Classic Rock News

Aerosmith recently announced their “Peace Out” tour, with special guest The Black Crowes, but it looks like Steven Tyler wasn’t sold on the tour name.

In a funny new video, Tyler has a special golden winged phone delivered to Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, and when Tyler calls, he reveals his uncertainty, along with a string of bizarre options.

“Coming up with a tour name isn’t as easy as one would think!” reads the video caption. “Steven Tyler lets Chris Robinson know he is having second thoughts about ‘Peace Out’!” 

Some of Tyler’s strange suggestions include: LSD for lead singer disorder, Aerosmith and The Crowes – Wings O’Plenty, Trial and Terror, Brothers in Arguments and Aero-Swiss Family Robinson. 

Aerosmith’s Peace Out tour, which they say will be their final one ever, kicks off September 2 in Philadelphia, hitting such cities as Pittsburgh, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Nashville before wrapping January 26, 2024, in Montreal, Canada. A complete list of dates can be found at Aerosmith.com.

(Video includes uncensored profanity.)

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Neil Young recently returned to the stage for the first time since before the pandemic began, and it sounds like we may soon be seeing more of him.

In a post shared on his Neil Young Archives site, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer reflected on his recent performances at Stephen Stills‘ Light up the Blues benefit and at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl, and shared his desire to keep playing.

“Well, last week was really cool – playing with Steve and Willie,” Young writes, noting it was “great to be playing with Stephen again.” He added, “ … seeing you all enjoy this show is amazing.” 

As for the Willie concert, Young called it a “great gift for all.”

And it sounds like the experiences sparked Young’s desire to get back out there. “Made me want to play more,” he concluded his post. “It felt so good to be up there after three and a half years … Maybe July.”

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On This Day, May 9, 1949…

Future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Billy Joel was born in the Bronx, New York, although his family moved to Long Island when he was one. 

Known by the nickname Piano Man, Joel went on to record 12 pop/rock studio albums from 1971 to 1993, with four of them going to number one: 1978’s 52nd Street, 1980’s Glass Houses, 1989’s Storm Front and 1993’s River of Dreams. 

He’s also had 13 Top 10 hits, and three number one singles: 1980’s “It’s Still Rock & Roll to Me,” 1989’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” and 1983’s “Tell Her About it,” and is best known for such classic tunes as “Piano Man,” “New York State of Mind,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “Uptown Girl,” “Big Shot” and more.

Joel has sold over 160 million records, and has won six Grammys, including Album of the Year for 52nd Street. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013.

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Foo Fighters are headlining the 2023 Austin City Limits Music Festival, taking place October 6-8 and October 13-15 in Austin, Texas.

Headliners also include Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, The 1975, Hozier, Alanis Morissette, Kendrick Lamar, ODESZA and Shania Twain. Among the other artists on the bill are Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Maggie Rogers, The Mars Volta, The Revivalists, Portugal. The Man, M83 and The Breeders.

Most of the acts on the lineup will play both weekends, however some are exclusive to just one. For example, The Mars Volta are playing only the first weekend, while The 1975 are only playing the second.

Tickets go on sale starting Tuesday at noon CT. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit ACLFestival.com.

ACL is one of several festivals Foo Fighters are playing this year as part of their live comeback following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022. Their first show back takes place May 24 in Gilford, New Hampshire.

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Dead & Company is used to playing stadiums, but they headlined a more intimate show at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Monday night.

The band played the school’s Barton Hall, 46 years after the Grateful Dead performed at the very same venue, an infamous show that became a legendary band bootleg before officially being released in May 2017. In 2012, a soundboard recording of the show was chosen by the Library of Congress for the National Recording Registry.

Just like the original Grateful Dead show, Dead & Company opened their set with “Minglewood Blues.” The set also featured other songs the Dead played at the original show, including “Jackstraw,” “Deal,” “Fire on the Mountain” and “Morning Dew.”

Proceeds from the show benefited MusiCares and The Cornell 2030 Project.

Next up, Dead & Company officially kicks off their final tour with a two-night stand, May 19 and 20, in Los Angeles, California. A complete list of tour dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

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Universal Music Group is teaming up with Time Studios for a new 10-part docuseries that will give music fans a behind-the-scenes look at the label’s huge music archives, with episodes focusing on The Who, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald and more.

