Classic Rock News

On This Day, August 11, 1979 …

Led Zeppelin headlined their second night at the Knebworth Festival at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England. It would be their final U.K. show with all four original members.

The festival was the band’s first live show in the U.K. in four years and some of their first concerts after a two-year hiatus following the death of Robert Plant’s son. The performance received some negative reviews from critics, who suggested they were a bit rusty.

The set included such classic tunes as “The Song Remains The Same,” “Celebration Day,” “The Rain Song,” “Achilles Last Stand,” “Stairway to Heaven” and “Whole Lotta Love.”

Although the band went on to play a small European tour following the festival, Knebworth would wind up being their final U.K. show with the all original members, as drummer John Bonham passed away in September 1980 and the band broke up.

Surviving members Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones did play the U.K. one more time: they reunited, along with Bonham’s son Jason on drums, for the Ahmet Urtegun tribute concert at London’s O2 Arena on December 10, 2007.

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Queen is back with episode 29 of their weekly YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live, as they continue to show the many ways they’ve surprised their audiences over the years.

The new clip focuses on their historic concert in Hungary during 1986’s Magic Tour, the first time a Western European rock band played a concert behind the Iron Curtain.

To make the crowd feel at home, the band added a personal touch to their acoustic mini set — a performance of the traditional Hungarian folk song “Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt,” which roughly translates to “Spring Wind Floods Water.” During the performance, frontman Freddie Mercury can be seen reading the lyrics that were written phonetically on the palm of his hand. The crowd, naturally, goes wild and eventually sings along with the band.

The Hungarian concert was later released as a film, Queen: Live In Budapest (later renamed Hungarian Rhapsody), and was certainly a memorable one for the group.

“That night was amazing, with the Hungarian folk song and the whole atmosphere,” guitarist Brian May shared. “It may sound like an exaggeration, but it was like we took a step into infinity that night.”

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Another Seattle sports team has announced a Pearl Jam Night.

The OL Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League will celebrate the grunge icons during their October 6 game against D.C.’s Washington Spirit. In addition to the Pearl Jam-related festivities, the game will mark the final home match for Reign player and World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe before her retirement.

Given the team’s name, we hope that the stadium plays Pearl Jam’s cover of The Who‘s “Love, Reign o’er Me” during the game.

A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit PJ’s charity organization, the Vitalogy Foundation. Ticket buyers can also receive a limited-edition Pearl Jam-themed OL Reign scarf.

The Seattle Mariners baseball team has also held many Pearl Jam nights, and guitarist Mike McCready often performs the national anthem at Mariners and Seattle Seahawks football games.

Meanwhile, Eddie Vedder‘s favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, have created a signature jersey for their Pearl Jam Day on September 6.

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August 13 marks 50 years since the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut album, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), which features some of the band’s most well-known songs.

Recorded in Jacksonville, Florida, in a rehearsal space Skynyrd called Hell House, the album launched the Southern rockers to superstardom, thanks to tracks like “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Tuesday’s Gone” and their iconic track “Free Bird.”

Most of those songs are as popular today as they were in the ’70s, and current Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke believes it all comes down to the lyrics, co-written by the band’s original frontman, Ronnie Van Zant. 

“Ronnie was a genius,” Medlocke tells ABC Audio of Ronnie’s lyrics, which he says “people could relate to.”

Ronnie’s younger brother, and Skynyrd’s current frontman, Johnny Van Zant, agrees. “I think it was the lyrics, it’s the music, you know, I think it just touches generations,” he says. “And Ronnie was a poet and a writer for the common people of the world.” 

(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) went on to be certified double Platinum by the RIAA and peaked at #27 on the Billboard album chart.

Sadly, every Skynyrd member who played on the album has now died; Ronnie and vocalist Steve Gaines died along with four others in a 1977 plane crash following a concert in South Carolina. The last surviving original member of Skynyrd, guitarist Gary Rossington, passed away in March 2023.

But the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd lives on. The current lineup, which features Johnny and Rickey, is currently on their Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour with ZZ Top. It hits Wheatland, California, on Friday, August 11. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.

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Bon Jovi appears to be thoroughly impressed by music fans in Belfast, Ireland.

