Classic Rock News

On This Day, March 12, 2007 …

R.E.M., Patti Smith and Van Halen were among the artists inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

R.E.M. was inducted by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. The band reunited with original drummer Bill Berry, who had left the group in 1997, to perform three songs “Gardening at Night,” “Man on the Moon” and “Begin the Begin.” They also performed a cover of The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” with Smith.

Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha handled the induction duties for Smith, who took the stage to perform a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Her track “People Have the Power” was performed as part of the night’s all-star jam.

Van Halen was inducted by the band Velvet Revolver. Although all members of the band, including both frontmen David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, were inducted, only Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony attended the ceremony. Velvet Revolver performed “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” while Hagar and Anthony performed “Why Can’t This Be Love” with band leader Paul Shaffer.

Others inducted at the ceremony include Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and The Ronettes.

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Bruce Springsteen has released a cover of The Pogues’ “A Rainy Night in Soho,” the first track off an upcoming tribute album to the band’s late singer Shane MacGowan.

20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan is set to drop Nov. 13. In addition to Springsteen, the album features contributions from Dropkick Murphys, The Pogues, David Gray, Glen Hansard, Hozier and Jessie Buckley, Johnny Depp and Imelda May, Kate Moss, Primal Scream, Tom Waits, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and more.

“Shane was all naked bottomless humanity. Threatening to force us to ask ourselves if we were living deeply, authentically,” says Springsteen. “He was raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound. His soul was filled with the transgressive and ecstatic properties of the saints.”

Springsteen’s cover of “A Rainy Night in Soho” is available now via digital outlets.

A portion of the artist royalties from the album will benefit Dublin Simon Community and their mission to provide lifesaving housing and healthcare for those experiencing homelessness.

20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan will be released as a two-CD or three-LP set, as well as a three-LP, two-CD Deluxe Bookpack that comes with a book filled with memorabilia and liner notes. All formats are available for preorder now.

MacGowan passed away Nov. 30, 2023 at the age of 65.

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Jack Osbourne’s new baby has a very metal name.

The son of Ozzy Osbourne’s second child with wife Aree Osbourne, and fifth overall, is named Ozzy Matilda Osbourne.

Jack revealed the news in an Instagram post Wednesday, sharing that baby Ozzy was born on March 5.

Grandpa Ozzy died in July 2025 at age 76. He passed just over two weeks after playing his last-ever live show at the Back to the Beginning concert.

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Foreigner is set to release a live version of their iconic track “Urgent,” featuring new lead singer Luis Maldonado.

The band announced that they’ll be releasing “Urgent (Live in Halifax 2025)” to streaming platforms on March 20. The song was previously only available on YouTube. 

“Urgent is one of the most powerful songs we perform in our set. It always gets people up and engaged with the band. We take no prisoners when we play,” says Maldonado. “So with Urgent’s strong and steady beat, and [its] ‘catchy as hell’ melodies, it stands as a highlight of the evening.”

The performance was recorded during Maldonado’s first tour as the band’s frontman. He took over duties in October, replacing Kelly Hansen, who retired after 20 years with the band.

Foreigner is in the midst of their orchestral residency at The Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas, with the next show on Friday. They are also scheduled to perform the national anthem Sunday at the Pennzoil 400 NASCAR race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

This summer they’ll hit the road with Lynyrd Skynyrd on the Double Trouble Double Vision Tour, which starts July 23 in Atlanta.

A complete list of dates can be found at Foriegneronline.com.

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Bruce Springsteen has released another classic concert as part of his Live Archives series.

The latest is The Boss’ June 22, 2000, concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the fifth show in his 10-night stand at the venue, which wrapped his reunion tour with The E Street Band.

The concert featured the live debut of “Another Thin Line,” a song he co-wrote with Joe Grushecky, as well as the concert debut of the ballad “Secret Garden,” from his 1995 Greatest Hits album. The show also featured a performance of “American Skin (41 Shots),” written in response to the killing of Amadou Diallo in New York City in 1999.

The 25-song set also included the Tracks tune “Don’t Look Back,” “Something in the Night” and a full band version of “Incident on 57th Street,” as well fan favorites like “The Promised Land,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” “Sherry Darling,” “Badlands,” “Thunder Road” and “Born To Run.” The show wrapped with “Land of Hope and Dreams.”

