Classic Rock News

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction gala has added nine new performers and presenters to its star-studded lineup.

Stevie Nicks, Maroon 5‘s Adam Levine, Carrie Underwood, LL Cool J, Sia, Miguel, Queen Latifah, Common and Ice-T will join a lineup that already includes Elton John, Dave Matthews, St. Vincent, H.E.R., New Edition, Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlile.

This year’s inductees are Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Rage Against the Machine, Willie Nelson, the late George Michael and The Spinners, plus Link Wray and DJ Kook Herc in the category of Musical Influence and Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin in the category of Musical Excellence. Soul Train creator Don Cornelius will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will stream live coast to coast on Disney+ from Brooklyn, New York, on November 3, starting at 8 p.m. ET, and will be available to stream on demand following the ceremony. 

A primetime special, 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, featuring highlights of the ceremony, will air on ABC on January 1 at 8 p.m., and will be available the next day on Hulu and Disney+.

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Handwritten lyrics of songs by the Eagles, Melissa Etheridge and others are being auctioned off to support the music community.

Julien’s Auctions announced details of the Music Health Alliance’s Lyrics for a Cause benefit auction, which raises money for Music Health Alliance’s mission to provide free health care, support and more to those in the music industry.

The fourth annual auction includes the handwritten lyrics for two Eagles classics, “Best of My Love” and “New Kid in Town,” which were written by JD Souther, Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Both sets of lyrics are written and signed by Souther. 

Other handwritten lyrics up for auction include: Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” on a Fender Squier acoustic guitar; Etheridge’s “I’m the Only One,” signed on an Epiphone Hummingbird guitar; Otis Redding’s “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” handwritten by co-writer Steve Cropper, which comes with Cropper’s hand-painted watercolor of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge; and Joe Bonamassa’s “Dust Bowl,” which comes with a signed Gibson Les Paul Custom electric guitar.

The auction is currently open online, with the live auction being held Tuesday, November 16, at 6 p.m. CT at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville. More info on the auction can be found at Julienslive.com.

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In a very fitting melding of brands, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea is set to guest on Hot Ones.

Flea will appear on the YouTube show, in which host Sean Evans interviews celebrities as they try to eat chicken wings covered in increasingly hot and spicy sauce, on Thursday, October 26.

A social media post by Hot Ones producers First We Feast reads, “This week on #HotOnes, we got @flea333 vs. The Wings of Death.”

Other musicians who’ve guested on Hot Ones include Dave Grohl, who called his appearance a “bucket list” experience.

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The Rolling Stones may have a new #1 on their hands. According to the U.K. Official Charts, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers’ new album, Hackney Diamonds, is on track to debut in the top spot.

The Stones’ new album moved over 55,000 units in its first weekend, outpacing the anticipated #2 album, blink-182’s One More Time … .

If The Stones do hold on and debut at #1, it will be their 14th #1 record in the U.K. Only The Beatles have more, with 15.

Hackney Diamonds, which came out Friday, October 20, is The Rolling Stones’ first album of new music in 18 years. It features guest appearances by their late drummer Charlie Watts, former bassist Bill Wyman, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder.

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Bonnie Raitt recently wrapped her 2023 tour, and now, she’s announced plans for 2024.

The singer and multiple Grammy winner has confirmed dates for a spring 2024 leg of her Just Like That… tour, with 24 new shows kicking off April 26 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 

The tour will hit such cities as Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Newark, Philadelphia, Boston and more, before wrapping June 29 in St. Louis, Missouri. More dates are expected to be added.

Fan presales kick off Tuesday, October 24, at 10 a.m. local time, with the general onsale happening Friday, October 27, at 10 a.m. local time.

A complete list of tour dates can be found at bonnieraitt.com.

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Foo Fighters are headlining the 2024 edition of France’s Hellfest, taking place June 27-30.

The bill also includes Queens of the Stone Age, The Offspring, Megadeth, Bad Omens, Dropkick Murphys, Royal Blood, The Interrupters and Iron Maiden‘s Bruce Dickinson, with more artists to be added.

