Mötley Crüe declares ‘decisive victory’ over Mick Mars in legal battle

January 29, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Mötley Crüe was granted a “decisive victory” in the band’s legal battle with former guitarist Mick Mars, their lawyer says in a press release.

According to the press release, the arbitrator’s ruling in the case “rejects every claim Mars made against the band and orders him to pay damages back to the group.”

“This dispute was about protecting the integrity and legacy of one of the most successful bands in rock history,” says Mötley’s lawyer Sasha Frid, of Miller Barondess, LLP. “With the arbitrator rejecting every claim and enforcing the parties’ agreements as written, the band has been fully vindicated—legally, financially, and factually.”

Mars first sued Mötley Crüe in 2023 over a financial dispute stemming from his retirement from touring in 2022. Mars, who was replaced by guitarist John 5, claimed that while he was no longer touring with Mötley due to health issues, he still remained a member of the band and deserved to be compensated as such.

“They’re trying to take my legacy away, my part of Mötley Crüe, my ownership of the name, the brand,” Mars told Rolling Stone in 2023.

Also in the suit, Mars accused the other Mötley members — bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee and vocalist Vince Neil — of using prerecorded tracks during the band’s 2022 reunion tour, specifically claiming that Sixx “did not play a single note on bass” live.

According to Mötley’s press release, Mars “was forced to admit under oath that his statements were false” regarding the miming allegations during arbitration.

“His expert confirmed that the band performed live, and Mars formally recanted his prior claims during sworn testimony,” the press release said.

ABC Audio has reached out to Mars’ manager and legal rep for comment.

The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood to open for Eric Clapton at royal family’s Sandringham estate

January 29, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Ronnie Wood has booked a new live gig.

The Rolling Stones rocker and his band have been announced as a special guest for Eric Clapton‘s Aug. 23 concert at the royal family’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England. The show will also feature Andy Fairweather Low and The Low Riders and U.K. blues rock artist Will Wilde.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now.

Wood’s solo music career was celebrated in 2025 with the release of the box set Fearless: Anthology 1965-2025, which featured not only selections from his solo career, but important tracks from his work with The Stones, Faces, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane and The Jeff Beck Group.

The last time Wood was on stage with The Rolling Stones was back in July 2024. He has performed live several times since then, making a surprise appearance at Paul McCartney’s December 2024 concert at London’s O2 Arena and joining Stewart at the Glastonbury Festival in June.

Rush to donate portion of Fifty Something tour proceeds to Neil Peart memorial

January 29, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rush‘s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are doing what they can to help make a Neil Peart memorial in St. Catherines, Ontario, finally happen.

The St. Catherine Standard reports that Lee and Lifeson plan to donate a portion of the proceeds from Rush’s upcoming Fifty Something tour to the St. Catharines memorial, which will help the city where Peart grew up meet the $1 million goal it has targeted for the Peart tribute.

The plan is to commemorate the Rush drummer with a bronze sculpture installation in Lakeside Park. It will feature two Peart statues, connected by a pathway, one of him in his younger years and one of him in his later years.

The Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force was established in April 2020 to move the project forward, with the plan to raise all funds through donations. After a soft fundraising launch in 2021, the official fundraising campaign began in September 2024. It has so far raised $208,000 for the project.

According to the paper, Rush’s contributions will come from sales of VIP experiences to their shows.

Peart died Jan. 7, 2020, at 67 after a battle with brain cancer.

Rush’s Fifty Something tour, featuring Anika Nilles behind the drum kit, kicks off June 7 in Los Angeles and wraps Dec. 17 in Vancouver, British Columbia. It will be their first tour in 10 years and the first tour since Peart’s death.

A complete list of dates can be found at Rush.com.

Neil Young takes aim at Verizon and Apple over Trump support

January 28, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Neil Young continues to be outspoken about companies who he says support President Donald Trump and his policies.

In his latest post on his Neil Young Archives website, the rocker rails against Verizon and Apple, writing that he’s upset he may have to get rid of his phone because it’s from Verizon.

“I can’t use a Verizon phone,” he writes. “Verizon is a supporter of Trump, with big $. What can I do? I’m checking with our office to see if I can get a T-Mobile flip phone. T-Mobile is not a supporter of the Trump fascist regime.”

He adds, “I am trying to not support the companies that support the regime with huge donations, just to cover their own a*****, while people are being shot in the streets of America, not just Minnesota, America!”

Young’s also rethinking the fact that he uses an Apple computer, though his manager told him he could keep it since it’s already paid for.

“I have to stop and re-assess,” he writes. “No more upgrades! That feeds Apple, Apple supports ‘The Regime.’ That money is going to Apple now. Tim Cook, the CEO, falling over backwards to support the regime!”

“I have to re-asses everything I am doing,” he concludes. “I will sue Apple if my computer doesn’t work without the new costly upgrade. What about Warner Brothers?”

In the post, Young notes there’s a list of companies supporting Trump on his Archives editorial page, along with numbers to contact the CEOs of the companies.

Young’s latest post follows his recent announcement that he’s making his Neil Young Archives site available for free to people in Greenland. He also encouraged his fans not to use Amazon, calling Jeff Bezos “a billionaire backer of the president.”

You can now learn to play John Fogerty classics on Rocksmith+

January 28, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Three of John Fogerty’s classic tunes are now available on the subscription-based music education service Rocksmith+.

