Bob Dylan was announced as the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first songwriter to ever win the award.
Dylan was the 12th Nobel laureate from the United States and the first American to win since Toni Morrison was chosen in 1993.
Dylan’s win was not without controversy, as some in the literature community felt his contributions were not up to par with traditional authors.
Dylan was not present to accept his award in Sweden that December, as he had prior commitments. Instead it was accepted on his behalf by singer Patti Smith, who performed Dylan’s song “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”
Queen is taking a look at one of their classic anthems, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” in episode 37 of their weekly YouTube series, Queen The Greatest Live.
Queen has included “Bohemian Rhapsody” in every concert they’ve played since 1975. The clip features a medley of performances of the iconic song, which appeared on their 1975 album, A Night At The Opera.
“That one really took us into another league,” drummer Roger Taylor once said of the single, which was the band’s first U.K. #1. “It was a game-changer.”
Performances featured in the clip include the band at London’s Hammersmith Odeon in 1975, Japan’s Seibu Lions Stadium and England’s Milton Keynes Bowl in 1982, Brazil’s Rock In Rio in 1985 and London’s Wembley Stadium in 1986.
Next week on Queen The Greatest Live: “Love of My Life.”
Judas Priest fans just got their first preview of the band’s upcoming new album Invincible Shield, which drops March 8.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just dropped the record’s first single, “Panic Attack,” described as “a classic slice of Judas Priest at their very best.”
Judas Priest surprised fans with the announcement of their new album during their set at Power Trip in Indio, California, earlier this month. It will be their first new album since 2018’s Firepower.
Following the album’s release, Judas Priest will kick off a U.K. and European tour starting in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 11, wrapping April 8 in Paris, France. A complete list of dates can be found at judaspriest.com.
The Rolling Stones have teamed with the creative collection KidSuper for a new merch line coinciding with the release of their new album, Hackney Diamonds.
The limited-edition Rolling Stones x KidSuper collection, produced in partnership with merch company Bravado, includes a CD and cassette of Hackney Diamonds with the Rolling Stones’ lips logo reimagined in two different ways. Other merch offerings include tees, hooded sweatshirts, hats and mugs.
“I’ve been a fan of The Rolling Stones since I was a kid, so when the opportunity came to support the release of their new studio album, I couldn’t turn it down,” says Colm Dillane, artist, designer and founder of KidSuper. “The iconic logo, which I designed using fingerprint artwork, represents the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, and how many people have been touched by the band’s music over their incredible 60-year history.”
He adds, “I’m so proud with how the collection turned out and am excited for fans to get their hands on it!”
All items in the collection will be available exclusively at The Rolling Stones’ RS No. 9 stores, including their flagship store in London, pop-up stores in New York and Los Angeles and a soon-to-be-opened location in Tokyo. They will also be available online starting October 20, the same day Hackney Diamonds is released.
The black-and-white clip shows a person standing in front of a burning car and throwing an object through a glass window as a guitar riff plays in the background.
Green Day first launched TheAmericanDreamIsKillingMe.com on October 1 — which, of course, is when September ends — with a video of frontman Billie Joe Armstrong waking up in bed and looking at a calendar with the date October 24 circled.
The most recent Green Day album is 2020’s Father of All… The group also just put out a 30th anniversary of their 1994 breakout record, Dookie, in September.
U2 is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their iconic live album Under A Blood Red Sky with a special Record Store Day release.
The band is set to drop a remastered version of the album on 180g red vinyl. The new release includes a double-sided insert with credits and lyrics, and the bonus of a large two-sided poster.
Record Store Day Black Friday is happening November 24 at independent record stores across the country. A complete list of releases can be found at recordstoreday.com.
Released November 21, 1983, Under A Blood Red Sky features eight songs recorded live during three shows on the band’s War Tour. Two of those songs came from the band’s show at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which was the subject of last year’s concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky.
Talk about a huge double bill. Rockers Billy Joel and Sting are teaming up for a One Night Only concert at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 24.
A Citi ticket presale for begins Monday, October 16, at 10 a.m., followed by a Verizon presale on Tuesday, October 17, at 10 a.m. The general onsale will then kick off Friday, October 20, at 10 a.m.
The show will be the first time Joel and Sting have co-headlined a concert. The friends do have a history of performing together, though, as Billy has been on the bill for Sting’s Rainforest concerts multiple times, the last time being in 2008.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Joel has co-headlined a stadium show with a fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. He has toured with Elton John several times and is currently sharing the stage with Stevie Nicks. The two artists next play Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 10.
A complete list of Joel dates can be found at billyjoel.com.
Lenny Kravitz is back with new music. The rocker just released the new track “TK421,” the first single off his upcoming double album Blue Electric Light, dropping March 15.
“TK421” is described as a “fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll romp,” with a nod to Boogie Nights and Star Wars.
Kravitz has also dropped a new video for the song, which is certainly racy. He’s practically naked for a good portion of the clip, with his chiseled body on display for fans to see.
KISS is being sued by the family of their late guitar tech, Fran Stueber, who passed away from COVID-19, which he contracted while on tour with the band.
Rolling Stone has obtained court documents filed by Fran’s widow, Catherine Stueber, along with other family members, who are suing Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for negligence and wrongful death. KISS manager Doc McGhee, tour promoter Live Nation and Marriott International are also named in the suit.
Fran Stueber, who was Stanley’s longtime guitar tech, passed away in October 2021, after contracting COVID-19 during the band’s End of the Road tour. The court documents suggest the “dangerous condition created by Defendants” led to his death, noting, “the failure to enforce or have adequate Covid-19 policies or procedures caused a Covid-19 outbreak amongst band members and tour personnel.” It also claims that after coming down with COVID, Stueber was abandoned in Detroit to quarantine at a hotel.
The docs say Stueber called McGhee for help when he got sicker, and the manager said he was sending a doctor but allegedly never did. Instead, a crew member was sent and found Stueber unresponsive. Stueber passed away two days later.
The family is suing for unspecified special damages, damages relating to past, present and/or future wage loss and income, and medical expenses.
Despite being the drummer in the biggest metal band in the world, the instrumental chops of Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich are often debated. The latest comments from frontman James Hetfield may only add fuel to that fire.
In the latest episode of The Metallica Report podcast, Hetfield shares, “An interesting fact: Lars never rehearsed. Ever.”
However, he says that changed about four or five years ago.
“He started getting really into rehearsing,” Hetfield says of Ulrich. “I mean, he’ll rehearse four days for a two-hour set, which is what he needs to do, which is awesome.”
