Classic Rock News

Bob Dylan appears to be on a Grateful Dead kick lately. As previously reported, on Wednesday, April 12, Dylan performed the Dead classic “Truckin’” at one of his concerts at the Tokyo Garden Theater. Well, his tribute to the band continued at two more shows.

Rolling Stone reports that the next night Dylan started performing another Dead tune, “Brokedown Palace,” although he didn’t make it all the way through. Then on Saturday he performed another song associated with the Dead, “Not Fade Away.” 

While “Not Fade Away” was actually written by Buddy Holly, the mag notes that it was often played by the Dead in concert. In fact, between 1969 and 1995 the band performed the track 566 times.  

But this wasn’t the first time Dylan performed “Not Fade Away,” although it was the first time in his set in 14 years. Dylan played it for the first time in 1997, and then in 1999 he’d play it at shows to mark the 40th anniversary of Holly’s death. He also played it in 2009 during a show in Lubbock, Texas, which was Holly’s hometown. 

Dylan remains in Japan for his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, playing three nights in Nagoya April 18-20. Dylan returns to the road in June for a European tour that kicks off June 2 in Lisbon, Portugal. A complete list of dates can be found at bobdylan.com.

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Metallica hasn’t slowed down since dropping 72 Seasons last Friday.

Over the weekend, the metal legends premiered videos for two songs off their much-anticipated new album, “Shadows Follow” and “Room of Mirrors.” The visual festivities continued Monday with the debut of the video for the track “Too Far Gone?”

Metallica previously shared videos for the lead 72 Seasons single “Lux Æterna,” “Screaming Suicide,” “If Darkness Had a Son,” “Sleepwalk My Life Away” and the title track. The remaining 72 Seasons cuts — “Crown of Barbed Wire,” “Chasing Light,” “You Must Burn!” and the 11-minute “Inamorata” — will also get videos.

Additionally, Metallica is releasing every 72 Seasons video in American Sign Language, or ASL. The ASL edition of the title track is out now, and the remaining 11 videos will premiere April 25.

For all your Metallica video needs, stay tuned to the band’s YouTube channel.

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On This Day, April 17, 1970…

Paul McCartney released his self-recorded debut solo album, McCartney, after refusing to delay its release until after The Beatles’ Let It Be.

McCartney recorded the entire album alone, playing all the instruments and using home recording equipment at his house.

While the album did receive some negative criticism, it topped the U.S. charts for three weeks – until it was replaced by Let It Be. The one song that stood out on McCartney was the future classic “Maybe I’m Amazed.” A live version of that song, recorded with McCartney’s band Wings became a Top 10 hit in the U.S.

McCartney later revisited this DIY-type of recording for two more albums, 1980’s McCartney II and 2020’s McCartney III. In 2022, all three albums were released together as a box set.

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The inaugural American Music Honors took place in New Jersey this weekend, but it was missing two of its big stars. 

Variety reports the event, a fundraiser for the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University, went on as planned April 15, although Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa had to miss it after testing positive for COVID-19. Springsteen, wrapped the first leg of his tour with a show at Newark’s Prudential Center on April 14, did appear via video to celebrate this year’s honorees.

“It broke our hearts around 6 a.m. this morning when I got a call that two of the most important people who were supposed to be here, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, unfortunately came down with COVID,” Bob Santelli, the Archives’ executive director, told the disappointed crowd. Host Jon Stewart later joked, “They’re alive. Don’t overreact. You can still see them in concert. They’re home sitting by the fire eating French onion soup.” 

The inaugural award show honored E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt, Sam & Dave‘s Sam Moore, Darlene Love and Steve Earle for their musical contributions. The night’s house band, the Disciples of Soul, performed a medley of tunes, including Love’s “A Fine, Fine Boy,” the Sam & Dave hit “Soul Sister, Brown Sugar,” Earle’s “Hard-Core Troubadour” and Van Zandt’s “I Am a Patriot.”

The artists themselves also performed, with Earle singing “Copperhead Road,” Love performing “River Deep Mountain High,” Moore performing “I Thank You,” and Van Zandt performing “Bitter Fruit.” The night ended with all four honorees onstage for a jam that included “It’s Been a Long Time,” “Hungry Heart,” “Soul Man,” “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” and “I Don’t Want to Go Home.”

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John Fogerty is set to hit the road in late April on what will be his first tour since regaining worldwide rights to all of his music with Creedence Clearwater Revival, and he’s certainly looking forward to playing those tunes on the road. 

“There’s sort of a new outlook, I must say,” he tells ABC Audio. “Retaining now, finally, the ownership — it just gives me kinda a new lease on life artistically.” 

Fogerty says he suspects that now that he’s in control of his music “there will be a renewed” energy onstage, but that energy may also be coming from another source.  

