Classic Rock News

Sheryl Crow shared a heartfelt tribute to Elton John after she took her two sons to see him in concert.

The singer/songwriter, who is the mother of 12-year-old Levi and 15-year-old Wyatt, took to Twitter to talk about Sir Elton’s legacy.

“Two weeks ago, I took my two sons to see one of the greatest artists of all time… Sir Elton John. It felt like one of the most important things I will ever do,” she wrote. “I am sure that fact was lost on them however on the way home, they mused at how many songs they knew.”

Sheryl continued, “I told my boys how when I was young and taking piano lessons that it was Elton John’s songs that got me through practice time (at least until my mom busted me that I wasn’t playing my lesson but instead was playing ‘Your Song’).”

Sheryl marked the lyrics “Thank god my music’s still alive” from Elton’s “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” and spoke about what it was like seeing the stadium — packed with people from all walks of life — sing along loudly to the 1975 hit.

“This is what I want the world to feel like all the time,” she wrote, adding, “Thank you, Elton, for inspiring me and a world of people with your music.”

Sheryl added that her son Wyatt wants to learn to play Elton’s songs on the piano and closed with, “Yes, Elton, your music is still alive!”

Elton has yet to respond to the meaningful tribute. He is currently embarking on his final tour titled Farewell Yellow Brick Road. It’s set to conclude next summer.

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In addition to making resurgent hits out of Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill” and Metallica‘s “Master of Puppets,” the latest season of Stranger Things also sparked renewed interest in Dio when beloved character Eddie Munson wore a denim jacket featuring one of the “Holy Diver” band’s back patches.

Wendy Dio, the widow of the late Ronnie James Dio, tells ABC Audio that the Stranger Things-driven Dio revival has been “really great.”

“It’s keeping Ronnie’s music and his memory alive, and now to the younger set,” Wendy says. “With Stranger Things, there’s so many people that didn’t know about Dio that want to now wear the patch.”

Wendy, who provided the patch for Stranger Things to use, shares she’s been “inundated with requests” from people hoping to buy their own since the season premiered.

“I really wish Ronnie could be here to know that these younger generation kids are now listening to his music, as well,” she says.

Along with the spot in Stranger Things, Dio’s song “Rainbow in the Dark” is featured in Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder film. In choosing when to allow different projects to license her husband’s music, Wendy says she’s “very protective of Ronnie’s legacy.”

“I only want to put [his music] in things that I think is something Ronnie would want to do,” she says.

You can, of course, also hear Ronnie’s music in the new documentary Dio: Dreamers Never Die, which premiered in theaters in September.

Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Journey guitarist Neal Schon recently revealed that the band would be returning to the road next year for a new tour with their 2022 opening act Toto. Now, the group has announced official plans for the trek, which will celebrate Journey’s 50th anniversary.

The outing, dubbed the 50th Anniversary Freedom Tour 2023, will feature 38 North American dates, running from a February 4 concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania through an April 25 show in Palm Springs, California.

The trek will include the four previously announced makeup concerts that Journey postponed earlier this year, which are scheduled for March 1 in Washington, D.C.; March 4 in Hartford, Connecticut; March 9 in Quebec City; and March 12 in Toronto.

Tickets for the newly announced shows will go on sale to the general public this Thursday, October 20 at 10 a.m. local time at JourneyMusic.com. Citi card members will have access to presale tickets starting Tuesday, October 18 at 10 a.m. local time; visit CitiEntertainment.com for more info. A limited number of VIP packages will also be available.

“We are all thankful and overwhelmed by the success of our Journey Freedom Tour 2022 this year,” says Schon. “We are looking forward to hitting the road again with our very good friends Toto! Come join us for a special evening full of fun and Rockin’ good memories.”

Adds Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, “Excited to perform for our fans as we tour next year with Toto. The combined hits of both bands represent a couple of decades of excellence that have become a soundtrack for people’s lives.”

