Classic Rock News

Soundgarden has shared a statement paying tribute to late frontman Chris Cornell on the anniversary of his death.

In a Facebook post authored by drummer Matt Cameron, the grunge rockers declare they’re “Honoring Chris today and everyday.”

“I’m forever grateful to have played a small part in his artistic development,” Cameron writes. “Chris led by example, lived life passionately, never compromised, and put a small dent in the universe with his otherworldly musical talents.”

Cameron adds, “Do yourself a favor on this day, crank Badmotorfinger to 11 and don’t be late for the BIRTH RITUUUUUAAAALLLL!!”

Cornell died the early morning of May 18, 2017, after playing a Soundgarden show in Detroit the night before. His death was ruled a suicide.

A posthumous Cornell solo covers album, No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1, was released in 2020. Soundgarden had also been working on new material prior to Cornell’s death, the recordings of which were the subject of a long-running legal battle between the band and Chris’ widow, Vicky Cornell. Just last month, Soundgarden and Vicky announced that they’d reconciled their legal issues, paving the way for those final recordings to be released.

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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Getting tickets to U2’s upcoming residency in Las Vegas hasn’t been easy, and now some folks who were lucky enough to snag tickets are dealing with a bit of disappointment.

According to the Las Vegas-Review Journal, some fans who recently purchased tickets to U2: UV Achtung Baby at The Sphere have been informed that their seats have an obstructed view of the video screens in the state-of-the-art arena. Tickets affected are mostly in the lower level, 100 section, with the views partially obstructed by the overhang of the higher level seats. It is important to note the seats still have a direct view of the actual band. 

The problem, which was reportedly discovered by venue officials ahead of the sale, affects about 800 seats per show, and fans with those tickets have been given the option of getting a refund or switching to different seats in a new section — but they’ll have to switch to a different date.

U2: UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere at The Venetian is set to kick off September 29 and will consist of 25 shows wrapping December 16. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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Anthrax is the latest band to collaborate with Iron Maiden‘s Legacy of the Beast mobile game.

Legacy of the Beast now includes a new level inspired by the “Madhouse” outfit’s music, which allows you to play as their Not Man mascot alongside Maiden’s Eddie character.

“Just the idea that our character is in a game with Eddie, and they get to fight alongside each other, [it’s] kinda mind-blowing for me,” says Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. “It’s kinda hard for me to put into words.”

To play as Not Man, you’ll need to log in to Legacy of the Beast any seven days between now and June 16.

Legacy of the Beast has previously featured levels inspired by Avenged Sevenfold, Motörhead, Ghost, Five Finger Death Punch and Disturbed.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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On This Day, May 18, 1978 … 

The life of future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Buddy Holly hit the big screen when The Buddy Holly Story opened in theaters in the U.S., including a special premiere in Holly’s hometown of Lubbock, Texas. 

The film starred a 33-year-old Gary Busey as Holly, a role that earned him an Oscar nomination.

The movie followed Holly’s story from age 20 until his death in a plane crash at age 22. Also on the plane were Holly’s tour mates, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens, all of whom also perished.

The film, which had a budget of $1.2 million, opened to mostly good reviews and wound up earning $14.3 million in the box office.

While Busey lost the Oscar for Best Leading Actor, the film took home the Academy Award for Best Adaption Score.

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KISS is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their album Alive III with a new vinyl release set to come out June 2. 

Alive III was the first live album from the band during their non-makeup era. It captures performances from the November 1992 “Revenge” tour shows in Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1994.

The limited-edition 30th anniversary set is being released in a variety of formats, including an already sold-out deluxe anniversary edition, which was limited to only 500 copies. It included two picture discs with a die-cut cover, along with new picture sleeves featuring unreleased tour photos and a King of Live T-shirt.

There’s also a premium two-LP colored vinyl version pressed on yellow and orange pyro vinyl, which can be purchased with the King of Live T-shirt. Only 2,500 copies of this version are being made available worldwide. It is available for preorder now.

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Sting fans may be disappointed when they see him in concert, because he’s no longer playing one of his classic tunes live.

In an interview with People, Sting looks back at some of his hit songs and discusses the Police tune “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” which is about the relationship between a male teacher and a female student, and why you won’t hear it in his set list.  

