Classic Rock News

AC/DC is one of the big-name rock acts set to headline the upcoming Power Trip festival in Indio, California, and it sounds like they’re raring to go.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers never got to tour behind their 2020 album, Power Up, because of the COVID-19 lockdowns, and frontman Brian Johnson says they can’t wait to finally get to play it live.

“I’m so excited because three years ago we did get together (before) ‘Power Up’ the album came out,” he tells the Fuelling Around podcast. “We started to rehearse in Amsterdam. Phil (Rudd) was back on drums … Honestly, I’ve never heard the band so tight.”

And it sounds like Power Trip may be just the beginning, with Johnson noting, “The most important thing about it all is the eagerness we all feel, the juices are running again.” 

As for the festival itself, Johnson says, “I think it’s just a statement to say that rock ‘n’ roll is a legitimate form of music.” The lineup includes Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool and Iron Maiden.

“It’s going to be in a beautiful valley, near Coachella, but I don’t get involved in that kind of thing,” he says. “I just like to turn up, get up and just rock my little socks off until I drop.”

Power Trip is going down October 6 to 8 in Indio, California. Tickets are on sale now.

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A longtime friend of Tina Turner tells People that the late Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll was ready to embrace the end of her life.

Stephen Sills — that’s Sills, not Stills — is a designer who helped decorate Tina’s home in the South of France and visited her every year in Switzerland. Speaking to People, he says, “She told me two years ago, she said, ‘Stephen, I’m ready to go anytime. I’m not scared of death. I’ve had a wonderful last part of life. I’ve enjoyed it, but I’m tired.'”

Sills says after Tina received a kidney from her husband, Erwin Bach, in 2017, she “struggled with dialysis,” but stayed upbeat. He recalls calling her house three weeks ago to check in with Tina.

“I said, ‘How’s she doing?’ [The housekeeper] said, ‘She’s happy and she’s comfortable. Everything’s good,'” he recalls.

“She was such an amazing friend and she had such a force of creativity,” Sills continues. “The Tina Turner persona of performing, that was a made-up person. We used to talk about it, and she created that and it was a beautiful image. But she was absolutely positive and energetic and interested and curious. She was just an amazing person.”

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer died May 24 at her home near Zurich, Switzerland, after what was described as “a long illness.” She was 83.

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Def Leppard has a new top five album in the U.K. The band’s recent release with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Drastic Symphonies, debuted at #4 on the Official U.K. album chart.

“Wow. For us to get to No 4 in the UK charts with ‘Drastic Symphonies’ is just very, very special,” frontman Joe Elliott shared upon hearing the news. “Especially as this album has us doing something very different in reimagining some of our biggest hits along with hidden gems with The amazing Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.”

He then thanked their British fans, adding, “We are grateful and truly humbled.”

The album is the band’s ninth top 10 record on the U.K. chart.

Def Leppard is currently on the European leg of their Stadium tour with Mötley Crüe. It hits Krakow, Poland, on Wednesday, May 31. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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Elton John‘s final show on British soil comes June 25, when he’ll rock the U.K.’s prestigious Glastonbury Festival for the very first time — and he says it won’t be the same show fans have been seeing during his Farewell tour.

Speaking to BBC Radio 2, Elton said it’s the first time he’s been asked to play the gig, noting, “But it’s just come at the right time … this is the most wonderful way to sign off in Great Britain.”

He then teased, “I’ve built a different set list … it’s gonna be much different. I’ve got guests who — I can’t tell you who they are — but it’s gonna be wonderful. I’m really looking forward to it.”

At Elton’s last U.S. show, which took place at Dodger Stadium, he also had special guests —Kiki Dee, Brandi Carlile and Dua Lipa — but presumably, his Glastonbury guests will be different.

Elton’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which started way back in 2018, will finally come to an end in July in Stockholm, Sweden. When asked by BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills if he thinks he’ll miss it when it’s all over, Elton laughed, “No way! I do not wanna fly anywhere. I don’t wanna go anywhere. I just wanna be still for a few months, thank you.”  

Elton says after the tour wraps he’ll take a vacation for a few months, then he has no plans. However, he hasn’t ruled out live performances entirely, though they’ll be “sporadic.” 

“I really don’t want to tour again,” Elton, 76, said firmly. “Doing a theater thing for two or three weeks might be appealing, but honestly, that’s in the distant future. I’m not going back to Vegas. If I do anything, it will be here [in England].”

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Hollywood Vampires have put their tour on pause to let Johnny Depp recover from an ankle injury.

The band, which also includes Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Alice Cooper and Tommy Henriksen, announced they are postponing three tour dates this week to give Depp time to heal.  

“Johnny has sustained a painful injury to his ankle following his recent appearances and has been advised by his doctor not to travel,” reads the band’s announcement. “He is devastated by this turn of events, but looks forward to resting up so all four Vampires can bring their absolute best to the tour in Europe.” 

The three shows — in Boston; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Bethel, New York — have all been moved to July.