Fogerty’s Creedence Clearwater Revival tracks “Bad Moon Rising,” “Down on the Corner” and “Proud Mary” can now be found on Rocksmith+. All three versions are ones Fogerty rerecorded for his most recent album, Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years.

Rocksmith+ can be accessed by downloading the mobile app for iOS and Android, or on PS5, PS4 or PC. It allows subscribers to learn tracks by using their own instruments to play along with songs in the Rocksmith+ library.

Fogerty released Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years in August. The 20-track album is made up of newly recorded versions of his classic CCR tunes. All songs were labeled (John’s Version), similar to what Taylor Swift has done when rerecording her early albums.

Next up, Fogerty is set to play a music festival in Mexico in March, before launching a three-night residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas March 18.

A complete list of dates can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

Slash, Duff, Chad Smith, Post Malone & Andrew Watt performing Ozzy tribute on 2026 Grammys

January 28, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Slash and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses will perform at the 2026 Grammys alongside Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, music star Post Malone and producer Andrew Watt.

The performance will pay tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July 2025 at age 76.

Guns N’ Roses and Smith were among those who played 2025’s Back to the Beginning concert, which took place two weeks before Ozzy’s death and marked his final live concert.

Watt produced Ozzy’s final two solo albums, 2020’s Ordinary Man and 2022’s Patient Number 9, which featured contributions from Slash, McKagan, Smith and Malone. Ozzy also performed alongside Malone at the 2019 American Music Awards.

The 2026 Grammys will air Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

The Grammys will air on ABC in 2027.

Documentary on late ex-Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno announced

January 28, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

A new documentary about late former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno has been announced.

Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer is set to be released in the summer by Cleopatra Entertainment. It will feature appearances by Metallica‘s James Hetfield, KISS‘ Gene Simmons and Maiden founder Steve Harris, among others.

“I wanted to make a film that was unlike any rock doc you’ve ever seen,” says director Wes Orshoski.

Di’Anno sang on Maiden’s first two albums, 1980’s self-titled debut and 1981’s Killers. He parted ways with the band in 1981 and was replaced by current Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson.

Toward the end of his life, Di’Anno battled a number of health issues. A fan-driven crowdfunding campaign helped Di’Anno move to Croatia in seek of treatment, where, as Orshoski says, “fans and doctors gave him the hope he was desperately searching for.”

Di’Anno died in October 2024 at age 66.

John Mellencamp reveals unique way he’s getting in shape for upcoming tour

January 28, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

John Mellencamp recently announced dates for his Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits, and it seems he’s already getting his body ready for the trek, although how he’s going about it seems a bit questionable.

The rocker shared a video on Instagram of him working out on a treadmill, while smoking a cigarette. He added the caption, “Getting in shape for the Dancing Words – The Greatest Hits Tour. Who’s joining us?”

In the clip he puffs away as he tells the camera, “I’m gonna play 2 1/2 hours of nothing but hits so I thought I better get in shape, you know what I mean?”

Mellencamp’s Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits kicks off July 10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and wraps Aug. 12 in Mountain View, California.

He’s promised fans a set filled with hits including “Jack and Diane,” “Hurts So Good,” “Small Town” and “Pink Houses,” as well as break-out tracks he hasn’t performed live in nearly a decade, like “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute To 60’s Rock),” “I Need a Lover,” “Wild Night” and “Ain’t Even Done With the Night.”

Tickets are on sale now. A complete list of dates can be found at Mellencamp.com.

Bruce Springsteen releases new song ‘Streets of Minneapolis’

January 28, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bruce Springsteen has released a brand-new song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” written in response to what’s been happening in Minnesota, including the fatal shootings of two protesters.

“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,” Springsteen wrote on Instagram. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good,” the two Minneapolis residents who were fatally shot by federal agents.

He signed it, “Stay free, Bruce Springsteen.”

“Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice singing through the bloody mist/ We’ll take our stand for this land and the stranger in our midst,” Springsteen sings. “Here in our home they killed and roamed in the winter of ’26/ We’ll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis.”

Springsteen also sings of “King Trump’s private army from the DHS,” and calls out what he calls the “federal thugs” who killed Pretti and Good.

This isn’t the first time Springsteen has spoken out about what’s been happening in Minnesota. At the Light of Day Winterfest concert in Red Bank, New Jersey, in early January he dedicated the song “The Promised Land” to Good, and reiterated what Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has said, that “ICE should get the f*** out of Minneapolis.”

The Black Crowes announce new 2026 tour dates

January 28, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Black Crowes have announced a new set of co-headlining tour dates with country rock band Whiskey Myers.

The Southern Hospitality tour, featuring special guest Southall, will hit over 40 cities, kicking off May 17 in Austin, Texas. It will also visit Nashville, New York, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Dallas and more, before wrapping Aug. 20 in Mountain View, California.

The tour will also include a special show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Aug. 17 with additional headliner Tedeschi Trucks Band. This will mark the first time all three bands have headlined the iconic venue.

A presale for tickets begins Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. local time.

A complete list of dates can be found at TheBlackCrowes.com.

To coincide with the announcement, The Black Crowes have released another single off their upcoming album, A Pound of Feathers, which drops March 13. “It’s Like That,” which is also featured on ESPN on ABC’s NHL campaign, is available now via digital outlets.

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