Classic Rock News

Guns N’ Roses will not be playing Arizona’s Chase Field after all.

The band’s October 11 concert, originally scheduled at the Phoenix stadium, has now been moved to Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre. The move is happening because the Arizona Diamondbacks are set to play an MLB playoff game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field that night.

Unfortunately, Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre doesn’t have the same capacity as Chase Field, but GN’R says they “aim to accommodate as many Phoenix fans as possible!” 

Anyone holding a Chase Field ticket will receive a refund from Ticketmaster and an email that will give them access to an exclusive presale for the new show. 

There will also be a general onsale for the show starting October 8 at 1 p.m. local time.

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U2 launched their Las Vegas residency, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, on September 29. Now that they’ve done a few shows, guitarist The Edge seems to be thrilled with how things are going.  

“I’m just so happy with the fact that it’s landed. It’s exceeded our wildest expectations in many ways,” he tells Wired. “You don’t really know how it’s gonna play until you have an audience in the house. Within about four songs of the opening night, I was like, this is definitely working.”

The Edge says he could tell there were times the visuals may have taken the spotlight off their performance, noting, “it’s a fistfight between the band and the immersive screen. We kind of win most nights, but it’s almost an even fight.”

Still, he says the songs are a crucial element to what fans see on the screens behind them, sharing, “That’s still the core of this event. Without the music, it would be an empty spectacle.”

Right now, the residency is set to wrap on December 16, but it sounds like the band may be open for more.

“We always thought in the back of our mind that we might do some additional shows next year. But we haven’t even started the discussion,” The Edge says. “There’s this kind of balance between keeping this show going, which is, in many ways, a one-off to commemorate Achtung Baby. So we’re weighing whether to push forward with a new album, new material, and a new tour versus extending this run.” 

U2’s next show is happening Saturday, October 7. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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Guitar legend Eddie Van Halen is being immortalized with a new Funko Pop.

Pop Eddie Van Halen with Guitar is a collectible of the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with his signature black and white striped guitar. The vinyl figure measures just under four-inches tall. 

The collectible is available now at Funko.com and will be coming to Funko flagship stores soon. There is a limit of two per household.

The release coincides with the third anniversary of Van Halen’s death. He passed away October 6, 2020, after a long battle with cancer.

Meanwhile, Van Halen has just released a newly remastered version of the video for their classic track “Right Now.” It is one of many songs that appear on the just-released box set The Collection II, which features remastered versions of the band’s four #1 albums with Sammy Hagar as well as a Studio Rarities album featuring eight non-album Hagar-era tracks.

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Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fans are getting a preview of the upcoming expanded remastered edition of the band’s 2010 album, Mojo.

The rocker’s estate just released Petty’s cover of the Sonny Boy Williamson II song “Help Me,” one of two previously unreleased songs that will appear on the digital release, Mojo (Extra Mojo Edition). The other unreleased track is “Mystery of Love.” 

Both the digital Mojo (Extra Mojo Edition) and a limited edition Mojo on ruby red translucent vinyl will be released October 20. They are available for preorder now.

Released June 15, 2010, Mojo was Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ 12th studio album. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

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Guns N’ Roses fans in Phoenix, Arizona, are going to have to wait a little longer to rock out with the band. Ticketmaster reports that the group’s October 11 show at Chase Field has been postponed. 

While no reason for the postponement is listed on the site, the Arizona Diamondbacks are likely to blame, as they are set to play an MLB playoff game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field that night.

So far, the show has not been rescheduled, but fans are being urged to hold on to their tickets so they can be used on the new date. 

Next up, Guns N’ Roses take the stage at Power Trip on Friday, October 6, in Indio, California. A complete list of Guns N’ Roses dates can be found at gunsnroses.com.

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Bruce Springsteen has announced his 2024 plans.

In late September, The Boss pushed all of his remaining 2023 dates with the E Street Band to 2024 in order to give himself more time to recover from peptic ulcer disease. Well, now disappointed fans have something to look forward to, because he’s just revealed he’ll be returning to the stage starting in March of next year. 

The rescheduled shows kick off March 19 in Phoenix, Arizona, and run through September 13 in Baltimore, Maryland. So far, postponed Canadian dates have not been rescheduled, but they are expected to be announced next week. 

All previously purchased tickets will be valid for the new dates, and fans who can not make the new shows will receive refunds. Info on getting refunds can be found at the official site where the tickets were sold.

A complete list of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2024 dates can be found at brucepsringsteen.net.

Springsteen and the E Street Band played their last show on September 3 in The Boss’ home state of New Jersey. He then announced the postponement of a handful of dates so he could focus on his health, but later pushed the whole tour to 2024 to give himself more time to recover.

