Classic Rock News

Patti Smith & Her Band have been booked to play The National’s annual Homecoming Festival, this time returning to Cincinnati for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2018.

The festival is happening September 15-16 at the ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park, with Smith part of the lineup on September 15. The National headlines both nights of the fest, with the lineup also featuring Pavement, The Walkman, Snail Mail and more.

Single-day, weekend and VIP passes for the fest go on sale Friday, May 19, at 10 a.m. ET. More information and the complete lineup can be found at ntlhomecoming.com.

The show is one of many Smith has on the books this year. She kicks off a European tour in Copenhagen on June 1, with her first U.S. date set for August 7 in Pioneertown, California. A complete list of dates can be found at pattismith.net.

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The Rock for Ronnie concert, held in memory of the late Ronnie James Dio, raised over $50,000 for the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.

The event took place May 7 in Los Angeles and included performances by the Dio offshoot band Dio Disciples; Steamroller, featuring former Whitesnake members; and the Van Halen cover band The Atomic Punks. It closed with a jam featuring Eagles of Death Metal‘s Jesse Hughes, ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick and Thin Lizzy vocalist Ricky Warwick, among many others.

Dio passed away from stomach cancer in 2010 at age 67. The Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was founded in his honor to raise money for cancer research.

Along with Rock for Ronnie, the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund holds the annual Bowl for Ronnie charity bowling tournament.

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While Foreigner is currently on their farewell tour, it is without original member Lou Gramm. 

But now fans have a chance to see Gramm onstage: the rocker just announced dates for the Lou Gramm All Stars 2023 tour, featuring Scott Gilman and Jeff Jacobs, who both performed in Foreigner in the past, along with Tony Franklin, Alex Garcia and Ben Gramm.

The tour kicks off June 16 in South Bend, Indiana, and wraps November 4 in St. Charles, Illinois.

A complete schedule and ticket information can be found at lougrammofficial.com.

Gramm was the lead singer of Foreigner from 1970 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2003. He last performed with members of his former band in November 2018 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It was recorded for the live album Double Vision: Then and Now.

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Eric Clapton has just shared a new track from his upcoming limited edition box set, The Definitive 24 Nights, which drops June 23. The three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is treating fans to his reggae-infused performance of the Bob Dylan classic “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.”

The box set features six hours of music from Clapton’s historic 24-night run at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1991. The set includes 35 never-before-released performances, with Clapton performing with three lineups — a rock band, a blues band or an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen.

The Definitive 24 Nights will be released in a six-CD or eight-LP set. There will also be standalone versions of each genre — 24 Nights: Rock, 24 Nights: Blues and 24 Nights: Orchestra. All options are available for preorder now.

The new song release coincides with the global premiere of the concert film Eric Clapton Across 24 Nights, featuring 17 performances from the Royal Albert Hall run. It debuts in theaters Wednesday, May 17, with an encore screening on Tuesday, May 23. Tickets are on sale now.

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On This Day May 17, 1989…

After breaking up in 1982, The Doobie Brothers reunited to release their 10th studio album, Cycles.

The album featured most of the 1972-1974 lineup, with Tom Johnston, John Hartman and Michael Hossack rejoining the band for the first time since 1977, 1979 and 1974, respectively.

The first single from the record, “The Doctor,” was a Top 10 hit for The Doobie Brothers, landing at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at #1 on the Mainstream Rock charts. The album peaked at 17 on the Billboard 200.

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Yusuf/Cat Stevens is back with another song from his upcoming album, King of a Land. The latest is the track “All Nights, All Days.”

In the tune, Yusuf/Stevens blasts how “the rich tax the poor,” suggesting that the only way to fix things is to “lock those leaders in London’s Zoo.” Yusuf/Stevens notes, “The only way that we can get on in peace is to get rid of most of them. Not all, perhaps. But most.” 

