Classic Rock News

Blood, Sweat & Tears’ 1970 State Department-sponsored tour of Iron Curtain countries Yugoslavia, Romania and Poland is the subject of a new documentary, What The Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?, opening in theaters in New York and Los Angeles Friday.

The film features interviews and archival footage from the controversial tour, which resulted in the band suffering backlash from fans. While it may not have been the best decision to go on that tour, BST drummer and co-founder Bobby Colomby says they really didn’t have the option not to do it.

“We just did a tour because (lead singer) David (Clayton-Thomas) didn’t have a green card anymore, and we couldn’t play in the United States and David’s Canadian,” Colomby tells ABC Audio. “So it was, you know, the State Department saying, ‘We’ll get you the green card, can you do us a favor?’” 

He described it as “quid pro quo in the classic sense.”

Colomby says while there were definitely issues on the tour, he does have positive memories of the trek, especially the people. But he notes, “It was horrifying in certain aspects, especially Romania, which was dark ages.”

The political backlash that followed from both the right and the left really surprised the band, whose self-titled second album beat The Beatles’ Abbey Road for the Album of the Year Grammy. Colomby says it was very out of the ordinary for a band that tried to stay out of politics. 

“You know, it’s funny, we weren’t a political group,” he says. “We were just truly, you know, as David says in the beginning, we’re just musicians. We’re just trying to play music, influence other musicians make stuff that people will enjoy.” 

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Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died one year ago this Saturday.

On March 25, 2022, Dave Grohl and company were set to headline a festival in Bogotá, Colombia. That night, the Foos tweeted, “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins.” He was 50 years old.

Hawkins was born February 17, 1972. After playing drums in Alanis Morissette‘s live band in the mid-’90s, Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997 and remained with the group until his death. Hawkins was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with the rest of the Foos in 2021.

Following Hawkins’ passing, Foo Fighters canceled all their tour dates and live appearances, including a scheduled performance at the Grammys the following weekend.

Eventually, the Foos returned to the live stage in September 2022 with two giant tribute concerts to Hawkins, taking place in London and Los Angeles. The marathon events, which both lasted around six hours, featured guest performances by artists including Paul McCartney, Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich, AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson, Joan Jett and Miley Cyrus, as well as members of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Def Leppard, Blink-182 and Black Sabbath.

Both concerts ended with Foo Fighters performing alongside guest drummers, including Hawkins’ teenage son Shane, who memorably manned the kit for the song “My Hero.”

On New Year’s Eve, Foo Fighters announced they intended to continue as a band without Hawkins. A new drummer has yet to be announced. The group’s first show back is scheduled for May 24 in New Hampshire, and they’ll play a number of festivals, including Bonnaroo, Boston Calling, Sonic Temple and Outside Lands.

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We may soon see Joni Mitchell’s life on the big screen. The website Above The Line is reporting that Oscar-winning filmmaker Cameron Crowe is planning to write and direct a movie about the legendary singer, and has been working on it with Mitchell for the past two years.

The report claims the film won’t be a “traditional biopic in the conventional sense of the word,” adding that it’s not a documentary either, describing it as “akin to an autobiography.” A source says Mitchell’s story will be told in Crowe’s “singular voice,” so it will be from his point of view, as opposed to hers. 

Mitchell and Crowe have been friends for a while — he even escorted her to Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party in 2017, just two years after she suffered a brain aneurysm. He also interviewed her for the Los Angeles Times in 2021 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of her legendary album Blue.

The movie will be the first one Crowe has written and directed since 2015’s Aloha, although since then he created the 2016 Showtime series Roadies and directed the 2019 David Crosby documentary David Crosby: Remember My Name.

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John Mellencamp is currently on his Live and In Person tour, and folks who caught his recent show in Los Angeles were treated to quite a special moment. People reports the singer brought three of his grandkids onstage to join him.

The trio — Dove, 2, Cruz, 6, and Slate, 9 — are the children of Mellencamp’s daughter, Real Housewives star Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave. They came up to help the rocker perform his 1982 number one hit “Jack & Diane,” with Mellencamp telling the crowd, “I have a surprise, I have grandchildren who are dying to help me sing this song.”

