Classic Rock News

Journey has released a third advance track from its forthcoming studio album, Freedom, a heavy, funk-flavored mid-tempo rocker called “Let It Rain.”

The song is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, while a visualizer video for the tune has debuted at Journey’s official YouTube channel.

“Let It Rain” showcases some sizzling guitar work by Neal Schon, who in a post on his social media pages describes the song as “a Sassy Funkin Rocker,” adding, “New Chapter from us and definitely proud of it.”

As previously reported, Freedom is a 15-track collection that will be released on July 8. The other songs that have been issued from the album are “The Way We Used to Be” and “You Got the Best of Me,” which debuted in June 2021 and last month, respectively. You can pre-order Freedom now.

Meanwhile, this Friday, May 20, at 9 p.m. ET, Schon will make an appearance on Talk Shop Live’s Rock N Roll Channel, where he will chat about the album and Journey’s upcoming tour plans. In addition, autographed copies of Freedom will be available to pre-order during the steaming event.

Journey recently wrapped up the initial leg of its Freedom Tour 2022, although the final four shows were postponed because an unspecified member of the group tested positive for COVID-19. Those dates are expected to be rescheduled in the coming months.

The band next scheduled performances are a series of four special symphonic concerts in Las Vegas that will take place at the new, state-of-the-art Resorts World Theatre. The shows are scheduled for July 15, 16, 22 and 23 and tickets are available now.

Schon also promises that Journey is planning a summer leg of its tour.

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Friends of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins tell Rolling Stone that he expressed concern with the band’s heavy touring schedule in the days leading up to his unexpected death this past March.

According to Pearl Jam‘s Matt Cameron, Hawkins had a “heart-to-heart” conversation with Foo frontman Dave Grohl about the subject.

“[Hawkins] told me that he ‘couldn’t f***ing do it anymore’ — those were his words,” Cameron says. “So I guess they did come to some understanding, but it just seems like the touring schedule got even crazier after that.”

An anonymous friend adds, “The fact that [Hawkins] finally spoke to Dave and really told him that he couldn’t do this and that he wouldn’t do it anymore, that was freeing for him…That did take a year of working up the guts to do.”

Meanwhile, “multiple friends” tell Rolling Stone that Hawkins had “lost consciousness” while on a plane this past December.

“[Hawkins] just said he was exhausted and collapsed, and they had to pump him full of IVs and stuff,” says Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, adding that incident was “one of the straws that broke the camel’s back” that led him to approach Grohl and the band’s management with his concerns.

However, a rep for Foo Fighters tells Rolling Stone that Hawkins “never ‘informed Dave and [management]'” of wanting to scale back his touring, and also denies that there ever was a “heart-to-heart” or “any sort of meeting on this topic” between Hawkins, Grohl and the band’s management. The rep also tells Rolling Stone that the reports of Hawkins losing consciousness on the plane are “not true.”

Hawkins died March 25 ahead of a scheduled Foo Fighters show Bogotá, Colombia. He was 50. All Foo Fighters’ remaining tour dates have been canceled.

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Edgar Winter‘s latest album, Brother Johnny, which was released in April, is a star-studded tribute to his late sibling Johnny Winter.

The 17-track collection includes a version of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Hoochie Koo,” a song written by Rick Derringer that Johnny first recorded in 1970 with his band Johnny Winter And, which featured Derringer, and that Rick subsequently had a solo hit with in 1973.

Edgar’s version features guitar work by Toto‘s Steve “Luke” Lukather, who also is a longtime member of Ringo Starr‘s All Starr Band. Edgar tells ABC Audio that he specifically chose Lukather to play on the track because he envisioned a Jimi Hendrix-style solo that he knew Luke could deliver.

“I wanted it wild, crazy, sort of twisted and demented. And I knew that Steve would do exactly that,” Winter explains. “I said, ‘I know…Steve [is] gonna play something different than Rick would ever have played or completely different than Johnny ever would have played’…And, man, Luke delivered.”

Edgar adds, “He played exactly what I was hoping he would. And I didn’t really tell him anything, I just know Luke and know more or less how he thinks and navigates things, and he always likes to push the envelope.”

Lukather has been a member of Ringo’s All Starr Band since 2012, while Edgar recently rejoined the group after previously playing with Ringo and company from 2006 to 2011. Speaking about Luke’s personality, Edgar notes, “[H]e has this rough, raw sense of humor, sometimes perverse, that we all love.”

