Classic Rock News

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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The Rolling Stones were among the early winners of Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The Stones’ No Filter tour won both the Top Tour and Top Rock Tour awards, beating out fellow double nominees Genesis for their The Last Domino? farewell trek, and Green Day for the Hella Mega tour with Fall Out Boy and Weezer. The Eagles‘ Hotel California tour also received a Top Tour nod.

The Stones celebrated their two early wins on Twitter and via their Instagram Story, where they shared the good news alongside three confetti cannon emojis.

Meanwhile, Elton John won the Top Dance/Electronic Song prize for his duet with Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix).” Elton celebrated his win in a video posted on his social media pages.

In the clip, the 75-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who is shown holding his trophy, declares, “Life is full of surprises. I have never won an award for a dance record before, so I’m thrilled that I’ve got this Billboard award for best dance record of the year. I have to thank [Australian dance-music duo] Pnau for putting the track together, and…the gorgeous Dua Lipa, without whom this would have not been possible.”

He added, “Thank you so much everybody who streamed the record, who bought the record, who downloaded the record — it’s been one of the biggest highlights of my career.”

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After last week’s announcement that Judas Priest will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hal of Fame in conjunction with receiving the Musical Excellence Award this year, fans immediately began wondering whether former guitarist KK Downing will take part in the ceremony.

Now, in a new interview with Metal Hammer magazine, founding Priest bassist Ian Hill has confirmed that Downing will be in attendance at the event, which is scheduled for November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

“He’s spoken to management and said he will definitely be there,” Hill said. “It should be good.”

Ian also noted that he was disappointed that guitarist Richie Faulkner, who replaced Downing in the legendary metal group, isn’t being inducted into the Rock Hall with the band.

“The rule as I understand it, is whoever has been with the band for 20 years,” Ian noted. “Richie is sadly not being inducted, but really deserves to be as he’s been the driving force in the band for nearly 12 years now.”

It’s not clear whether Downing, who played with Priest from 1970 to 2011, will perform with his old band mates at the ceremony. Meanwhile, Metal Hammer asked Hill if he thought Judas Priest might end up rocking out with fellow 2022 inductee and country icon Dolly Parton during the traditional event-closing jam.

“That’d be a trip wouldn’t it?” Ian mused. “The lady who didn’t want to be inducted and the band who’ve been overlooked for 20 years!”

Hill also gave a little update on the status of Judas Priest’s next studio album.

“It’s sounding great!” he declared. “We’ve got a lot of the parts recorded now, the plan was to get it finished in the seven weeks we’ve got off [before the next tour leg,] but time vanishes so fast.”

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America‘s Gerry Beckley has released the title track of his upcoming album Aurora as the latest advance single from the record, which is due out on July 1.

“Aurora,” which kicks off the album, is a love song that, according to Beckley, uses the phenomenon of the colorful lights seen in the sky at daybreak as a metaphor for the significant life event of meeting his wife and relocating to Australia.

The track is available now via digital formats, and you also can check out an official lyric video for the song at the Blue Élan Records label’s YouTube channel.

Aurora is an 11-song collection that Gerry recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic at his two home studios — in Sydney, Australia, and Venice, California.

The album’s tracks include tunes that began as unfinished demos and scratch recordings that date back as far as the early 1970s, as well as brand-new songs written during the past two years.

Prior to “Aurora,” Beckley released two other advance tracks from the album — “Friends Are Hard to Find” and “Tickets to the Past.” Gerry co-wrote the latter tune with his co-founding America band mate Dewey Bunnell, who also sings on the track. “Tickets from the Past” is the first song that Beckley and Bunnell wrote together that isn’t making its debut appearance on an America album.

America is about to launch a new series of U.S. tour dates that run from a June 3 concert in Albany, New York, through an August 27 show in St. Charles, Illinois. Check out the band’s full schedule at VenturaHighway.com.

You can pre-order Aurora now. Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Aurora”
“I Fall Down”
“Never Know Why”
“Tickets to the Past”
“Way to Go”
“Friends Are Hard to Find”
“Peace of Mind”
“Indy’s Gatho”
“Aerial”
“Superscope”
“Tears”

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