Classic Rock News

It’s been a couple of weeks since Foreigner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but they are still riding high from the experience.

The band just shared some behind-the-scenes photos of their Hall of Fame weekend in Cleveland, including shots of original band members Lou Gramm, Rick Wills and Al Greenwood, as well as rehearsal photos featuring the band with Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Sammy Hagar and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.

They captioned the photos, “Still buzzing from the @rockhall ceremony!”

Hagar commented on the post, “Big fun had by all,” with Gramm adding, “Playing with the best in Rock.” Current Foreigner singer Kelly Hansen, who was onstage for the Foreigner Rock Hall performance, also chimed in, writing, “You were all so superb.”

Hagar was the one to welcome Foreigner into the Rock Hall, with their celebration featuring all-star performances of three of their hits — “Feels Like The First Time,” “Hot Blooded” and “I Want To Know What Love is,” the latter of which featured Gramm performing with Kelly Clarkson.

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Billy Corgan‘s mother-in-law was injured when a car crashed into the Smashing Pumpkins frontman’s Madame Zuzu’s tea shop, located in Highland Park, Illinois.

In a statement posted to Instagram Wednesday, Corgan’s wife, Chloe Mendel, writes, “This afternoon at Madame Zuzu’s, a car (in circumstances which remain under investigation) drove over the curb and into Madame Zuzu’s, crashing through the window and sadly injuring one person – my mother, Jenny.”

Mendel notes that her mother was in the shop spending the day with her and Corgan’s son, Augustus.

“Thankfully, he was able to leap out of the way and was not injured,” Mendel writes.

“Our family is grateful for the swift assistance of the Highland Park and Deerfield first responders,” she continues, adding that Madame Zuzu’s will be closed “until further notice.”

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For the past 50 years, The Grammys have aired on CBS. But starting in 2027, they’ll have a new home.

The award show, known as Music’s Biggest Night, is moving to ABC, Hulu and Disney+, where it will remain through 2036. The Recording Academy will produce multiple Grammy-branded music specials as part of the deal.

The announcement comes ahead of the Grammy nominations, which will be announced Nov. 10 via a livestream event that starts at 11 a.m. ET.

In the first year of the agreement, in 2027, ABC will not only air The Grammys, but also the Super Bowl and the Oscars. The network is also home to the CMA Awards and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

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Heart has revealed the special guests who will be joining them on their Royal Flush tour in 2025.

The band has booked Squeeze, Cheap Trick and Lucinda Williams to open for them on select dates.

Heart’s Royal Flush tour is set to kick off with a two-night stand in Las Vegas, Feb. 28 and March 1, with dates confirmed through April 16 in New York City. 

The tour was supposed to happen in 2024, but was postponed following singer Ann Wilson’s revelation that she was battling cancer. In September she shared a health update, letting fans know she was doing fine and “the worst is over.”

A complete list of dates can be found at heart-music.com.

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Retired NFL star Jason Kelce recently teased a collaboration with Stevie Nicks for his annual Philadelphia-themed holiday album, A Philly Special Christmas Party, and now he’s opening up about the experience.

On the recent episode of his New Heights podcast with brother Travis Kelce, Travis asked Jason about the experience, and Jason called it “absolutely unreal.”

“Yeah baby. The legendary Stevie Nicks came on and did a duet with me,” he said. “Which in itself, like, pretty crazy to actually be on a track with Stevie Nicks. I mean, absolutely unreal.”

He added, “[She’s] probably the most legendary female singer, especially of her generation … the fact that I’m singing with her, this legend, is pretty unreal.”

Travis, boyfriend of Taylor Swift, who is a good friend of Stevie’s, asked, “And isn’t she just the best in person too?” with Jason replying that she’s “one of the nicest people I’ve ever talked to.”

“You could tell she loves people, she loves music, she loves the art of making music,” Jason said, noting she “brought a breath of fresh air into the recording studio.”

Stevie was actually in the studio with Jason when she recorded her part, and Jason shared, “I’ll be able to cherish that memory for the rest of my lifetime.”

The third edition of A Philly Special Christmas Party will be available for preorder starting Nov. 1.

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R.E.M. is hoping to bring a little optimism to the final days of the presidential election. 

The band just released a lyric video for their Lifes Rich Pageant track “I Believe,” in conjunction with their ongoing We Are Hope Despite the Times campaign. The band released a compilation album of the same name back in September to urge folks to get involved in the political process. 