Other artists featured on Brother Johnny include Ringo, Joe Walsh, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, The Doobie Brothers‘ Michael McDonald and John McFee, ex-Allman Brothers Band members Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks and late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, among many others.

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Primus‘ Rush tribute tour got a rave review from Geddy Lee himself.

The tour — during which Primus is playing Rush’s 1977 album A Farewell to Kings in full, as well as a set of their own songs — made a stop in the “Tom Sawyer” outfit’s hometown of Toronto Friday. Lee attended the show along with Rush band mate Alex Lifeson and later reflected on the experience in an Instagram post.

“On Friday night we had the joyful experience of reuniting with our grand pals from Primus,” Lee wrote. “We sat side stage as they immaculately worked through a cool selection of classic Primus tunes which brought back fond memories of our touring together back in the early ’90s.”

Lee continued, “Then we were treated to the weird and wonderful experience of watching them perform our music: A Farewell to Kings in its entirety. Totally nailed it! They did us proud and we thank them deeply for the tribute and the lasting friendship.”

The post is accompanied by a photo of Lee and Lifeson alongside the Primus members.

Lifeson also shared his own post, reading, “It was 30 years ago we toured together and made so many great memories. From the moment we saw each other it was like those years were measured as minutes. That’s friendship.”

Primus’ Rush tribute tour continues Monday in Montreal.

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The first trailer promoting the upcoming fourth season of Stranger Things premiered in April and featured a dramatic remix of Journey‘s 1983 smash “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” and now the track is available via digital formats.

The Bryce Miller/Alloy Tracks remix of “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” has been released as an advance track from the forthcoming official soundtrack album to the hit Netflix series’ new season.

Two volumes of the album, titled Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4, will be released digitally in the coming weeks, on May 27 and July 1, respectively, coinciding with the premiere dates of the show’s two-part season.

Volume 2 will feature all of the songs that appear on Volume 1, as well as additional music heard in the second run of episodes of Stranger Things‘ fourth season.

The full Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4, including both volumes, will be released on CD and cassette on September 9, while a two-LP vinyl edition will be made available later in 2022.

Those who preorder the Stranger Things Season 4 soundtrack will receive an automatic free download of the “Separate Ways” remix.

Soundtracks for previous seasons of Stranger Things have included a variety of hits from the 1980s, reflecting the period during which the sci-fi horror series is set.

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The Who made an emotional return to Cincinnati on Sunday to play their first concert in the city since the band’s infamous December 1979 show at the Riverfront Coliseum, where 11 young people died as fans rushed the venue’s doors before the event.

The British rock legends’ show on Sunday was the first concert ever at Cincinnati’s new TQL Stadium.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Who guitarist Pete Townshend addressed the crowd during the show, saying, “I’ve been trying to think of why to say, what would be cool to say, what would be uncool to say, and really there’s no words that we can say that can mean [as much as] the fact that you guys have come out tonight and supported this event. Thank you so much.”

Townshend then referenced the fact the that The Who planned to donate proceeds from the concert to local charities, noting, “[Y]our money is going to great causes, many of which are related to what happened back here in Cincinnati in 1979, which is probably time for us to both remember and try to forget. … Anyway, it’s so lovely to be here.”

Prior to The Who taking the stage, a prerecorded video of Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder was played, in which Vedder recalled how Townshend and Who singer Roger Daltrey gave him support after nine people were killed during a 2000 PJ concert in Denmark.

During Sunday’s show, photos of the 11 victims of the 1979 tragedy were shown on the video screen while Who touring keyboardist Loren Gold played the intro to “Love, Reign O’er Me.”

Also, 10 students from Finneytown High School, the school that three of the 1979 victims attended, joined the orchestra that accompanied The Who for the show’s final song, “Baba O’Riley.”

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Eric Clapton has postponed the first two dates of a new run of European concerts this week because he recently contracted the COVID-19 virus.

The affected dates were scheduled for Tuesday, May 17 in Zurich, Switzerland, and Wednesday, May 18, in Milan, Italy.

According to a post on the official Where’s Eric website, Clapton, 77, tested positive for COVID-19 after playing his most recent show, a May 8 performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and he decided to postpone the concerts after his medical advisers told him that “if he were to resume travelling and performing too soon, it could substantially delay his full recovery.”

The message adds, “Eric is also anxious to avoid passing on any infection to any of his band, crew, promoters, their staff and of course, the fans.”

