Classic Rock News

Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson has announced a new North American tour with the cover group The Band Geeks. 

The trek, dubbed Yes Epics, Classics, And More, will feature Anderson performing songs from throughout his career, including tracks from the Yes catalog. Anderson also plans to add some new songs he’s been working on with The Band Geeks, with an album of those new tunes expected out in late summer.

The tour is set to kick off May 30 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, hitting such cities as Chicago, Boston, Denver and Phoenix. The trek wraps August 16 in Thousand Oaks, California. Carl Palmer will appear as special guest on four dates with his The Return of Emerson, Lake & Palmer show in which he performs alongside footage of his late bandmates Keith Emerson and Greg Lake.

This isn’t Anderson’s first tour with The Band Geeks. They toured the U.S. together in 2023.

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Billy Idol is set to headline the Project Pabst festival, happening July 27-28 at Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon. Idol will headline opening night of the festival, with Big Thief confirmed for closing night. 

The festival, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, also features Violent Femmes, T-Pain, Gossip, Manchester Orchestra and others.

Tickets for Project Pabst are on sale now. More info and a complete lineup can be found at projectpabst.com.

Project Pabst is one of several festivals Idol has on his schedule this year. He’s also set to play Sunfest in West Palm Beach, Florida, on May 3, and the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 5. A complete list of Idol dates can be found at billyidol.net.

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Bob Dylan is currently on his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, but apparently, not all concertgoers are loving the experience. In fact, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer got heckled by a fan at his concert Friday, March 1, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

In fan-shot footage posted to YouTube, you can hear a member of the audience share their two cents, shouting to Dylan, “Play something we know.”

But Dylan didn’t seem to care too much about the heckler’s opinion. He actually ignored the comment and continued on with his next song, “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” which he performed to the tune of “Putting on the Ritz.” 

The fan never got their wish; the set list was absent of any Dylan hits, as has been customary on his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour.

Dylan is set to kick off a two-night stand in Clearwater, Florida, March 5 and 6. He has Rough and Rowdy Ways tour dates confirmed through September 17 in Buffalo, New York. A complete list of dates can be found at bobdylan.com.

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Fender is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Stratocaster with an all-star performance of “Voodoo Child” by Jimi Hendrix, who was known for playing the Stratocaster and was often seen performing with his signature off-white Strat.

Guitarists performing in the tribute include Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Jimmie Vaughan and Biffy Clyro’s Sam Neil.

“One of the fascinating nuances about Jimi was that his guitars weren’t just instruments to him, but extensions of him…part of his persona,” Janie Hendrix, Hendrix’s sister and Experience Hendrix CEO, shares. “He communicated a different vibe through each guitar and that’s what made him select certain instruments for certain songs.” 

She adds, “If you listen to songs from Are You Experienced you feel the electricity of his Strat that he played in live performances, bringing that unmistakable surge created by Jimi through that extension of himself. It’s a thrilling thing to see and hear.” 

The video is part of a new 70th anniversary celebration campaign launch for the Stratocaster dubbed “Forever Ahead of Its Time.” It will include Strat Sessions, featuring performances and conversations with guitarists; Icons of the Strat, a portrait series honoring legendary Strat players; and more. There will also be a new line of 70th anniversary Stratocaster models.

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Dave Grohl has teamed up with Epiphone for a new signature guitar.

The Dave Grohl DG-335 combines elements of the Gibson ES-335 and Trini Lopez guitars, and comes in the same pelham blue finish that anyone who’s seen Foo Fighters live will recognize.

You can order yours now for $1,299 via Epiphone.com.

Grohl will be rocking his own DG-335 on Foo Fighters’ upcoming U.S. tour, which will begin in May with a run of one-off headlining shows and festival sets. It will then hit stadiums in July.

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Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band got their start in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and now, they are returning to headline the city’s annual beachside music festival, Sea.Hear.Now.

The festival is set to go down September 14-15, with The Boss headlining closing night.

Noah Kahan will headline opening night, with The Black Crowes, Trey Anastasio Band, Kool & The Gang, Norah Jones, 311, The Hives, The Revivalists and more also on the bill.

Fellow New Jersey natives The Gaslight Anthem are also set to perform ahead of Springsteen on Sunday, which sets up the possibility for an onstage collaboration. The two artists have performed together in the past, and Springsteen has appeared on the Gaslight song “History Books,” the title track from their most recent album.

A presale for tickets begins Thursday, March 7, at 10 a.m. ET, with tickets going on sale to the general public one hour later at 11 a.m. ET. More information on tickets and the complete lineup can be found at seahearnowfestival.com.

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With Paramore covering Talking Heads‘ “Burning Down the House,” David Byrne is now returning the favor.

Byrne has recorded a version of Paramore’s song “Hard Times,” the lead single off Hayley Williams and company’s 2017 album, After Laughter. It’ll be released alongside Paramore’s rendition of “Burning Down the House” on a 12-inch vinyl single exclusively for Record Store Day, April 20.

As previously reported, Paramore will be the ambassador for Record Store Day 2024. They’re also releasing a vinyl edition of their Re: This Is Why compilation for the occasion.

Meanwhile, Paramore’s “Burning Down the House” cover was recorded for a tribute album to the iconic Talking Heads concert film and live album, Stop Making Sense.

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The Black Crowes have dropped a new music video for “Wanting and Waiting,” the first single from their upcoming album, Happiness Bastards.

The clip, directed by Christopher Acosta, is the band’s first music video in 16 years, their last being 2008’s “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution.”

The video features brothers Chris and Rich Robinson and the rest of the band performing in front of a large video screen that flashes various words and images, including skulls and crows. 

Happiness Bastards, The Black Crowes’ first album of new music in 15 years, drops March 15 and is available for preorder now. 

The band will also be heading out on the Happiness Bastards tour this spring, hitting 35 cities starting April 2 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. A complete list of dates can be found at theblackcrowes.com.

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On This Day, March 5, 2023… 

Gary Rossington, guitarist for Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, passed away at the age of 71. 

Rossington, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 2006, was the last remaining original member of Skynyrd’s lineup. He had been the last surviving original member of the band following the death of Larry Junstrom in 2019.

Rossington played guitar on many of the band’s biggest hits, including “Simple Man” and “Sweet Alabama,” both of which he co-wrote with Ronnie Van Zant, as well as “Tuesday’s Gone.” He also played slide guitar on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s signature tune “Free Bird.”

Rossington was one of the passengers who survived the October, 20, 1977, Mississippi plane crash that took the lives of Lynyrd Skynyrd members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines and three others. He broke both his arms, legs, wrists, ankles and pelvis.

Lynyrd Skynyrd decided to continue as a band after Rossington’s death. They launch a new leg of the Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour with ZZ Top on Friday, March 8, in Savannah, Georgia. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.

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Slash is teasing an upcoming blues project.

In a video posted to his Facebook, the Guns N’ Roses shredder shares, “I’m a rock guitar player that’s firmly rooted in blues.”

“Blues guitar is really something that I got turned on to when I was a kid,” he continues. “If you were to listen to anything that I do, you can see how big the blues influence is. I’d always thought that I would want to record a record at some point, and we got together and did it.”

More details will be announced on Friday, March 8.

Slash’s most recent album is 2022’s 4, recorded with his Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators band. They’re currently on tour in Asia.

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