Classic Rock News

ZZ Top has more than two dozen upcoming U.S. shows scheduled this fall as part of the famed Texas trio’s 2022 Raw Whiskey Tour.

Among the concerts are six late-September dates that will feature British rock-guitar legend Jeff Beck as an opening act; the first three also will include a set by Heart frontwoman Ann Wilson.

ZZ Top singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons notes that he’s performed with both Beck and Wilson before and says it’s possible that they may all end up onstage together during the upcoming shows, which are scheduled to take place in three different Texas cities — on September 23 in Del Valle, September 24 in Dallas and September 25 in the Houston suburb of The Woodlands.

“[I]t’s going to be a very interesting gathering, having an expanded lineup on the stage,” Gibbons tells ABC Audio. “Let’s go for it.”

Gibbons also reveals that he recently had a conversation with Beck, one of his guitar heroes, who mentioned a couple of ZZ Top songs he was hoping to jam on with the group.

“He said, ‘Listen … I’ve been polishing my chops. I got ‘La Grange’ down,'” Gibbons reports. “He said, ‘Can we do “Rough Boy”?’ I said, ‘Well, we’ve done it in the past … There’s no reason why we can’t stretch it out.'”

ZZ Top’s upcoming U.S. tour dates are mapped out from a September 17 concert in Catoosa, Oklahoma, through a November 13 show in Pompano Beach, Florida. The band’s 2022 itinerary winds down with a five-date Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Resort, scheduled from December 3 to December 10.

Check out the band’s full schedule at ZZTop.com.

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Anna Gabriel, Peter Gabriel‘s oldest daughter, will publish a photo book titled Eye-D on October 6 that features close-up images of the eyes of dozens of famous music artists and other celebrities, including her father.

Among the many other stars who appear in the book are the late Tom Petty, Robert Plant, Sting, Eddie Vedder, Michael Stipe, Graham Nash, U2‘s The Edge, Mick Fleetwood, Debbie Harry and Pink Floyd‘s Nick Mason.

“I wanted to offer fans a different way to view their favorite artists, people who have made an impact not only on my life, but millions around the world,” says Anna about the book. “I hope viewers find something new and unexpected each time they look into these eyes. From shooting Michael Stipe, a friend for many years, in his apartment, to Annie Lennox in a hotel room in New York, to Johnny Depp backstage at a show — I have many stories that accompany the photos.”

You can preorder Eye-D now at ACCArtBooks.com.

To celebrate the book’s publication, Morrison Hotel Gallery locations in Los Angles and New York City will host exhibitions of Anna’s photos on October 6 and October 20, respectively.

Before the L.A. exhibit opening, a book signing will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. PT that will also feature a special musical performance.

Meanwhile, on October 20 Anna and her father will appear in conversation at Rizzoli Bookstore at 6 p.m. ET.

In addition to being an accomplished photographer, Anna is a video director whose credits include the 2004 Peter Gabriel documentary Growing Up on Tour: A Family Portrait, and his concert films Still Growing Up and Taking the Pulse.

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Former Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford has unveiled plans to release the latest in his “Cosmo’s Vault” series of archival music projects. The collaborative album, called California Gold, was recorded in 1978 with founding Derek & the Dominos member Bobby Whitlock and is slated for release September 9.

The 10-track collection was produced by Clifford, and all of the songs were co-written by him and Whitlock. Whitlock sang lead and played keyboards on every song, and also contributed some backing vocals and guitar. Clifford played drums throughout the record and added backing vocals to some tracks, as well.

California Gold also includes contributions from legendary Booker T & the MG’s bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn and former Graham Central Station guitarist David Vega.

The album is packed with soulful songs featuring roots rock and blues influences. You can preorder California Gold now on CD and digitally.

Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Good Times”
“Get Down Fever”
“It Ain’t Like Mama Told Me”
“Turn the Beat Around”
“On Hold Again”
“Purple Mountain”
“It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn”
“Do or Die”
“I’m Happy Just Being Alive”
“Rollin’ On”

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A major new exhibition called “Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock” will open at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on September 30.

“Western Edge” will look at the country-influenced artists who emerged from the L.A. rock scene between the 1960s and the 1980s and helped create the country-rock genre, including The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Gram Parsons, the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt.

To mark the arrival of the new exhibit, a series of special events are scheduled to take place at the institution from September 30 to October 2, including panel discussions, concerts, film screenings and more.

On September 30, a concert will be held at the CMA Theater that will include performances by original Byrds member Chris Hillman, founding Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon, founding Buffalo Springfield singer/guitarist Richie Furay, Vince Gill, members of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and others.

On October 1, Furay will host a songwriter’s session at Ford Theater, while Hillman, Leadon, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s John McEuen and others will participate in a discussion about bluegrass music’s influence on the L.A. country-rock scene at the same venue.

On October 2, the 2019 documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice will be screened at Ford Theater and a reunion concert by Hillman’s post-Byrds group The Desert Rose Band will be held at CMA Theater.

The exhibit itself will feature such artifacts as stage costumes belonging to The Flying Burrito Brothers, a Fender Telecaster that Leadon played with the Eagles, a stage costume worn by The Monkees‘ Michael Nesmith and much more.

Meanwhile, a “Western Edge”-inspired playlist has debuted at Amazon Music, and a companion book will be released on September 30, coinciding with the exhibit’s opening.

Visit CountryMusicHallofFame.org for more information.

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With The Who gearing up to launch the second North American leg of their 2022 The Who Hits Back! tour in the fall, the band has just added two more shows to the trek.

The new dates are scheduled for October 24 at the SAP Center, San Jose, California, and October 30 at Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix, Arizona. Founding Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and his current band, The Dirty Knobs, will open for The Who at both concerts. Campbell and The Dirty Knobs had previously been announced as The Who’s support act for the British rock legends’ upcoming shows from October 14 through November 1.

Tickets for the San Jose and Phoenix concerts will go on sale to the general public this Thursday, September 1, at 10 a.m. local time, while presale tickets are available now. Visit TheWho.com for more information.

The upcoming leg of The Who Hits Back! tour, which now features a total of 16 concerts, kicks off on October 2 in Toronto and is plotted out through a November 4-5 engagement in Las Vegas.

Ex-Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page will open for The Who from October 2 through October 12, while contemporary British rock band The Wild Things will be the support act at the tour’s two-show finale in Las Vegas.

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Metallica‘s Helping Hands concert is coming back.

The third edition of the charity event, which benefits the metal legends’ All Within My Hands Foundation, will take place December 16 in Los Angeles.

“It has been a few years since we connected in person for this unique event, so we want to get on your calendar now!” Metallica says. “We’re excited to share all the amazing things the Foundation has accomplished and we are inspired to look toward the future. Of course, we’ll cap it all off with a full night of live music!”

Helping Hands first launched in 2018. The second concert took place in late 2020 and streamed online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both shows featured rare acoustic Metallica sets.

More details about Helping Hands 2022 will be announced shortly. Stay tuned to Metallica.com for all info.

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Last year, Elton John scored a global hit with Dua Lipa with “Cold Heart” — a mashup of four of his old songs. Now, he’s poised to have another one with “Hold Me Closer,” a mashup of three of his old songs featuring Britney Spears. And Elton promises that the hits will keep on coming.

“I want to do one every year for a fun, happy summer record,” Elton tells The Guardian newspaper. He certainly has enough old songs to do it, and there are enough young artists who’d probably jump at the chance.

“I’m Uncle Elton,” says the Rocket Man, who loves to advise young musicians who may be struggling with the pressures of fame. In Britney’s case, Elton says of her journey to escape her 13-year conservatorship, “You forget she was the biggest star in the whole world at that time. And to see what happened to her makes me so angry. What happened to her shouldn’t have happened to anybody.”

