Classic Rock News

Imagine arranging for dozens of the world’s biggest singers to be in one room at the same time without the use of email or cellphones? That’s what happens in the Netflix documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, which chronicles the creation of the all-star 1985 charity single “We Are the World.” And apparently, it’s compelling enough to make people want to go and revisit the song.

Billboard reports streams of the song increased by 342% in the three days following the January 29 premiere of the documentary, while digital song sales went from basically nothing to 2,300.

“We Are the World” featured Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, Cyndi Lauper, Hall & Oates, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Journey‘s Steve Perry, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, The Pointer Sisters, Dionne Warwick, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson and dozens more. 

Recorded to raise money for African famine relief, it hit #1, became the fastest-selling pop single in history and won four Grammys. It raised some $80 million — $240 million in today’s money — for the cause and for humanitarian aid in the U.S.

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U2 and Jon Bon Jovi were among the artists honored at the 35th annual Pollstar Awards, which took place Wednesday, February 7, in Los Angeles. 

Jon was honored with the Milestone Award, in recognition of his band Bon Jovi’s 40th anniversary. He was also a keynote speaker at a Pollstar Live conference panel named How To See A Million Faces and Rock Them All, where he discussed his career, touring schedule, the current state of the band and more.

U2 was honored with Residency of the Year for their Las Vegas show, U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, with the state-of-the art Sphere winning New Concert Venue of the Year (Over 5,000 Capacity). 

Other Pollstar winners included Metallica, whose M72 World Tour was named Rock Tour of the Year, and Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival, which was named Music Festival of The Year (Global; under 30K attendance).

A complete list of winners can be found at pollstar.live.

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Sammy Hagar continues to add to his business ventures outside of music. The rocker just announced that his first-ever beer, Red Rocker Lager, is expanding into California.

The beer, described as a golden, medium-bodied Mexican-style lager, was first launched in Detroit in October through Sammy’s Red Rocker Brewing Co. It’s now available in Northern California and will coming to Southern California by the end of February.

“Red Rocker Lager is inspired by California’s chill attitude and beach lifestyle,” Hagar, a California resident, shares. “From Huntington Beach to the San Francisco Bay and across the Sierra Nevada, this is the perfect beer for chilling, grilling, skiing, and surfing, as well as for cheering for your favorite team in the Super Bowl!”

Red Rocker Lager is far from the first beverage Hagar has launched. He debuted his Cabo Wabo Tequila back in 1996 and has since gone on to add Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum, Santo Spirits and Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. to his alcohol offerings.

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Blue Öyster Cult is following up their recent 50th anniversary celebration with a brand new album, which appears to be their last. 

The album, Ghost Stories, will drop April 12, with the press release noting it “marks a fitting finale to the recording legacy of one of rock’s most iconic fixtures from the past 50 years.”

Ghost Stories features a collection of “lost gems” that were recorded between 1978 and 1983. There’s also one track, “If I Fell,” that was recorded in 2016 and a live cover of the MC5 classic “Kick Out The Jams,” the only known recording of BOC’s take on the song.

The tracks on the album were transferred from reel-to-reel analog tape to digital audio by the band’s original audio engineer, George Geranios, with producers Steve Schenck and Richie Castellano using artificial intelligence to complete the songs.

And Blue Öyster Cult is giving fans their first preview of what to expect from the record, with the release of the track “So Supernatural,” along with an AI-generated video for the track.

Ghost Stories is available for preorder now.

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In celebration of The Beatles first landing in America on February 7, 1964, ANALOGr has launched a new auction, featuring unique items and memorabilia from the Fab Four.

The Beatles Experience features a collection of pieces spanning from the legendary band’s arrival at New York’s JFK Airport to their solo careers and more. Items up for auction include an official Pan Am photo of the band during their JFK press conference, signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and an official invitation to their first American press conference for their film A Hard Day’s Night.

Other items include shirts worn by the band during their 1964 tour, McCartney’s handwritten draft lyrics for “Goodbye,” Lennon’s 1965 tweed suit, a limited-edition McCartney 1965 Epiphone acoustic guitar and Ringo’s signed bongo drums from the mid-1990s. 

Preview bidding is currently open, with the live auction set to begin on February 29 at 10 a.m. PT. More info on the auction can be found at analogr.com.

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It looks like AC/DC fans won’t have to wait much longer to find out the big news the band started teasing earlier this week. 

