Classic Rock News

Three years after they first listed it, Paul Simon and wife Edie Brickell have finally sold their mansion in New Canaan, Connecticut. But the musical couple have taken a big loss on the property.

The real estate website Dirt reports that the 32-acre residence sold for $10.8 million, $5.7 million less than they paid for it about 20 years ago.

According to Dirt, Simon and Brickell initially asked for $13.9 million for the estate when they put it up for sale in 2019, but slashed the price to $11.9 million in 2020.

The 1938 mansion has six bedrooms, eight bathrooms and three powder rooms, a paneled library, a large living room, a tiled sun room and a three-car garage. The three-story home sits on grounds that include “sweeping meadows,” “formal walled gardens,” a swimming pool and a private pond.

There’s also a 2,400-square-foot cottage on the property that Paul and Edie used as a recording studio.

According to Dirt, Simon and his wife still have three at least other residences, among them a duplex in New York City, a 30-acre oceanfront home in New York’s ritzy Hamptons and a 10-acre estate in Allen, Texas, outside of Dallas.

The couple celebrated their 30th anniversary last month.

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A high-def analog audio disc featuring a new version of Bob Dylan‘s classic folk song “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which Dylan recorded last year, sold Thursday at a Christie’s auction in London for about 1.5 million pounds, or almost $1.8 million.

Dylan recorded his new version of the famous tune with acclaimed producer T Bone Burnett using Burnett’s new ultra-high-definition Ionic Original audio format.

The one-of-a-kind acetate disc, which had been estimated to sell for between $752,000 and $1.2 million, was auctioned as part of Christie’s “Exceptional Sale” event. The sale took place two days before the 60th anniversary of the recording of the original “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

The 10-inch aluminum disc, which resembles and can be played like a vinyl LP, comes packaged in a specially created wooden cabinet and boasts the etched signatures of Dylan, Burnett and mastering engineer Jeff Powell.

The new track was recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, with Dylan accompanied by Burnett on electric guitar, Greg Leisz on mandolin, Stuart Duncan on violin, and both Dennis Crouch and Don Was on bass.

In a statement posted by Variety following the auction, Burnett says, “With Bob Dylan’s new version of ‘Blowin’ in the Wind,’ our first Ionic Original archival analogue disc, we have entered and aim to help develop a music space in the fine arts market. I trust and hope it will mean as much to whomever acquired it today…as it does to all of us who made it, and that they will consider it and care for it as a painting or any other singular work of art.”

The Ionic Original technology was developed by Burnett’s recently launched company NeoFidelity Inc.

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Journey was forced to postpone the last four concerts of their spring North American tour because an unspecified member of the group tested positive for COVID-19, and now those dates have been rescheduled for March 2023.

The concerts, which were to have taken place on May 10 in Washington, D.C.; May 11 in Hartford, Connecticut; May 13 in Toronto; and May 16, in Quebec City, Canada, are now scheduled for next year on March 1, March 4, March 12 and March 9, respectively.

Toto, who served as Journey’s support act for the band’s entire spring 2022 tour leg, will also open those four 2023 shows. Heart‘s Ann Wilson had been announced as the opening act for the Toronto and Quebec City concerts before they were postponed.

As previously reported, Journey will release a new studio album titled Freedom on Friday, July 8.

The band also has a dozen upcoming 2022 concerts scheduled, including four special symphonic shows in Las Vegas — on July 15, 16, 22 and 23. Visit JourneyMusic.com for more info on the group’s tour schedule.

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Former Pink Floyd singer/bassist Roger Waters kicked off his long-delayed This Is Not a Drill Tour of North America last night at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

As seen in fan-posted videos and photos, Waters and his band performed in the round on a rectangular stage that featured massive video walls.

In pre-tour announcements, Waters hinted that the shows would feature plenty of the pointed social and political commentary he’s known for, and that was the case. As the concert began, a message ran across the screen notifying the crowd, “If you’re one of those ‘I love Pink Floyd but I can’t stand Roger’s politics’ people, you might do well to f*** off to the bar right now.”

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also reports the video screens bombarded the audience with provocative messages, film clips and images that focused on issues, including the evils of war, racial injustice, corporate greed, political corruption, gun violence and reproductive, trans and Palestinian rights. At one point, Waters fired a fake automatic rifle at the crowd.

