Classic Rock News

A new docuseries that explores the music of San Francisco is set to premiere in August on MGM+, formerly EPIX. 

San Francisco Sounds: A Place in Time focuses on the Bay Area music scene from 1965 to 1975, a period that launched legendary artists like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Steve Miller, Santana and more to national stardom.

The two-part series, from the same team behind the Emmy-nominated music documentary Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time, will air over two Sundays, August 20 and 27, at 10 p.m. ET.

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The story of legendary rock band R.E.M. is being told in a new biography, Maps and Legends: The Story of R.E.M., by John Hunter. 

Although Hunter did not interview band members Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck or Bill Berry directly, the book is culled from previous video and audio interviews given by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. It also pulls from newspaper and magazine articles, as well as interviews with people close to the band, including high school classmates and bandmates, friends and producers.

The book promises to not only delve into R.E.M.’s entire career, which includes such hit albums as Out Of Time and Automatic For The People, but also explore their childhoods, their teenage bands, solo work and more.

Maps and Legends: The Story of R.E.M. will be released August 2.

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Dead & Company recently wrapped their Final Tour with a three-night stand in San Francisco, but it turns out, that may not really be the end of the band.

John Mayer, who formed Dead & Company in 2015 with Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti and Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, took to social media to reflect on his experience with the group and added some comments about their future.

In the post, Mayer writes that playing with Dead & Company “has made me a better player and this band made me a better person,” calling the whole experience an “opportunity of a lifetime.”

As for the future, he says, “Dead & Company is still a band – we just don’t know what the next show will be,” adding, “I speak for us all when I say that I look forward to being shown the next shaft of light… I know we will all move towards it together.”

Finally, Mayer offers, “This band changed my life, and I love you all for it. An incredible tour, an unforgettable ride, and a beautiful world of memories to visit. I’ll be seeing you.”

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The members of Def Leppard are helping Queen guitarist Brian May celebrate his 76th birthday.

In honor of May’s July 19 birthday, the band shared a musical birthday wish on social media to the tune of the Queen hit “Tie Your Mother Down.”

Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell and Rick Savage are featured in the clip, which has Elliott on guitar. In it, they sing, “Happy birthday! Happy birthday! / Stay awake from the cake but a drink’s ok / Happy birthday! Happy birthday! Happy birthday Brian May!”

“Join us in wishing our good friend @DrBrianMay a very happy birthday today!” the band wrote in the caption. “Keep on rockin’.”

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Pretenders are set to open for Guns N’ Roses on their stadium tour this summer, but if you’d rather see them in a smaller venue, you’re in luck.

The band just announced a short set of intimate club dates that kick off August 16 at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. They’ll also play club shows in Nashville; Asbury Park, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; Minneapolis; Los Angeles and Pioneertown, California, before wrapping the run in San Francisco on October 6. 

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, July 21, at 10 a.m. local time. 

The new tour dates come as the Pretenders get ready to release their new studio album, Relentless, on September 15. Their tour with Guns N’ Roses kicks off August 11 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. A complete list of all Pretenders tour dates can be found at thepretenders.com.

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The Eagles continue to add dates to their Long Goodbye farewell tour.

The band had promised to add shows based on demand and have proven to be true to their word. The latest additions include a second show in Newark, New Jersey, happening September 17 at the Prudential Center as well as a show in Pittsburgh, set for October 15 at PPG Paints Arena. 

Tickets for the new dates go on sale Friday, July 28, at 10 a.m. local time, with a presale happening Wednesday, July 26.

The Eagles’ Long Goodbye final tour, with special guest Steely Dan, kicks off September 7 in New York. The tour is expected to continue into 2025, as the band plans to play as many shows in each city as the audience demands. Tour dates can be found at eagles.com.

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Patti Scialfa is getting recognized by her home state. The rocker and wife of New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen is among this year’s inductees to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Scialfa, who grew up in Deal, New Jersey, is actually being inducted for the second time, this time for her individual achievements. She was previously inducted in 2012 as a member of the E Street Band.

Springsteen is already a member of the NJHOF, having been inducted with the inaugural class in 2008. Scialfa’s E Street bandmates Steven Van Zandt and Max Weinberg were also inducted individually, in 2017 and 2022, respectively. 

As for this year’s class, other inductees include singer Tony Orlando, The Sopranos creator David Chase, football star Tiki Barber and more. The induction ceremony will take place October 29 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

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Alice Cooper is giving fans another preview of his upcoming album Road, which drops August 25. The rocker just released his latest single, “White Line Frankenstein” featuring a guitar solo by Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello.

“’White Line Frankenstein’ is a monster that we created. It’s a truck driver who’s been out there a long time. He’s the king of the road. He doesn’t live in a house. He lives in that truck,” Cooper shares. “In the song, this surreal tough guy is driving on white lines for his whole life. So, ‘White Line Frankenstein’ would be his CB handle. It’s monstrous and definitely a stage song.”

Cooper is giving fans even more chances to hear him play the track. He’s just extended his time on the road, adding a set of October dates to his 2023 North American tour. The new shows kick off October 4 in St. Augustine, Florida, wrapping October 23 in Paso Robles, California. They will be followed by three Halloween Hootenanny shows with Rob Zombie, set for October 25, 26 and 28. 

Up next, Cooper will be the special guest on the Mötley Crüe/Def Leppard Stadium Tour in Syracuse, New York, on August 5. A full list of Cooper dates and ticket information can be found at alicecooper.com.

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On This Day, July 19, 1986…

Genesis landed their first and only #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Invisible Touch,” the title track of the band’s 13th studio album.  

The tune was the first of five consecutive Top 5 singles from the band; the others being “Land of Confusion,” and “Throwing it All Away,” which both went to #4, and “In Too Deep” and “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight,” which both went to #3.

Interestingly, the week “Invisible Touch” was at #1, Genesis’ former frontman Peter Gabriel was just behind them at #2 with “Sledgehammer,” which eventually went to #1 a week later.

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One of Joe Strummer’s iconic final concerts is going to be released later this summer.

Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros: Live at Acton Town Hall is a recording of Strummer’s November 2002 London benefit concert for striking firefighters. It featured a surprise reunion of Strummer and his former The Clash bandmate Mick Jones — their first performance together in almost two decades.

The concert wound up being one of Strummer’s final shows — and his last in London — as he passed away a month later. It featured performances of The Clash tunes “Bankrobber,” “White Riot” and “London’s Burning” as well as early version of songs that would later appear on 2003’s posthumous album, Streetcore.

Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros: Live at Acton Town Hall was previously released as a limited edition Record Store Day exclusive in 2012. The new remastered reissue, coming August 15, is being released on CD for the first time ever and as a special edition two-LP clear vinyl set featuring never-before-seen show photos and new liner notes. Both are available for preorder now.

Here is the track list for Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros: Live at Acton Town:

“Shaktar Donetsk”
“Bhindee Bhagee”
“Rudie Can’t Fail”
“Tony Adams”
“(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais”
“Mega Bottle Ride”
“Get Down Moses”
“Police and Thieves”
“Cool ‘N’ Out”
“Police On My Back”
“Johnny Appleseed”
“Coma Girl”
“I Fought The Law”
“Bankrobber” (featuring Mick Jones)
“White Riot” (featuring Mick Jones)
“London’s Burning” (featuring Mick Jones)

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