Classic Rock News

Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has shared a solo cover of the Thin Lizzy tune “Cowboy Song.”

“I’ve always loved Thin Lizzy and thought Phil Lynott‘s storytelling lyrics could easily translate to country music, none more so than ‘Cowboy Song,'” Shiflett says, adding that he wanted his version to have “a late ’70s Waylon [Jennings] type of vibe, like when outlaw was crossing over into disco.”

“Lizzy is one of the all-time great guitar bands so it was fun trying to put my own spin on the guitar solos,” he adds. “I twanged some of it up, and straight copped bits and pieces too, kind of an homage.”

You can listen to Shiflett’s “Cowboy Song” cover now via digital outlets. It’ll also appear on an upcoming EP titled Starry Nights & Campfire Lights, due out March 15.

Shiflett put out a new solo album, Lost at Sea, in October. He has a number of U.S. solo shows coming up, including a set at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival in May.

Foo Fighters, meanwhile, will return to the road in May. They’ll be touring in continued support of their latest album, 2023’s But Here We Are.

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Nirvana played what would turn out to be their final show on March 1, 1994 — 30 years ago Friday.

The performance took place in Munich, Germany, and opened with a cover of The Cars‘ “My Best Friend’s Girl.” The rest of the set was heavy on Nirvana’s 1991 album, Nevermind, and its 1993 follow-up, In Utero, though their smash hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit” wasn’t played.

Attendees also saw Nirvana battle through some technical problems when the power cut out during “Come as You Are.” The night ended with a performance of “Heart-Shaped Box.”

Days after the Munich concert, frontman Kurt Cobain was hospitalized in Rome, and Nirvana’s remaining tour dates were canceled. On April 8, Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home. His date of death was determined to be April 5 and cause of death was ruled a suicide.

In 2012, drummer Dave Grohl, bassist Krist Novoselic and touring guitarist Pat Smear reunited to play with Paul McCartney on a new song called “Cut Me Some Slack.” They performed again in 2014 during Nirvana’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction with guest vocalists Lorde, St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Joan Jett. Later that night, Grohl, Novoselic and Smear played a full set at an intimate Brooklyn club with singers including St. Vincent, Gordon, Jett and Dinosaur Jr.‘s J Mascis.

Grohl, who plays with Smear in Foo Fighters, has reunited with Novoselic several times since, including during a 2018 Foos concert.

You can check out the set list for Nirvana’s final show on Setlist.fm. Several videos from the performance, including performances of “Radio Friendly Unit Shifter,” “Drain You” and the “My Best Friend’s Girl” cover, are streaming via Nirvana’s YouTube channel.

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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The Who infamously sang, “I hope I die before I get old” in their hit “My Generation.” But luckily for music fans, that wish hasn’t come true for frontman Roger Daltrey, who’s celebrating his 80th birthday on March 1. 

In 1959, Daltrey founded a band called The Detours, with a changing lineup that only became permanent in 1964, after the band had changed their name to The Who and Keith Moon joined as drummer. Daltrey, Moon, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle went on to sell over 100 million records worldwide.

Daltrey launched a solo career in 1973, releasing eight solo studio albums, and dabbled in acting, with roles in film and on TV. He also published his memoir, Thanks a Lot Mr. Kibblewhite: My Story, in 2018.

As a member of The Who, Daltrey was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. He received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2008. He was also appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to music, entertainment and charity in 2004.

Daltrey is also well known for his extensive charitable work, including his patronage of the United Kingdom’s Teenage Cancer Trust and its U.S. counterpart, Teen Cancer America. In fact, he recently announced that after 24 years he’ll be stepping down as host and curator of the annual Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows.

Before that he’ll keep on rocking for the charity, with The Who set to headline two shows, March 18 and 20, at London’s Royal Albert Hall.  

And Daltrey’s time as curator will be celebrated at the same venue on March 24 with Ovation, a Celebration of 24 Years of Gigs for TCT, featuring guests Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones and Paul Weller.

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The Black Crowes are gearing up for the release of their new album, Happiness Bastards, and they’re giving fans a chance to preview it early.

Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson just announced a string of listening parties, happening March 14 at indie record stores across the country. The parties will feature giveaways and give fans a chance to purchase the album early.

The Black Crowes gave fans their first taste of Happiness Bastards, their first album of new material in 15 years, with the release of “Wanting and Waiting” and then followed that up with the track “Cross Your Fingers.” The album is available for preorder now.

They’ll hit the road on the Happiness Bastards tour starting April 2 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee. A complete list of dates can be found at theblackcrowes.com.

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After a more than 50-year career, Foghat is still rocking out onstage, and now they are giving fans at home a taste of their live show.

The band will release Slow Ride – Live in Concert, a new CD/DVD, on April 5, featuring a 1999 Texas concert recorded prior to Foghat co-founder Dave Peverett’s death in February 2000.

The concert features the band performing some of their classic tracks. They’re previewing the record with the release of a live performance of their iconic tune “Slow Ride.”

You can listen to the live “Slow Ride” now via digital outlets and watch the performance on YouTube.

