Classic Rock News

After a six week break, U2 returned to Las Vegas for their U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency on Friday, January 26, and treated fans to a song they’ve never performed before.

Fan-shot footage posted to YouTube shows the Irish rockers performing an acoustic cover of Crowded House’s classic “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” which, according to setlist.fm, they dedicated to Crowded House’s Neil Finn, his brother/musician Tim Finn and their mother, Mary.

Neil reacted to the cover in a post on Crowded House’s Instagram Story. “Bono has the best memory ever…I told him in 1980 that my mother Mary was born in Limerick,” he wrote, adding, “We’re touched to get a @u2 dedication .. thanks fellas.”

Released in October 1986, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” was the biggest international hit for Crowded House, with the tune hitting #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

U2’s next residency performance is happening Wednesday, January 31, with shows set to run until Saturday, March 2. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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On This Day, January 29, 2010… 

Neil Young was honored by the Recording Academy as the MusiCares Person of the Year, at the organization’s 20th anniversary gala.

Young was celebrated at the gala for his philanthropic work, with a star-studded lineup performing Young tunes. Artists who performed that evening included Crosby, Stills & Nash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Leon Russell, Ben Harper and John Fogerty.

Proceeds from the gala benefited MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charity arm, which provides critical health and welfare services to the music community.

The 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year is Jon Bon Jovi and he’ll be celebrated at a gala happening Friday, February 2, in Los Angeles.

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Green Day‘s back in the top 10 on the Billboard album chart.   

The band’s latest album, Saviors, has debuted at number four on the chart, giving the trio their 12th top 10 album. The first single from the album, “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” hit #2 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart: It was their 25th top 10 on that tally.

Billboard notes that Saviors’ debut comes just two weeks before the band’s 30th anniversary on the publication’s album chart. Back in February 19, 1994, Dookie made its debut at a not-very-impressive #127; a year later, it had climbed to #2.

As previously reported, Green Day will mark the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot on their upcoming tour, playing both in full each night. The U.S. leg of the tour starts in July.

Elsewhere on the chart, Noah Kahan‘s Stick Season has climbed to #5.

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While the U.K. had Oasis vs. Blur, the big music rivalry in the U.S. during the ’90s was Nirvana vs. Guns N’ Roses. However, as GN’R bassist Duff McKagan tells ABC Audio, that so-called “rivalry” was overblown.

“When that thing … hit its height, that sort of us-and-them sort of thing, it was never from us,” McKagan says. “And it was never from them.”

McKagan does allow that “there may have been an incident,” perhaps referring to the infamous Nirvana/GN’R dustup at the 1992 MTV VMAs, but puts the blame on media outlets such as MTV for “stirring the pot.”

“I didn’t watch TV, I was always on the road, but people called, like, ‘Oh man! On MTV they said this and that,'” McKagan shares. “I have no idea, I’m in Düsseldorf. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Now decades later, Guns N’ Roses has shared the live stage with Nirvana drummer-turned-Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on multiple occasions. They’ve also recently performed live with Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and toured with Alice in Chains, while McKagan, who’s originally from Seattle, also long-held connections to the grunge scene.

“It was always a brotherhood,” McKagan explains. “I’ve known Mike McCready since we were 14 years old. And [Pearl Jam’s] Stone [Gossard] and [Soundgarden‘s] Ben Shepherd and Kim [Thayil] and Chris [Cornell].”

“So, there was no battle,” he adds. “I think [there was] no bigger fan of Soundgarden than Axl [Rose]. And Nirvana.” 

McKagan recently released a new solo album, Lighthouse. It includes a collaboration with Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell.

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A classic REO Speedwagon concert is set to debut next month on AXS TV. 

Live At Moondance Jam, the band’s first high-definition concert, was recorded in 2010 and features performances of such classic REO Speedwagon hits as “Keep on Loving You,” “Take It on the Run” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”

“Over the years we have released a number of live concert videos,” REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin shares. “But when AXS TV asked us which one we were most proud of, it was a no brainer. Live at Moondance Jam was recorded in front of over 40,000 fans, in the heart of REO Country, and I am proud to say that the band was on fire that night.”

To celebrate the premiere, AXS TV is launching what they’re calling a Sweetheart Deal giveaway, where one lucky winner will snag two VIP tickets to the Saturday, May 11, show of An Evening of Hi Infidelity…And More at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, including hotel accommodations. They will also win two VIP tickets to a show on the band’s upcoming tour, plus $1,000. Fans can enter by visiting AXS TV’s social media platforms between February 4 and February 18.

