Classic Rock News

Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar says he’s open to performing with the band’s original lead singer, David Lee Roth.

Hagar just announced dates for The Best of All Worlds Tour, where he’ll joined by Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Joe Satriani. The plan is to perform songs from the Van Halen catalog, even ones Hagar didn’t sing. And it turns out he’s more than happy to have a little help with them.

While speaking to Howard Stern, Hagar offered an open invitation for both Roth and Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen to join them.

“If Alex Van Halen wants to jump out, if David Lee Roth wants to come out and join us, come on motherf*****, you are welcome,” he said. “This is about Van Halen.”

As for whether he really thinks Alex would make an appearance, Hagar said, “I would hope so.” But he noted, “I reach out to Al about once a month for five years now, and he doesn’t get back to me.” 

Hagar does plan to perform music from his entire career, including songs from his bands The Circle and Chickenfoot, but the focus will be on Van Halen, with promises to go deep into the band’s catalog.

“It’s time — nobody else is gonna do it,” he says. “This is really a celebration of all that, and we are the only ones who can do it.” 

The Best of All Worlds Tour, featuring special guest Loverboy, kicks off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 17, at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

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Looks like The Beatles are on track for another #1.

The legendary rockers recently reissued their two greatest hits compilations, 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album), and early numbers suggest one of them will debut on top of the U.K. Official Albums chart.

If things stay on track, the remastered 1967-1970 will take the #1 position, one better than its original peak of #2 in May 1973. The release, which features the “final” Beatles song, “Now and Then,” would be the group’s 16th U.K. #1.

And that won’t be the band’s only charting album this week. The reissue of 1962-1966 is on track to debut at #2, with a box set that contains both expected to hit #9.

The new chart milestone comes after “Now and Then” debuted at #1 on the U.K. Official Singles chart, setting a new record for the longest gap between number ones. Their last #1 happened 54 years ago with 1969’s “The Ballad of John & Yoko.”

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KISS is getting ready to say goodbye to the road next month, but Gene Simmons insists that won’t be the end of KISS.  

“This tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand,” he tells Canada’s 519 magazine. “KISS is a universe of its own—movies, merchandise, maybe even Broadway. The band will end, but the KISS experience … it’s immortal.”

And fans will even get to experience KISS onstage again, it just won’t be Simmons and his bandmates.

“The KISS show will live on in different ways,” he explains. “It’ll also be four to ten different traveling shows. So, you’ll be able to be in Japan and have Japanese actors, musicians being us, and at the same time you could go to Vegas or New York or London.” 

When it comes to the final shows, many fans have been upset that original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss haven’t been part of them — and it turns out Simmons feels the same way.

While he says they’ve always been welcome, he blames their absence on “egos, personalities, addictions.” 

“I feel sad and angry that both Ace and Peter aren’t here. I mean, they’re alive, but they’re not here to enjoy this unbelievable journey with us,” he says. “They were there at the beginning and deserve all the credit. And when they look in the mirror, the only reason they’re not here with us is themselves.”  

KISS’ End of the Road tour hits Winnipeg on November 15. It wraps December 1 and 2 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, with the final date streaming live worldwide. A complete list of dates can be found at kissonline.com.

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It’s been 30 years since The Kinks released a new album, but it sounds like fans shouldn’t rule out the possibility of new music in the future.

In a new interview with NME, Ray Davies reveals he’s been recording “home demos” with his bandmates — brother Dave Davies and drummer Mick Avery — since the ’90s, and they may one day see the light of day. 

“We’ve got loads of songs there in pieces,” he says, with Avery describing them as “punchy” rock tunes and “mid-tempo rock ballads.” 

Ray says in total, there are about 20 songs, but it doesn’t sound like he knows when they’ll come out.

“There are about two or three songs I want to finish,” he shares, “and when they’re finished, I’ll put the whole thing together.”

In the meantime, Kinks fans can enjoy experiencing their classic catalog with the upcoming release of The Journey – Part 2 on November 17. The set features songs handpicked by the trio, including some B-sides and album tracks. It is available for preorder now.

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George Thorogood & The Destroyers are celebrating their 50th anniversary with a special celebration later this month. 