Slow Ride – Live in Concert is available for preorder now.

Foghat released their latest studio album, Sonic Mojo, in 2023. They are currently on the road with their Sonic Mojo tour and are set to play Lynn, Massachusetts, on March 1. A complete list of dates can be found at foghat.com.

Here is the track list for Slow Ride – Live in Concert:

“Drivin’ Wheel”
“Somebody’s Been Sleepin’ In My Bed”
“Stone Blue”
“It Hurts Me Too”
“Rock Your House”
“Sweet Home Chicago”
“Angel Of Mercy”
“Fool For The City”
“I Just Want To Make Love To You”
“Slow Ride”

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Three cassette tapes featuring previously unheard audio from The Beatles is set to go up for auction in March.

The tapes, believed to have been made in 1966, are personal recordings made on drummer Ringo Starr‘s tape recorder, and feature 248 minutes of audio. On one of the tapes he’s heard describing them as “a talking record of our trip to Germany and Japan.” 

The audio includes the band talking about their set list for shows in Japan, clips of performances from their Budokan concerts, Ringo’s thoughts on the tours, a demo of Ringo performing The Beatles tune “Don’t Pass Me By,” a clip of manager Brian Epstein discussing how to get out of paying import taxes when purchasing items in Japan and more.

All three tapes are being auctioned off as part of Omega Auctions’ Beatles Collection auction. The sale is set to begin on March 26, with the estimated price for the cassettes between $12,000 and $25,000.

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A new U.K. poll finds that the majority of folks wish they could tickle the ivories just like Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

The U.K. Express reports that a poll of 2,000 Brits, conducted by Trinity College London, finds that 53% of them wish they had learned how to play piano, with 32% of those folks picking Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the tune they wish they knew how to play. 

Elton John’s “Your Song” is close behind in second place, followed by John Lennon’s “Imagine,” with Adele’s “Someone Like You” and Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” rounding out the top five.

The almost six-minute “Bohemian Rhapsody” was the lead single off Queen’s 1975 album, A Night at the Opera, and went on to sell over 6 million copies worldwide. The track reached 2 billion streams on Spotify in December 2022.

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The first day of Elton John‘s much-hyped Goodbye Peachtree Road Christie’s auction, which featured items from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, brought in $8 million. But that was only the first day; it turns out the entire event pulled in more than $20 million.

According to ArtandObject.com, the auction spanned two live sales and six online auctions, and earned $20.5 million. The live sales together brought in $14.5 million. Top sellers included artwork, photographs, Elton’s Bentley convertible, and Cartier and Rolex watches.

As for the online auctions, a jewelry-focused one brought in $1.7 million, while a 120-item collection of nude images, statues and gold crosses went for $1.1 million. Artwork and home decor brought in $1.3 million, and photographs of rock stars and celebrities brought in just under $588,000.

Meanwhile, a collection of all of Elton’s Versace-brand stuff, including clothing, furniture and jewelry, earned just under $575,000.

After owning it for more than 30 years, Elton sold the Atlanta duplex for more than $7 million in November. The reason he did so was practical: Now that he’s no longer on tour, he doesn’t need a central hub like Atlanta’s DeKalb-Peachtree Airport to fly in and out of.

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The Ronnie James Dio tribute concert Rock for Ronnie is returning in 2024.

The show will take place May 19 in Woodland Hills, California, and will feature performances by Quiet Riot, Lita Ford and others. It’ll raise money for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, which was founded in Dio’s memory after he passed away from stomach cancer in 2010 at age 67.

“This is the ‘Year of the Dragon,’ which only comes around every 12 years, and anyone who knew Ronnie knows how much he loved dragons,” says Dio Cancer Fund founder and Dio’s widow, Wendy Dio. “It is our hope that this ‘Year of the Dragon’ special event will be supported by donations that will further our charity’s initiatives in cancer education and research for a cure for this terrible disease that has taken so many of our loved ones.”

For ticket info, visit DioCancerFund.org.

The Rock for Ronnie concert launched in 2023 and raised $50,000. Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund also hosts the annual Bowl for Ronnie charity celebrity bowling tournament.

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Neil Young has added another show to his summer schedule.

The rocker and his band Crazy Horse are set to play Ottawa Bluesfest, a nine-day festival that runs July 4-7 and July 10-14. Young will headline the July 11 show. 

Mötley Crüe and Nickelback are also set to headline the Canadian festival, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Other headliners include Maroon 5, Tyler Childers, Zac Brown Band, 50 Cent and Nas.

A ticket presale kicks off Friday, March 1, at 10 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public Saturday, March 2. More information, including a complete lineup, can be found at ottawabluesfest.ca.

Young & Crazy Horse recently announced dates for the Love Earth Tour, which launches with two nights in San Diego, April 24 and 25. The Canadian leg of the tour begins in Toronto on July 8, just a few days before their Bluesfest show. A complete schedule can be found at livenation.com.

They will also release the new album FU##IN’ UP on April 26, with a special clear vinyl two-LP limited edition dropping on Record Store Day, April 20.

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