Now that the song is on its way to being a hit, Elton says, “I’m just crossing my fingers that this will restore her confidence in herself to get back into the studio, make more records, and realize that she is bloody good.”

According to the song’s producer, Andrew Watt, Britney was plenty confident when she came to his L.A. studio to record her vocals. “She was so prepared…she’s so good at knowing when she got the right take. She took complete control,” he raves, noting, “She’s an expert in music to make you dance…she’s so pro.”

Britney’s attorney, Mathew Rosengart, who extracted her from her conservatorship, tells ABC News in a statement, “No one should be surprised that her first [post-conservatorship] foray is a smash success…Britney is a brilliant artist and iconic woman.”

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Ex-Fleetwood Mac singer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was a surprise guest at modern rockers The Killers‘ concert on Saturday at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

Buckingham joined The Killers for the show’s finale and played three songs with the band — renditions of their 2020 tune “Caution,” Lindsey’s classic 1976 Fleetwood Mac hit “Go Your Own Way” and The Killers’ 2003 smash “Mr. Brightside.”

Fan-shot video of the “Mr. Brightside” performance was posted to YouTube by user James Crutchfield.

Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who has been serving as The Killers’ opening act on their current tour, also took part in the “Mr. Brightside” performance. In addition, Marr has been joining The Killers at every show on the trek to play a Smiths tune; during Saturday’s gig they performed “This Charming Man.”

Buckingham posted a couple of photos of him playing with The Killers on his Facebook page, along with a note that reads, “Thank you for having me out there.”

Incidentally, Buckingham was featured on the studio version of “Caution,” which appeared on The Killers’ 2020 album, Imploding Mirage.

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The Tommy Lee Instagram photo saga took a punny turn during Mötley Crüe‘s concert in Los Angeles over the weekend.

A couple weeks back, the drummer posted a full frontal nude photo of himself that left nothing at all to the imagination on his Instagram. The photo was eventually removed from the social media platform for violating its content guidelines.

At the LA show Saturday, Lee told the audience that he’d gotten “drunk as f***” before posting the photos. He then asked the crowd, “They took them down from Instagram, do you want to see my wiener?”

Cut to Lee rustling around in his pants to pull out what appeared to be a real, live dachshund aka a “wiener dog.”

Lee posted a video of his “wiener” reveal on his Instagram, which, unlike his other posts, is still up.

Mötley Crüe is currently on tour with Def Leppard, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Poison. The outing continues Wednesday in Seattle.

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In June, Yes launched its “Album Series Tour 2022” with a run of concerts in the U.K. and Ireland, and now, the legendary prog-rock band has announced plans to bring the trek to the U.S. this fall.

The tour celebrates the 50th anniversary of Yes’ classic 1972 studio effort, Close to the Edge, and will feature a full performance of the album, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200.

The 28-date trek, which marks Yes first stateside outing since 2019, kicks off with an October 7-8 stand in Glenside, Pennsylvania and runs through a November 19 show in Westbury, New York. Tickets for the concerts will go on sale to the general public starting this Friday, September 2; check local listings and YesWorld.com for information.

The Close to the Edge shows will feature a full production with a high-def video wall that will offer a presentation including art created by longtime Yes cover artist Roger Dean.

Like the tour of the U.K. and Ireland, the U.S. trek is dedicated to longtime Yes drummer Alan White, who passed away in May. White joined Yes in June 1972, just a few days before the band launched its original tour in support of Close to the Edge, and remained with the group for the rest of his life.

Stepping in for Alan will be his good friend Jay Schellen, who has served as Yes’ second touring drummer for many years.

As previously reported, a special tribute concert for White has been scheduled for October 2 at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre. The show will feature members of Yes and Alan’s solo group White, as well as special guests. Tickets for the show are on sale now at STGPresents.org.

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