On November 30, one day prior to the actual anniversary of their first show, the band will take part in a special sold out-event at the Grammy Museum. An Evening With George Thorogood & The Destroyers will feature an intimate conversation with the band and a live performance.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers launched their live career with a show at The University of Delaware’s Lane Hall on December 1, 1973. They will mark the anniversary with a radio performance in Los Angeles.

“I’ll admit to a warm feeling of satisfaction, maybe a bit of pride, and definitely a whole lot of gratitude,” says Thorogood. “But, I must admit, fifty years doesn’t feel like a long time when you love what you do. Every show we play can still feel like the biggest night of our lives.”

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Alice Cooper is looking back at his career with a new picture book coming next year.

Starring Alice Cooper features over 400 pages of material for Cooper fans to enjoy, all overseen by the rocker. It includes rare photos and images, and essays about Cooper’s career. It will also include an introduction written by American Gods author Neil Gaiman, a longtime Alice Cooper fan. 

“While creating a visual and sonic template that immediately and permanently sets him apart from his peers, the ever-changing Alice Cooper defies definition,” reads a description of the book. “Starring Alice Cooper celebrates a talent, and a life, of a true one-of-a kind icon.”

The book will be released in two editions, one being a limited edition A3 version that comes with a 3D lenticular image. Both will be signed by Cooper. 

Starring Alice Cooper will be available for preorder starting Friday, November 17, at 10 a.m. ET and is expected to ship in late May.

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It looks like Steely Dan will be sitting out at least two more shows on the Eagles The Long Goodbye tour.

The Doobie Brothers announced on their Instagram page that they will be opening the Eagles’ shows at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, November 17 and 18. These are the final two Long Goodbye shows for 2023. 

Steely Dan has actually been off the Eagles tour since October 6 due to frontman Donald Fagen’s health. Sheryl Crow, Steve Miller Band, Vince Gill and The Nashville Band, and Tedeschi Trucks Band have filled in as openers since then.

Eagles’ The Long Goodbye tour will continue through 2024, with Steely Dan still billed as the opener. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com.

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On This Day, November 15, 1980… 

Blondie landed their fifth U.K. #1 single with “The Tide Is High,” from their fifth studio album, Autoamerican. It would be another 18 years before Blondie topped the U.K. chart again, landing at #1 in 1999 with the track “Maria.”

“The Tide Is High” was a cover of a 1967 song originally performed by the Jamaican group The Paragons, with the tune’s songwriter John Holt singing lead on the track.

Blondie’s version of “The Tide Is High” also went on to hit #1 in the U.S., becoming their third and final #1 single. It also topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand.

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Ozzy Osbourne‘s touring days may be over, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to stop performing altogether.

In an interview with The Messenger, the Prince of Darkness’ son Jack shares, “I don’t think he’ll tour again. But he’s gunning to do one-off shows.

“Like festivals, gigs, things like that,” Jack says. “He’s not done yet!”

Ozzy’s last full live concert took place New Year’s Eve 2018. He’s been kept off the live stage the last few years due to a number of health issues, including undergoing multiple surgeries after suffering a fall in his home in 2019. In February, he announced that he was canceling his long-postponed European tour dates, adding, “Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way.”

It appeared that Ozzy was set to return to performing when he was booked for the inaugural Power Trip, but he ended up dropping off the lineup a few months ahead of the October festival.

“Unfortunately, my body is telling me that I’m just not ready yet,” he said.

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Just in time for the holidays, the late Jimmy Buffet’s 1996 Christmas album, Christmas Island, is being released on vinyl for the first time. 

The album features covers of holiday staples like “Jingle Bells,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Up on the House Top” and “Run Rudolph Run” along with the John Lennon classic “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” It also features two originals, “A Sailor’s Christmas” and “Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far from Home),” along with the original release’s hidden track, Buffett’s take on “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

The original album was released on CD, with Buffett sharing in the liner notes that he was a Christmas baby, born on the same day W.C. Fields died. “I think this only goes to prove that God does have a sense of humor,” he noted.

Buffett added, “Christmas Island is a collection of songs, not ladled over with sugary sentimentality and not too far out there in the strange corridors down which my mind sometimes wanders, and I hope it is what you would expect from the Christmas War baby turned island boy born on the day W.C. Fields died.”

Christmas Island will be released December 15 with two vinyl options: standard black and limited edition red. It is available for preorder now.

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