Classic Rock News

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen is giving fans some insight into the band’s next record.

During an interview with the Thunder Underground podcast, Collen discussed the new album they’ve been working on. He notes that their latest single, “Rejoice,” which was released in January, is “one style of a song that’s on there.”

As for the rest, he says, “There’s some stuff on there that’s, like, ‘Whoa.’ You’d go, ‘This is really wacky.’ And so, I like that.”

“I love the fact that we’ve kind of, not got brave, but we haven’t got scared to express ourselves,” he adds. “Whoever writes whatever song, everyone puts 100% into it. So it kind of, again, takes on another life when you do that as well.”

He says that when it comes him and his bandmates writing songs “everyone gets involved.”

“It’s really diplomatic and it’s a democracy,” he explains. “But good ideas win.”

So far there’s no word on when Def Leppard will be releasing their new album. The record will be the first album of new material since 2022’s Diamond Star Halos.

In the meantime, Def Leppard is currently on a tour of Europe and the U.K. and will play the O2 in London on Thursday. A complete list of dates can be found at DefLeppard.com.

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If you’ve ever been a soldier in the metal army, Metallica wants to see your battle vest.

“Nothing says ‘metal’ quite like a glorious battle vest,” Metallica writes in a Facebook post. “So much more than just cut-off jackets with some patches… they are rich and personal stories told by their owners, much like tattoos.”

Metallica is now asking fans to send in photos of their own battle vests to be showcased in the band’s Black Box online museum.

“Whether you’re rocking a traditional battle vest or you’ve made a sleeved battle jacket, a battle coat, or even a battle skirt, if it carries the spirit of the OG battle vest, we want to display it,” the “Enter Sandman” legends say.

We’re guessing a lot of battle vests will also be on display during Metallica’s upcoming residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, which kicks off in October.

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Fans of The Rolling Stones are disappointed they have no plans to tour this year, but Mick Jagger insists that doesn’t mean they will never play live again.

In a new interview with NME, Jagger says they’re not touring this year because Keith Richards “couldn’t commit” because “he wasn’t feeling so great about touring and everything.”

Jagger says they hope to do some shows next year, realizing the next question is going to be about the possibility of a residency somewhere.

Asked whether they were open to a residency in Las Vegas, Jagger replies, “Well, no,” but then explains what he thinks will work for them.

“I mean more like Harry Styles doing [multiple shows] in Amsterdam and London. But then he’s still touring though; he’s not just staying in one place,” Jagger says. “But we are gonna get live dates in for next year, hopefully … I’ll let you know when I know.”

The Rolling Stones are set to release their 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues, on July 10. It is the follow-up to 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, and Jagger is already looking toward the next album.

Asked whether there’s “another album in the tank,” he replies, “Yeah, it could be a trio [of records]… I’ve already started writing songs anyway.”

“They could be for other people though,” he says. “When you write a song, you sometimes decide ‘that’s not for me, but it could be for the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers’ or whatever.”

“I’ve got a lot of stuff, and not all of it’s suitable for The Rolling Stones,” he adds. “It shouldn’t stop me writing them, you know. If you get an idea, just write it.”

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Melissa Etheridge’s current album is called Rise, but in November, it’ll also stand for “Research, Innovation, Science, and Education.”

Melissa will launch the first R.I.S.E. Summit, which is being hosted by her charity, the Etheridge Foundation, on Nov. 12 in Irvine, California. She established it in 2020 after her son succumbed to opioid addiction. 

“As many of you know, this work is deeply personal to me,” Melissa says in a statement. “After losing my son Beckett, I knew I wanted to do something to help other families find hope and new ways to heal.”

The R.I.S.E. Summit will focus on innovative new treatments for addiction, including the use of psychedelics. Melissa will host a fireside chat on that topic with an addiction expert, Dr. Gabor Maté, who will also discuss the larger issues of addiction, recovery, trauma and healing.

You can learn more about the summit and buy tickets with early-bird pricing at EtheridgeFoundation.org.

Melissa is currently on tour with country music legend Wynonna Judd; she’s donating $1 from every ticket sold to her foundation.

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KISS is set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of their historic concerts, releasing it for the first time as a live album.

The band will release KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 on Aug. 21. It’s a recording of their Aug. 20, 1976, Anaheim Stadium show on their The Spirit Of ’76 Tour, aka the Destroyer Tour.

The show had KISS playing in front of over 42,000 fans, their largest audience to date. The recording, taken from the original multitrack tapes, features performances of such iconic KISS tracks as “Detroit Rock City,” “Strutter,” “Black Diamond,” “Rock and Roll All Nite” and more.

Members of the KISS Army are getting a bonus from the band. They can now access exclusive material in connection with the announcement, including soundbites from Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley sharing their memories of the show.

KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 will be released in a variety of formats, including CD, two-LP black vinyl, two-LP picture disc, two-LP color vinyl and digitally. The band has also launched a new merch line in connection with the release.

The album is available for preorder now.

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To coincide with Tuesday’s strawberry moon, Peter Gabriel is treating fans to yet another new song.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has released the new track “I Belong to the Sky” from his upcoming album, o/i, the follow-up to 2023’s i/o.

“It’s another song which has taken a while to grow,” says Gabriel. “It was a candidate, in some form, for the i/o record, but didn’t get finished off, but it was always one of my favourites.”

“I’m a strong believer that reality is more malleable than we imagine and that if you really make strong pictures of something happening, you really affect the chances of it materializing,” he adds. “Visualising … how dreams leave their nest, is the main topic of the song.”

As he did with i/o, Gabriel is releasing a new song from o/i with each full moon of the year. The entire album will be released by the end of 2026, along with Dark-Side and Bright-Side mixes handled by Tchad Blake and Mark “Spike” Stent, respectively.

“I Belong to the Sky (Bright-Side Mix)” is out now via digital outlets.

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On This Day, June 30, 1973…

George Harrison hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” from his #1 album Living in the Material World.

The song actually bumped the Paul McCartney & Wings hit “My Love” from the top spot, pushing it to down to #2. It marked the first and only time that two former Beatles held the top two spots on that chart.

“Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” was one of three Harrison songs to hit #1 over the course of his solo career. The others were “Got My Mind Set on You” in 1987 and “My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity” in 1970.

In December, a new video for “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” was released, directed by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard.

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Bob Dylan’s current tour seems to be going through a bit of a band shake-up, and now one of his guitarists is speaking out about his departure.

Guitarist Bob Britt is responding to reports in the press about his departure from the tour, which began to surface over the weekend. The reports were sparked by a since-deleted Facebook post by Britt, who wrote “Sayonara Bobby” next to a map with a travel route from Austin, where Dylan’s next show is happening, to Nashville.

Britt has since taken to Facebook to set the record straight, writing, “Apparently there are quite a few threads out there with people speculating about my departure from the Bob tour.”

“I’d like to clear it up. I was not fired but left of my own accord for reasons I would prefer to keep private,” the post continued. “I will miss my band mates and crew.”

He then wrote that he was looking forward to other projects, including “getting back to doing sessions.” He added, “As far as any touring goes, we will see what the future holds.”

Britt’s departure comes not long after Dylan lost another guitarist in his band. As Rolling Stone points out, guitarist Doug Lancio, who’s played guitar with Dylan since 2019, was recently replaced by jazz guitarist Julian Lage.

Dylan’s next show is Monday in Austin. A complete list of his show dates can be found at BobDylan.com.

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A new exhibit dedicated to the Grateful Dead is set to open in San Francisco.

Forever Grateful, opening Friday at the Haight Street Art Center, will feature a collection of artwork, instruments and memorabilia celebrating the legacy of the iconic band. It includes over 400 pieces, made up of paintings, pen and ink drawings, original lithographs, vinyl records, photographs and more.

The exhibit also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the center. It includes a scaled-down, fully operational replica of the band’s legendary Wall of Sound audio system, which will broadcast live Grateful Dead recordings from throughout their career.

“Forever Grateful celebrates the spirit, artistry, and cultural influence that made the Grateful Dead not just a band, but a phenomenon,” states Dennis McNally, exhibition adviser and Grateful Dead historian.

“My family is pleased to know that the Haight Street Art Center will be featuring a Grateful Dead exhibition this summer,” Trixie Garcia, daughter of the late Jerry Garcia, says. “What originated here in the 60s and the resulting cultural shift felt across the world will never be forgotten. There’s nowhere like San Francisco and there’s nothing like the Grateful Dead!”

The opening weekend will also feature a performance by Grahame Lesh & Friends on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. PT.

Forever Grateful will run at Haight Street Art Center until Sept. 20. A second exhibit, Forever Grateful, Golden Gate Park, will open Sept. 5 at Hall of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco, and run through Oct. 25.

More information can be found at HaightStreetArt.org.

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Metallica has announced the details for the eighth year of the band’s Metallica Scholars Initiative with their All Within My Hands charity foundation.

The program, which supports workforce education for community and technical college students, will distribute a grant of over $3.3 million to over 90 schools. The 2026 campaign also includes the first international Metallica Scholars partner, the Capital City College Group in the U.K.

“This thing started as a dream,” frontman James Hetfield says in a statement. “Now our program is changing lives. To expand our impact on a global scale and support even more students is so rewarding.”

He continues, “We’re so proud of all the Metallica Scholars who have come through it and all the ones who will participate in it. It’s humbling to know we’ve been part of the journey of thousands of trade professionals doing good, hard work in the world.”

For more info, visit AllWithinMyHands.org/metallica-scholars.

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