Classic Rock News

Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his late Beatles bandmate John Lennon on what would have been the musician’s 85th birthday.

McCartney shared a black-and-white photo on Instagram of him and John, taken by Paul’s late wife, Linda McCartney. He wrote, “Sweet memories on this day of a very special friend. Happy birthday John.”

The Beatles’ social media account also marked Lennon’s birthday, captioning a video montage, “Remembering John on his birthday today.” Abbey Roads Studios, where The Beatles recorded many of their albums, also marked the day, writing, “Today, we’re remembering @johnlennon on what would have been his 85th birthday. … It remains an honour to have played a part in his story.”

Lennon’s birthday is also being celebrated in a variety of other ways.

The Yoko Ono-conceived Imagine Peace Tower, in Reykjavík, Iceland, is set to be relit in honor of The Beatles’ legend at 3 p.m. ET, with the moment livestreamed at imaginepeacetower.com. It will remain lit until Dec. 9, the day of his passing.

A video for Lennon and Ono’s One-to-One concert performance of “Imagine” has also been posted on YouTube. The 1972 concert is part of the new Power to the People box set, which will be released Friday.

Plus, the Lennon estate is hosting a free global Power to the People listening party at 3 p.m. ET on the Citizen of Nutopia website, which is an interactive art project celebrating the world of John & Yoko. Escape to Nutopia, the interactive game that puts players into the mind of Lennon, will be launching the second installment in the game immediately following the listening party.

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Chicago is set to make a return to Las Vegas.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have announced a nine-show residency at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, kicking off Feb. 13 and running through Feb. 28.

This is the ninth year in a row Chicago has played The Venetian, making their residency the longest-running residency in the venue’s history.

A Citi presale will begin Monday at 10 a.m. PT, with additional presales running throughout the week. Tickets go on sale to the general public Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. PT.

Chicago is due to launch a new set of tour dates on Oct. 29 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Their complete schedule can be found at Chicagotheband.com.

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Ringo Starr‘s post-Beatles solo career is being celebrated with new colored vinyl reissues. The rocker’s first four solo albums are set to be reissued on new limited-edition pressings on Oct. 24.

Reissues include Ringo’s two 1970 releases, the covers album Sentimental Journey on buttermilk yellow vinyl, and the country influenced Beaucoups of Blues on baby blue vinyl.

There’s also 1973’s Ringo, which hit #2 on the Billboard 200 and features classics like “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful And You’re Mine)” on molten lava vinyl, and 1974’s Goodnight Vienna, another top-10 hit, on psychedelic waves custom color vinyl.

All four reissues are available now for preorder at RingoStarr.com.

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On This Day, Oct. 9, 2009…

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band headlined the last ever concert at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The show was the final night of a five-night stand at the venue in his home state. Each show opened with a performance of the then new song “Wrecking Ball,” which he wrote in response to the closing of the stadium. The song would wind up being the title track of his 17th studio album, released in 2011.

In total, Springsteen played 24 shows at the stadium from 1985 to 2009. It was replaced with MetLife Stadium, which opened in May 2011. Springsteen played MetLife for the first time in 2012 on his Wrecking Ball tour.

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Ringo Starr, Bonnie Raitt and the Eagles are among the artists who have contributed to a new auction to benefit the National Independent Talent Organization and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

The auction features signed instruments and other rare memorabilia, including a drumhead signed by Starr, a Takamine acoustic guitar signed by the current members of the Eagles, and a Fender Stratocaster signed by Raitt.

There’s also a Fender Stories Collection Mike Campbell Red Dog Telecaster signed by the Heartbreakers star, a drumhead signed by the members of Def Leppard, a signed 2009 ESP black Firebird guitar from Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s personal collection, a Fender Squier Stratocaster signed by members of Styx and more.

The NITO x Sweet Relief charity auction is running from now until Oct. 22 via Charity Buzz.

Proceeds from the auction will go toward NITO’s work supporting independent talent reps and the artists they work for. A portion will also go toward the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which helps musicians and music industry workers in need.

