Classic Rock News

Steven Tyler has shared an update on his health.

The rocker fractured his larynx back in September, forcing Aerosmith to postpone their Peace Out tour. During his fifth annual Jam for Janie Grammys viewing party on Sunday, February 4, he let attendees know how he’s been doing.  

“My throat’s been better, but it is on the mend,” he said, according to People. 

Tyler’s daughter Mia shared with the mag that while her dad’s doing “much better,” he seems to have a hard time doing what doctors have advised him to do in order to get better.

“He’s not supposed to be talking sometimes, so I have to literally yell at him and be like, ‘You can’t be on the phone with me right now, lets just text,'” she explained. “You can’t shut him up — he can’t close that mouth.” 

So far, there’s no word on when Aerosmith will reschedule the Peace Out tour, which was supposed to be the band’s final tour. In a December interview, guitarist Joe Perry said they hoped to return to the road in “late summer and fall of 24.”

The Jam for Janie viewing party is a benefit for Tyler’s Janie’s Fund, which supports young girls who have experienced abuse and neglect, and are ageing out of foster care. Since its launch in 2018, the party has raised more than $12.2 million for the organization.

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Jon Bon Jovi‘s son Jake Bongiovi is marrying actress Millie Bobby Brown, and two of his other children are also getting married. He told reporters on February 2 that he’s got “three weddings” to pay for this year and revealed he’s written a special song for his daughter Stephanie‘s nuptials.

While attending the MusiCares Person of the Year gala on February 2, where he was this year’s honoree, Jon was asked by Access Hollywood which of his tunes would make the perfect wedding song.

“There’s a song on my new record that I’ve written for my daughter, and she hasn’t heard yet,” he teased. “It’s called ‘Kiss the Bride.’ I promise you, it’s the wedding song of the next 100 years.”

As for Jake and Millie’s wedding, Jon said, “They’re growing together. We’re really madly in love with both of them because they get the idea that they’re in this together and we support it fully.”

Jon also said that he doesn’t know if he’ll be singing at Jake and Millie’s wedding but noted, “If there’s a request, I’m sure that I’ll have to go to work.”

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Grateful Dead has landed a new chart record, thanks to their latest archival release, Dave’s Picks, Volume 49: Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford U., Palo Alto, CA (4/27/85 & 4/28/85).

The set debuted at #25 on the Billboard 200 album chart this week, making it the legendary band’s 59th top 40 release. With that milestone, The Dead have now landed the record for most top 40 charting albums, surpassing Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, who both have 58.

Named after The Dead’s archivist David Lemieux, the new Dave’s Pick entry features two hometown performances and five hours of music. Since launching in 2022, 41 Dave’s Pick releases have landed in the top 40.

“This could be the most unlikely and unexpected record in music history, and is a testament to a few things,” Lemieux shares. “First and foremost is the exceptional and consistent quality of the Grateful Dead’s more than 2,000 live shows. On the heels of this is the loyalty and passion of the many Dead Heads who have made this record possible.”

He adds, “It’s an honor and privilege to work for this community, and our aim is to keep building on this record by delivering the quality of recordings Dead Heads have come to expect for many years ahead.”

There’s a good chance The Dead can extend that record. They’ve already announced Dave’s Pick Volume 50, which will feature a concert recorded May 3, 1977, at the Palladium in New York City.

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David Lee Roth appears to be taking another shot at Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen.

In a new video titled “Family Therapy,” Roth is seemingly apologizing for his last video, where he ranted about his displeasure working with Wolfgang in Van Halen.

“I’ve upset some people and I love my old rock band, and I miss Ed. And I didn’t mean to upset anybody,” he starts saying before breaking into a mock cry and stating, “Psych … F*** you.”

He then went into a bit where Wolfgang was in therapy complaining about not “getting any streams.” When he asked why, Roth as the doctor noted, “I think you’re old enough for you to truly understand, your album was DOA.” He shared, “Son, commercially speaking, you got you’re a** handed to you.”

The whole bit seems to be referring to the final Van Halen album, A Different Kind of Truth, which featured both Roth and Wolfgang. It was pulled from streaming services in October 2022, and Roth suggests it’s stayed that way because the other members of Van Halen didn’t want to pay for lawyers to fight it.

He also clearly makes his feelings about the album known, using an analogy of Muhammad Ali’s final fights.

“Nobody wants to remember them because they were no fun,” Roth says.

Meanwhile, Van Halen’s other frontman Sammy Hagar has weighed in on Roth’s comments about him and Wolfgang.

“Look, if you really think about what he said, it’s like do I sense a little tinge of jealousy in there or something. Does he feel like he’s left out or something?” he tells People. “I mean, honestly, the only thing I can say without being cruel is he needs to find a new dispensary That one’s not working for him.”

