Classic Rock News – Page 758 – Classic Rock 93.9

Mötley Crüe files to move Mick Mars lawsuit to arbitration

June 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Mötley Crüe has filed to move ex-guitarist Mick Mars‘ lawsuit to arbitration, TMZ reports.

If granted, the request would allow the disagreement between the two parties to be hashed out privately, as opposed to in a public court.

“This is yet another attempt by bullies to hide the truth!” Mars’ lawyer tells TMZ.

As previously reported, Mars first sued Mötley Crüe in April over a financial disagreement relating to his retirement from the road last October. The 72-year-old rocker, who’s long battled the inflammatory disease ankylosing spondylitis, maintained that, while he won’t be joining Mötley for future tours, he was still a member of the band and deserved to be compensated as such.

Mars’ suit also accused the other Mötley members — bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee and vocalist Vince Neil — of playing to prerecorded tracks during the band’s reunion tour last year.

Mötley’s team contends that Mars’ retirement from touring is effectively retiring from the band and that the band offered to compensate him fairly following his announcement. They’ve also denied the accusations that they don’t perform live.

Since the split with Mars, Mötley Crüe’s been touring with new guitarist John 5 and has been working in the recording studio.

The Guess Who drops video for ‘Plein D’Amour’ track “Headline”

June 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Guess Who has dropped a new video for their latest single, “Headline,” the third track released from their upcoming album, Plein D’Amour.

“Headlines are inherently orchestrated, recurring one-liners regurgitated by our media. They are negative in nature and most of the time…. verbatim en masse,” songwriter and lead singer Derek Sharp says of the track. “Something genuine, uplifting and inspiring is the path forward. This dusty old review could use a new headline.”

“Headline” follows The Guess Who’s previous two Plein D’Amour singles “The King” and the album’s title track, which had great responses on streaming services. The album is available for preorder now.

The Guess Who is currently on a tour of North America. Their next show is happening June 28 in Layton, Utah. A complete list of dates can be found at theguesswho.com.

Steely Dan to reissue ‘Pretzel Logic’ on vinyl

June 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Another classic Steely Dan album is getting the reissue treatment. The latest is the band’s third album, Pretzel Logic, which will be reissued on vinyl for the first time in 35 years.

The reissue, remastered from the original analog tapes, will drop July 28 on 180-gram black vinyl, along with a premium 45 RPM version on Ultra High-Quality vinyl.

Released in February 1974, Pretzel Logic was Steely Dan’s first album to land in the Billboard Top 10, peaking at #8. It featured the hit single “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” which went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it their highest-charting single.

This is the third Steely Dan record to get a vinyl reissue. The reissue program, which Donald Fagen has overseen, started with their 1972 debut Can’t Buy A Thrill, reissued in November 2022, followed by 1973’s Countdown to Ecstasy, which dropped in May. The program plans to reissue four more albums — 1975’s Katy Lied, 1976’s The Royal Scam, 1977’s Aja and 1980’s Gaucho — over the next year.

Pretzel Logic is available for preorder now.

On This Day, June 7, 1975: Elton John’s ‘Captain Fantastic’ becomes the first album to debut at #1

June 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, June 7, 1975 …

Elton John’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy became the first album in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard chart. The album remained at #1 for seven weeks.

The record, Elton’s ninth studio album, included the classic “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” inspired by Elton’s near marriage to his then-girlfriend.

The album was certified Gold by the RIAA before its May 19 release and went on to sell 1.4 million copies in its first four days of release.

The album went on to spawn the 2006 sequel, The Captain and the Kid.

Da Ya Think I’m Pricey? Rod Stewart lists LA mansion for $70 million

June 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rod Stewart recently made headlines when he announced he’d abandoned plans to sell his music catalog for millions. But he can make up for losing that income stream when he sells his mansion in Los Angeles — for $70 million.

The Wall Street Journal says Rod is selling his 33,000-square-foot estate, which includes a nine-bedroom home on three acres, a soccer field and a pool. Rod bought the property for just over $12 million back in 1991, and then had it designed to look like a European château, with marble floors, wood paneling, crystal chandeliers and a classical fountain outside.

The home includes a library, a formal dining room can seat 20 people, huge for what’s described as Rod’s “extensive shoe collection,” and, most unusually, a speakeasy. No word on whether or not it comes stocked with Rod’s new signature brand of whisky, Wolfie’s.

As for why Rod is selling, his real estate agent wouldn’t comment, but told the Wall Street Journal that the property will appear to people who are looking for “a return to maximalism.”

It’s not like Rod was going to spend a lot of time at the mansion in the near future anyway. Not only does he also own homes in England and Palm Beach, Florida, but he’s currently on tour in Europe. The North American leg of his tour starts July 29.

Paul McCartney, John Mellencamp & more set for Tribeca Festival

June 7, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Tribeca Festival kicks off Wednesday, June 7, in New York City, and while it’s mostly known for its movie premieres, there will be a lot of music and music-related events happening this year.

The festival opens Wednesday with a new documentary, Kiss the Future, featuring members of U2. The film, produced by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Sarah Anthony, follows a group of underground musicians and creatives during the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted from April 1992 to February 1996. The doc includes footage of U2’s memorable 1997 concert at Koševo Stadium celebrating the country’s liberation, along with interviews with Bono, the Edge and Adam Clayton.

