Classic Rock News

Def Leppard‘s latest studio album, Diamond Star Halos, has debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200 and also bowed at #1 on Billboard‘s Hard Rock chart.

The album earned 34,000 equivalent album units during its first week of release — 32,000 of that figure were from album sales, while the remainder were from downloads and streaming.

Diamond Star Halos is Def Leppard’s 12th studio album and their sixth to reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200. The others were 1983’s Pyromania, which peaked at #2; 1988’s Hysteria and 1992’s Adrenalize, which both topped the chart for multiple weeks; 2008’s Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, which ascended to #5; and the band’s 2015 self-titled effort, which reached #10.

As previously reported, Def Leppard will soon be teaming with Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts for the expansive 36-city Stadium Tour of North America. The trek gets underway June 16 in Atlanta and is mapped out through a September 9 concert in Las Vegas.

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Kate Bush didn’t need a deal with God to finally notch a top-10 hit, just a placement on Stranger Things.

The English singer’s song “Running Up That Hill,” which has seen a resurgence over the past week after being featured in the newly premiered fourth season of Netflix’s ever-popular sci-fi series, reenters the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 this week at #8. It had previously peaked at #30 following its original release in 1985.

All told, “Running Up That Hill” waited 36 years, nine months and one week to hit the top 10 after it first appeared on the Hot 100. That’s the longest gap between Hot 100 debut and top-10 placement since Chuck Berry‘s “Run Rudolph Run” took 62 years and two weeks to reach the mark in 2020.

The renewed interest in “Running Up That Hill” even led the notoriously press-shy Bush to issue a public statement.

“It’s all really exciting!” Bush wrote, adding that she’s a big Stranger Things fan. “Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song.”

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Todd Rundgren is among the well-known music artists who will take part in a new, 2022 edition of the Celebrating David Bowie tribute tour, which is scheduled to visit venues across North America this fall.

The trek kicks off October 6 in San Diego and is currently slated to run through a November 13 performance in Phoenix, with more shows expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

The tour was created by veteran guitarist and record producer Angelo Bundini, a.k.a. Scrote, who will also perform on the trek, as will ex-King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew, Spacehog‘s Royston Langdon, Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore and singer/songwriter Jeffrey Gaines, along with other musicians.

Tickets for most of the shows will go on sale to the general public this Friday, June 10; visit CelebratingDavidBowie.com for more information.

The 2022 edition of the tour will present an evening of David Bowie music while venturing to answer the question, “What makes Bowie different?”

“This is Major Todd to ground control. I’m stepping through the door,” Rundgren says about taking part in the tour. “In 1973, I met David Bowie and one of us ended up crying. I met David several times after that. Some of our phases, like glam, coincided. David had more of that Andy Warhol kind of sensibility, a pop sensibility.”

Adds Belew, “With such a large catalog to choose from, different songs affect us and the audience in varying measure … It’s always amazing to feel the excitement of a Bowie audience beaming directly at you. Pure adrenaline! So much love for David.”

Scrote, meanwhile, offers, “Fronting the show with revered innovators Todd & Adrian is an incredible honor. We’re looking forward to unleashing a three-guitar attack for an epic ride fueled with songs for every Bowie fan.”

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New Jersey’s favorite son joined Coldplay during the British band’s concert at East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday night.

The one and only Bruce Springsteen took the stage alongside Chris Martin and company for performances of the Boss’s 2009 song “Working on a Dream” and his 1984 smash “Dancing in the Dark.”

“Working on a Dream” is a particularly meaningful song for Martin, who has the song’s title tattooed on his arm.

“Like Chris said, he’s had this song tattooed on his arm for a while, so I guess I’ve got to sing it,” Springsteen told the cheering crowd before launching into the tune.

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

Coldplay is currently on tour supporting its latest album Music of the Spheres, which was released in October. The trek continues Wednesday in Philadelphia. As for Springsteen, he kicks off a recently announced 2023 European tour with his E Street Band on April 28 in Barcelona, Spain.

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The Doobie Brothers recently postponed five U.S. concerts that were part of their ongoing 50th anniversary tour because several members of the band’s touring party tested positive for COVID-19.

