Classic Rock News

t’s been over two years since Eddie Van Halen passed away, and his former bandmate Sammy Hagar is still missing him terribly.

“I cherish him more than ever,” Hagar tells USA Today. “I miss his unique creativity. He’d play something and I’d go what, where the hell did that come from? He was so out of left field, so original, that creativity always lifted me.”

Hagar had a successful solo career before joining Van Halen in 1985, but he admits being in the band was “the peak of my musical career.”  

“My ego wants to say I was doing great as a solo artist. Well, yeah, I was doing fine,” he says, “but Van Halen was some other thing man. It was a four-headed monster, and I miss Ed dearly.”

Van Halen and Hagar had been estranged for several years before the guitarist’s October 2020 death, and Hagar says, “What happened with us at the end was such a shame.”

“It’s what happens when alcohol and drugs are involved, and I’m going through a divorce. It’s such a shame,” he says. “If Van Halen were still together today, we’d be headlining every one of these festivals all over the world.”

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On This Day, April 27, 1981…

Ringo Starr married actress and model Barbara Bach, who he met in 1980 on the set of the film Caveman.

While the movie was critically panned, it did at least result in a lasting relationship, as the couple is still married to this day. 

The marriage was the second for both stars, with Ringo having previously been married to Maureen Cox from 1965 to 1975, with whom he had three children.

In 2008, Starr gained a fellow rocker as a brother-in-law when The Eagles’ Joe Walsh, a former member of Ringo’s All-Starr Band, married Barbara’s sister Marjorie.

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Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Carl Palmer is recovering after undergoing a heart procedure this week. A post on Palmer’s social media accounts reveals that he “underwent a successful ablation procedure to restore sinus rhythm as he was previously in Atrial Fibrillation.”

The post went on to thank Palmer’s doctors and the staff at Sir Reginald Wilson Ward at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, and shared pictures of Palmer before and after the surgery.

Palmer does have some time to recover before he has to get back to work. His The Return of Emerson, Lake & Palmer 2023 Summer Tour, which has him performing alongside footage of his late bandmates Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, is set to kick off July 8 in West Jefferson, North Carolina. A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at carlpalmer.com.

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Some unique and original drawings by Bob Dylan will be on display in New York this week. Billboard reports that the drawings, which Dylan made during the 1967 recording sessions for The Basement Tapes, will be on display at the 63rd annual ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, taking place April 27 to 30 at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan. 

The three captioned drawings all appear on the side of a Columbia Records Handelok record bag. One drawing depicts a man waving with a guitar and saying a line similar to a lyric from the tune “Long Distance Operator.” Another shows a figure ready to strike a person who’s telling them to shut up. The third picture looks like an object with guitar strings and features captions identifying the “swift key,” “gas lock,” “tune-up supporter” and more. 

And Dylan fans with some money to spare have a chance to own the rare piece of memorabilia. It’s up for sale at the Schubertiade Music & Arts gallery for $60,000. 

“There’s a lot of fake stuff on the market,” the gallery’s owner, Gabe Boyers, tells Billboard. “It’s not just a rare item. We know exactly when this was created, who it was made for, and who the other person’s handwriting is on it. It’s a special piece.”

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Music fans are about to learn a lot more about Carlos Santana. Sony Pictures Classics has just landed the worldwide rights to the new feature-length documentary Carlos, chronicling the life and career of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. 

The film, directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rudy Valdez, is described as “an intimate and exhilarating look inside the mind of an elemental force of contemporary music,” featuring archival footage and music that has never been seen or heard before.

“I am honored and humbled to tell Carlos Santana’s story as a director,” Valdez shares. “Carlos is a true trailblazer who has meant so much to so many people. My hope is that this film is a celebration of a life defined by humanity. I’m thrilled to be putting this story out into the world.”

So far there’s no word on when Carlos will be released.

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Queen + Adam Lambert have added another performance to their busy schedule. The group is set to perform at the 2023 Formula 1 Lenovo United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

Queen is set to close out the Germania Insurance Super Stage on Saturday, October 21, following the F1Sprint, while The Killers will open the festival, headlining Friday, October 20, following the F1 qualifying.