Video circulating on social media shows thousands of fans at the Féile [FAY-la] Dance Night in Belfast singing along to the New Jersey rockers’ classic hit “Livin’ on a Prayer,” with the whole crowd loudly belting out the song’s chorus.

The band caught wind of the clip and shared it on their social media account, calling the performance “epic!”

“Livin’ On A Prayer,” written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, was the second single off Bon Jovi’s third album, Slippery When Wet. It was the band’s second consecutive #1, following “You Give Love A Bad Name.” It went on to become a signature tune for the group.

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A new book may just be the perfect gift for any Beatles fan who also loves to travel.

Beatles Blackouts: Trips Around the World in Search of Beatles Monuments is written by Jack Marriott, a Beatles fan who embarks on a two-year journey through 23 countries to find tributes and monuments to the legendary band all over the world. 

Described as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas meets a drunken Eat, Pray, Love,” Marriott set off on his quest after dealing with some personal problems, including alcohol issues and a girlfriend who left him. The trip leads him to discoveries of Beatles monuments in Kazakhstan, Brazil, Mongolia, Peru, Japan and more. 

Beatles Blackouts: Trips Around the World in Search of Beatles Monuments is available to order now and will be in stores September 26.

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Mick Fleetwood’s business has been affected by the wildfires raging in Hawaii. He shared on social media that his restaurant in Maui, Fleetwoods on Front Street, has been destroyed.

“MAUl and The Lahaina community have been my home for several decades. This is a devastating moment for MAUl and many are suffering unimaginable loss,” the Fleetwood Mac rocker writes. “Fleetwoods on front Street has been lost and while we are heartbroken our main priority is the safety of our dear staff and team members.”

He adds, “On behalf of myself and my family I share my heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the people of MAUI. We are committed to supporting the community and those affected by this disaster in the days month and years to come.”

An earlier post on the restaurant’s Facebook page indicated that their area had “taken the brunt” of the fires, yet they “didn’t have enough information” about the status of the restaurant. The post continued, “Mahalo for your continued thoughts and prayers for our community and our first responders.”

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Fleetwood Mac is sharing another track off their upcoming Rumours Live double album, set for release September 8. 

The latest is the live version of the classic “Say You Love Me,” which the late Christine McVie wrote for the band’s 1975 self-titled release. This is the second track they’ve released from the record. They previously shared the live version of “Dreams.”

Rumours Live features performances from the band’s August 29, 1977, concert at the Forum in Los Angeles. The 90-minute concert, the opening night of a three-night stand, features live versions of most of the songs on the album, including “You Make Loving Fun,” “Songbird” and “The Chain,” as well as “Landslide,” “Rhiannon” and others from 1975’s Fleetwood Mac.

Rumors Live is being released digitally and as a two-CD or two-LP set. It is available for preorder now. There will also be a crystal clear-vinyl edition sold exclusively through Walmart.

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On This Day, August 10, 1968…

Cream hit #1 with their double album, Wheels of Fire. The album was made up of an LP of studio recordings and another LP of live tracks, recorded at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

The album, the band’s third studio release, also went to #1 in Australia and Canada; it only made it to #3 in the U.K.

Wheels of Fire featured such tracks as “White Room,” “Spoonful” and “Crossroads. It went on to become Cream’s best-selling album, and was their first Platinum certified double album.

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Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band kicked off the second leg of their North American tour on Wednesday, August 9, at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. During the show, The Boss took a moment to remember the late Robbie Robertson, who passed away earlier in the day at the age of 80.

According to the Asbury Park Press, Bruce dedicated the last song of the night, “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” to The Band guitarist and chief songwriter, letting the crowd know he was singing the song for “my good friend Robbie Robertson.”

“I’ll See You In My Dreams,” from The Boss’ 2020 album, Letter To You, is a reflection on mortality and death that features the closing lyric, “For death is not the end. And I’ll see you in my dreams.”

Bruce and The E Street Band return to Chicago for a second show on August 11. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net. 

Robertson was also remembered on social media by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who wrote, “Guitarist. Songwriter. Storyteller. Robbie Robertson was a big part of Canada’s outsized contributions to the arts,” adding, “I’m thinking of his family, friends, and fans who are mourning his loss. Thank you for the music and the memories, Robbie.”

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