Clapton is now hoping to launch the trek with his two scheduled shows in Bologna, Italy on May 20 and 21. The outing is mapped out through a June 17 concert in Tampere, Finland.

The plan is to rescheduled the postponed Zurich and Milan shows sometime in the next six months, and tickets that have already been purchased will be valid for the new dates.

Clapton has been a vocal critic of vaccine mandates, reporting last year that he had an adverse reaction after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

In other news, Clapton has announced a seven-date series of U.S. concerts taking place this September, according to Ticketmaster.com. The trek begins with a September 8 show in Columbus, Ohio, and runs through a Septmber 18-19 engagement at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Eric also will perform in Detroit on September 10, in Chicago on September on September 12 and 13, and in Pittsburgh on September 16.

Visit Ticketmaster for details about on-sale dates.

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The brotherly love of Metallica was on full display during the band’s recent concert in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

During the show, Hetfield began talking to the audience about the woman who gave birth at another Metallica concert in Brazil earlier this month. Perhaps that led to him reflecting on the passage of time, as he then told the crowd that he’d recently been feeling “a little bit insecure” about his playing ability as he gets older.

“Like, I’m an old guy, can’t play anymore, all this bulls*** that I tell myself in my head,” 58-year-old Hetfield said. “So I talked to [my band mates], and they helped me, as simple as that. They gave me a hug, and said, ‘Hey, if you’re struggling onstage, we’ve got your back.'”

Hetfield added, “And I tell you, it means the world to me.”

As the crowd cheered, Lars Ulrich got up from behind his drum kit and joined guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo for an encore hug.

Hetfield then thanked the audience, declaring, “Seeing you out there, I am not alone…and neither are you.”

You can watch fan-shot footage of the moment streaming now on YouTube.

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As announced earlier this month, Eurythmics are among the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, who will be honored at a November 5 ceremony in Los Angeles.

Multi-instrumentalist Dave Stewart who along with singer Annie Lennox make up the U.K. duo, tells ABC Audio that when they were informed about the honor, they jokingly offered a low-key response, “but actually we were very excited to hear that.”

As he notes, “[W]e’re very British — Annie’s Scottish, I’m English — [and have a] very dry sense of humor with each other, [and] I was playing it…down.”

Stewart and Lennox also will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this June, and Dave reveals that he and Annie plan to perform at both events.

Stewart says he and Lennox have already been discussing how they might approach their Rock Hall performance, and he explains that although they haven’t made any definite decisions, he thinks “it’ll be a mixture” of playing as a duo and presenting tunes with a full backing band.

As he notes, “[W]e might ramp up all the way to a full-on ‘Would I Lie to You,’ with horns and all sorts of things.”

Dave tells ABC Audio that he has great respect all of his fellow Rock Hall honorees, because he knows the perseverance and passion it takes to mount a successful music career.

“There’s some kind of mixture of determination and insanity that gets people all the way to this point,” he maintains, “where a lot of people would’ve turned back.”

One fellow 2022 inductee that Dave says he’s particularly excited is being honored is country icon Dolly Parton.

“[She’s] such a sort of inventive and brilliant woman [who] has endured so much,” Stewart enthuses. “And also, what a songwriter.”

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A museum dedicated to late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton opened on Saturday, May 14, in Ljungby, Sweden, near the site where the musician was killed in 1986 at age 24 in a bus accident while the band was on tour there.

The attraction, called The Cliff Burton Museum & Memorial Stone, also includes a commemorative marker that was erected a decade ago at the site of the crash by Metallica’s Swedish fan club.

According to a Guitar World report published in April, the museum, which was partially funded by the Swedish government, features photos, albums, posters, tickets and other memorabilia. Among the pics are photos taken at the crash site by the first photographer on the scene: Lennart Wennberg of Sweden’s Expressen newspaper.

The museum also features interviews with Wennberg and recollections from first responders to the accident, as well as a stage that replicates the one Metallica on during its last concert with Burton — which took place in Stockholm, Sweden — including copies of the bass and drum kit that he and Lars Ulrich, respectively, used at the show.

The museum’s organizers told Guitar World, “We primarily want to honor Cliff Burton, who died so tragically in the middle of his career, and talk about who he was as a person and a musician.”

An official fan Facebook page dedicated to the museum has posted a video of the opening ceremony for the attraction, as well as photos from the event.

Burton joined Metallica in 1982, and played on the band’s first three studio albums — 1983’s Kill ‘Em All, 1984’s Ride the Lightning and 1986’s Master of Puppets.

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