The show is one of many Queen + Adam Lambert have planned for 2023. Their North American Rhapsody tour kicks off October 4 in Baltimore, Maryland. A complete list of dates can be found at queenonline.com.

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When you’re a kid and you’re not allowed to listen to “forbidden” music, you get creative — which is how Pete Davidson says he inadvertently became a Rod Stewart fan.

The comedian and Edie Falco, the co-star of his new Peacock series Bupkis, appear on the cover of a limited-edition Mother’s Day issue of Good Housekeeping. Inside, Pete interviews Falco and his wisecracking mother, Amy, who jokes that what she does on Mother’s Day is “usually, Pete’s laundry.” Pete also shares a story about how he tried to hide his favorite album from his mom.

“When I was younger, I bought the uncensored Eminem Show CD, which of course I wasn’t allowed to have,” Pete recalls. “So I kept it in a Rod Stewart jewel case.”

“My mom noticed, and for years she’d play Rod Stewart to have something we could bond over,” he continues. “I’d be sitting in the car and suddenly she’d say ‘It’s Rod!’ and start singing along to ‘Maggie May.’ I had to learn the songs just to keep the lie going.”

As a result, Pete admits, “I kinda learned to like Rod Stewart.”

Bupkis, described as a “fictionalized account of Pete Davidson’s real life,” starts streaming May 4.

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Is Aerosmith getting ready to say goodbye to the road?

That’s the speculation after the band’s logo started popping up at venues, along with the words “Peace Out.” 

As previously reported, Aerosmith is counting down to a big announcement that is coming Monday at 10 a.m. ET, with much of the speculation being that they’re about to announce a tour. Well, some now believe it’s going to be their last one.

Rock journalist Mitch Lafon was the first to share a photo of a banner displaying the “Peace Out” logo from Boston’s TD Garden, with fans then sharing similar photos from Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and more, leading many to believe the announcement will be for the band’s farewell tour. 

It has been a while since Aerosmith has gone on a big tour. They’ve been mostly focused on their Deuces Wild residency in Las Vegas since 2019, although last September they played two shows, one in Maine and one at Boston’s Fenway Park.

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Music fans are getting their first look at a new documentary about Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett. A new trailer has just dropped for the film, Have You Got It Yet?, directed by award-winning filmmaker Roddy Bogawa and the late album cover designer Storm Thorgerson, known for his work with Floyd, Led Zeppelin and others.

The doc is narrated by Harry Potter actor Jason Isaacs and features interviews with Pink Floyd members David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Nick Mason, along with original band managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King. Also contributing to the film are The Who’s Pete Townshend and Blur’s Graham Coxon.

The feature-length doc promises to delve into the relationship between Pink Floyd and Barrett, who was responsible for giving the band its name. He left the group in 1968 before they hit it big. The doc is described as “a chronicle and a mosaic of Barrett’s creative and destructive impulses, his captivating presence and absence – a portrait of the complex puzzle that was his life.”

Have You Got It Yet? is set to open in the U.K. May 15 and will be released in the U.S. in late June.

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Over the weekend, Willie Nelson performed at Stephen Stills’ Light Up The Blues autism benefit in Los Angeles, and now it seems Stills is returning the favor. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is one of several artists added to this weekend’s two-night concert event celebrating Nelson’s 90th birthday.  

Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 is happening April 29 (Willie’s actual birthday) and 30 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Other new additions to the celebration include Kris Kristofferson, Dave Matthews, Gary Clark Jr., Jack Johnson, Emmylou Harris and George Strait.

Willie is expected to perform each night, along with previously announced performers Neil Young, Warren Haynes and Bob Weir, as well as Tom Jones, Lyle Lovett, Sheryl Crow, Beck, The Chicks, Chris Stapleton, Edie Brickell, Snoop Dogg, Kacey Musgraves, Nelson’s son Lukas Nelson and more.

Complete show details can be found at willienelson90.com.

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