Classic Rock News

Over the weekend, Robert Plant performed the Led Zeppelin classic “Stairway to Heaven” for the first time in 16 years. You may be wondering why he finally decided to resurrect the tune. Well, it turns out that one song raised a lot of money for charity.

Plant performed “Stairway” at a charity concert put on by former Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor for The Cancer Awareness Trust, where Taylor is receiving lifesaving targeted treatment for stage 4 prostate cancer. According to Kenwyn House, who played guitar that evening, Plant agreed to perform the song after a request came in from a big donor.

“Someone bid a huge amount of money for him to sing this song,” House told the fan site Led Zeppelin News. “There is a good circle of karma around it. That raised a six-figure sum for the charity, that one song.”

The last time Plant performed “Stairway” was December 10, 2007, at the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert in London, which was also the last time Zeppelin members Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones performed together. They were backed on drums by Jason Bonham, son of their late drummer John Bonham.

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Looks like The Beatles are teasing fans with some news.

The legendary band’s website and social media accounts shared a new post Wednesday, October 25, featuring an orange and white cassette tape that appears to be playing, with “Type I (Normal) Position” written at the bottom and other details blurred out. 

Speculation is The Beatles are teasing their long-awaited final song, which Paul McCartney first revealed during an interview back in June.  

At the time, he said artificial intelligence was used to “extricate” John Lennon’s voice from an old demo for “the last Beatles record.” He later clarified his comments, insisting, “nothing has been artificially or synthetically created.”

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The Eagles continue to expand their farewell to the road.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just added six new shows to their The Long Goodbye tour, with Steely Dan booked as the special guest for all of them. 

The new shows launch January 19 in Phoenix, include stops in Austin, Houston, Hollywood, Florida and Chicago, and wraps March 13 in Toronto.

A ticket presale begins Wednesday, November 1, at 10 a.m. local time, with the general onsale happening Friday, November 3, at 10 a.m. local time.

Next up, Eagles hit Atlanta for a two-night stand at State Farm Arena on November 2 and 4. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com.

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Mick Jagger continued the promotion of The Rolling Stones’ new Hackney Diamonds album with a surprise appearance on the Tuesday, October 24, episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Jagger popped in during a sketch, “Freezer Secrets,” in which he and Fallon shared some truths while thinking they were locked in a soundproof freezer forever.

Among Jagger’s biggest confessions: Unlike The Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” suggests, he has indeed gotten satisfaction. He said it happened “way back in 1992” from popping bubble wrap.

“It’s just so satisfying,” Mick shared.

Jagger also revealed his real name is actually Rick, joking, “One time a barista got it wrong and I was too polite to correct her. It just got stuck.”

He also quipped about being the artist Banksy and said he always wanted to be a comedian. When Fallon asked “like me?” Jagger replied, “yes, like you … but funny.”

Hackney Diamonds, The Rolling Stones’ first album in 18 years, is out now.

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The Kinks are set to drop the second part of their 60-year celebration, The Journey – Part 2, on November 17, and they’ve just released a new track from it.

The rockers have shared a new Ray Davies mix of their 1974 song “Money Talks,” which Davies says is about “moral decline.” The original version appeared on the band’s 1974 concept album, Preservation Act 2.

“Always amused me when we did it live. An exceptional song I think,” Dave Davies says of the tune. Drummer Mick Avory adds, “I have memories of playing this song on the US tours in the 70s. It’s a good old stomper for the stage.”

You can listen to “Money Talks (2023 Mix)” now via digital outlets and watch the video on YouTube.

The follow up to the March release The Journey – Part 1, Part 2 features songs handpicked by members of the band and includes singles, B-sides and album tracks along with three previously unreleased live performances from a 1975 concert at the New Victoria Theatre in London.

The Journey – Part 2 is being released as a two-CD or two-LP set, which come with a booklet of band photos and track-by-track notes from the Davies brothers and Avory. There will also be digital and HD digital versions of the compilation. All formats are available for preorder now.

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Considering he’s a member of one of the biggest hard rock bands in the world, you might find Duff McKagan‘s new solo album, Lighthouse, to be a surprisingly quieter affair.

Lighthouse, which is out now, continues down the acoustic-paved road of the Guns N’ Roses bassist’s last solo effort, 2019’s Tenderness. While it’s a sound he’s not particularly known for, McKagan tells ABC Audio that the acoustic guitar is the root of his whole musical journey.

“I remember a band I was in, all we had was one Spanish guitar, acoustic guitar,” McKagan recalls. “It was somebody’s dad’s, and that was our guitar, and that’s how we wrote all of our songs.”

“When I moved to LA and we formed Guns, we wrote a lot of those songs on acoustic guitar,” he continues. “So the genesis of a lot of the stuff I’ve done throughout all these years is that.”