Meanwhile, Journey recently debuted a lyric video for “Beautiful as You Are,” a song from their recently released Freedom album. Check it out on the band’s YouTube channel.

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Todd Rundgren‘s long-delayed studio album Space Force, which features collaborations with a wide variety of artists, finally got its release Friday, October 14.

The 12-track collection includes contributions from Cheap Trick‘s Rick Nielsen, Steve Vai, Thomas Dolby, Crowded House‘s Neil Finn, ex-King Crimson singer/guitarist Adrian Belew, Weezer‘s Rivers Cuomo, Sparks and The Roots.

Space Force is a follow-up to Rundgren’s similarly collaborative 2017 album, White Knight, and he tells ABC Audio that new record differs from its predecessor in that most of the new song ideas originated from the artists he worked with rather than himself.

“[With] Space Force … I was putting much more of the responsibility for the material on my collaborators,” he explains. “I wanted them to germinate … the process, to seed it by giving me something of theirs that they had worked on but perhaps never finished.”

Not surprisingly, the album features songs influenced by various musical genres, including hard rock, prog rock, R&B, ska, rap and electronica.

“[It’s] almost like an anthology of different artists who might have been popular at a certain time. Although the artists that are on my record have varying degrees of popularity in different eras,” Rundgren explains. “So the flavor of the record is eclectic.”

Since much of Space Force was put together during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rundgren generally created the tunes remotely with his collaborators.

Todd says the “typical process” of working on a track for the album would be “me getting someone to send me something — often they would send me more than one thing, so I would have an option — and then me … applying my sensibilities to it to bring it into the realm of … an actual song that can be released.

Here’s Space Force‘s full track list:

“Puzzle” — with Adrian Belew
“Down with the Ship” — with Rivers Cuomo
“Artist in Residence” — with Neil Finn
“Godiva Girl” — with The Roots
“Your Fandango” — with Sparks
“Someday” — with Davey Lane
“I’m Not Your Dog” — with Thomas Dolby
“Espionage” — with Narcy
“STFU” — with Rick Nielsen
“Head in the Ocean” — with Alfie
“I’m Leaving” — with The Lemon Twigs
“Eco Warrior Goddess” — with Steve Vai

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Alice Cooper has announced full details about the 2022 edition of his star-studded annual charity fundraiser, Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding.

The event, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is scheduled to take place on December 3 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix. Joining the shock rocker on the lineup are Sammy Hagar, Rob Zombie, The Romantics‘ Wally Palmar, Gin Blossoms, and comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Jim Breuer.

Tickets for the concert will go on sale to the general public Friday, October 21, at 10 a.m. local time at CelebrityTheatre.com. There will also be presale offers beginning Monday, October 17.

The event will raise money to pay for staff and resources at Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers, which provide free music, dance, arts and vocational training programs for people aged 12 to 20. There are two centers, located in Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona, respectively.

“We are excited to be celebrating our 20th year with a stellar lineup of talent who dedicate their time and passion to help us raise funds for our Rock Teen Centers,” says Alice. “We are grateful to everyone who continues to make this one of the finest shows in the Valley and promise another memorable evening of music and mayhem!”

The fundraiser will feature performances by the Solid Rock dancers, the Bucket Brigade percussion collective and the winners of the annual Proof Is in the Pudding Music and Dance Competition.

Visit AliceCooperSolidRock.com for more information.

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Co-founding The Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Bob Weir celebrates his 75th birthday on Sunday, October 16.

While the late Jerry Garcia was The Grateful Dead’s main lead singer and lead guitarist, as well as the group’s predominant songwriter, Weir also sang and co-wrote many of the band’s tunes, while contributing his inventive rhythm playing.

Among the songs Bob had a hand in writing are “Truckin’,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Playing in the Band” and “Estimated Prophet.” Weir frequently collaborated with lyricist John Perry Barlow.

