Classic Rock News

Dave Grohl has gotten to meet and work with most of his heroes over the years, but his interactions with the late David Bowie were among the most memorable.

Speaking to the Australian TV show 7.30, Grohl recalled the first time he ever saw Bowie in person: He was standing in the photo pit at a British festival where they were both performing, with Grohl, of course, lower down the bill.

“I stood in the photo pit and looked at him and it was like seeing an alien,” Grohl says. “You know, it was like seeing a UFO for the first time, like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s real’. That’s something I’ve never seen before.”

After Grohl ended up meeting Bowie and, later, recording a song with him, his admiration for the icon increased.

“Getting to meet him, all of that feeling coming down to Earth, realizing, ‘Oh, my God, what a gentleman!” says the Foo Fighters front man. “‘What a brilliant, sweet, kind, outrageously funny person.'”

“Watching him step in front of a microphone and begin to sing and you realize, ‘Wow, that voice – that’s real, that just comes out of his mouth, that iconic voice,’” Grohl notes. “The great thing about it is that it really humanizes everything. We’re like, ‘Wow, that’s a real person.’ It’s reassuring, but at the same time, you’re like, ‘That’s a hero. That’s not just another person. That’s David Bowie.’”

In the same interview, Grohl also recalls meeting Elton John and Paul McCartney, how he learned to play drums, and more.

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A collection of guitars and other instruments and memorabilia belonging to Rush‘s Alex Lifeson will be up for bid at a May 22 auction held at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City.

The sale, hosted by Julien’s Auctions, will feature over 100 artifacts, including more than 60 guitars.

Perhaps the main highlight of the auction is the custom-built 1976 Gibson ES-355TD electric guitar known as “Whitie,” which was Lifeson’s main guitar from 1976 until 2015. Alex played “Whitie” on all of Rush’s albums, from 1977’s A Farewell to Kings through 1996’s Test for Echo.  It also was one of his preferred touring instruments. It’s estimated to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000.

Another notable guitar being sold is a 1980 custom-built Hentor Sportscaster electric model that Lifeson used to record many classic Rush songs, including 1981’s “Limelight.” It’s estimated to sell for between $100,000 and $200,000.

Others instruments up for bid include a 1981 Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion electric guitar played on the 1981 Moving Pictures tour; a 1971 Jose Ramirez acoustic guitar used on all of Rush’s classical-style recordings starting with the band’s 1978 album, Hemispheres; a 1976 Gibson Dove acoustic that Alex used to write “Closer to the Heart” and other tunes from 1977’s A Farewell to Kings album; and a 1970 Gibson Les Paul electric model that Lifeson played on most of the band’s albums and tours during the mid-to-late 1970s. All of these guitars are estimated to bring between $100,000 and $200,000.

The Lifeson auction is part of Julien’s Auctions’ next “Musical Icons” sale, scheduled for May 20-22. Bidding will take place in person and online at JuliensLive.com.

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Alice Cooper will host a star-studded charity event dubbed CoopStock 2 – Grooves and Divots on Saturday April 30, at Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, that will benefit for his Solid Rock Teen Centers in Mesa and Phoenix.

The fundraiser will feature a night of music and comedy that will include performances by the shock rocker himself, as well as Judas Priest‘s Rob Halford, R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, Creed‘s Scott Stapp, Collective Soul‘s Ed Roland, former Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine, No Doubt drummer Adrian Young, Alice Cooper band guitarist Chuck Garric, comedian Larry the Cable Guy, comic/singer Gary Mule Deer and more.

The event also will feature performances by musicians and dancers involved with Cooper’s Teen Centers, as well as live and silent auctions.

Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers provide free music, dance, arts and vocational training programs for young people aged 12 to 20. For more details and to buy tickets to CoopStock 2, visit AliceCooperSolidRock.com.

The fundraiser will takes place after Alice wraps up his upcoming spring North American tour. The new trek kicks off this Friday, March 18 in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and is plotted out through an April 24 concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

Buckcherry will open all of Cooper’s shows from a March 19 gig in Hanover, Maryland, through an April 20 performance in Seattle, while founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will serve as the support act at the final tree concerts of the tour — April 22 in Reno, Nevada; April 23 in Paso Robles, California; and the LA show.

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Jackson Browne has just announced a major 2022 U.S. headlining tour in support of his latest album, last year’s Downhill from Everywhere, that will kick off in late spring and run all the way into the early fall.