The affected dates, which have already been rescheduled, were originally scheduled for June 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida; June 3 in Tampa, Florida; June 5 in Jacksonville, Florida; June 7 in Alpharetta, Georgia; and June 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Those shows now are scheduled for the tail end of the band’s current summer U.S. leg. The new dates are as follows: Alpharetta on July 17, Jacksonville on July 18, Tampa on July 20, West Palm Beach on July 21 and Charlotte on July 25.

The Doobies are scheduled to return to the road for a June 10 concert in Bristow, Virginia. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers also have another U.S. leg lined up for later this year that’s plotted out from a September 2 show in Pelham, Alabama, through an October 12 performance in Nashville.

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

Last September, The Doobie Brothers also postponed a series of concerts after a member of the group’s touring personnel came down with COVID.

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In 2019, Sting won a Grammy for 44/876, an album he made with reggae/pop star Shaggy. Now the two have re-teamed for Come Fly wid Mi, a recently released album Sting produced of Shaggy doing reggae versions of Frank Sinatra tunes like “That’s Life.”

Sting first came up with the idea when he overheard Shaggy singing during a boat trip in Norway, but admits that the concept is definitely “insane.”

“He was singing along with the Frank Sinatra CD. I just heard something in it that appealed to me, because it doesn’t sound like Frank. He sounded like Shaggy, because he’s got an equally iconic voice. But there was some authenticity there,” Sting tells ABC Audio.

“And so the idea just kept coming back to me. And a year later I said, ‘We should do that crazy idea,'” Sting laughs. “It’s insane! But I’m so glad that it’s actually seen the light of day now and people are responding in the way I thought they would.”

The album includes well-known songs like “Fly Me to the Moon,” but Sting had Shaggy sing some lesser-known tunes, too. He claims he was “very strict” when it came to Shaggy “singing the correct melody,” but, Sting adds, “He’s a good pupil.”

Sting predicted that Come Fly wid Mi would bring people joy, and he was right. At the album launch in New York City, Sting says, “As soon as [Shaggy] started to sing…everyone in the club…had this wide grin…it just makes people smile. And what does the world need more than a smile at the moment? I don’t know! We need a smile!”

It’s unlikely Sting and Shaggy will be performing together in the near future, though, since Sting is currently doing his Las Vegas residency My Songs, followed by a European tour.

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This Thursday, June 9, founding Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and his current band, The Dirty Knobs, begin a stint opening for country star Chris Stapleton at various large U.S. venues that runs until late July.

Campbell and his group are supporting their sophomore album, External Combustion, which was released in March. A follow-up to the group’s 2020 debut, Wreckless Abandon, the new record is an 11-track collection that includes guest appearances from Mott the Hoople frontman Ian Hunter, Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, and acclaimed alt-country artist Margo Price.

Campbell tells ABC Audio that he’s “a huge fan” of Hunter and Mott the Hoople, and explains that the collaboration came about after Ian had tapped him to add guitar to some of his new tracks, and, in return, he asked Hunter if he’d sing on one of his own new tunes.

“[W]e had this song called ‘It’s a Dirty Job,’ and he was gracious to do it,” Mike notes. “He puts some Mott the Hoople piano in it, and he sang a verse and some harmonies, and he really brought the song up with his presence.”

As for Tench, Campbell says he asked his longtime band mate to play piano on a tune called “Lightning Boogie,” which he figured Benmont would like.

“[H]e just killed it,” Mike notes. “He added his flavor to it, so it’s got a little Heartbreakers nuance to it.”

Campbell says Price’s contributions to External Combustion came about when he got together with her to do some songwriting. Mike wound up asking Margo to sing on two tracks — “State of Mind” and “Cheap Talk.”

“[S]he did a great job and really made the songs better,” Campell says.

Visit TheDirtyKnobs.com to check out the band’s full tour schedule.

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Queen + Adam Lambert, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Duran Duran were among the performers Saturday night at The Platinum Party at the Palace, a star-studded concert celebrating Queen Elizabeth II‘s 70-year reign that took place in front of London’s Buckingham Palace.

