Queen celebrating 50th anniversary of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with new YouTube series

October 31, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Queen’s iconic track “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and to commemorate the occasion, the band has launched Queen The Greatest Special, a five-part weekly YouTube series.

In this week’s episode, The Path to Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor discuss the band’s journey to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” noting that while the public may have been surprised by such a grand song, for them it was just something they came to expect from their frontman Freddie Mercury.

They give earlier examples of Freddie’s experimentation, including “My Fairy King,” from their debut album, as well as “The March of the Black Queen” and “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke” from Queen II.

“It’s interesting. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is viewed as a giant step for Queen creatively, but from the inside, it didn’t really look that way, it didn’t feel that way,” May says. “It’s one of the threads of Queen in our development. This is the stuff that Freddie brings to the table. We’re used to it and we love it. It’s very entertaining. It’s quite off the wall.”

May adds, “You don’t always know where he’s going, but that’s the thing people love most about Freddie.”

The video series also launches on the same day Queen has released “Bohemian Rhapsody” on transparent blue heavyweight 12-inch vinyl, as a 12-inch picture disc and as a blue cassette single. It is available now.

Blondie’s Debbie Harry & Chris Stein discuss the band’s future

October 31, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Blondie is revisiting their past with Friday’s reissue of their 1999 comeback album, No Exit. But in a new interview with NME they’re looking at their future, and they sound unsure about what’s to come.

Frontwoman Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein are the only surviving founding members of the band, following Clem Burke’s death in April. While they plan to release a new album in 2026, the future beyond that looks uncertain.

Harry previously said she wasn’t sure about returning to the stage as Blondie, and she stands by that statement.

“Well it was Chris, Clem and myself who were the only original members doing live shows,” she tells the outlet. “We just lost Clem, and Chris isn’t playing anymore … but maybe that could change.”

“Essentially, I don’t know. I’ve never liked it when there was just one original member performing and everybody else there is a stand-in,” she continues, although she says she’d “be tempted” to tour again if it was under a different name, “like ‘Blondie Presents.’”

“But, I just don’t feel comfortable marching out on stage without my original guys and calling it Blondie,” she says. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

As for new music, Blondie’s new album, High Noon, is due out in 2026 and could be their last.

Stein says he doesn’t know about making more records, explaining he’s been dealing with health issues, but adds, “[H]opefully at some point I’ll get back at it.”

Harry says her thoughts are the same as the ones she has about doing more shows, noting, “[M]aybe it would be ‘Blondie Presents’ or something like that. I haven’t really ironed it out yet.”

Alice Cooper & Criss Angel announce Welcome to Our Nightmare Vegas show

October 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rocker Alice Cooper is teaming with magician Criss Angel for a new Las Vegas show, Welcome to Our Nightmare, at The Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

The two-night limited engagement, March 6 and 7, 2026, is described as “an unprecedented ninety-minute revolutionary concert spectacle of magic, music, and mayhem,” with Cooper playing hits like “Poison,” “I’m 18” and “School’s Out.”

A ticket presale begins Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. PT, with tickets going on sale to the general public Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. PT.

Cooper wrapped a co-headlining tour with Judas Priest on Sunday and is next scheduled to head to Germany for a run of shows that start Nov. 28. The Welcome to Our Nightmare shows are currently the only U.S. dates on his schedule. A complete list of dates can be found at AliceCooper.com.

Music of the Grateful Dead soundtracks new movie ‘Mountains on the Moon’

October 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

The music of the Grateful Dead is featured in an upcoming movie from pro skier and artist Chris Benchetler.

Mountains of the Moon, which opens in select theaters Nov. 14, is described as a film that “explores the unseen connections between sport, life, music, and the living earth—set to the timeless tunes of the Grateful Dead.”

The film was shot entirely at night and contains footage of oceans, mountains, rivers and more. It features athletes, adventurers and others “navigating through the natural world.”

“Mountains of the Moon is an artistic journey where light became my paintbrush and the Earth our canvas,” Benchetler says. “By breaking free of the sun’s constraints, we were able to sculpt emotion, energy, and movement, juxtaposed into the landscape — layering sport, art, music, and nature to create something that speaks beyond words and more into feeling.”

Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart appears in the film, drumming on top of a snow sculpture on Mammoth Mountain in California.

“The music of the Grateful Dead has always been about exploration – of sound, spirit, and the unknown,” says Hart. “Mountains of the Moon taps into that same energy, pushing creative boundaries to illuminate the deep connection between art, nature, and human expression. It was an honor to contribute to this visionary project and help bring its rhythm to life.”

Benchetler’s Mountains on the Moon project also includes a book of photographs and paintings, as well as a gallery installation that opens in Los Angeles on Nov. 15. More info can be found at chrisbenchetler.com.

Neil Young’s latest video is ripped from the headlines

October 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Never one to shy away from making a political statement, Neil Young has posted a video on his Neil Young Archives website shining a light on our current political climate.

The video, “as time explodes,” features an instrumental Young track. It’s paired with footage of news reports on various current events, including the demolition of the East Wing of the White House, President Donald Trump accepting a plane from Qatar and the president sending the National Guard to U.S. cities. There are also clips of billionaires like Tesla’s Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook and more.

The clip ends with footage of news coverage of the Oct. 18 No Kings protest in various cities across the U.S., showing off many of the signs in the crowds.

Chicago to perform on ‘Dancing with the Stars’’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame night

October 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Chicago will make a special appearance on Dancing with the Stars as part of the ABC series’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame night.