Even if the music on Lighthouse isn’t as heavy, the emotions sure are. A number of songs, including the title track, were inspired by McKagan’s wife, Susan; the cut “I Just Don’t Know,” which features Alice of Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell, is very personal, as well.

“We’re the same age, we’ve been through a lot of the same stuff,” McKagan says of Cantrell, his longtime friend. “The song is about life. And it’s about what’s next, and who better to do that with than your buddy? We’re both survivors, in our way.”

McKagan also dedicates Lighthouse to a pair of artistic heroes who’ve passed recently: author Cormac McCarthy and Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan.

“[Lanegan’s] got one of the greatest American voices, greatest singing voices ever, if you ask me. Ever,” McKagan says. “I can never be Mark Lanegan, but I can learn from that.”

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It’s safe to say that Billy Joel is one of the most famous musicians ever to hail from Long Island, New York, so it’s only right that he be celebrated with a special exhibit dedicated to him at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame.

Billy Joel — My Life: A Piano Man’s Journey opens November 24 at the museum, located in Stony Brook, New York. It’ll showcase over 50 years of Billy Joel memorabilia, including awards, rare audio and video recordings, instruments, behind-the-scenes footage and photos, many of which were donated by Billy. 

Also included in the exhibit are special sections highlighting Billy’s musical influences, such as Paul McCartney, Ray Charles, Otis Redding and Beethoven. The plans and designs for the exhibit have been presented to the Piano Man several times over the past year, and he’s given his input, which has been incorporated into the final product.

Ernie Canadeo, the chairman of the Hall of Fame, says in a statement, “Billy has been very cordial and involved in the planning, and it is appropriate the exhibit is on Long Island, where he has long been identified, written so many songs and lived most of his life. It is a fitting tribute to Long Island’s most successful entertainer and is guaranteed to thrill his legions of fans.”

This is only the second exhibit the museum has mounted since it opened in November 2022. Tickets are available at TheBillyJoelExhibit.com.

In other Billy Joel news, he’s just announced one of the final two shows of his residency at Madison Square Garden. Tickets for the June 8 performance go on sale October 27 at 10 a.m.

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It looks like John Mellencamp is getting ready to “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” again.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is teasing fans with new tour news. “We are coming to YOUR town soon!” he shared on Instagram, promising an official announcement on Monday, October 30.

While no other details were offered, Mellencamp did clue fans in on where the tour will hit, posting a map of the United States with stops marked out with red dots. All of those dots appear to be located in the eastern half of the U.S. 

The tour will be Mellencamp’s first since last year’s Live and In Person tour, which had him playing smaller theaters as opposed to arenas. It launched in February and wrapped June 27 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His next scheduled performance is happening November 6 at Stand Up For Heroes in New York City, which benefits the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

In other Mellencamp news, fans in New York will be able to check out his artwork next month. The rocker’s art will be available for viewing at the DTR Modern Gallery Soho starting November 5.

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In a September interview with WSJ Magazine, The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger revealed that he would be open to the band living on with a hologram tour after they’re all gone. Now his bandmate Keith Richards has weighed in on the idea.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t rule it out. I’m pretty sure that it is bound to happen,” he told Apple Music 1’s Matt Wilkinson. “Do I want it? Now, that’s another thing. But I don’t know if I want to hang around that long enough, man. But at the same time, it won’t be up to me, will it?”

Richards also talked about the band’s new album, Hackney Diamonds, which features Paul McCartney on the song “Bite My Head Off.” Keith says “it was about bloody time” McCartney recorded a tune with them.  

“I’ve known Paul for 60 years, just about. Although him and John (Lennon) did do a few backup vocals with us in the ’60s,” he says. “Great fun to play with. At the end of it, I just said, ’Well, that’s just like the old days.’”

In a previous interview with The Telegraph, Richards revealed he’s not a big fan of contemporary music — and he explained why in an interview with The Independent. 

“The only way to cut a band is to put the boys in a room and play, and look in each other’s eyeballs,” he says. “Don’t get me going on modern-day music. Push-button drums and everything synthesized. Digital recording is a one-way toilet.”

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Metallica‘s James Hetfield will be signing copies of the new book Messengers: The Guitars of James Hetfield during an event at St. Louis’ Left Bank Books on November 4.

The signing will take place in between ‘Tallica’s two shows at St. Louis’ The Dome at America’s Center on November 3 and 5.

Messengers is set to be officially released on November 21. The 400-page book includes photos of Hetfield’s personal guitar collection alongside passages on what each instrument means to him.

For more info, visit Metallica.com.

The St. Louis concerts are part of Metallica’s M72 world tour supporting the band’s new album, 72 Seasons.

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