The video features the song’s lyrics written on a man’s T-shirt, and the images are inspired by frontman Michael Stipe‘s handmade designs from the Fables of the Reconstruction tour. They’re also modeled after the politically themed T-shirts Stipe wore during the band’s acceptance speech when “Losing My Religion” won Video of the Year at the 1991 MTV VMAs. Back then the shirts called out causes that were important to him.

“I believe the choices in this election could not be more stark or more important,” Stipe shares. “Please vote and encourage everyone you know to do the same—that is how we win in 2024 and I believe we can do it!!!”

Stipe has been very vocal about his support for Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s run for the White House, performing at Harris/Walz rallies in Pittsburgh and Athens, Georgia.

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England’s Aston Villa soccer team has announced a collaboration with Black Sabbath.

In partnership with Adidas, Aston Villa is launching a Sabbath-inspired shirt and soccer cleat, or, as they say across the pond, football boot.

The shirt, which will be limited to just 250 pieces, includes the Sabbath logo on the back, while the boot aims to “encapsulate Black Sabbath’s aesthetic through a color palette that embodies the band’s signature style, creating a striking, cohesive visual.” The boot won’t be available for sale, but Villa goalkeeper Emi Martínez will be wearing them during an upcoming game.

Aston Villa is based in Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham. Frontman Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler previously starred in a commercial for Aston Villa ahead of the 2024-25 Premier League season.

“My absolute favorite colors in the world have always been purple and black,” Ozzy says of the new collab. “It’s been Black Sabbath colors for over 50 years. [Guitarist] Tony [Iommi], Geezer, [drummer] Bill [Ward] and I look at this as a huge honor. UP THE VILLA!!”

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On This Day, Oct. 30, 2007 …

The Eagles released their seventh studio album, Long Road Out of Eden, which was their first studio album since 1979’s The Long Run.

The release, their first double album, took nearly six years to complete and was their first release since the 2001 departure of Don Felder. It was also their last with Glenn Frey, who passed away in 2016.

Thanks to a last-minute rule change by Billboard, Long Road Out of Eden debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, keeping Britney Spears’ Blackout from the top spot. It was the Eagles’ sixth consecutive #1 album and was the highest-selling record of that year.

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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell is ready to tell his story.

The rocker just announced he’ll release his memoir, Heartbreaker, which he wrote with Ari Surdoval, on March 18.

“This is my book. It’s the story of a poor kid from Jacksonville, Florida, who realized a dream through music,” he writes on Instagram. “It’s a long journey through hard work, dedication, and luck. Playing guitar and writing songs has been my inspiration and purpose.

“It’s a story of hope, redemption, and gratitude, a testimonial that dreams can come true if you believe in yourself and follow your truth,” he adds. “It took two years to write, and it’s a labor of love. I hope you enjoy the ride!” 

Campbell and Petty performed together in the band Mudcrutch. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers formed in 1976, with Petty and Campbell joined by their Mudcrutch bandmate Benmont Tench, Ron Blair and Stan Lynch. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

In recent years Campbell toured with Fleetwood Mac from 2018 to 2019 and fronted his own band, Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs. They released their third album, Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, in June.

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KISS’ Gene Simmons recently shared his thoughts on so-called “bass virtuosos,” telling Guitar World they were simply “show-offs in music,” but that doesn’t mean there aren’t bass players out there who impress him.

So, who are his favorites? They include The Beatles‘ Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood.

McCartney is Simmons’ top pick, telling Guitar World he “is probably the most influential bassist for me.”

“The biggest compliment I can give Paul McCartney is that you can pick the vast majority of Beatles songs and you’ll remember what the bass was playing,” he says. “So McCartney is hands and feet above the other guys. He’s a triple threat – he wrote songs that were unmatched, became the most successful songwriter of all time, and he wrote them by himself.” 

For Wood, he points to his time with the Jeff Beck Group, sharing, “Those first two records were pivotal. They came out before Led Zeppelin; I heard that stuff and was awed by how free-flowing they were.”

Other bass players getting props from Simmons include Mountain’s Felix Pappalardi, Yes’ Chris Squire and Carol Kaye.

He’s also a fan of Van Halen’s Michael Anthony, noting he “never got a lot of attention – but he’s really good. I remember being impressed with him when I produced that first Van Halen demo.”

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