The series, Deep Dive, will open the vaults of the Iron Mountain Entertainment archival facility and highlight the treasures stored there. It will also focus on the music archivists, curators and producers responsible for caring for what’s stored in the facility, including original and master recordings, as well as filmed performances, music videos and album art. 

“We are privileged to have the greatest collection of musical recordings, videos and artwork in the world–millions of assets in total–dating back to 1897 and the founding of the world’s first record label,” David Blackman, head of Film and Television Development and Production for UMG, shares. “Deep Dive celebrates the iconic artists, the untold stories and the passionate people who devote their lives to preserving and finding new audiences for those treasures.” 

So far there’s no word on when or where the series will air.

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Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck were good friends and collaborators, and now Clapton is getting ready to share one last collaboration. The three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced he’s releasing a cover of the 1961 classic “Moon River” on Friday, May 12, describing it as a “new collaboration from Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.” 

Before the official announcement, Clapton shared a snippet of the song on Instagram, along with a black-and-white photo of him and Beck with the caption “5/12.”

The collaboration is being released ahead of Clapton’s upcoming Jeff Beck tribute concerts, taking place May 22 and 23 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The shows, dubbed A Tribute to Jeff Beck by Eric Clapton & Friends, will feature special guests Ronnie Wood, Joe Perry, Rod Stewart, ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons and more.

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Bonnie Raitt is giving fans a health update. In late April, the singer announced she had to postpone some May shows in order to deal with a “medical situation that requires surgery,” and it sounds like it all went well.  

“I want to thank you all for your beautiful, caring wishes for my speedy recovery,” Bonnie shared on social media. “Everything went really well. My healing is on track and I’m feeling better every day.”

As for her touring, she writes, “The band and I can’t wait to get back to playing in a few weeks. I’m so sorry we had to postpone our shows and apologize to those of you who won’t be able to join us for the rescheduled dates. I so appreciate your support and hope you can come see us another time.” 

Bonnie was forced to postpone four shows due to her surgery. Her next concert is scheduled for June 1 in Dublin, Ireland. A complete list of dates can be found at bonnieraitt.com.

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Ringo Starr doesn’t appear to be slowing down. The 82-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced a fall set of dates with his All-Starr Band, made up of Toto‘s Steve Lukather, Men at Work‘s Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette.

“Well, I love to play. I love an audience,” Ringo tells Pollstar about his upcoming tour. “This is a known fact. I love the audience, they love me. We have fun on tour. That’s what it’s all about.” He adds, “I don’t do this to be miserable. I have a lot of joy. I get a lot of joy and I just love doing it … and I’ll be doing a lot of peace and love in your city soon!”

The fall leg of the tour kicks off September 17 in Ontario, California, and wraps October 17 in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

Next up, Ringo is set to kick off the spring leg of the tour on Friday, May 19, in Temecula, California. A complete list of dates can be found at ringostarr.com.

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There’s some sad news for fans of the ’80s band Kix. While performing this weekend, the band’s frontman, Steve Whiteman, announced that the group is calling it quits. 

“I wanna make an announcement here. And it’s gonna be probably a little hard to get through, but I wanna do it anyway, ’cause we want you all to know,” he shared in video from the show posted to the band’s Facebook page. “We’ve decided that after 45 years of doing this, I think we’re gonna call it a career.”

He continued, “It’s been a long, long, long road. And my health is failing. (Drummer) Jimmy‘s [Chalfant] health is definitely failing. And we just decided we’re gonna finish up these dates through the summer.” 

Their current tour was originally set to end in Hinckley, Minnesota, but now they’ve decided to end their career with a September 17 concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion, in Columbia, Maryland, which they’re calling KIX…Walkin’ Away, The Final Show.

On their website, Whiteman shared that the final show is “for our fans.” “We owe a lot to them for their never-ending support over our long 45-year career,” he writes. “It was tempting to just fade away and stop booking gigs and ride off into the sunset, but we wanted our fans to be part of a local farewell show and give them a chance to see the band one last time.” 

Tickets for the final show go on sale Tuesday, May 9, at 10 a.m.

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