The concert is now available to stream or purchase on nugs.net.

Springsteen and The E Street Band are getting ready to head back out on the road. The Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour kicks off March 31 in Minneapolis and wraps May 27 in Washington, D.C. A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at BruceSpringsteen.net.

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After being released in theaters earlier in March, the new Billy Idol documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead is coming to streaming.

The film, directed by three-time Grammy winner Jonas Åkerlund, is set to debut on Hulu March 26.

To coincide with the announcement, a new clip from the film has just been released to YouTube, in which Idol discusses his idea of meshing dance music and punk rock, which led to him working with producers Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey.

Billy Idol Should Be Dead explores the rock star’s career and personal life, and features never-before-seen archival and personal interviews with Idol. The film also features interviews with Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan, The Who’s Pete Townshend, Miley Cyrus and others.

Idol was recently announced as one of the nominees for this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class. Voting is now open at RockHall.com.

(Video includes uncensored profanity.)

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Yes is set to release an expanded and remastered edition of their four-song mini album From a Page.

Originally released in 2019, From a Page featured previously unreleased tracks taken from 2010 Yes recording sessions for the album that would eventually become 2011’s Fly From Here.

The new reissue is now being expanded to 15 tracks, made up of the four original songs, plus alternative takes and demos of songs, some of which wound up on Fly From Here.

The new reissue was overseen by Oliver Wakeman, son of Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who produced the original From a Page release and also played in the band from 2009 to 2011.

From a Page (Deluxe Edition) will be released April 24 as a two-CD or two-LP box set. The CD set includes a booklet with expanded liner notes from Oliver Wakeman, a poster and five art cards.

From a Page (Deluxe Edition) is available for preorder now.

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Journey has been forced to reschedule two shows on their Final Frontier tour due to weather.

In a post on Instagram, the “Don’t Stop Believin'” rockers announced that “severe weather” has prompted them to move their concert scheduled for Wednesday in Montreal to Friday. Their Hartford, Connecticut, concert, originally scheduled for Saturday, has now been moved to May 24.

“Stay safe and thank you for your understanding,” the post adds. “We can’t wait to see you and make these shows unforgettable.”

Journey launched their Final Frontier tour on Feb. 28 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The outing, which is being billed as their farewell tour, has dates confirmed through July 2 in Laredo, Texas. Journey is also scheduled to play the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, on Aug. 11.

A complete list of dates can be found at JourneyMusic.com.

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Slash is executive producing a new documentary called Black Zombie.

The film, directed by Maya Annik Bedward, “unearths the buried origins of the zombie, reclaiming it as a symbol of survival and spiritual resistance,” according to a press release.

“I’ve always believed horror reflects the fears and truths buried in society,” the Guns N’ Roses guitarist says in a statement. “BLACK ZOMBIE uncovers the real origins behind one of horror’s most iconic figures, and I’m proud to help bring that story forward.”

Black Zombie is set to premiere March 13 at the 2026 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.

In addition to shredding songs like “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Slash is known for being a horror aficionado. He’s long provided the score to the Halloween Horror Nights Universal Monsters haunted house at Universal Studios Hollywood.

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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are the inspiration behind a new capsule collection from John Varvatos.

The Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers by John Varvatos collection is in celebration of 50 years of Petty’s music. According to the company’s website, it brings together “luxury menswear and rock-inspired style.” It notes the collection “honors Tom’s legacy, channeling the attitude and authenticity Petty brought to the stage with the rebellious craftsmanship of John Varvatos.”

The collection includes three limited-edition numbered pieces: a Western yoke jacket, a suede fringe jacket and embroidered boot cut jeans. There’s also a leopard jacquard button-down shirt, a button-down shirt with a Heartbreaker pattern, two scarves, suede boots and two Tom Petty T-shirts, one embroidered and one with Tom Petty performance artwork.

Items in the collection range in price from $198 for the T-shirts to about $3,500 for the suede fringe jacket. All items are now available at JohnVarvatos.com.

This isn’t the first time John Varvatos has released a collection inspired by a rock star. In 2023, the company launched a limited-edition David Bowie-inspired capsule collection, and in 2019 it released one inspired by Led Zeppelin.

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