While in the Dead, Weir also recorded and performed as a solo artist and with several side projects, including the bands Kingfish and Bobby and the Midnites.

Weir was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Grateful Dead in 1994.

After the group broke up following Garcia’s death in 1995, Weir launched the band RatDog and took part in a number of projects with other Grateful Dead alums.

In 2015, Weir co-founded the successful spinoff group Dead & Company, which also features longtime Grateful Dead drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, popular singer/guitarist John Mayer, ex-Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge and RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti. The band recently announced they will launch a farewell tour next year.

Since 2018, Bob has also been touring with a project called Wolf Bros, which includes acclaimed bassist and producer Don Was and RatDog drummer Jay Lane. Weir is celebrating his 75th birthday with a trio of shows with Wolf Bros at the San Francisco theater The Warfield on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This January, Weir will release an expanded 50th anniversary reissue of his 1972 debut solo album, Ace.

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Sting has released an expanded, digital-only edition of his hit second solo album, 1987’s …Nothing Like the Sun, in honor of its 35th anniversary.

The updated version adds 14 bonus tracks to the album’s original 12 songs, including B-sides, remixes, alternate versions and instrumentals.

Originally released on October 5, 1987, the album peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 and yielded two top-20 singles, “We’ll Be Together” and “Be Still My Beating Heart,” which reached #7 and #15, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also featured the gem “Englishmen in New York,” which was a minor chart hit.

Recorded just a few months after the death of Sting’s mother, …Nothing Like the Sun featured mainly subdued and introspective tunes, with the exception of the exuberant “We’ll Be Together.”

As Sting explained in the original liner notes, “I look back on this album, and I realize that the record is about my mother, although I didn’t see it at the time. It’s about mothers and daughters, mistresses and wives, sisters… Every song has one of these themes. It surprised me.”

Several noteworthy guitarists contributed to various tracks on the record, including Sting’s Police bandmate Andy Summers on “The Lazarus Heart,” Hiram Bullock on a cover of Jimi Hendrix‘s “Little Wing,” and Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton on “They Dance Alone.”

Other contributors to the album included keyboardists Gil Evans and Kenny Kirkland, sax player Branford Marsalis and drummer Manu Katché.

Among the bonus tracks on the expanded edition of the album are multiple alternate versions and mixes of “Englishman in New York,” “Fragile” and “We’ll Be Together.”

Here’s the full track list:

“The Lazarus Heart”
“Be Still My Beating Heart”
“Englishman in New York”
“History Will Teach Us Nothing”
“They Dance Alone”
“Fragile”
“We’ll Be Together”
“Straight to My Heart”
“Rock Steady”
“Sister Moon”
“Little Wing”
“The Secret Marriage”
“Conversation with a Dog”*
“If You There”*
“Up from the Skies”*
“Someone to Watch Over Me”*
“Ghost in the Strand”*
“Englishman in New York” (Ben Liebrand Mix)*
“Englishman in New York” (Ben Liebrand Mix – Edit)*
“Fragile” (dj MONK’s Extended Vocal Remix Version)*
“Fragile” (dj MONK’s Radio Edit Version)*
“Fragile” (dj MONK’s Hard Rain Dub Version)*
“Fragile” (Bedroom Rockers Remix Version)*
“We’ll Be Together” (Extended Mix)*
“We’ll Be Together” (Alternate Version)*
“We’ll Be Together” (Instrumental)*

* = bonus tracks.

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This year marked the 50th anniversary of the release of Neil Young‘s landmark solo album, Harvest, and to commemorate the milestone, the folk-rock legend will release an expanded edition of the record on December 2.

The Harvest 50th Anniversary Edition box set, which can be preordered now, will be available in two physical versions offering the same content — a three-CD/two-DVD set and a collection featuring two vinyl LPs, a vinyl seven-inch disc and two DVDs.

