Classic Rock News

Lately, Billy Joel, his wife, Alexis, and their two young daughters have been spending more time in Florida, so he’s movin’ out of his New York waterfront estate.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the 26-acre estate in “a town known as Oyster Bay, Long Island” — as he famously sang about in his song “The Ballad of Billy the Kid” — is on the market for $49 million. Billy paid $22.5 million for the first 14 acres and home back in 2002, but he’s since bought up adjoining plots of land to restore the estate to its original size.

The property, which sits on a small island called Centre Island, is known as Middlesea and features a 20,000-square-foot mansion, a beach house, two outdoor pools, a helipad, a bowling alley, a wine cellar, a floating dock and an indoor pool that Billy covered up so he could use it as a music room.

In 2015, Billy purchased an estate in Lantana, Florida, for $22 million, the Journal reports. But The New York Post reports that it, too, is for sale, for just under $70 million. The Post speculates that he’s looking for another property.

But Billy isn’t giving up all his ties to Long Island: He still has a home in ritzy Sag Harbor in the Hamptons.

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Rolling Stones fans may want to make a stop at Los Angeles’ Rockaway Records. The store has just acquired a new collection of Stones memorabilia, featuring over 10,000 items.

The collection, purchased from the estate of skateboarder Brad “Squeak” Blanck, a known figure in the Rolling Stones community, consists of an extensive collection of vinyl, with rare LPs and 45s, vintage T-shirts, concert posters and more.

Some of the items up for grabs include a copy of the rare “Beast of Burden” 45 with picture sleeve and an Andy Warhol-designed promotional display from 1977. One item no longer available is a rare set of 1978 U.K. promo posters for “Some Girls,” which has already been purchased by The Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson.

“We have bought many amazing collections over the past 45 years, but this is definitely the most exciting one in a long time!” Rockaway Records’ Wayne Johnson shares. 

More information on the collection can be found at rockaway.com.

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David Lee Roth continues to baffle fans. The former Van Halen frontman has posted another bizarre dancing video, this time to Annie Lennox’s “Little Bird.”

The clip shows an always smiling Roth in a bright yellow suit prancing around with a flag, a cane, a sword, a trombone, bullhorns and cymbals.

This is far from the first strange video Roth has shared. He previously posted videos of him dancing to his cover of Wilson Pickett‘s “She’s Looking Good” and another featuring Daddy Yankee’s “Con Calma.” There was also another strange clip soundtracked to Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” that featured him, a mannequin, a statue of a dog and what appears to be a fast-food burger.

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Given that their latest album is a three-part rock opera, it would be hard not to call The Smashing Pumpkins ambitious. During an interview with Apple Music, frontman Billy Corgan shares that his ultimate ambition for the Pumpkins is to be “standing on the top of the heap of our generation.”

In achieving that goal, Corgan feels that Kurt Cobain was his “greatest opponent.”

“I will go down always as saying Kurt was the most talented guy of our generation,” Corgan says of the late Nirvana icon. “Kurt had so much talent, it’s, like, frightening. It was like a John Lennon level of talent … or Prince.”

“But Kurt’s not here, sadly,” Corgan continues. “So I looked around, I was, like, ‘Alright, well, I could beat the rest of them for sure.'”

Later in the interview, Corgan says, “When Kurt died I cried, because I lost my greatest opponent.”

The Smashing Pumpkins’ three-act rock opera, ATUM, is out now.

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Queen is offering fans a chance to get their hands on something pretty unique. The band is selling what they are calling a “Taylored” Spinner Cymbal Ring, made of sterling silver and featuring an outer spinning band constructed from one of drummer Roger Taylor’s personal cymbals.

Each ring is individually numbered and features the “Jolly Roger” logo on the inside. It is also engraved with “hearing secret harmonies” in Taylor’s handwriting, comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Taylor and a photo of the drummer taken by his daughter.

The ring will be available for preorder starting May 30, with the item shipping by July 28.

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Stevie Nicks is extending her time on the road. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has added a second leg to her solo tour. 

“Thank you to everyone who’s come out to see us so far, I’ve been having such a great time on the road,” Nicks shares on Instagram. “We are so happy to announce that we are adding 13 more shows to my 2023 tour! I hope I see you out there.”

The new dates kick off August 8 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and include shows in Houston, Austin, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Los Angeles. The last new date is set for December 5 in Palm Desert, California, although the tour wraps December 15 in San Francisco, California. 

Tickets for the new shows go on sale Friday, May 19, at 10 a.m. local time.