The festival will also feature an appearance by Paul McCartney, with the former Beatle sitting down for a conversation with Conan O’Brien for a recording of the former talk show host’s podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend. The event will have the pair discussing McCartney’s new photo book, 1964: Eyes of the Storm, which drops June 13. The chat is happening June 15 at 6 p.m. at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center.

John Mellencamp will also sit down for a conversation with another famous talk show host, David Letterman. That event is set to happen June 8 at 6 p.m. at the BMCC.

And the new Carlos Santana doc, Carlos, will premiere at the festival, with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer set to perform at its June 17 opening at the Beacon Theatre.

The Tribeca Festival runs June 7-18 in New York City. More info can be found at tribecafestival.com.

Def Leppard takes fans behind the scenes at hometown show

June 6, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Def Leppard recently played Bramall Lane in their hometown of Sheffield, England, and they’ve given fans a behind-the-scenes look at what went down.

In their latest Behind The World Tour YouTube video, the band shares clips of the show at the stadium where frontman Joe Elliott’s favorite football team, Sheffield United, plays. Elliott notes his parents bought season tickets back when he was about 12, pointing out where their seats were.

“Now we’re gonna do a gig here tomorrow,” Elliott shares. “Mental, totally mental.”

After the show, Elliott discusses how it felt to be onstage amongst a hometown crowd.

“I just had a great feeling about tonight. It was Sheffield, it was our home birth town. I don’t live here anymore but … I was born here, I lived here for 21 years … so it’s always gonna be a huge connection,” he says. “It was brilliant. Great, great day.” He added, “We got promoted tonight just like Sheffield United did. We got promoted to the big league: stadiums in the U.K.”

But that’s not all. The video also features behind-the-scenes action from their shows in Mönchengladbach and Munich, Germany.

Up next, the Def Leppard/Mötley Crüe tour hits the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden, on Wednesday, June 7. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Turkey state of mind: Billy Joel sets Thanksgiving Eve show at Madison Square Garden

June 6, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

The countdown to the end of Billy Joel‘s decadelong Madison Square Garden residency has begun, and you’ll be able to give thanks for the past 10 years with a special Thanksgiving Eve show this November.

The show, scheduled for November 22, has just been announced, with presale tickets going on sale June 7 at 10 a.m. ET via CitiEntertainment.com and Verizon.com. The general public can buy them at 10 a.m. ET on June 9 via Ticketmaster.com.

The November show will be the 96th show of Billy’s residency and his 142nd lifetime show at the Garden. While Billy’s final residency show — and his 150th lifetime performance at the legendary venue — will take place in July 2024, not all the shows leading up to it have been scheduled yet. The final announced Garden shows are as follows:

July 24
August 29
September 10
October 20
November 22

Meanwhile, there are still many opportunities to see Billy in places other than New York. June 16 is his next co-headlining show with Stevie Nicks, and those run on and off through next March.

Guns N’ Roses soundcheck unreleased track at Tel Aviv show

June 6, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Guns N’ Roses appears to be looking to change things up on their current tour.

As we previously reported, at their opening show in Abu Dhabi, GNR broke out several rarities they haven’t played in awhile, including Use Your Illusion I‘s “Bad Obsession,” Use Your Illusion II’s “Pretty Tied Up” and Appetite for Destruction’s “Anything Goes.” Now it sounds like they are toying with playing a track that’s so rare, it’s never actually been released.

According to Consequence, ahead of their show in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 5, GNR fans caught the band rehearsing the unreleased track “Perhaps” during soundcheck. “Perhaps” was recorded during sessions for 2008’s Chinese Democracy, although it never made the album. It’s not completely unknown to fans, though, as a demo version did leak online.

In the end the song didn’t make it into the Tel Aviv set, although that doesn’t mean fans won’t hear it at a future GNR show.

The next chance fans have to possibly hear the tune will be Friday, June 9, when GNR hits the stage in Madrid, Spain. North American fans will have to wait until August 5 when the tour comes to Moncton, Canada, with the first U.S. date happening August 11 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. A complete list of tour dates can be found at gunnroses.com.

The Biden administration weighs in on Roger Waters’ Berlin concert controversy

June 6, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Roger Waters has been getting a lot of backlash over his May concert in Berlin for, among other things, wearing what looked like an SS soldier costume. Well, now the White House has weighed in on the controversy.

During Monday’s State Department press briefing, a reporter asked about a tweet in which the U.S. special envoy to combat antisemitism, Deborah Lipstadt, agreed with the criticism of Waters. In a new statement, the Biden administration backed her up.

According to The Associated Press, the State Department said Waters has “a long track record of using antisemitic tropes to denigrate Jewish people,” noting the Berlin concert in question “contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust.”

Lipstadt’s tweet supported another tweet posted by EU antisemitism envoy Katharina von Schnurbein, condemning Waters and the show. The White House added, “Special Envoy Lipstadt’s quote-tweet speaks for itself.”

As previously reported, Waters has already responded to the criticism over the Berlin show, insisting the parts of his concert getting backlash “are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms.” He added that “attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated.”

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