Classic Rock News

Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt has responded to Elon Musk‘s taunt over the band’s performance on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest .

As previously reported, Billie Joe Armstrong changed the lyrics during Green Day’s rendition of “American Idiot” to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda,” a reference to former President Donald Trump and his supporters. That prompted Musk to take to what used to be called Twitter — before he purchased it and changed it to X — to proclaim, “Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it.”

When asked about Musk’s comments in an interview with Rolling Stone, Dirnt replies, “Elon Musk actually is the machine.”

“I can’t take anything else from that,” Dirnt adds. “He’s not shy about saying stupid s*** on the internet. Whatever.”

Along with Musk’s post, Green Day’s NYRE performance caused a right wing firestorm, which, given that the band has long been vocal and open about their politics, surprised Dirnt. Not only that, but “American Idiot” was originally written about the administration of another Republican president, George W. Bush.

“The song’s 20 years old, and we’re Green Day,” Dirnt says. “What did you expect? Come on. I think the best part about it is that it provoked conversation. It got people talking.”

“First it was rhetorical, and then it got into conversation,” he continues. “Anytime you can get people talking, you’re always going to have the loudest voices [heard first], and then everyone else in the room is going to figure out what it really means.”

Green Day will release a new album, Saviors, on January 19.

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Santana has teamed with Run DMC’s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels for a new song, “Let The Guitar Play,” which reimagines his 2021 release “Song for Cindy.”

The new take, produced by Lino Nicolosi, Nicolosi Team and Narada Michael Walden, features Carlos Santana’s signature guitar style mixed with an EDM-style drum beat and a poetic rap by DMC.

“Now, more than ever, it is essential that we heal life, people, and the planet,” Carlos shares. “This music is assigned and designed to touch your heart, take you out of your misery, and to remind you that you are significant, meaningful, and can make a difference in the world.”

He adds that it was a “joy to collaborate” with DMC and the producers, noting, “Our collective vision is to heal and to bring light and peace. Please join us!” 

You can listen to “Let The Guitar Play” now via digital outlets or watch the video on YouTube. 

The song release comes as Santana is getting ready to return to the stage in Las Vegas. His An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live residency returns to the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay on Wednesday, January 24, with dates booked through May. A complete list of shows can be found at santana.com.

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On This Day, January 12, 1974…

Steve Miller Band landed their first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “The Joker,” the title track from their eighth studio album.  

The song also topped the U.K. chart in 1990, after it was reissued following its use in a Levi’s commercial. Additionally, the reissue topped the charts in Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

The tune, which became a signature song for the band, went on to be certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA. It was the first of three #1 hits for Steve Miller Band, the others being “Rock’n Me” in 1976 and “Abracadabra” in 1982.

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Grateful Dead fans will be taking over Riviera Cancun, Mexico, to enjoy some music, sun and more at the first-ever Dead Ahead festival, which kicks off Friday, January 12.

The festival will feature four nights of music, with artists like The Dead’s Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, Don Was and Jay Lane, along with special appearances by Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Margo Price, Sturgill Simpson and more. 

The festival begins with two headlining sets from Weir and the Wolf Brothers, featuring the Wolfpack. It’s followed by a ”late night rhythmic experience” with Hart’s Noche de Ondas, featuring a guest list that includes Trucks, percussionists Giovanni Hidalgo and Karl Perazzo, bass player Isaac Eady and drummer Lane. Hart promises a performance that “ties together many musical worlds.”

Saturday night will be headlined by Oteil & Friends, followed by a late night show from Lettuce celebrating the Jerry Garcia Band.

The last two nights will feature curated collaborations celebrating the Grateful Dead songbook, all with Weir, Hart, Chimenti, Burbridge, Was and Lane, with Sunday’s set featuring guests Trucks, Tedeschi and Simpson, and Monday’s featuring Price, Rick Mitarotonda and Simpson.

The weekend is more than just a concert, though, with attendees able to enjoy pool parties, jam sessions on the beach, golf outings, performance artists, interactive art installations and plenty of other activities.

While this is the inaugural Dead Ahead festival, it isn’t the first time members of The Dead have held a festival south of the border. From 2018 to 2020 Dead & Company headlined their own Playing in the Sand festival in Riviera Maya.

More information and a full schedule can be found at deadaheadfestival.com

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Jon Bon Jovi is saluting NFL coach Bill Belichick, who on Thursday parted ways with the New England Patriots after 24 seasons.

“Here’s a couple pics with my friend Bill. Thank you Coach for this chapter in an already legendary career,” he wrote on Instagram alongside photos of them together. “You are the G.O.A.T on and off the field … I’ve got your tambourine ready for you. Let’s go !!!” 

Belichick joined the Patriots in 2000 and went on to coach the team to six Super Bowl wins. He is one of only three NFL coaches to have won six championships.

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Elvis Costello and Christopher Cross are among the artists set to perform at The Nearness of You Concert, happening February 6 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in New York City.