Next up, Mellencamp’s Live and In Person tour hits the Encore Theatre at the Wynn in Las Vegas for a two-night stand March 24 and 25. A complete list of tour dates can be found at mellencamp.com.

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It appears Nikki Sixx has joined in on Dolly Parton‘s rock album.

In a tweet Thursday, the Mötley Crüe bassist shares that he “played bass on a song for Dolly Parton yesterday.”

As previously reported, the “9 to 5” star started working on a rock record after her nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. The country legend initially removed herself from consideration for the honor, before ultimately accepting the nomination and later being inducted into the Rock Hall.

Speaking with USA Today earlier this year, Parton revealed that the album will include guest spots from Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Elton John, John Fogerty and Joan Jett, among others.

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Jackson Browne is hitting the road this summer. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced a new set of tour dates, in which he promises to treat fans to “songs spanning the length of his career.”

The tour kicks off June 13 in Columbus, Ohio, with stops in Pittsburgh, Louisville, Nashville, Austin, New Orleans and more, before wrapping August 2 in Clearwater, Florida. 

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, March 24, at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of tour dates can be found at jacksonbrowne.com.

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Are The Black Crowes going country? Well, not really, but they are set to perform at the upcoming CMT Music Awards. 

The “Shake Your Money Maker” rockers are set to join Darius Rucker on the broadcast to premiere their collaboration on the 1991 classic “She Talks To Angels.” Not only that, the artists and longtime friends are set to team up for an episode of CMT Crossroads, which will tape in Austin on March 31 and air sometime this summer.

The 2023 CMT Music Awards air April 2 live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

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Stevie Nicks‘ solo tour is being put on pause thanks to COVID-19. The Fleetwood Mac singer announced that her shows Thursday in San Francisco and Sunday in Sacramento are being postponed “due to a Covid illness within the band.” 

“Stevie has loved being back on stage and is so sorry to disappoint the fans,” reads a post on social media, “but she and the band are taking all safety precautions and will be back soon.” 

Stevie’s next solo tour date is scheduled for March 30 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She’s also due to reunite with Billy Joel for another co-headlining show on April 8 in Arlington, Texas. A complete list of Stevie dates can be found at stevienicksofficial.com.

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Rod Stewart has tapped Culture Club to open for him on his upcoming U.K. summer tour, which will have him playing some unique venues, including football stadiums, estates and castles.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be sharing the stage with my dear old friend, Boy George & Culture Club for this run of special summer shows,” Stewart shares. “I’m excited for them to join me on what is sure to be a memorable set of concerts at a variety of special venues.” He added, “We’ll all be dancing under the stars.”

Stewart’s U.K. tour kicks off in Plymouth, England, and wraps July 6 in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the only show Culture Club is not opening. He’s also scheduled to return to North America this year, with his Las Vegas residency returning to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on May 3, followed by a summer tour that kicks off July 29 in Sparks, Nevada. A complete list of tour dates can be found at rodstewart.com.

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You may not have guessed that someone nicknamed the Prince of Darkness would be afraid of anything, but Ozzy Osbourne apparently had one specific fear that reared its head during the cover shoot for his 1983 solo album, Bark at the Moon.

Bark at the Moon photographer Fin Costello tells Classic Rock magazine that Ozzy was “terrified of dogs,” which was particularly tricky due to the werewolf-themed shoot.

“In one of the shots, Ozzy was playing a wolf, on his hands and knees with these rottweilers behind him,” Costello shares. “But what I didn’t realize was that Ozzy was terrified of dogs. Now, when he could see the dogs he could deal with it, but when they were behind him it was completely different!”

At one point at five in the morning, Costello remembers Ozzy “got up and said he couldn’t do it any more.”

“We ended up having this bizarre, early-hours conversation with him dressed like a werewolf, his wife Sharon, who’d just given birth about two days before, a nanny holding the baby in a Moses basket, and with a tea lady wandering around the set giving out drinks,” Costello says. “We eventually finished, but it was all very surreal!”

Ozzy seems to have gotten over his fear of dogs — or, at least, is now OK with smaller ones — as evidenced by his beloved Pomeranian Rocky.

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