The event was viewed by a TV audience of 13.3 million, while thousands and thousands of flag-waving spectators crammed the Mall leading to the Palace to watch in person. The show was highlighted by a spectacular video display projected onto the palace.

The concert kicked off with an adorable video showing Queen Elizabeth having tea with a CGI version of Paddington Bear, in which both shared their love of marmalade sandwiches. Then, Her Majesty began striking her teacup in a familiar rhythm: the unmistakable drumbeat that starts Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Cut to Buckingham Palace, where Queen and Lambert got the crowd going with that song, followed by “Don’t Stop Me Now” and “We Are the Champions.”

Rod Stewart sang his chart-topping U.K. hit “Baby Jane” and then led a massive singalong as he belted out, of all things, Neil Diamond‘s “Sweet Caroline,” which is a soccer anthem in the U.K. Duran Duran performed “Notorious” and “Girls on Film,” joined by Nile Rodgers of Chic on guitar.

In a performance taped in the Red Drawing Room at Windsor Castle that was projected onto the Palace, Elton John sang “Your Song” and, addressing the Queen, said, “Long may you reign.”

Closed out the festivities was Motown legend Diana Ross, who performed a trio of songs, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

The event also featured speeches from Prince Charles and Prince William, as well as performances by Alicia Keys, Elbow, George Ezra and others.

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Founding Bon Jovi bassist Alec John Such has died, according to a message posted Sunday on the band’s social media sites. He was 70.

“We are heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of our dear friend Alec John Such,” reads the note, apparently from frontman Jon Bon Jovi. “He was an original. As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was integral to the formation of the band. To be honest, we found our way to each other thru him — he was a childhood friend of [drummer] Tico [Torres] and brought [longtime guitarist] Richie [Sambora] to see us perform.”

The message concludes, “Alec was always wild and full of life. Today those special memories bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. We’ll miss him dearly.”

Such was a member of Bon Jovi from the group’s 1983 formation until 1994, when he was replaced by Hugh McDonald. Alec played on the band’s first five studio albums, including the hugely successful Slippery When Wet and New Jersey, which topped the Billboard 200 in 1986 and 1988, respectively.

Among the many major Bon Jovi hits on which he appears are “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Bad Medicine,” “Born to Be My Baby,” “I’ll Be There for You,” “Lay Your Hands on Me” and “Bed of Roses.”

Such was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bon Jovi in 2018, and he performed with his old band mates at the ceremony.

During his speech, Alec said, “These guys are the best. We had so many great times together…Love them to death and always will.”

Meanwhile, Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan, who recruited Such for the band, posted his own tribute to Alec that reads, “RIP my soul brother…It was an honor and pleasure to share the stage and to share life with you.”

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Former Blue Öyster Cult member Joe Bouchard‘s latest studio album, American Rocker, was released Friday.

The 11-track collection, which Bouchard describes as “a musical journey of my life as a rock star,” is available now via digital formats and on CD. In addition, special bundles pairing the CD with a T-shirt and an autographed booklet can be purchased at MerchBucket.com.

The album features guest contributions from longtime Bryan Adams drummer Mickey Curry and founding Blue Öyster Cult drummer Albert Bouchard, Joe’s brother and frequent collaborator.

Coinciding with American Rocker‘s arrival, Bouchard has debuted a lyric video for one of the album’s tracks, a haunting, melodic tune titled “Deadly Kisses.”

“‘Deadly Kisses’ is a song of young love and how it traps you,” Joe explains. “I sat down in a music room at a private boarding school and played a few odd chords. The opening lines and melody just came out.”

As previously reported, Joe has a series of five North American shows lined up in July with his band Blue Coupe — which also features Albert and original Alice Cooper bassist Dennis Dunaway. He and Albert also will be playing a series of U.K. concerts in August, performing as The Bouchard Brothers.

Here’s American Rocker‘s full track list:

“My Way Is the Highway”
“In the Golden Age”
“Deadly Kisses”
“Love Out of Thin Air”
“Off Season Hotel”
“Hounds of Hell”
“Conspiracy”
“Rocket to Fame”
“The Devil’s in the Details”
“Katherine”
“Hey There Suzi Dear”

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