Hollywood Vampires kick off their European tour in Bucharest, Romania, on June 8. A complete list of tour dates can be found at HollywoodVampires.com.

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Roger Waters has commented on the controversy surrounding his concert in Berlin earlier this month.

As previously reported, Waters faced backlash for using images of Anne Frank and a pig with a Star of David on it, as well as what looked like an SS soldier costume. It even sparked a criminal investigation, with the police looking into “the suspicion of incitement of the people.”

But in an Instagram post, Waters calls the controversy “bad faith attacks from those who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views and moral principles.”

“The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms,” he writes. “Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated,” noting they’ve been in his shows since the ’80s.

Waters says he’s spent his life “speaking out against authoritarianism and oppression wherever I see it” and doesn’t plan to stop. He notes, “Regardless of the consequences of the attacks against me, I will continue to condemn injustice and all those who perpetrate it.”

Waters also shared a clip from his recent Frankfurt show in which he told the audience he was leaving out certain elements because the venue is the site of where over 3,000 Jews were detained and abused in November 1938 before being sent to concentration camps,

“So, that is why I’m making this small, but I hope significant, gesture tonight,” he says. “It is to show that I can’t possibly understand the feelings of the relatives of those men, or what it was like in 1938 in Frankfurt all over the rest of Germany, but I do know the history and my heart is beating hard now.”

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Rod Stewart was all set to become the latest rock legend to cash in by selling off his music catalog, but he’s now called off the deal.

Music Week reports that Rod, 78, had been negotiating with Hipgnosis Songs, which has purchased the catalogs, publishing rights or significant stakes in the catalogs of Justin Timberlake, Fleetwood Mac‘s Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, Soundgarden‘s Chris Cornell, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young and dozens of other artists, writers and producer.

However, he’s now opted to retain ownership of his catalog and terminated the sale. In a statement provided to Music Week, Sir Rod says, “This catalogue represents my life’s work. And it became abundantly clear after much time and due diligence that this was not the right company to manage my song catalogue, career or legacy.”

Rod’s recorded music output includes not just his solo work, but his recordings with The Faces and Jeff Beck Group. 

The U.S. leg of Rod’s current tour starts July 29 in Sparks, Nevada.

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On This Day, May 30, 1987 …

Rocker David Bowie kicked off his Glass Spider tour in support of his album Never Let Me Down.

The tour was known for its elaborate set design, which included what looked like a giant spider with light-up legs. It was described at the time as “the largest touring set ever.” It took 43 trucks to move and weighed an estimated 360 tons.

Bowie was joined by Peter Frampton on the tour, along with dancers choreographed by Toni Basil.

In addition to songs from Never Let Me Down, the set list included such Bowie classics as “China Girl,” “Fashion,” “Heroes,” “Let’s Dance,” “Fame” and “Modern Love.”

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Foo Fighters are giving fans another taste of their upcoming album But Here We Are, which drops Friday, June 2.

The band just released the 10-minute epic “The Teacher,” along with a short film directed by multimedia artist Tony Oursler, which includes trippy images of the band, along with early home movies, and more. 

The song, likely inspired by Grohl’s late mother Violet, who was a teacher, includes the lyrics, “You showed me how to breathe, never showed me how to say goodbye,” and “You showed me how to grieve, but never showed me how to say goodbye.”

“The Teacher” is the third song the Foos have released from But Here We Are, following “Rescued” and “Show Me How.” It is available for preorder now. 

And the Foos are giving fans a unique way to get an early listen to the whole album. They’ve just announced But Here We Are at Sunrise, a free listening event which takes place, as the name suggests, at sunrise at venues in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles. All ages are welcome, and fans are advised “to rise early, dress for the outdoors and listen together.” More information can be found at foofighters.com.

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Kansas kicks off their 50th anniversary tour on June 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and guitarist and founding member Richard Williams is certainly excited to be celebrating such a big milestone.

“Fifty, it’s a big number, it’s half a century,” Williams tells ABC Audio. “Suddenly there’s like a ‘whoa’ moment that’s, like, ‘Wow, 50 years, that’s a lot.’” He described the tour as “a celebration of the entire career.”

Williams says when Kansas first got together, their biggest dream was simply “to record an album and then get it played on the radio if we were lucky,” and then possibly get to open for some big national acts.  

“We couldn’t imagine dreaming beyond that,” he says. “You know, the world stage and being a headlining act and continuing to make records and all that was so distant that it wasn’t even a thought. That wasn’t a dream. … the last 49 years have been all gravy.”

And at 73, Williams has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. He insists fans shouldn’t expect to hear news of a retirement tour, noting, “What’s the point, unless it’s a money grab.” 

Williams adds, “It’s really more a matter of how long can I do it. According to my doctors, I’m in great shape. Barring, you know, illness or death, I’m here. I’m going to be doing this until I can’t.” 

Kansas currently has dates confirmed through January 28, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A complete tour schedule can be found at kansasband.com.

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