For ticket info, visit Hellfest.fr.

Foo Fighters’ 2024 schedule also includes a stadium U.S. run, launching in July, as well as dates in New Zealand and the U.K. The band released their latest album, But Here We Are, in June.

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Bob Seger may love that “Old Time Rock and Roll,” but apparently, he loves a little country too. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was in Nashville Sunday, October 22, to help induct Patty Loveless into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Patty was visibly shocked as the rock legend stepped onstage to perform her hit “She Drew a Broken Heart” in her honor. He’s such a fan, he’d previously traveled to her home in Georgia to add her background vocals to his project.

“I’m a little p***ed off. I just found out I have to follow Bob Seger,” Vince Gill, who’s currently performing on tour with the Eagles, quipped before singing a bit of Seger’s signature song. Vince went on to do Patty’s “Lonely Too Long” before officially welcoming her into the Hall of Fame, calling her both the “little sister I always wanted to sing with” and “perhaps the most authentic voice I’ve ever heard.”

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Sammy Hagar brought a little ’90s alt rock to his show in Hammond, Indiana, on Friday, October 20.

The former Van Halen frontman was playing a gig with his band The Circle, made up of Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Vic Johnson, when he surprised fans by bringing out The Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman Billy Corgan. 

Video posted to Sammy’s Instagram account shows the band starting off with a bit of the Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream track “Cherub Rock” before moving on to the Van Halen classic “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.”

“What a surprise to meet/jam with @BillyCorgan last night – one talented dude brought even more fun than we were already having,” Hagar shared. Bonham also posted video from their rehearsal backstage, writing, “What a great night we had last night !!!”

Sammy Hagar & The Circle bring their tour to Detroit, Michigan, Monday, October 23. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

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While some rock fans would’ve died to witness The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds release show in New York on Friday, October 20, music producer Tony Visconti didn’t think they were worth the wait.

In case you missed it, Visconti, best known for his work with David Bowie, shared his frustrations in a post on Facebook, revealing he waited so long for The Stones to take the stage, he simply left.

“Got tickets for the ‘private’ or ‘secret’ Rolling Stones show at Racket. Ticket said doors open at 8 pm. Stood outside in the cold windy night until 8:40,” he wrote. “Got inside and waited and waited, standing room only. The DJ was deafening, on top of that people came up to me and were screaming in my ears, attempting a conversation.”

He then noted, “I looked at my date who told me if I wanted to leave she would go with me. It was 9:30 now and the DJ was cranking it even louder. I thought, f*** it, I saw the Stones so many times back in the day with a better line up, even one gig with Brian Jones and Bill Wyman.”

Visconti says security guards warned him he wouldn’t be able to go back inside once he left, to which he replied, “thank God.”

He concluded, “Went back home, turned on Roku and watched Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein. Now that was good!” 

Meanwhile, that very loud DJ turned out to be Questlove, who commented about Visconti’s post. “Dog, the fact that I offended Tony Visconti in such a rock & roll fashion is prolly one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received in my 40 years as a professional musician,” he wrote.

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KISS is on the final leg of their End of the Road tour, and they just received quite an honor from the city of Cleveland.

Cleveland.com reports the rockers were given the city’s first Music Keynote to the City, with October 22, 2023, the same night KISS headlined Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, being declared KISS Day. 

KISS members Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer were at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to receive the honor, but Gene Simmons sat out the festivities because he reportedly needed to rest.

City Councilman Brian Kazy shared that the band was being honored because they “never really forgot Cleveland,” noting that since their very first show in the city, KISS has “performed once every 624 days in the Greater Cleveland area, which means the guys behind me have never forgotten the people in front of them.”

“We’ve always felt this was a home away from home,” Stanley shared in accepting the honor. “I’m very humbled after 50 years to be here and to receive awards and do another sold out show. It’s been amazing, and thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, you’ve been awesome to us.”

KISS’ End of the Road tour hits Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, October 23. They’ll play their final shows December 1 and 2 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. A complete list of dates can be found at kissonline.com.

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