“All Nights, All Days” is the third single Yusuf/Stevens has released from King of a Land, following the title track and “Take The World Apart.” The album, which is due out June 16, is available for preorder now.

Yusuf/Stevens has a few shows scheduled for this year starting in Berlin, Germany, on June 12. He’s also set to play the U.K.’s famed Glastonbury Festival on June 25. A complete list of dates can be found at catstevens.com.

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As previously teased, Foo Fighters have premiered another new song off their upcoming album But Here We Are.

The track is called “Under You,” and follows the lead single “Rescued.” Like “Rescued,” “Under You” seems like it could be about late Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins with lyrics such as “Someone said I’ll never see your face again/Part of me just can’t believe it’s true.”

You can listen to “Under You” now via digital outlets, and watch its accompanying lyric video streaming now on YouTube.

But Here We Are, the first Foos album following Hawkins’ death in March 2022, arrives June 2.

Along with the new song, Foo Fighters have also announced a free streaming concert airing this Sunday, May 21, at 3 p.m. ET via the streaming platform Veeps.

The performance will include the live debut of But Here We Are songs, as well as “exclusive behind the scenes footage and a few surprises. Notably, it’s also the first Foo Fighters concert since their massive tribute shows to Hawkins last September, and, presumably, will mark the debut of their new drummer.

For more info, visit FooFighters.Veeps.com.

Foo Fighters will then launch a U.S. tour May 24 in Gilford, New Hampshire.

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KISS’ 50th anniversary is being celebrated with a brand new coffee table book. 

KISS at 50, from rock journalist Martin Popoff, looks at the legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Famers through 50 of their most important milestones. The book touches on things like the band’s formation in New York, their infamous TV appearances, their tours, their 1980s “unmasking,” their studio albums, conventions and more.

KISS at 50 is being released October 10, and will include plenty of photos of the band on and off the stage, some of which have never been published before. There’s also photos of gig posters, ticket stubs, picture sleeves and lots more.

The publisher notes, “The result is an epic tribute to one of the most influential and admired bands in rock history—in a milestone year.” 

KISS at 50 is available for preorder now.

KISS is getting ready to kick off the next leg of their End of the Road tour on May 27 in Columbus, Ohio. A complete list of dates can be found at kissonline.com.

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July will mark the 50th anniversary of David Bowie‘s final performance as Ziggy Stardust, and the milestone is being marked at the exact location where the performance took place. 

A special world premiere screening of a restored version of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: The Motion Picture is happening July 3 at London’s Eventim Apollo Hammersmith (formerly the Odeon), the site of Bowie’s last Ziggy show on July 3, 1973.

The special showing will feature never-before-seen footage, including a previously cut performance by the late Jeff Beck. Ahead of the screening there will also be a live Q&A with some of the late rock star’s famous friends.

And for folks who can’t get there, the event will be livestreamed in theaters in the U.K. and Europe, with worldwide screenings planned throughout July.

Tickets for the world premiere screening are on sale now.

Bowie took on the fictional character of Ziggy Stardust, an androgynous alien rock star, throughout 1972 and 1973, performing as Ziggy for his concert tours of the U.K., Japan and North America. 

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Joan Jett has confirmed that new music is on the way. After teasing fans last week with a picture of herself in the studio and the promise of a “big announcement,” Jett revealed that she and the Blackhearts will release the new EP Mindsets on June 6.

So far no other information about the EP is known, but it will be available for preorder on Friday, May 19.

The EP will be the first new release from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts since 2022’s acoustic record, Changeup, which featured new versions of classic hits like “Bad Reputation” and “Crimson and Clover.” Their last album of all new material was 2014’s Unvarnished.

In the meantime, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will be busy on the road this summer. They have shows in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Richardson, Texas, on May 19 and 20, respectively, and then on June 6 they’ll kick off a tour with Bryan Adams in Baltimore, Maryland. A complete list of dates can be found at joanjett.com.

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