During the show, all the competitors will dance to songs by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame artists. Chicago, who was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2016, is performing as part of the team dance competition, along with fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Kool & The Gang.

Chicago will perform their top-five hit “25 or 6 to 4” as pairs Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov, Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas, Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa, and Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach dance alongside host Alfonso Ribeiro.

The remaining pairs – Andy Richter and Emma Slater, Robert Irwin and Witney Carson, Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy, and Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten, along with host Julianne Hough – will dance to Kool & The Gang’s classic “Celebration.”

The night will also have the competitors dancing to such songs as Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing,” The White Stripes’ “Icky Thump,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “No More Tears” and Aerosmith’s “Dream On.”

Dancing with the Stars’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame night, with guest judge Flavor Flav, airs Tuesday on ABC.

5 arrested in deaths of Chris Stein’s daughter and Robert De Niro’s grandson

October 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Five people were arrested Thursday on charges stemming from the 2023 overdose deaths of Blondie rocker Chris Stein‘s daughter and actor Robert De Niro‘s grandson, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Sofia Marks, known as the Percocet Princess, was charged in 2023 with selling the drugs that caused the death of De Niro’s grandson Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez that year.

The five new defendants — Grant McIver, Bruce Epperson, Eddie Barreto, John Nicolas and Roy Nicolas — were allegedly members of a criminal network that distributed thousands of counterfeit prescription opioid pills laced with fentanyl, among other drugs, to teenagers and young adults living in New York City, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, the fentanyl pills distributed by the defendants caused the deaths of three 19-year-olds, including Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez and Akira Stein, one of the Blondie co-founder’s two daughters. The indictment does not name the victims, but law enforcement sources confirmed the names to ABC News.

Queen’s ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ featured in ‘Stranger Things’ final season trailer

October 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Queen’s iconic tune “Who Wants To Live Forever” is featured in the new trailer for the fifth and final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things.

The band acknowledged the track’s use in a post on Instagram by sharing a clip of the song’s video, which has frontman Freddie Mercury performing in front of an orchestra. The caption of the post reads, “And we can have forever, And we can love forever….” along with #StrangerThings5.

“Who Wants To Live Forever,” written by Brian May, appeared on the soundtrack to the 1986 movie Highlander. It has Queen backed by an orchestra arranged by Michael Kamen. It also appeared on the band’s sixth studio album, 1986’s A Kind of Magic.

The first volume of the three-part drop of Stranger Things season 5 releases on Nov. 26. Volume II releases on Dec. 25, while the series finale debuts on Dec. 31.

Dave Mustaine confirms rerecorded version of Metallica’s ‘Ride the Lightning’ on final Megadeth album

October 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

The final Megadeth album will include a rerecorded version of the Metallica song “Ride the Lightning,” frontman Dave Mustaine confirms in an interview with Rolling Stone.

“It wasn’t really that I wanted to do my version,” Mustaine says. “I think that we all wanted it to turn out a certain way, and for me, this was about something so much more than how a song turns out. It was about respect.”

Mustaine received a writing credit for “Ride the Lightning,” the title track off Metallica’s 1984 sophomore album, since it uses riffs he had written while he was an early member of the future “Enter Sandman” metallers. However, Mustaine didn’t get to play “Ride the Lightning” on the record, since Metallica fired him in 1983 and replaced him with Kirk Hammett.

“Our intentions were pure,” Mustaine says of rerecording “Ride the Lightning.” “I didn’t have any reason I was going to say, ‘Oh, hey man, this thing that we’ve had for 40 years where you guys will never tour with me, me doing the song is going to change things.’ That wasn’t it at all. It was more about: This is my life going forward. I want to do things that are respectable.”

Mustaine adds that his former Metallica bandmates James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich didn’t know about the “Ride the Lighting” rerecord ahead of time, and they haven’t reached out since.

“I think the whole purpose of this was not to try and rekindle relationships or anything,” Mustaine says. “It was about showing respect to a man [Hetfield] that … I don’t believe he thinks I respect him and I wanted to make that clear.”

The final Megadeth album, which is self-titled, is due out Jan. 23, 2026. Lead single “Tipping Point” is out now.

Stevie Nicks reveals she and Lindsey Buckingham are talking again

October 30, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham have been on the outs since a disagreement at their 2018 MusiCares Person of the Year benefit, but it seems like their relationship may be on the mend.

The Fleetwood Mac stars appear on the latest episode of the Song Exploder podcast. They were interviewed separately about their track “Frozen Love,” from their recently reissued 1973 solo album Buckingham Nicks. During the episode, Stevie revealed that they are once again talking to each other.

Stevie shared the revelation when asked if she remembered the day she met Lindsey, replying, “I do. Lindsey and I started talking about it last night and it was like, this whole thing seems really like yesterday to us.”

Later, while discussing a particular song lyric in “Frozen Love,” she again mentioned talking to Lindsey.

“This is a question that I’ve gone back and forth over the last few days, ‘fate gave you me for a lover.’ I would swear to God, the words I wrote [were] ‘fate gave you me for a lover,’ fate,” she says. “But when I hear myself sing that line, it sounds like I’m saying hate. But I would have never have written ‘hate gave you me for a lover’ because I never felt that way.”

She then adds, “I’m sorry, Lindsey. I’m calling him later.”

Stevie divulged what caused the rift between her and Lindsey in a 2024 interview with Rolling Stone, noting that at the 2018 MusiCares event he “wasn’t very nice to anybody.”

“I could hear my very pragmatic father — and by the way, my mom and dad liked Lindsey a lot — saying, ‘It’s time for you guys to get a divorce,'” she said.

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