Waters’ two-set show featured over 20 songs and included multiple-song segments from Pink Floyd’s classic 1970s albums The Wall, Wish You Were Here and The Dark Side of the Moon. In the middle of his first set, Roger introduced a brand-new tune called “The Bar,” which he reprised later in the concert.

Waters also played two songs from his most recent solo album, 2017’s Is This the Life We Really Want?: the title track and “Déjà Vu.”

Roger’s backing band features guitarists Jonathan Wilson and Dave Kilminster, keyboardist/guitarist Jon Carin, bassist Gus Seyffert, keyboardist Robert Walter, drummer Joey Waronker, sax player Seamus Blake, and backing vocalists Shanay Johnson and Amanda Belair.

Here’s the show’s full set list:

Set 1
“Comfortably Numb” (Acoustic)
“The Happiest Days of Our Lives”
“Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2”
“Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3”
“The Powers That Be”
“The Bravery of Being Out of Range”
“The Bar” (New song)
“Have a Cigar”
“Wish You Were Here”
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)”
“Sheep”

Set 2
“In the Flesh”
“Run Like Hell”
“Déjà Vu”
“Is This the Life We Really Want?”
“Money”
“Us and Them”
“Any Colour You Like”
“Brain Damage”
“Eclipse”
“Two Suns in the Sunset”
“The Bar” (Reprise)
“Outside the Wall”

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Earlier this week, Guns N’ Roses postponed a scheduled show in Glasgow, Scotland due to an unspecified “illness” and “medical advice.” Now, frontman Axl Rose has revealed he’s been battling vocal issues.

In a statement posted to Twitter Thursday, the “Welcome to the Jungle” rocker says, “I’d like to thank everyone [for] their well wishes! It’s greatly appreciated!”

Rose — who, in keeping with his band’s branding, replaces the word “and” every time with “n'” and “are” or “our” with “r” — adds that he’s “been following [doctor’s] orders, getting rest, working [with] a vocal coach n’ sorting out r sound issues.”

“Seems good so far,” he adds. “Thanks again [for] everyone’s concern! At the end of the day it’s about giving u the fans the best of rselves n’ the best time we can give u n’ that’s all I, the band n’ crew r focused on.”

GN’R plans to return to the stage Friday, July 8 in Munich, Germany.

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Metallica‘s “Master of Puppets” is the latest recipient of the coveted post-Stranger Things bump.

According to Billboard, the title track off the metal legends’ 1986 album has seen a 400% increase in streams since it was used in the season four finale of the Netflix sci-fi series.

While that certainly is a major bump, “Master of Puppets” still has a long way to go if it hopes to match the resurgence of Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill,” which soared all the way to the top five of the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 after its use in an earlier episode of Stranger Things’ fourth season. 

Metallica previously commented on Stranger Things‘ use of “Master of Puppets,” which is heard during a significant scene involving the Dungeons and Dragons-loving character Eddie Munson, sharing that they were “beyond psyched” about the song’s placement.

“We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away,” they said.

Meanwhile, Metallica took to TikTok to defend any newcomers who might’ve just discovered the band’s music through Stranger Things, declaring, “FYI — EVERYONE is welcome in the Metallica Family.”

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After Carlos Santana collapsed on stage Tuesday during his band’s concert in Clarkston, Michigan, the group immediately postponed the show scheduled for the next night in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.

Now, the new date for the Burgettstown concert, which will be held at Star Lake Pavilion, has been confirmed for Friday, August 4.

While the original show was supposed to have featured Santana performing with Earth, Wind & Fire as part of their Miraculous Supernatural joint tour, the new date will just be a Santana concert. All tickets purchased for the June 6 date will be honored at the August 4 show.

On Wednesday, Carlos’ wife, Santana band drummer Cindy Blackman Santana, shared an update on her husband’s health via Facebook.

“Hi Everyone! Carlos & I thank you so much for your prayers, love, care & concern for him!” she wrote. “Please know that he’s resting and doing very well! He was diagnosed with heat exhaustion & dehydration…it was 100 degrees on stage and 114 under the lights so that coupled with not enough water is what caused the issue. He’ll be as good as new soon! Thank you again and we love you!”