“I’m onstage with my own kids in my band,” he says of sons Shane and Tyler, who are joining him on tour, “and getting to share this music with them and getting to play the songs with them as a band, you know, if you’re a parent it’s the best.”

And while some kids may loathe their parents’ music, Fogerty says that’s not the case with his kids.  

“Happily, they like this kind of music. You know, I’m not forcing them to eat broccoli or something,” he jokes. “They enjoy classic rock and it shows up even in the songs that they write.” (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

Fogerty’s Celebration Tour kicks off April 27 in Uncasville, Connecticut. A complete list of dates can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

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Bruce Springsteen is being honored by his native New Jersey.

Governor Phil Murphy has declared The Boss’ birthday, September 23, will officially be known as Bruce Springsteen Day in the Garden State.

In announcing the news, Murphy noted, “Bruce Springsteen is one of the most iconic and influential musicians – and New Jerseyans – of all time, period.”

The declaration came a day after Springsteen and The E Street Band wrapped the first leg of their North American tour at New Jersey’s Prudential Center, with a set that featured two special songs.

Bruce opened the night with the Lucky Town track “Local Hero,” appropriate for a man playing his home state. The performance marked the first time he played the song on this tour, and the first time it’s been played since 2013.

Springsteen also added a cover of the Tom Waits classic “Jersey Girl,” another tour debut. Previously, Bruce hadn’t played the track with the E Street Band since 2016.

While the Prudential show was the final concert of this leg, Bruce will be back in the States for another set of shows kicking off August 9 and 10 in Chicago, with dates confirmed through December. But up next, he and the band head over to Europe for a run beginning April 28 in Barcelona, Spain.

A full list of tour dates can be found at BruceSpringsteen.net.

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Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has had enough of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Lydon, who lives in California just 60 miles away from the former royal couple, says he understands why they would need to take a step back from the spotlight, but doesn’t understand why they really aren’t doing it.

“If you want to be normal and outside of [the family], then f*** off. Just f*** off and shut up,” the singer says. “I’ve had to make decisions like this in the past. I had to leave the Pistols. I had to break up PiL a couple of times because the situation was unsustainable.” 

Lydon thinks they simply need to move on. “If that was their dilemma then please go away, all right? And we’ll love you for it. But they won’t,” he says.

Lydon believes the whole thing with the royal family is just “so messy,” and he’s particularly not OK with Prince Harry airing their dirty laundry in his memoir, Spare.

“I’ve never been one for kiss-and-tell books,” he says. “They’re very, very spiteful to families and friends.”

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Stewart Copeland is set to drop a new album of reworked classics from his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band The Police.

Police Deranged for Orchestra, due out June 23, features songs like “Roxanne,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and more, all arranged for a full orchestra. The first single from the album, a new version of “Every Breath You Take,” is out now. 

Copeland first reworked Police classics back in 2021 for a concert tour of the U.S. and Europe. He’s also got some more shows planned and is set to play London, England, on April 28. He has dates confirmed through July 27 in Sicily, Italy, with more expected to be added. A complete list of dates can be found at stuartcopeland.net.

Here is the track list for Police Deranged for Orchestra:

“Don’t Stand So Close To Me”
“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”
“King of Pain”
“Demolition Man”
“Murder by Numbers”
“Roxanne”
“Tea in the Sahara”
“Can’t Stand Losing You / Regatta de Blanc”
“Every Breath You Take”

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While some people may think rock is dead, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott isn’t one of them, although he does think it’s much harder for bands these days.

“Nowadays kids just shove their headphones on, not talking to their parents or their mates. It’s a very insular world,” he tells Metro UK. “Which is why I think playing live has become very important because people have to rub shoulders.” 

Elliott notes that the “industry has changed,” which is making it more difficult for new rock bands to get noticed. 

“Some of these new bands write great songs and they’re going about it the right way, but they aren’t getting the chance,” he says. “I don’t think it’s their fault, and that’s the scary bit.” He adds, “Even scarier is that Def Leppard started in ’77 and we’re still talking about us in 2023. Are we still gonna be talking about these newer bands in 2065?”

Next up for Def Leppard, they’re getting ready to release their new album, Drastic Symphonies, on May 19. They’ll be at Royal Festival Hall in London on May 16 to talk about their new book, Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard, which is hitting book stores May 9. They also have the U.K. and European leg of their stadium tour with Mötley Crüe, which kicks off May 22 in Sheffield, England. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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Jackson Browne is under the weather. The singer was forced to postpone his Friday, April 14, concert at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia, “due to illness.”

The show has now been moved to Monday, August 16. His concerts in Sydney on April 15, as well as his remaining dates in New Zealand, are expected to go on as planned.

Those unable to attend the new date are eligible for refunds.

Browne’s tour Down Under is set to run until April 21. He returns to the U.S. for a tour starting June 3 in Columbus, Ohio. A full list of dates can be found at jacksonbrowne.com.

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