Classic Rock News

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The B-52s wrapped what they said would be their farewell tour in January, but they aren’t saying goodbye to performing just yet. The band returns to Las Vegas Friday, May 5, for the first of 10 shows — and according to Cindy Wilson, it may be the last chance to see them live.

Wilson tells USA Today the “clock is ticking” on their performing career, telling fans to “come see us while you can.” She does say, “It’s hard to let go completely, so when something does come up, and as long as everybody wants to do it, we will,” but notes “it’s definitely at the end of our career.”

The Las Vegas shows at the Venetian Theatre are happening throughout May, August and September, and Wilson just can’t wait to see their fans. 

When asked what her favorite thing about performing is, she shared, “It’s the crowd, your audience, and sharing that emotion and happiness in the here and now.”

She added, “Hearing ‘Dance This Mess Around,’ with all this dark stuff going on, it can be so healthy to just shake your booty.”

Regarding that “dark stuff,” Wilson is particularly upset about all the hate being directed toward drag queens these days. “We’ve been around a long time and a lot of drag queens have said we’ve inspired them and they’ve inspired us right back,” she says. “It’s outrageous what is going on with making trans people and drag queens scapegoats. I wouldn’t want to be in the world without drag queens.”

Tickets for The B-52s’ Las Vegas residency are on sale now.

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Grateful Dead fans will once again have the chance to head to the theaters to see their favorite band on the big screen.

The 11th annual Meet-Up At The Movies screening will take place in select theaters worldwide on June 22 and 24, where Deadheads will get to enjoy the band’s June 22, 1991, concert at Chicago’s Soldier Field, the first time they ever played the venue.

The concert features the Dead’s Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, along with Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick on keyboards, taking the place of Brent Mydland, who had passed away a year earlier. 

In addition to performances of songs like “Shakedown Street,” “Playing In The Band” and “Terrapin Station,” fans will be treated to bonus content, including an introduction by Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux, plus the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast Presents: Here Comes Sunshine 1973, which focuses on the band’s upcoming 17-CD box set, which drops June 30.

“We are thrilled to partner with Rhino once again to bring the Grateful Dead ‘Meet-Up’ to movie theaters all around the world,” says Kymberli Frueh, of Trafalgar Releasing. “This is one of our most requested events and we are pleased to keep bringing Deadheads together in local cinemas year after year.” 

Tickets for this year’s event go on sale Thursday, May 11. More info can be found at MeetUpAtTheMovies.com.

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Dee Snider was supposed to perform at SF Pride next month, but has lost the gig after supporting Paul Stanley’s recent tweet in which he suggested gender confirmation treatment for children has been “turned into a sad and dangerous fad.” 

The original plan was for the Twisted Sister track “We’re Not Gonna Take It” to be the unofficial song of the SF Pride Parade & Celebration, with Snider performing. But after he retweeted Stanley’s post, adding that it was “well said,” SF Pride changed course. 

SF Pride noted in a statement, “Dee has always been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights,” but shared that they were “heartbroken and angry” by Dee’s support for Stanley’s post. 

“The message perpetuated by that tweet casts doubt on young trans people’s ability to self-identify their gender,” they said. “Transgender people, particularly transgender women and children of color, are disproportionately affected by hate and violence. And with transphobia proliferating and becoming more and more enshrined in law throughout the country — we have to stand up for the most impacted among us.”

SF Pride and Dee “mutually agreed to part ways,” with SF Pride adding they “appreciate Dee seeing this as a teachable moment and a reminder that even allies need to be educated to ensure that they are not casually promoting transphobia.”

Finally, they share, “To all our allies — we want to call you in — not call you out.”

The SF Pride Parade & Celebration takes place June 24 and 25.

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Sheryl Crow was just announced as one of this year’s inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and it sounds like Stevie Nicks had a feeling it was going to happen. 

“Yes, you can call me psychic,” the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer writes on Instagram, noting she had been listening to Crow’s music for the past four days.

Nicks then congratulated Crow on the honor, sharing, “I am so proud of you. It’s a very elite club for us women.” She added, “I found out at 4 o’clock this morning and had to dance around my room for you.”

The post prompted a response from Crow, who gave Nicks credit for her honor.

“If it were not for you, Stevie Nicks, there would be no me,” she commented. “You inspire me and you make me want to inspire others. I love you and I’m blessed to know you.” 

