Classic Rock News

Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony are celebrating the 28th anniversary of the Van Halen album Balance, and marked the occasion by sharing a performance of the song “Amsterdam” from The Jon Stewart Show, which aired on MTV in 1995.

“Happy anniversary to ‘Balance’! The ‘Balance’ record was such a great record, but it was during hard times for the band, and a very hard record to make,” Sammy shares. “A lot of painful dark images, bickering amongst the band, health issues, but this live performance of ‘Amsterdam’ on the Jon Stewart show shows how great this band was live.”

Anthony adds, “By the time the ‘Balance’ record came out, there was lots of tension within the band, personally, and professionally.” He noted, “One thing that was understood though was that the music was the important thing, and when we got together to play live we kicked a**, be it in concert or guesting on a TV show.” He adds, “This clip of us on Jon Stewart shows we were still delivering the goods!!!” 

Balance, Van Halen’s 10th studio album, was released January 24, 1995, and was the last to feature Sammy on vocals. It went to number one on the Billboard 200 album chart and in 2004 was certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd has added a new show to their 2023 tour schedule. The band is set to headline the Lost Highway Motorcycle Show and Concert, taking place in the Poconos, Pennsylvania, May 19 to 21. 

The Southern rockers will headline the Friday night bill at the Amphitheater at Poconos Park, with The Marshall Tucker Band, Rick Monroe & the Hitmen, The Jess Zimmerman Band and Seth Enslow also on the bill. Saturday’s lineup will be announced at a future date. 

In addition to the concerts, the Lost Highway Motorcycle Show and Concert will feature charity rides, motorcycle giveaways, two motorcycle shows and more.

Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, January 27, at 10 a.m. ET. More information can be found at losthighwayshow.com.

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Stevie Nicks was so touched by a youth choir that appeared on America’s Got Talent this week that she felt the need to let them know. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer posted a note to the Ndlovu Youth Choir on Instagram; the group appeared on the All-Stars edition of the NBC talent show and performed the original song “We Will Rise.” 

“I just wanted to congratulate you on your brilliant and moving performance last night on America’s Got Talent,” Stevie wrote. “It made me feel like maybe – someday with your help – the whole world will rise again. You Are The World!” 

She also asked them, “Can I be in your choir?”

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Bono appears on the latest episode of the Smartless podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, and dropped a little info about U2‘s rumored Las Vegas residency at the new high-tech arena MSG Sphere. 

Hayes shared that Edge told him the band was going on tour and showed him renderings of the Vegas theater, noting, “It’s going to be unbelievable.” Bono was hesitant to talk about it because it’s not official yet, but he eventually gave in … sort of.

“You are a news network now because that’s breaking news,” Bono joked, before getting serious and sharing, “We haven’t signed off on it but if we do, if we do sign off on this, I will say that if we can pull off what we’re talking about, it’s not like anything we’ve ever done before. It’s nothing like Las Vegas has ever seen before.”

He concluded, “If this happens it will be really extraordinary.”

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Elton John has made good on a promise to treat a group of students to one of his shows after they impressed him with their version of “I’m Still Standing.”

In March 2020, in the midst of COVID-19 lockdowns, students from Telford Priory School in Telford, England, made a video of themselves singing and performing the track over Zoom, under the direction of their music teacher, Ben Millington. And it attracted Elton’s attention.

Elton was so impressed he sent a video to the students in which he shared that he watched the clip three times and was “completely blown away” by it, noting it cheered him up during lockdowns. He promised the students tickets to one of his shows once lockdowns were over and the tour hit England.

Millington tells the BBC that Elton reached out and told the students to “take their pick” of shows on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Many of them are now studying music at university, but they are all planning to see the show on June 10 in Birmingham. 

Millington notes, “I just knew he would come through.”

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As previously reported, Dolly Parton is making a rock album, and she’s lined up A-list artists like Paul McCartney, John Fogerty, ex-Journey frontman Steve Perry and Steven Tyler to join her. Well, now she’s revealed at least one song we can expect to hear on the album.