The trek, which features over 40 dates in all, gets underway June 3 with a show in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and is mapped out through a September 25 concert at the famed Red Rock Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. The outing includes a four-show engagement at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on July 26, 27, 29 and 30.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday, March 19, at 10 a.m. local time. Presale tickets will be available starting Tuesday, March 15, at 10 a.m. local time.  Visit JacksonBrowne.com for more information.

As previously announced, prior to the headlining trek, Browne will mount a joint Canadian tour with James Taylor that begins April 21 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and runs through a May 12 concert in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Browne will be accompanied by longtime touring band throughout the outing with Taylor and on his subsequent headlining tour.

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A “restored and expanded” version of The Police‘s 1982 documentary The Police: Around the World will be released on May 20 in multiple formats and configurations.

The film, which originally was issued on VHS tape and laserdisc, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time ever, with restored video and remastered audio, as well as four full bonus performances of songs featured in the doc.

In addition, the new release, titled The Police: Around The World Restored & Expanded, will be packaged with a newly created soundtrack album that will be available on either CD or as a colored-vinyl LP. The album includes performances of songs from the band’s first two albums recorded at shows in Japan, Hong Kong and the U.K.

The Police: Around the World captures the band on stage and behind the scenes while touring the globe in 1979 and 1980. The film features singer/bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland visiting Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Egypt, Greece, France, South America and the U.S., as they rock out in various venues, check out the local sights, meet fans and more.

“Like Napoleon, we wanted the world. Out of the messy and fervent atmosphere in London at that time we conceived the idea to go all around the world and film the whole adventure,” writes Summers in the release’s liner notes about what inspired the the documentary. “As far as we knew no rock band, at least, had ever done that. We had just about enough popularity to get booked around the globe. Plans were made.”

The Police: Around the World Restored & Expanded can be pre-ordered now and will be available as a DVD/CD set, a Blu-ray/CD package and a DVD/LP collection.

DVD & Blu-ray performance track list:

“Next to You”
“Walking on the Moon”
“Born in the 50’s”
“So Lonely”
“Man in a Suitcase”
“Can’t Stand Losing You”
“Bring On the Night”
“Canary in a Coalmine”
“Voices Inside My Head”
“When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around”
“Shadows in the Rain”
“Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
“Truth Hits Everybody”
“Roxanne”

Bonus features — complete live performances of:

“Walking on the Moon” (Live from Kyoto)
“Next to You” (Live from Kyoto)
“Message in a Bottle” (Live from Hong Kong)
“Born in the 50’s” (Live from Hong Kong)

Soundtrack album track list:

“Walking on the Moon” (Live from Kyoto)
“Next to You” (Live from Kyoto)*
“Deathwish” (Live from Kyoto)
“So Lonely” (Live from Kyoto)
“Can’t Stand Losing You” (Live from Kyoto)
“Truth Hits Everybody” (Live from Kyoto)
“Visions of the Night” (Live from Hammersmith)*
“Roxanne” (Live from Hammersmith)
Intro*
“Born in the 50’s” (Live from Hong Kong)
“Message in a Bottle” (Live from Hong Kong)
“Bring On the Night” (Live from Hong Kong)

* = not included on vinyl LP.

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Rod Stewart may be a rich and famous rock star, but he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty.

A few days ago, Sir Rod, 77, posted two videos on Instagram of himself shoveling gravel with a road crew as they attempted to fill in a bunch of muddy holes all along the road in Harlow, Essex, England, that leads to his mansion.

“I’m repairing the street where I live, ’cause no one could be bothered to do it,” Rod says in the first video.  In the second clip, he shows off the pothole-ridden dirt road, and says, “This is the state of the road where I live. People are bashing their cars up, and the other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tire.”

Of course, Rod’s motivation to repair the road isn’t solely altruistic. “My Ferrari can’t go through here at all,” he admits. “So me and the boys thought we’d come here and do it ourselves!”  He also complains about the “millions and millions of pounds” that have been spent fixing a nearby highway.

Rod’s daughters Kimberly and Ruby Stewart applauded him in the comments, while his former Faces band mate and longtime Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood wrote, “Bravo, Rod!”

However, one fan noted, “Don’t hurt yourself! I’ve got tickets to see you in June!”

Another fan commented, “Takes you back to your graveyard days I’m sure,” referring to the story that, in his pre-fame days, Rod worked as a gravedigger.  Rod later admitted in his autobiography that the story wasn’t true, but he’d gone along with it.  In reality, he did work in a cemetery, but his job was measuring out plots, not digging graves.