The next Santana concert is scheduled for Friday, July 8 in Noblesville, Indiana and is slated to feature Earth, Wind & Fire.

Visit Santana.com to check out the group’s full itinerary.

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Manny Charlton, founding guitarist of the Scottish rock band Nazareth, has died, according to a Facebook post from his grandson. A cause of death was not given. Charlton was 80.

Charlton was Nazareth’s guitarist, producer and co-songwriter from 1968 to 1990, and played on the band’s most successful albums, including 1975’s Hair of the Dog, which was RIAA-certified Platinum in the U.S. and featured the group’s biggest hit, a cover of “Love Hurts,” originally made famous by The Everly Brothers in 1960.

Charlton produced Guns N’ Roses‘ early demos, but bowed out of producing their debut album due to commitments with Nazareth. The album, ultimately recorded with producer Mike Clink, went on to sell an estimated 30 million copies globally and became the biggest-selling debut of all time. GN’R recorded “Hair of the Dog” for their 1993 all-covers album, The Spaghetti Incident?

After Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover produced several early Nazareth albums, Charlton took over for Hair of the Dog, and remained the band’s producer until 1983, a period during which they released some 17 studio albums.

Charlton went on to release numerous solo projects, including 2014’s Hellacious, which featured guest appearances from original GN’R drummer Steven Adler, as well as Def Leppard/Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell, Vanilla Fudge‘s Tim Bogert and others.

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Here’s wishing Ringo Starr a very happy 82nd birthday filled, of course, with peace and love!

As previously reported, the former Beatles drummer is marking the occasion with the latest installment of his annual “Peace and Love” birthday celebration. This year’s event will feature Ringo gathering privately in Los Angeles with wife Barbara, some of his All Starr Band mates and several other celebrity friends to give a “Peace and Love” salute at noon local time.

Taking part in the celebration will be All Starr Band members Steve Lukather, Edgar Winter, Colin Hay, Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette, as well as Benmont Tench, Richard Marx, Matt Sorum, Jim Keltner, Ed Begley Jr., Linda Perry, Diane Warren, and the late Roy Orbison‘s sons Roy Jr. and Alex.

As usual, Ringo is asking everyone to join in by saying or thinking “Peace and Love,” and/or flashing a peace sign, at noon local time wherever they are in the world.

As part of this year’s celebration, Artemis Music Space Network, with help from the International Space Station, will transmit Starr’s message across the planet, and into Earth’s orbit and outer space.

At noon, Ringo will signal the Artemis Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, to beam his message and music — including his 2021 single “Let’s Change the World” — to the International Space Station, which will relay peace-and-love messages and music down to the planet and out to the stars.

The event will kick off with a number of musical performances paying tribute to Ringo.

Meanwhile, “Peace and Love” celebrations are taking place in many locations around the world, including at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. In addition, a special Starr playlist will be played today in over 10,000 Starbucks stores.

For more info, visit Ringo’s Facebook page.

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As Journey prepares to release its latest studio album, Freedom, this Friday, founding guitarist Neal Schon reveals he’s working on becoming friends again with the group’s famous former lead singer, Steve Perry, who parted ways with Journey in 1998.

In a new interview, Schon tells Vulture that he and Perry have had the chance to connect more since he recently took a more active role in Journey’s business dealings.

“We’re talking and getting to know each other again — though not trying to get together musically again,” Schon says. “But he’s learning who I am now, through a portion of our business that I’m kind of controlling now. I’m talking about a Journey trademark that I’ve obtained, as we’ve never owned our own trademark.”

Schon continues, “All these years, many people lied to us [with regard to Journey’s business]. My wife and I finally got to the bottom of it after investigating for years. We were fought hard by everybody, but we managed to obtain the trademark. So we’re talking about that and figuring out the future of that, but we’re talking.”

Schon says that he and Perry were “very, very tight” during Perry’s early years with the band.

“I have great memories of when Steve and I first met,” he notes. “We hung out all the time, man. We were like brothers. We were crazy. We spent a lot of nights out way too late doing things we shouldn’t be doing. Drinking and whatnot … But bottom line, we had a really good time for many, many years … He was a really funny guy.”

Schon also mentions how well he got along with Perry during the 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, adding, “I hope that we can become even better friends in the future.”

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