The event, which will honor 15-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Michael Brecker, will also feature performances by Costello’s wife Diana Krall, jazz singer Dianne Reeves and saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

The concert is a benefit to support cancer research at Columbia University’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Previous Nearness of You concerts featured artists such as James Taylor, Paul Simon and Chaka Khan, and have raised nearly $5 million for cancer research.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now.

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Paul McCartney and Fleetwood Mac are among the artists who have contributed items to the new MusiCares Charity Relief Auction, set to coincide with this year’s Grammy Awards. 

More than 75 one-of-a-kind items are up for grabs this year, including a signed and personalized hardcover copy of McCartney’s book The Lyrics: 1965 to Present; a Yamaha C3 Baby Grand Piano the late Fleetwood Mac co-founder, co-singer and songwriter Christine McVie played onstage; Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s signed black ESP LTD Vulture model guitar; and Eagle guitarist Joe Walsh’s personally owned and autographed 2015 Fender Stratocaster guitar.

Other items include The Cure frontman Robert Smith’s acoustic guitar, a twice signed Stevie Nicks Barbie doll, autographed Nicks records and a signed 2023 Gibson Les Paul from Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. There are also contributions from Foo Fighters, The Who’s Pete Townshend, James Brown, Coldplay and more.

The MusiCares Charity Relief Auction is happening Sunday, February 4, at 12 p.m. PT; it will take place at Julien’s Auctions and online. Proceeds benefit MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charity arm that provides health and human services to the music community.

More info on the auction can be found at juliensauctions.com.

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Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has shared another taste of his upcoming album, The Circus and the Nightwhale, which will be released February 16.

The Rock & Roll Famer has just dropped a new single, “Wherever You Are,” along with a video for the track. This is the second single Hackett’s released from the album, following “People of the Smoke.” 

The Circus and the Nightwhale is described as an autobiographical concept album revolving around a character named Travla. It is Hackett’s first album of new material since 2021’s instrumental album Under A Mediterranean Sky.  

The Circus and the Nightwhale is available for preorder now.

Hackett is set to return to the U.S. for a new leg of his Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour on March 1 in Jacksonville, Florida, with dates confirmed through April 13 in Phoenix, Arizona. A complete list of tour dates can be found at hackettsongs.com.

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Eddie Vedder is helping celebrate the Chicago Bulls as part of the basketball team’s inaugural Ring of Honor festivities.

The Pearl Jam frontman, who’s well known as a Chicago sports fan, has written an essay in honor of Dennis Rodman, who won three NBA championships with the Bulls in the ’90s alongside legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

“He is surprisingly well-known considering that not too many people truly get to know him,” Vedder writes of Rodman.

On the court, Rodman was known as a rebounding and defensive specialist. Off the court, he was infamous for his flamboyant appearance as well as legal issues and high-profile relationships with Madonna and Carmen Electra. He also developed a friendship with Vedder and has showed up at a number of Pearl Jam shows.

“His legend and his legacy all come from his work on the court,” Vedder writes. “And, at a certain point in his elevated life and colorful career, his infinite energy evolved into an existence that not even the magnificence of the hardwoods could contain. But never should the extracurriculars pull focus from the history that was made — the history he helped create.” 

The Bulls will celebrate Rodman and the other Ring of Honor inductees, including Jordan and Pippen, during halftime of an upcoming game against the Golden State Warriors, taking place Friday, January 12.

In other Vedder news, the “Even Flow” rocker’s EB Research Partnership charity organization has announced a benefit concert taking place February 17 in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The event will feature Vedder, Post Malone and Jelly Roll, among others.

The EB Research Partnership endeavors to find a cure for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disorder that causes painful skin blisters. For more info, visit EBResearch.org.

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Elton John recently sold his Atlanta, Georgia, duplex for over $7 million. After living there for 30 years, he amassed quite a lot of stuff, and now, he’s getting ready to sell it all.

Christie’s has announced The Collection of Sir Elton John: Goodbye Peachtree Road auction, featuring art, clothing, jewelry and other objects from the home.

Items on the auction block include Elton’s living room piano, the Sandy Powell-designed 18th century costume he wore for his 47th birthday, silver leather platform boots with “E” and “J” on both sides and over 100 Versace woven-silk shirts from the 1990s.

There’s also photos by Irving Penn, Herb Ritts and Robert Mapplethorpe, art by Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Banksy, a painting Damien Hurst made specifically for Elton and a lot more. 

“It may not be everyone’s taste, but it’s certainly my taste,” John tells Christie’s about the collection. “My apartment in Atlanta was like my man cave full of things that I loved, mementos from everywhere in the world, things that gave me inspiration every day.” 

Items in the collection will be on exhibit from February 9-21 at Christie’s in New York. There will be a series of eight auctions in total, both online and in person. More information on the auction can be found at christies.com.

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