Live At Moondance Jam will debut Sunday, February 4, at 7:30 p.m. ET on AXS TV.

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Joni Mitchell is headed to the Grammys. The legendary singer is confirmed for her first-ever Grammys performance at the upcoming 66th installment of the awards telecast.

The 80-year-old Joni has won nine Grammys, and she’s nominated again this year in the category of Best Folk Album for Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live).  The album documents her 2022 appearance the Newport Folk Festival, which was her first live performance in 20 years.

In addition to her nine Grammy wins, Mitchell was honored with the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.

Joni joins a lineup of previously announced Grammy performers that include Billy Joel, U2, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo and more.

The 66th Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, air Sunday, February 4, live from Los Angeles on CBS.

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Although Yes’ Steve Howe has said in past interviews that a reunion with his Yes bandmate Jon Anderson seems unlikely to happen, Anderson appears to be more hopeful. 

In a new interview with Mojo, Anderson suggested that a reunion of Yes, with both Howe and Rick Wakeman, isn’t totally out of the question.

“I was talking to [his current touring band] The Band Geeks and said, ‘Hopefully we can play in London and Steve will get up and do a couple of songs with us, maybe Rick too,’” Anderson shares, although he adds, “It just means talking.”

He notes, “When I’m out there singing on my own I still think I’m part of Yes. They still feel like my songs.”

As for his current relationship with Howe, Anderson says, “We’re still friends but we’re not connected.”

The last time Anderson performed with Howe and Wakeman was at the band’s 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, but it was the first time he’d played with Howe since the band’s 35th anniversary tour in 2004. He did previously tour with Wakeman in 2010 and 2017.

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Journey’s classic Greatest Hits album is getting a fresh new sound for a newly released reissue.

A remastered version of Journey – Greatest Hits is now out on two-LP 12-inch 180-gram vinyl, with HD digital files available on all digital outlets. The project was remastered by Adam Ayan under the supervision of original Journey frontman Steve Perry and archival producer John Jackson.

“When Sony contacted John Jackson and me to oversee the remastering of the original analog tapes from flat masters to 192K HD, I was very excited to revisit them once again,” Perry shares. “As it was nearing completion, I realized that—sonically and musically—this was not just another compilation, but was turning into a classic sounding new LP. This was my hope for these recordings made from a time when we were at our best.”

Journey – Greatest Hits features 16 classic tunes from the band, including “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Separate Ways,” “Open Arms” and “Faithfully,” along with the track “When You Love A Woman” from the 2006 CD reissue.

The newly remastered Journey – Greatest Hits is available now.

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Edward Norton has been cast to play legendary folk singer Pete Seeger in the upcoming Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown, Deadline reports.

Norton is replacing actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who had to drop out the project, which is set to begin production in March.

Timothée Chalamet stars as Dylan in the James Mangold-directed film, which focuses on the rocker in 1965, when he switched from acoustic to electric guitar for the first time.

Seeger is best known for writing such songs as “If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song),” “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” and “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season).” He was one of the earliest artists to support Dylan and invited him to perform at the Newport Folk Festival, where Dylan was said to have upset the crowd by performing on an electric guitar.

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An upcoming biopic on the Ramones is the subject of a new court case brought by Linda Ramone, widow of guitarist Johnny Ramone.

Linda is suing Joey Ramone‘s brother Mitchel Hyman, better known by his stage name, Mickey Leigh. Linda and Mickey are both 50% shareholders in Ramones Productions, Inc.

The suit also names David Frey, who was hired by Leigh as director of the Ramones’ holding company, as a defendant. It includes a variety of allegations, with the suit claiming Leigh and Frey “have effectively shut down the entire company” due to disputes, personal attacks and more.

But one of the main issues is the planned Ramones film, with the suit arguing the pair “unilaterally and covertly developed an unapproved and unauthorized Ramones-based biopic” based on Mickey’s memoir, I Slept with Joey Ramone. The suit calls the film a “one-sided recitation of the history of the Ramones,” with Linda also objecting to the planned use of Ramones music in the film.

Although the suit doesn’t go into specific details about the movie, there is a film based on Mickey’s book in development with Netflix, with Pete Davidson set to star as Joey Ramone.

The suit says Linda objects to any film without her involvement, noting, “To permit defendants alone to tell the authoritative story of the Ramones would be an injustice to the band and its legacy.”

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