Classic Rock News

The Beatles are back at #1: The band’s new single, “Now and Then,” tops the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart for the very first time.

The Adult Alternative Airplay chart launched in 1996, and The Beatles have landed on it one other time — when 1996’s “Free as a Bird” peaked at #11. They now hold the record for the longest time between their first appearance on the AAA chart and their first #1.

In other Beatles news … Sir Patrick Stewart recounted a sweet story of meeting Paul McCartney during an appearance on Live with Kelly & Mark.

He was in Bristol working in an acting company with McCartney’s then-girlfriend Jane Asher and during lunch one day they were playing a game where they shared what they’d buy if they had 1 million pounds; Stewart chose an Aston Martin. Two weeks later, McCartney showed up at Stewart’s dressing room. 

“The door opened and there was Paul McCartney and he said, ‘Jane tells me that you like Aston Martins. Here, drive this,’” Stewart recalled, noting he was in his underwear at the time. “He threw me a bunch of keys.” Stewart said they went out on a joyride in the middle of the night and drove about 18 miles together to Bath, England.

“All I could think was if I crash this car it’s the only thing I’ll be remembered for,” Stewart said. “This is the man who killed Paul McCartney.”

Stewart also recalled bumping into McCartney, who was with Ringo Starr, in a restaurant years later. McCartney introduced Stewart to Ringo, noting they were all “Sirs.”

Stewart said McCartney put his arms around both him and Ringo, declaring, “We are Knights of the Round Table.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

These days, thanks to technology like holograms, bands don’t necessarily have to disappear when they decide to stop touring or making music. But that’s not something The Who’s Pete Townshend is interested in.

Townshend and Roger Daltrey are the only two surviving members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band and they still tour together. When they eventually decide to put an end to touring, Townshend says fans shouldn’t expect to see a Who avatar show like Voyage, the show made famous by ABBA.

“Apparently Mick [Jagger] has said, ‘Yeah, The Rolling Stones will definitely do an ABBA,’” he tells the Financial Times, referring to recent comments Jagger made to WSJ magazine. Townshend then made a face and ruled it out for The Who, noting, “Oh f***, no, no, no.”

While The Who don’t currently have dates on the books, they did play several shows in the U.K. last summer. Their last gig was August 28 in Sandringham, England.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

David Lee Roth is reinterpreting another Van Halen classic.

The rocker just shared his reimagined solo version of “Jump,” off Van Halen’s sixth studio album, 1984. The new take was recorded live at Henson Studios in Los Angeles.

This is the eighth Van Halen song that has been given the solo treatment by Roth. He previously released ”Atomic Punk,” “Unchained,” “You Really Got Me,” “Dance The Night Away,” “Panama,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” and “Everybody Wants Some!!” 

He’s also shared two previously unreleased tracks, “Manda Bala” and “Wash and Fold.”

Released as a single in December 1983, “Jump” went on to be a huge hit for Van Halen, becoming the band’s only #1 tune on the Billboard Hot 100.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen just released another edition of his Live Series, and while we know Bruce is a great guitar player, the latest playlist focuses on his piano prowess.

The Live Series: Songs On Keys, available on most streaming services, is a playlist of solo piano performances by The Boss, recorded around the world between 1975 and 2016.

The playlist is made up of 15 performances, including “For You,” live at CW Post College in Greenvale, New York, on December 12, 1975; “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out,” live at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 16, 1990; “Drive All Night,” live at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey, on January 22, 2005; and “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street,” live at London’s Wembley Stadium on June 5, 2016.

Springsteen is currently recovering from peptic ulcer disease, which forced the postponement of the remainder of his 2023 tour. He is due back out on the road with the E Street Band in 2024, with dates kicking off March 19 in Phoenix, Arizona. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has shared the first single from his upcoming solo album, The Circus And The Nightwhale. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has released the album’s opening track, “People of the Smoke.”

“’People of the Smoke’ spins us all back in time to 1950, when bustling post-war London was stifled with smog from trains, chimneys, industry and smokers,” Hackett shares. “I was born into that world! This song kicks off an album following my life’s journey both literally and metaphorically.” 

The Circus and the Nightwhale is Hackett’s first album of new material since 2021’s instrumental album Under A Mediterranean Sky. It will be released February 16 and is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Peter Frampton has announced a new set of 2024 tour dates.

The rocker just revealed new 2024 dates for his Never Say Never Tour, telling fans, “I don’t want to give up my passion and will play as long as I physically can.” 

The new trek kicks off March 3 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and includes a night at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre on April 13, before wrapping April 14 in San Diego, California. A complete list of dates can be found at frampton.com.

A ticket presale kicks off Monday, December 4, at 10 a.m. local time, with the general onsale happening Friday, December 8, at 10 a.m. local time.