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In addition to breaking multiple Billboard records, Foo Fighters‘ “Love Dies Young” has the honor of soundtracking the credits to the band’s new horror movie, Studio 666. As frontman Dave Grohl tells ABC Audio, the track was inspired by one of his personal favorite groups.

“I was basically trying to write a melody that was, like, a hard rock version of an ABBA song,” Grohl explains. “I think that’s as close as I’m ever gonna get.”

Grohl describes “Love Dies Young” as a “tortured love song,” with an ABBA-esque “structure” and “melody.”

“And the beat, it’s got that disco beat to it,” he says. “It’s basically an ABBA song with huge guitars.”

As for the track’s chugging riff, guitarist Chris Shiflett credits that to some goofing off in the studio.

W”e started doing that riff kind of as a joke, if I remember correctly,” Shiflett says. “We were sitting there tracking guitars, going into the ‘Eye of the Tiger’ thing or whatever, and then we were, like, ‘Oh wait, that’s kinda good!'”

Grohl adds, “If everyone’s in a good mood and laughing when you listen to something back, it’s probably a good idea to keep it.”

“Love Dies Young” is the current single off Foo Fighters’ 2021 album, Medicine at Midnight.

Studio 666, meanwhile, is in theaters now. It’ll be available on-demand beginning March 18.

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Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates has added a six-show second leg of dates in the Western U.S. to his recently announced spring solo tour featuring Todd Rundgren as opening act.

The new run kicks off May 12 in Seattle and also features concerts on May 14 in San Francisco; May 16 in Los Angeles; May 18 in Denver; May 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and May 22 in Austin, Texas.

Tickets for the newly added shows go on sale to the general public this Friday, March 18, at 10 a.m. local time via LiveNation.com. Pre-sale tickets also will be available for most of the concerts. Visit LiveNation.com for more information.

As previously reported, Hall’s trek with Rundgren begins with an eight-date series of concerts that runs from an April 1 concert in Chicago through an April 16 show in National Harbor, Maryland, and includes stops at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and New York City’s Carnegie Hall on April 5 and April 14, respectively.

The tour coincides with the April 1 release of Hall’s first-ever solo compilation, BeforeAfter, a 30-track collection that features selections from all five of Daryl’s solo studio albums, as well as eight performances from his acclaimed TV/web series Live from Daryl’s House, six of which are previously unreleased.

The Live from Daryl’s House performances include duet between Hall and Rundgren on Todd’s 1978 hit ballad “Can We Still Be Friends.”

You can pre-order BeforeAfter now.

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Pearl Jam has announced the rescheduled dates for the band’s North American tour.

The outing, which was originally scheduled to kick off in March 2020 before being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will now launch May 3 in San Diego, and will wrap up September 22 in Denver. The itinerary includes an additional four stops along with the rescheduled shows.

Pluralone, the solo project of ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist and current PJ touring member Josh Klinghoffer, will be the tour’s opener.

Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, March 29, at 10 a.m. local time, exclusively via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan platform. Registration is open now through Sunday, March 27, at 10 a.m. PT.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit PearlJam.com.

Pearl Jam will be touring in support of their 2020 album, Gigaton.

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Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was featured in a new interview segment on CBS Sunday Morning over the weekend, and he shared some interesting news about new music that he and Mick Jagger have been working on for their band’s next album.

Richards revealed that he, Jagger and new Stones touring drummer Steve Jordan had been collaborating the previous week and “came up with some eight or nine new pieces of material, which is overwhelming by our standards!”

Jordan, who stepped in for longtime Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts when Watts became terminally ill last year, also plays in Richards’ solo band, The X-Pensive Winos, and was Keith’s main songwriting partner on the guitar legend’s three solo albums.

Richards noted about Jordan’s involvement in The Stones, “It’ll be interesting to find out the dynamics now that Steve’s in the band — it’s sort of metamorphosing into something else.”

Keith also discussed the passing of Watts, who played with The Rolling Stones for 58 years before his death at age 80 in August 2021.

“I think he’d been trying to keep [his illness] under the wraps for a while last year, so that [his death] came…as quite a shock,” Richards noted. “He had had a round with cancer a year or two before. And he beat that one. He just got hit with a double-whammy, bless his soul.”

As for whether the band discussed possibly not touring after Watts died, Keith said, “For a brief moment. I think Charlie wanted us to go on the road; he wanted the tour to happen. That’s my feeling, the last time I spoke to him.”

As reported earlier today, The Rolling Stones will launch a 60th anniversary tour with a European leg that kicks off June 1 in Madrid.

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