The CD and vinyl box sets’ respective audio content includes the original Harvest album on one CD or LP, a recording of Young performing a solo acoustic set at the BBC in 1971 on a second CD or LP and three Harvest sessions outtakes on a third CD or the seven-inch vinyl disc.

The two DVDs feature a video of Young’s 1971 BBC performance and a previously unseen two-hour documentary filmed in 1971 that focuses on the making of Harvest. The box sets also include a hardbound book and fold-out poster, while the vinyl version comes with a lithograph print, as well.

Young’s rendition of his chart-topping Harvest hit “Heart of Gold” from the BBC performance has been released as an advance track from the box set and is available now via digital formats. A video of the performance has debuted on Young’s official YouTube channel.

A digital version of the Harvest 50th Anniversary Edition will also be released.

Released in February 1972, Harvest is Neil’s only solo album to top the Billboard 200. It features the aforementioned “Heart of Gold,” Neil’s only single to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Old Man,” which peaked at #31.

Here’s the Harvest 50th Anniversary Edition track list:

CD 1/LP 1: Harvest
“Out on the Weekend”
“Harvest”
“A Man Needs a Maid”
“Heart of Gold”
“Are You Ready for the Country?”
“Old Man”
“There’s a World”
“Alabama”
“The Needle and the Damage Done”
“Words (Between the Lines of Age)”

CD 2/LP 2: Neil Young Live In Concert at the BBC, February 1971
“Out on the Weekend”
“Old Man”
“Journey Through the Past”
“Heart of Gold”
“Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
“A Man Needs a Maid”
“Love in Mind”
“Dance Dance Dance”

CD 3/7-inch Vinyl: Harvest outtakes
“Bad Fog of Loneliness”
“Journey Through the Past”
“Dance Dance Dance”

DVD 1
Harvest Time (Two-hour film)

DVD 2
Neil Young Live in Concert at the BBC

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Red Hot Chili Peppers have premiered the video for “The Drummer,” a track off the band’s new album, Return of the Dream Canteen.

The clip finds the “Californication” outfit performing in a club of well-choreographed dancers. The song itself doesn’t identify the titular “Drummer,” only that they are “Leaning without any meaning/ Outside of the Club Troubadour,” which refers to the famed venue in — you guessed it — California.

You can watch “The Drummer” video streaming now on YouTube.

Return of the Dream Canteen, which also features the single “Tippa My Tongue” and the Eddie Van Halen tribute “Eddie,” is out now. It’s the second Chili Peppers album of 2022, following April’s Unlimited Love.

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Jefferson Airplane was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, and the three surviving members of the influential San Francisco band’s classic lineup — singer Grace Slick, guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady — attended the ceremony.

Before Slick, Kaukonen and Casady hit the podium to accept the honor, Doors drummer John Densmore gave a speech acknowledging the group’s main members, including late singer/guitarist Paul Kantner, vocalist Marty Balin and drummer Spencer Dryden.

Hollywood Chamber of Commerce chair Lupita Sanchez Cornejo, who emceed the event, then read a proclamation declaring it Jefferson Airplane Day in Hollywood.

Slick, who hasn’t appeared in public very often in recent years, began by declaring, “I am one lucky b****. I’ll tell you why. Jack and Jorma are … real musicians. I’m a screw-off who got lucky.” She then explained how, with little experience, she decided to be a rock singer after seeing Jefferson Airplane play in a small club and soon formed her own band, referring to her pre-Airplane group The Great Society.

“It turns out I did have the right voice for rock ‘n’ roll,” Slick noted. “It’s very loud, and I didn’t have any trouble singing over people.”

Also during her speech, she thanked a close female friend who she said saved her life a couple of months ago, revealing the friend got her to a hospital after she’d gone into septic shock.

In addition, Slick pointed out the hat she was wearing belonged to Kantner, who was the father of her only child, daughter China Kantner. “At least his DNA is here today,” she quipped.

You can watch the whole ceremony on the Walk of Fame’s official YouTube channel.

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