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Red Hot Chili Peppers have added a new stop to their spring and summer U.S. tour.

The show takes place June 23 at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. A ticket presale begins Wednesday, February 7, at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the general onsale on Friday, February 9, at 10 a.m. ET.

For all ticket info, visit RedHotChiliPeppers.com.

RHCP’s tour launches May 28 in Ridgefield, Washington. They’ll be supporting their two 2022 albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen.

You can also catch the Chili Peppers at Bonnaroo, the Minnesota Yacht Club and Harley-Davidson Homecoming festivals.

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Ahead of the Grammy Awards, Julien’s Auctions held their annual live MusiCares auction at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, raising over $500,000 for the organization, the charitable arm of the Recording Academy, which provides health and human services to the music community.

One of the highlights of the auction was a Yamaha C3 Baby Grand Piano the late Fleetwood Mac co-founder, co-singer and songwriter Christine McVie played onstage, which sold for $50,800, well above the initial estimate of between $20,000 and $30,000.

Other items sold at the auction include: MusiCares Person of the Year Jon Bon Jovi’s stage played 2018 Takamine black EF341SC acoustic guitar, which sold for $44,450, and a signed hardcover copy of Paul McCartney’s book, The Lyrics: 1965 to Present, which sold for $16,250.

There were also loads of other guitars that brought in the big bucks, including Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s autographed signature ESP LTD Vulture model guitar, which sold for $32,500; a guitar signed by Slash’s Guns N’ Roses, which went for $16,250; Joe Walsh’s personally signed White Fang ES-125 TDC guitar, which sold for $16,250 and a Lenny Kravitz signed 2022 Gibson 80s Flying V, which sold for $22,750.

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Stevie Nicks has announced some more tour dates for 2024. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just added 12 more shows to her schedule, with new shows happening in Texas, California, Connecticut, New York and more. 

While Nicks’ 2024 tour kicks off February 10 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the new shows start May 7 in St. Louis, Missouri, with dates running through June 18 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her schedule ends June 21 with a co-headlining date with Billy Joel at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

A ticket presale for all newly added shows kicks off Thursday, February 8, with the general onsale set to begin Friday, February 9, at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at stevienicksofficial.com. 

And speaking of Stevie, one of her Barbie dolls sold for big bucks at the MusiCares auction, which took place at Julien’s Auctions over the weekend. An autographed Stevie Barbie in its original box sold for $7,800, well above the original estimate of $300. Proceeds from the auction benefit MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charity arm that provides health and human services to the music community.

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Billy Joel once sang, “I know the game/you’ll forget my name/I won’t be here in another year/if I don’t stay on the charts.” Well, Billy’s just returned to the charts for the first time in 26 years, and his name wasn’t forgotten in the interim.

“Turn the Lights Back On,” Billy’s first pop single since 2007, blasted onto Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart at #11 after just one day of release. He was last on the chart in March 1998, with a cover of the 1963 Freddie Scott hit “Hey Girl,” which peaked at #13. The last time he was top 10 on the chart was in 1997, with his cover of Bob Dylan‘s “Make You Feel My Love.”

Despite his absence from the charts as an artist, Billy did appear on it as a writer just last year, thanks to Fall Out Boy‘s cover of his 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

Billy performed twice at the Grammy Awards Sunday: He sang “Turn the Lights Back On” and then closed the show with “You May Be Right.”

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U2 shared a performance of their latest single, “Atomic City,” at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, and they followed that up by releasing another new remix of the tune, this time by DJ/producer David Guetta.

This is the second “Atomic City” remix U2 has released. The first, from producer Mike WiLL Made-It, dropped in December.

U2’s Grammy performance marked the first televised broadcast from the new state-of-the-art venue the Sphere, where U2 is currently headlining their 40-show residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere.

The Irish rockers released “Atomic City” in September just ahead of the residency kickoff. It was accompanied by a video shot on Vegas’ Fremont Street, the same location where they shot the video for “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” back in 1987. The clip includes drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who has been sitting out of the residency as he recovers from surgery.

U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere is set to run until March 2. A complete list of dates can be found at u2.com.

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On This Day, February 5, 2018…

After more than 60 years in music, Paul Simon announced his decision to retire from touring.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer said time away from his family and the death of his longtime guitarist, Vincent Nguini, played a role in his decision. 

But Simon didn’t give up the road without one more tour. In May of the same year, he launched Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour, a four-month trek that took him to North America and Europe, and wrapped in his home borough of Queens, New York.

While the show marked the end of Simon’s final tour, he said he wasn’t giving up performing all together and suggested he could perform live again. He did just that in August 2019, when he headlined San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival.

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