Nicks’ next concert is happening Tuesday, May 16, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She’s also set to play Nashville with Billy Joel on Friday, May 19. A complete list of dates can be found at stevienicksofficial.com.

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KISS bassist and co-founder Gene Simmons’ prowess with the ladies has been the subject of rumors for years, particularly the claim that he has slept with over 5,000 women. Well, now he’s setting the record straight.

“I’ve heard all about those numbers,” he tells The Sun when asked about the rumors. When pushed about whether they were true, he responded “confirmed.”

“For me, an insane heterosexual male, party means girls. I was like a vulture, waiting on the sidelines until all the guys got drunk,” Simmons, who says he doesn’t drink, shares. “But the prettiest girls didn’t get drunk so I’d walk in and choose whichever — as you Brits say — birds I liked.”

Simmons and his KISS bandmates are getting ready to say goodbye to the road, with the U.K./European leg of their End of the Road tour kicking off June 3 in Birmingham, England. As for why they are finally ready to give it up, Simmons says, “It’s the end of the touring band because we have enough self-respect. We don’t want to be like boxers who stay in the ring too long.”

He notes, “If I was in the Rolling Stones, who are great by the way, I could strum a guitar wearing sneakers and T-shirt and it would be fine. I admire Mick Jagger for pushing the limits but I can’t keep doing it with 40lb of studs and armor and eight-inch heels.”

A complete list of KISS’ End of the Road tour dates can be found at kissonline.com.

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Rod Stewart‘s daughter Ruby has made him a grandfather again.

Ruby, Rod’s daughter with his ex-girlfriend Kelly Emberg, announced on Mother’s Day that she and her fiancé, Jake Kalic, had welcomed a baby boy, Otis Stewart Kalic, on May 9. “I can’t remember what life was like before you….But nothing else matters now that you’re here,” Ruby wrote on Instagram.

Rod’s ex-wife Rachel Hunter and her daughter, Ruby’s half-sister Renee, both congratulated Ruby in the comments.

But it turns out that Rod actually became a grandfather for the third time, not thanks to Ruby, but thanks to his and Hunter’s son, Liam. Liam and his partner, Nicole Artukovich, announced that their son, Louie Mark Roderick Stewart, had arrived on May 12. Since Ruby’s baby was born on May 9, Otis is Rod’s second grandchild, while Louie is his third.

As for his first grandchild, that’s Delilah, who’s 11. Her parents are Rod’s daughter Kimberly — from his first marriage, to Alana Hamilton Stewart — and actor Benicio Del Toro.

We hope Rod has a scorecard to keep track of his growing family.

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Sting fans will want to make their way to Philadelphia this September.

The Police frontman and frequent collaborator Shaggy are throwing their very own festival — the One Fine Day festival — taking place September 9 at The Mann Center, Fairmount Park.

Sting and Shaggy will team up for what’s being described as “a joint-set of combined greatest hits.” The festival will feature two stages, with a lineup that also includes Thundercat, G-Love and Special Sauce, Kofee and Tank and the Bangas.

“I love how Shaggy and I effortlessly push each other to the creative edges,” Sting shares. “After having made the 44/876 album together and recording an album of Frank Sinatra covers in a reggae style, a day of hits and musical adventures in one of our favorite cities seemed like the next illogical step!”

A Sting presale kicks off Tuesday, May 16, with the general sale set for Friday, May 19. More info and a complete lineup can be found at sting.com.

This isn’t the only chance Sting fans have to catch him onstage this year. He’ll kick off the North American leg of his My Songs tour on June 1 in Vienna, Virginia. 

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A pub band playing a cover of Green Day‘s “Basket Case” was very surprised when Billie Joe Armstrong happened to be in the audience.

In a video posted to Green Day’s YouTube, titled “When you walk into a pub and the cover band starts playing your song,” you can see Armstrong walk onto the stage from the crowd and start singing along.

According to the BBC, the cover band is called Borderline Toxic, and they were playing at a London pub called Slim Jim’s Liquor Store.

“Eleven-year-old me panicked,” Borderline Toxic singer Kerry Glass tells BBC Newsbeat. “I think I did three circles just running around the stage until [Armstrong] was like, ‘Come on, sing with me.'”

After Green Day posted the video, Glass says she’s been receiving messages from old friends and classmates sharing their excitement.

“People that used to go to rock clubs when we were younger have got in touch and been like, ‘Oh my god, Kerry, that’s amazing,'” Glass shares. “That’s been the nicest thing.”

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