The new dates are likely a welcome surprise for Frampton fans who thought they may never see him on tour again. In 2019, he launched what he said would be his final tour ever, after being diagnosed with a degenerative muscular disease that would eventually stop him from playing guitar. But, he changed his mind and launched the Never Say Never Tour in June.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

It looks like Foreigner may have reconsidered hanging up their touring career. 

While the band still has a set of 2024 Farewell Tour dates on the books, as well as a final run in Las Vegas, it seems that won’t be the end of their touring life, because they’ve just announced a new summer co-headlining tour with Styx. 

The Renegades & Juke Box Heroes tour, featuring special guest John Waite, will kick off June 11 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and wrap August 28 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  

“We’re very excited to be sharing the concert stage with Foreigner and John Waite in the summer of 2024,” Styx’s James “JY” Young shares. “We have previously toured with Foreigner and the result was both bands kicked a** and had a great time doing it.” 

Foreigner’s Mick Jones adds, “I am very much looking forward to the band being back on the road with our old friends, Styx. Our ‘Soundtrack Of Summer’ tour ten years ago was a blockbuster … It’ll be a great time had by all.” 

The two bands even poke fun at frontman Kelly Hansen’s desire to retire from the road in a video promoting the trek, with Hansen seeming to enjoy retirement, until Styx’s Tommy Shaw sends him a letter convincing him to join them on the road.

A Citi presale for tickets kicks off Monday, December 4, at 10 a.m., with the general onsale launching Friday, December 8, at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at foreigneronline.com and styxworld.com.

(Video includes uncensored profanity)

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson is giving fans a first taste of his upcoming solo album, The Mandrake Project, which drops March 1.

The rocker has just released the album’s first single, “Afterglow of Ragnarok,” along with a brand new video, which premiered at the launch of CCXP23, Brazil’s Comic-Con, in São Paulo.

Dickinson describes the track as “a heavy song and there’s a great big riff driving it,” but he notes, “There’s also a real melody in the chorus that displays the light and shade that the rest of the album brings.”’

Fans are getting more than just music with The Mandrake Project. There will also be a new comic series created by Dickinson, written by Tony Lee and illustrated by Staz Johnson.

The comic, which will be released by Z2 Comics, is described as “a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius.” It will be released as 12 episodes, which will be turned into three graphic novels, with the first edition coming to stores January 17. 

The Mandrake Project, Dickinson’s first solo album since 2005’s Tyranny Of Souls, is available for preorder now. Plus, a seven-inch vinyl of “Afterglow of Ragnarok” is now available; it comes with an eight-page prequel of the comic.

Here is the track list for The Mandrake Project:

“Afterglow Of Ragnarok”
“Many Doors To Hell”
“Rain On The Graves”
“Resurrection Men”
“Fingers In The Wounds”
“Eternity Has Failed”
“Mistress Of Mercy”
“Face In The Mirror”
“Shadow Of The Gods”
“Sonata (Immortal Beloved)”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

U2 has shared a tribute to their fellow Irish musician Shane MacGowan, who died Thursday, November 30, at age 65.

In an Instagram post remembering the late Pogues frontman, the “With or Without You” band writes, “Shane MacGowan’s songs were perfect so he or we his fans didn’t have to be.”

The post is accompanied by a sketch of MacGown drawn by Bono, who scrawled a quote from the Pogues tune “A Rainy Night in Soho” underneath: “I’ve been loving you a long time/Down all the years, down all the days/And I’ve cried for all your troubles/Smiled at your funny little ways.”

Others who’ve paid tribute to MacGowan include Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and NFL player Jason Kelce, who recently covered The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York” with his brother, Travis Kelce, of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Shane’s prowess as a singer, songwriter, and poet was truly a gift to this world,” the Philadelphia Eagles center tells Consequence. “He could make you feel what he was saying, attaching his soul to his music. ‘Fairytale of New York’ has long been one of my favorite songs (not just Christmas songs), as it gets to the roots of love, anger, resentment, sacrifice, and ultimately companionship.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Queen continues the look at their encores in this week’s episode of their weekly YouTube series, Queen the Greatest Live.

While “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions” became staples of Queen’s encores, early in their career, they tried out other songs to end their shows. Now, they are giving fans a look at one of those performances.

The clip features footage of their encore performance of the Elvis Presley classic “Jailhouse Rock,” shot December 24, 1975, at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The band sped up the Elvis tune to rock out with the crowd, and the performance featured balloons, blow up dolls and frontman Freddie Mercury throwing flowers to the audience.

It seems the members of the band, particularly Mercury, were big Elvis fans growing up. 

“I think it’s impossible to have been a kid at that time and not been influenced by Elvis,”  Brian May revealed in a 2021 interview. “Freddie in particular though, of course. He was one of Freddie’s great heroes.”

Next week on Queen the Greatest Live: “Friends Will Be Friends.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.