Nicks is the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. She was inducted in 1998 as a member of Fleetwood Mac and then again in 2019 as a solo artist.

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On This Day, May 4, 1989 …

Stevie Ray Vaughan kicked off his In Step Tour, which would turn out to be his final tour ever.

The trek, with his band Double Trouble, launched at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was supposed to consist of six legs. It was cut short after Vaughan and four others died in a helicopter crash following his East Troy, Wisconsin, concert on August 27, 1990. 

Vaughan’s musical legacy lived on following his death, with a series of posthumous releases contributing to sales of over 15 million albums in the U.S. He and Double Trouble were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

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We’re constantly hearing about how concert tickets are way too pricey these days, but Live Nation is now offering fans a chance to see their favorite artists at a bargain price.

The concert promoter will launch its annual Concert Week next week, offering up $25 all-in tickets to over 3,800 shows this summer.

Music fans will have a whole host of concerts to choose from, including shows from artists like Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Bret Michaels’ Parti-Gras, The Doobie Brothers, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Foreigner, Gov’t Mule, Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, Santana and more.

Concert Week ticket sales run from May 10 to 16, or while supplies last. There will also be Verizon and Rakuten presales beginning May 9 at 10 a.m. To purchase tickets, fans can go to LiveNation.com/ConcertWeek, search for their show and then look for “Concert Week Promotion.”

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The Who’s rock opera, Tommy, was turned into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical in the early ’90s, and now it’s going to hit the stage yet again.

A new reimagining of Tommy, featuring a cast of 28, a nine-piece band and brand new staging, is set to open at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in June. The new production is being reimagined by the creators of the original production, director Des McAnuff and The Who’s Pete Townshend. 

“It’s at once an honor and a joy to again collaborate with Pete to realize the power and pertinence of The Who’s Tommy today,” McAnuff shares. “While the music remains as glorious as ever, our world years later is unimaginably and irrevocably changed. As a result, there’s so much more we all can recognize—and celebrate—in our protagonist’s evolution, as a collective deeper understanding of mental health has sharpened our lens.” 

He adds, “Tommy Walker’s triumph over devastating childhood trauma, to enlightened leadership, to ultimately recognizing the folly in which he’s surrounded himself is an amazing journey to discover anew.”

Rehearsals for the new production have already started, with previews set to begin June 13 and opening night set for June 26. The production runs through July 23. Tickets are on sale now.

Based on The Who’s 1969 album and 1975 film, the original production of Tommy opened at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, on July 1, 1992. It opened on Broadway on April 22, 1993, and closed on June 17, 1995. It won five Tony Awards, including Best Direction for McAnuff and Best Original Score for Townshend.

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Pearl Jam has made Record Store Day history.

The grunge group’s contribution to this year’s event, the live album Give Way, sold close to 20,000 copies, making it the biggest-selling rock album released for Record Store Day since it began in 2007.

“We’re always excited to be part of RSD,” says guitarist Mike McCready, who spent the day at Seattle’s Easy Street Records performing with his side band The Rockfords. “It’s just so important to support the Mom and Pop shops around the world. They are more than just stores, they’re communities.”

Give Way, which was available on vinyl and CD, captures a 1998 Pearl Jam concert in Australia during the Yield tour.

While Give Way is the biggest rock Record Store Day release of all time, Taylor Swift has the biggest Record Store Day release, period. The pop superstar’s folklore: the long pond studio sessions, which also dropped during RSD 2023, sold 75,000 copies and debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 — the highest for any Record Store Day exclusive.

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Elton John’s songwriting partner Bernie Taupin is being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence category this year, and he is feeling “blessed” by the inclusion.

“And they said, ‘Welcome to the club.’ 2023 is a time to shake a lot of hands and thank several sincere souls who had my back,” he writes on Instagram. “Being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame may include a modicum of cynicism on some people’s parts, but in the long run gratitude overrides questionability.”

Taupin says he’s happy to be inducted this year, especially since the 2023 class also includes Willie Nelson and Link Ray.  

He adds, “Who would of thought a country kid, corn fed on Little Richard, Willie Dixon, the Everly Brothers and Muddy Waters, would end up living in the same four walls. Blessed indeed.” 

And Elton, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, is happily welcoming his partner into the club, offering up his congratulations to Taupin on his Instagram Story.

The 38th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony returns to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center this year, with the event going down November 3.

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