“It’s certainly not biographical, but people having relationships with teachers, it definitely happens,” Sting, who was a teacher before becoming a rock star, says. “And in the song’s defense, nothing happens. It’s just the danger of, something happens and the teacher is aware of it, which is why he’s saying, ‘Don’t stand so close to me.'”

Sting says the song could be interpreted in “many, many different ways,” which can become an issue.

“In the current climate, I don’t sing that live,” he says. “People with a sort of puerile sensibility will say, ‘Oh it’s about you.’ And of course it’s not, but it’s an interesting situation.”

Sting will be honored as a Fellow of the Ivors Academy at the Ivor Awards on May 18 in London, and he’s certainly proud of the honor.

“If you ask me my profession, I would say I’m a songwriter, so to receive this honor is very special,” he shares. “I get people coming up to me saying, ‘Oh, I got married to your song,’ or ‘We buried Uncle Charlie to your song’ or ‘I fell out of love to this’ … People mark their lives with the songs of their era, as do I.”

As for seeing Sting live, his My Songs tour comes to North America starting September 1 and 2 in Vienna, Virginia. A complete list of dates can be found at sting.com.

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Def Leppard’s new album, Drastic Symphonies, is out Friday, May 19, and the band has just released yet another track from the record.

The album features 15 Def Leppard tunes recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Fans are now getting to hear the new take on “When Love and Hate Collide,” a song that was recorded for the band’s 1992 album, Adrenalize, but didn’t make the record. 

“When Love and Hate Collide” eventually appeared on the band’s 1995 anthology collection, Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits 1980-1995. The original demo version contained the final recorded guitar solo from Steve Clark, who passed away in January 1991.

Drastic Symphonies is available for preorder now.

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Queen’s Brian May and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi had a chance to hang out together this week, but it looks like it may have been more than just a social call.

“Joy ! A rare and special afternoon with my dear pal Tony Iommi,” May shared on social media, noting they got together for a “documentary on RIFFS!!!!”

Iommi added on his page, “It was so lovely to see my dear friend Brian yesterday and to spend some time together catching up. Brilliant!”

So far no other information about the documentary is known.

In other Queen news, a Queen The Greatest Pop-Up Store is set to open this weekend in Kyoto, Japan. This is the third such Queen pop-up to open; the first opening was in 2021 on Carnaby Street in London, followed by one in Tokyo in 2022. The Kyoto shop, which will feature a photo exhibit, plus a line of merch, including some new products, will be open from May 20 to June 4.

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Foo Fighters are performing at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Formula 1 race.

Dave Grohl and company will take the stage following the events of the race’s final day on November 26. The performance will mark the first Foos performance in the United Arab Emirates.

The Foos were previously announced to perform at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but the performance was canceled due to what a statement described as “unforeseen medical circumstances.” They’re playing the event this year as part of their live comeback following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.

Meanwhile, the new Foo Fighters album But Here We Are, their first since Hawkins’ passing, drops June 2. The graphic design company Morning Breath Inc, which apparently worked with Foos on creating the But Here We Are artwork, shared a closeup look at the record’s minimalist design, which features the line “For Virginia and Taylor” on the back corner, presumably in tribute to Hawkins and Grohl’s mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl.

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Graham Nash’s new album, Now, comes out Friday, May 19, and he isn’t afraid to sing about what’s bothering him about the current political climate in America.

In an interview with USA Today, Nash says he’s “very disappointed in America and particularly Republicans on their insatiable desire to please (Donald) Trump. I don’t understand it.”

And while some artists may worry about alienating fans with their political opinions, the 81-year-old Nash doesn’t seem to worry about that.

“Yeah well, I have a right to speak my mind. No one has to agree and no one has to listen,” he says. “But I live in America and have since 1968 and I love this country. It has its faults, but it has so much more going for it.” 

Nash also talks about the loss of his friend and bandmate David Crosby, who died in January just when they were starting to mend their broken relationship.  

“I’m beginning to really make the choice of trying to remember the good stuff because the bad stuff is not worth it,” he says. “I want to remember the good music we made … I see his face everywhere.”

Nash is currently on a solo tour. He plays New York’s City Winery on Wednesday, May 17. A complete list of dates can be found at grahamnash.com.

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