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Queen is taking a look at some of their favorite performance venues over the years in episode 36 of their weekly YouTube series, Queen The Greatest Live.

“Iconic Venues” has guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor reflecting on the places they’ve played in their over 50-year career. May shares, “Madison Square Garden in New York was top of the list, that was a mythical place for us.” 

For Taylor, the Forum in Los Angeles is a particular favorite. He notes, “They’ve got something magical there. And of course, the audiences are great.”

In 1981, Queen graduated to stadiums playing their first huge gig in South America.

“We went down there with jumbo jets full of gear to play these football stadiums, not knowing if we would sell them out,” May says. “Suddenly, instead of 18,000 people in an arena, we’re playing outside to 100,000 or even more, 150,000 in the case of some of those places in Argentina and Brazil”

But those big audiences were never really a problem for Queen. “I think our music, we wanted it to be big and so I think we could project it and make it work in big places,” Taylor says. “I mean, other people have been good at it as well. I think it was particularly suited to us.”

Speaking of playing big venues, Queen just launched their Rhapsody Tour of North America. The show hits Toronto on Sunday, October 8. A complete list of dates can be found at queenonline.com.

Next week on Queen The Greatest Live: “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

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On This Day, October 6, 2020…

Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen, considered one of the most influential guitarists in rock, passed away at age 65 following a long battle with cancer.

Eddie and his brother, Alex, co-founded Van Halen in the early ’70s, with Eddie on guitar and Alex on drums. Joined by frontman David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony, they released their self-titled debut in 1977.

In the ’80s, they were one of the most successful rock acts in America, with their album 1984 being their most successful release, selling more than 10 million copies, thanks to four hit singles, including their first and only #1, “Jump.” 

Roth left Van Halen in 1985 and was replaced by Sammy Hagar, with whom the group went on to have five #1 albums: 1986’s 5150, 1988’s OU812, 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, 1995’s Balance and 1996’s compilation, Best of Volume 1.

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Fill up your water bottle and get your devil horns ready: Metalchella is here.

Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Tool are headlining the inaugural Power Trip festival, taking place October 6-8. It’ll be held in Indio, California, at the same site of Coachella and 2016’s Desert Trip, which featured the similarly stacked lineup of The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters and The Who.

“It’s a strange concept, isn’t it?” Priest bassist Ian Hill tells LA Weekly of Power Trip. “Six bands over three days, everybody gets to see the headliner. You couldn’t get six bands of this stature all on the same bill on the same day. There wouldn’t be the time, or the room for the egos probably. Who would wrap the show up?”

“It’s the first thing like this that we’ve ever done,” Hill adds. “We’ve been out with bands like KISS and AC/DC before, years ago. So we’ve been on the two-big-act bill, sort of thing. But with the festival theme, I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Power Trip will kick off Friday with Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden, then AC/DC and Judas Priest on Saturday, and Metallica and Tool on Sunday. 

“I think playing on the bill, just Metallica and us, it’s absolutely going to inspire us,” Tool guitarist Adam Jones tells LA Weekly. “We’re excited to be at our best and to microwave the crowd.”

Jones adds that Tool’s “dusted off some tunes that we haven’t played in a long time” for their set.

“Songs that we think will be appropriate for the setting,” he says.

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The late Robbie Robertson is known for his legendary musical career, but this fall he’ll also be remembered for his whiskey.

One of Robertson’s last projects before his death in August was to team with WhistlePig Whiskey for a new spirit in honor of The Band’s legendary concert film and album The Last Waltz, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. 

WhistlePig 12 Rye Whiskey – Robbie’s Blend, which was crafted with Robertson’s input, features a blend of flavors including ripe citrus, cedar, walnut and crushed white pepper. And as a bonus for Last Waltz fans, each bottle has been dipped in wax made with melted vinyl from The Last Waltz album.

“We’re humbled to give fans another way to celebrate The Last Waltz’s legacy this season with a new whiskey created in collaboration with Robbie himself,” says Mitch Mahar, WhistlePig distiller. “With his personal touches, Robbie’s Blend offers a bespoke whiskey that gives you a symphony of flavor in every sip.”

WhistlePig 12 Rye Whiskey – Robbie’s Blend is available to order online starting Friday, October 6, and will also be available this fall in select stores in Tennessee.

The release coincides with several planned celebrations of The Last Waltz’s 45th anniversary, including the October 6 release of a three-LP audiophile pressing of the soundtrack and a record release party taking place the same night at Analog inside the Hutton Hotel in Nashville. The film is also set to return to theaters nationwide for one night only on November 5.

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