On Tuesday, February 6, the Aussie rockers shared an Instagram post, with the tease, “Are You Ready,” leading fans to suspect a tour announcement is on the way. Now, they’re letting folks know exactly when their news will come.

After posting another Instagram tease on Wednesday, February 7, that featured the number five, a countdown clock appeared on the band’s website, counting down to 3 a.m. ET on Monday, February 12. 

If AC/DC do indeed announce a new tour, it will be their first trek since 2016. They did return to the stage in October, headlining the Power Trip festival in Indio, California, alongside Metallica, Judas Priest and more.

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Billy Joel attended the Grammy Awards on Sunday with Freddy Wexler, the songwriter and producer who convinced Billy to return to music and co-wrote his new single, “Turn the Lights Back On.” Freddy spent the night documenting everything and has posted a highlight Reel on Instagram.

In the behind-the-scenes video and photos, you see Billy getting dressed for the ceremony, playing the piano, getting stuck in traffic on the way to the ceremony, playing at dress rehearsal and walking the red carpet with his wife, Alexis, and their young daughters, Remy, 6, and Della, 8. 

But possibly the most interesting part of the post is the candid footage and photos of Billy down on the floor in the arena, hanging out with all the other stars. He chats and poses with Billie Eilish, shares a laugh with Meryl Streep, greets John Legend and Ed Sheeran, and hangs with Lionel Richie.

It was a bit of a reunion for Lionel and Billy: You can see them both in the new Netflix documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, about the making of the 1985 charity single “We Are the World.” They both sang on the song, and Lionel co-wrote it.

There’s also footage of Billy in the audience, singing along as Fantasia Barrino paid tribute to Tina Turner by singing “Proud Mary.” At the end of his video, Billy’s onstage closing the show by singing “You May Be Right” as Freddy and Alexis sing along in the crowd.

Backstage, Freddy asks Billy, “Now you can be honest. How do you feel?” 

Billy jokes, “Enough about me.”

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Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has shared another track from his upcoming album, The Circus and the Nightwhale, which will be released February 16.

The latest is “Circo Inferno.” Hackett describes it as “the most frenzied point in this album’s narrative,” which includes “insistent sax, full on vocals and blistering guitar.” 

You can listen to “Circo Inferno” now via digital outlets and streaming on YouTube.

The Circus and the Nightwhale, Hackett’s first album of new material since 2021’s instrumental album Under A Mediterranean Sky, is described as an autobiographical concept album revolving around a character named Travla. It is available for preorder now.

Hackett is set to return to the U.S. for a new leg of his Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour on March 1 in Jacksonville, Florida, with dates confirmed through April 13 in Phoenix, Arizona. A complete list of tour dates can be found at hackettsongs.com.

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Several veteran artists profited from the so-called “Grammy Bump” following the awards show telecast on February 4.

According to Luminate, the company that collects music sales, streams and airplay data for Billboard, Joni Mitchell saw streams of her catalog increase by 133% following her touching performance of “Both Sides Now” on the telecast.

And Tracy Chapman’s duet of “Fast Car” with Luke Combs helped the song get a 205% streaming boost, while streams of Chapman’s entire catalog increased by 268%.

Both performances also prompted a boost on Billboard’s LyricFind U.S. and Global charts, which rank gains of lyric-searches. Chapman’s “Fast Car” tops both lists this week, thanks to a 6,171% increase in lyric searches in the U.S. and another 6,084% increase globally.

Meanwhile, Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” is at #2 in the U.S. and #3 globally, thanks to a 3,465% increase in searches.

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Jon Bon Jovi is the latest artist breaking into the Nashville nightlife scene. The rocker and his band have teamed with Big Plan Holdings for a new venue, JBJ’s Nashville, projected to open in the spring.  

“We’re looking forward to having a place in Nashville that we call home,” Jon shares, noting they are “a band with deep roots in Nashville.”

He adds, “We have had wonderful times in Nashville recording several albums and working with some of the finest people in all the music business. I can’t wait to toast all of Broadway and get to know our neighbors!”

JBJ’s will be located on Nashville’s Lower Broadway and will be the tallest and second largest bar in the area, boasting five stories and 37,000 square feet, including two rooftop spaces with panoramic views of Music City.

The news comes as Bon Jovi is celebrating their 40th anniversary. They launched the celebration with a new archival website and the release of a deluxe edition of their self-titled debut album.

Jon was celebrated this past weekend as the Recording Academy’s MusiCares Person of the Year, and at the gala, the band gave a preview of their yet-to-be announced upcoming album, performing the new song “Legendary.”

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