During an appearance on the Rachael Ray Show, Dolly shared that she has recorded a cover of The Beatles‘ “Let It Be” with McCartney for the record, which will be titled Rock Star.

“I’ve got a lot of wonderful, iconic songs that people love and wonderful, iconic singers joining me on them,” she shared. 

Dolly also revealed that she’s already recorded one of Elton John’s hits with him and finished recording a song with Stevie Nicks, noting that she is still hoping to get Cher to agree to be on the album

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James Taylor is the latest artist setting up shop in Las Vegas. Taylor and his All-Star Band have booked a five-night residency at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan.

The shows are confirmed for June 3, 4, 7, 9 and 10, with tickets going on sale to the general public Saturday, January 28, at 10 a.m. PT. There are also a variety of presales happening, including a fan and Citi presale on Wednesday, January 25, at 10 a.m. PT and an MGM Rewards presale kicking off Thursday, January 26, at 10 a.m. PT. 

The Vegas shows are among a handful of dates Taylor currently has on the books for 2023. His next show is a February 25 concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He’s also set to play the Love Rocks concert in New York on March 9, Milwaukee Summerfest on June 24 and Tanglewood in Lennox, Massachusetts, July 3 and 4.

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Motörhead has unearthed a previously unreleased song called “Greedy Bastards.”

The track will be included in the upcoming Seriously Bad Magic collection, a deluxe, expanded version of the “Ace of Spades” outfit’s final album, 2015’s Bad Magic.

A slower burn of a tune, “Greedy Bastards” opens with a spoken word piece expressing the late Lemmy Kilmister‘s thoughts on politicians. As you can probably guess from the title, he’s not exactly a fan.

You can listen to “Greedy Bastards” now via digital outlets and watch its accompanying video streaming now on YouTube.

Seriously Bad Magic will be released on February 24. Its other bonus tracks include the song “Bullet in Your Brain,” which was released for the first time last November, a cover of David Bowie‘s “‘Heroes'” and a full live recording from a 2015 Motörhead show in Japan.

Bad Magic was originally released in August 2015, four months before Lemmy died in December at age 70. Motörhead has since disbanded.

(Video contains uncensored profanity) 

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Neil Young, Warren Haynes and Bob Weir are among the artists set to celebrate Willie Nelson’s birthday at a two-day celebration at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.

Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, A Star-Studded Concert Celebrating Willie’s 90th Birthday, is happening April 29 (Willie’s actual birthday) and 30. The lineup also includes Willie, along with Lyle Lovett, Tom Jones, Sheryl Crow, The Lumineers, Norah Jones, Roseanne Cash, Snoop Dogg, Chris Stapleton, Beck, Edie Brickell, Kacey Musgraves, The Chicks and Willie’s son Lukas Nelson, with additional artists to be added in the coming weeks.

“I can’t think of a better way to spend my 90th birthday than being surrounded by family, friends and of course the fans who made this all possible,” Willie shares. “It’s an honor to perform with such an incredible group of artists at such an iconic venue.” 

The show promises a unique experience each night, filled with yet-to-be-announced collaborations. 

Two-day tickets go on sale Saturday, January 28, at 10 a.m. PT, with a presale set for Wednesday, January 25, at 10 a.m. PT. More information on the show and tickets can be found at WillieNelson90.com.

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Van Morrison is giving fans another taste of his upcoming album, Moving On Skiffle. The Irish singer has just dropped the new tune “Worried Man Blues.”

The track is a cover of an old folk song, which has previously been recorded by The Carter Family, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and more.

The 23-track Moving on Skiffle is due out March 10 and will be available as a two-CD set, as a two-LP vinyl package, on cassette and via digital formats. It features a variety of covers, including Hank Williams‘ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Cold Cold Heart,” and traditional tunes like “Gypsy Davy” and “Green Rocky Road.”

Morrison is set to promote his new album with a series of live dates, including March 13, 14 and 15 at The Stables in Milton Keynes, England, and April 6 and 7 at Whitla Hall in Belfast, Ireland.

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