page replica program of The Doors’ 1968 tour and a booklet featuring reproductions of the previously unseen mastertape boxes of six of The Doors’ albums. There’s also a 7-inch vinyl picture disc featuring rare demos of “Hello I Love You” and “Moonlight Drive.” 

The Deluxe edition, limited to 350 copies, is also signed by Densmore and Krieger, and features much of the same content as the Collector, with the addition of five previously unpublished photo prints of The Doors at the Whisky a Go Go in 1966, taken by photographer George Rodriguez.

Night Divides the Day is available for preorder now, with the book expected to ship in January 2025.

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Steve Perry is singing Journey again — just not with Journey.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer announced on Instagram that he has rerecorded the Raised on Radio track “It Could Have Been You” with The Effect, the band made up of Trevor Lukather — son of Toto‘s Steve Lukather — Phil Collins‘ son Nic Collins, Steve Maggiora and Emmett Sans. 

“I’ve known Trevor Lukather since he was 9 years old and he is a very gifted musician. One day we were talking about his new band, The Effect… He surprisingly mentioned ‘It Could Have Been You’ is one of his favorite tracks from that record, I told him I felt the same,” Perry shared. “I then said, why don’t you record it? He asked if I would sing on it if they did, I said… ‘Of course my most precious!'”

“I must say, singing on their powerful track brought out a vocal experience in me from years ago !” he adds, noting that he always considered the song a “diamond in the rough.” 

The reimagined version of “It Could Have Been You” will be released May 7 on all streaming services.

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Dave Grohl paid tribute to late Pantera guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott with a performance of “My Hero” during Foo Fighters‘ concert in Dallas on Wednesday, May 1.

“Since we’re here in Dallas, I’m gonna dedicate this one to an old friend who lived around here,” Grohl told the crowd in fan-shot footage posted to YouTube. “His name is ‘Dimebag’ Darrell.”

Dime founded Pantera alongside his brother, Vinnie Paul, in nearby Arlington, Texas. Grohl, a longtime Pantera fan, wrote about hanging with Dime and Vinnie on his Daves True Stories Instagram account.

Foo Fighters’ next show is at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on Friday, May 3. They’ll play a number of one-off headlining dates and festivals before launching a full U.S. stadium tour in July.

Pantera, meanwhile, reformed in 2022 with vocalist Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown alongside Black Label Society‘s Zakk Wylde and Anthrax‘s Charlie Benante in place of Dime and Vinnie, who died in 2004 and 2018, respectively. They’ll be playing the upcoming Sonic Temple and Aftershock festivals as well as dates with Metallica.

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Albums from Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie were among the big sellers on Record Store Day, which took place on April 20.

Billboard reports that Talking Heads’ double vinyl Live at WCOZ 77 was the fifth bestselling record during the annual celebration of independent record stores, while a picture disc vinyl of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and Bowie’s Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth) both landed in the top 10. 

Other bestsellers include albums from Pearl Jam, Neil Young, Ramones, Grateful Dead, The Doors and John Lennon.

As for singles, David Byrne & Paramore’s “Hard Times”/”Burning Down the House” 12-inch vinyl was the second bestselling single, with U2’s “Atomic City (Live at Sphere, Las Vegas)” /” Atomic City (Mike WiLL Made-It Remix)” at three and The Beatles’ “She Loves You” 3-inch vinyl also landing in the top 10.

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On This Day, May 2, 1972… 

A 22-year-old Bruce Springsteen auditioned for Columbia Records A&R exec John Hammond in New York City. Hammond was known for working with such artists as Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan.

At the time, Springsteen had already gained a local following due to his live shows, but he had yet to garner a larger following.

Bruce performed “It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City” at the audition, and Hammond was impressed and wanted to sign him. Later that night, Springsteen performed for Columbia execs at the Gaslight Club in New York and later recorded a demo, landing him a deal with the label.

Springsteen wound up signing to Columbia on June 9, 1972, and released his debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., in January 1973. He has spent over 50 years with the label, releasing his last album, Only the Strong Survive, in 2022.

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Ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke is selling some of his personally used gear with a newly launched Reverb shop.

Among the items available is a custom-made ESP Telecaster, which he played with GN’R and Slash‘s Snakepit project. Clarke is also offering a signed and framed poster from a 1992 Guns show with Metallica in Oakland.

The Gilby Clarke Reverb shop is open now. For more info, visit Reverb.com.

Clarke played in Guns N’ Roses from 1991 to 1994 in place of Izzy Stradlin. He’s also performed with Heart.

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Jeff Lynne revealed in a May 1 social media post that his ELO bandmate Richard Tandy had passed away at the age of 76. 

“It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of my long-time collaborator and dear friend Richard Tandy,” Lynne shared. “He was a remarkable musician & friend and I’ll cherish the lifetime of memories we had together.”

Tandy played keyboards in ELO, which was formed in 1970 by Lynne, Roy Wood and Bev Bevan. Tandy joined in 1971, and remained with the group until their first breakup in 1986, reuniting with them in 2000 and again in 2014.

Tandy appeared on all of ELO’s records since 1973’s ELO 2, and provided the infamous vocoder vocals on their classic hit “Mr. Blue Sky.” He also collaborated with Lynne on other projects, including Lynne’s 1990 solo album Armchair Theatre and the soundtrack to the 1984 movie Electric Dreams.

Tandy was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 as a member of ELO.

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If your mom grew up with a poster of Bon Jovi on her bedroom wall, here’s the perfect gift idea for Mother’s Day.

Jon Bon Jovi, in partnership with Hampton Water, the rosé wine brand he co-founded with his son Jesse Bongiovi, is giving you the chance to nominate your mother to receive a surprise phone call from him. And it doesn’t even have to be your mom: it can be a special mother figure in your life.  

You can nominate that special someone by buying a glass or a bottle of Hampton Water at participating Bally’s properties, including Atlantic City, Dover, Twin River Lincoln, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi, Kansas City and Quad Cities. You then scan the QR Code on the receipt to access the nomination page.

Jesse says in a statement, “We wanted to do something special for all the incredible moms out there, and what better way than to have Jon Bon Jovi personally reach out and make their day? This is a unique opportunity for fans to show their appreciation and give their moms a memory they’ll cherish forever.”

Since Jon and Jesse started Hampton Water back in 2016, it’s really taken off: It was the bestselling rosé at Wine.com in 2021 and 2022, and became the fastest-growing rosé in the U.S. Jon gives all the credit to Jesse, who he says is the guy in charge.

“Hampton Water is a huge success and Jesse Bongiovi works his butt off in every aspect of it,” he tells ABC Audio. “I just come in like Santa Claus and take a picture once in a while and get yelled at by my boss.”

And being part of the company has its perks.

“Of course I sample the goods,” he says. “That’s what I get paid!”

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