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KISS founder Gene Simmons is doing okay after getting into a car accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer updated fans about his condition in a post on X, sharing, “Thanks, everybody, for the kind wishes. I’m completely fine.”

“I had a slight fender bender. It happens,” he added. “Especially to those of us [who] were horrible drivers. And that’s me. All is well.”

According to a statement obtained by ABC News from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were dispatched Tuesday after reports of a “traffic collision” on the Pacific Coast Highway, noting a “black Lincoln Navigator struck a parked vehicle.”

“A preliminary investigation revealed the driver, a male adult, might have suffered a medical emergency before the crash,” read the statement. “The male adult was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.”

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Sam Mendes has reportedly found his Linda McCartney.

Deadline reports that Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan has been cast to play Paul McCartney’s first wife and Wings bandmate in the director’s The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.

The four films are expected to hit theaters in April 2028, with each one told from the point of view of a different band member. It will star Paul Mescal as McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

The Sony films will mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted a studio the rights to the life stories of the band members and their legendary catalog of music.

Linda, who passed away from breast cancer in April 1998, started her career as a photographer, shooting such celebrities as Bob Dylan, Neil Young and The Who. She shot Eric Clapton for Rolling Stone in 1968, becoming the first female photographer to land a cover of the magazine.

Paul and Linda married in March 1969 and had three children together, Mary McCartney, Stella McCartney and James McCartney. Paul also adopted Linda’s daughter Heather, from her first marriage to Joseph Melville See Jr.

After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Paul taught Linda how to play keyboards and she became part of his post-Beatles band Wings. She was also a vocal animal rights activist and successful vegetarian cookbook author.

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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Jorma Kaukonen is hitting the road in celebration of his 85th birthday.

The Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna guitarist has announced what is being described as a career-spanning tour. It will hit four major cities in the U.S., starting in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1.

The tour will then head to New York on Nov. 29, followed by San Francisco on Dec. 5 and Denver on Dec. 13.

Each show will see Kaukonen joined by his Hot Tuna bandmate Jack Casady, along with instrumentalist Ross Garren and drummer Justin Guip. He will also welcome special guests in select cities, including Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Jim Lauderdale, Steve Earle, Larry Campbell and Bruce Cockburn.

Information on tickets and special guests at each show can be found at JormaKaukonen.com.

In addition to the tour, Kaukonen will be releasing a special live album, Wabash Avenue, for Record Store Day Black Friday on Nov. 28. The release features recordings he made in 1965, before joining Jefferson Airplane.

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Queen has been named the U.K.’s most played rock act of the 21st century by the music rights organization PPL.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers earned the honor with 400 million seconds, or the equivalent of 12 1/2 years, of continuous play on U.K. radio and TV over the past century.

When it comes to Queen songs, “A Kind of Magic,” the title track of their 1986 album, is their most played track of the 21st century. That’s followed by “I Want To Break Free,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Radio Ga-Ga” and “Somebody To Love.”

“Astounding news!” Queen’s Brian May says. “Bearing in mind that most of Queen’s major works were done in the 20th century, it’s amazing to top a 21st century list. Big thanks to all our fans.”

The list was released in honor of the U.K.’s upcoming National Album Day on Oct. 18. Landing just behind Queen on the list is David Bowie, with U2, Oasis and Fleetwood Mac rounding out the top five.

Other artists in the top 10 include The Rolling Stones at #7 and The Police at #8.

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Tickets haven’t even gone on sale yet but Rush has already added shows to their Fifty Something tour, the first Rush tour since 2015.

The band has added two more shows each in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Toronto and Fort Worth, Texas, bringing their stands to four nights in each city. They are also adding a second night in Cleveland.

A Rush artist presale will begin Oct. 13 at 12 p.m. local time for the U.S. and Canada, and Oct. 16 at 12 p.m. local time for Mexico. Fans need to register by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET for a chance to participate. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Oct. 17 at 12 p.m. local time for the U.S. and Canada, and 11 a.m. local time for Mexico.

A complete list of dates and more ticket information can be found at Rush.com.

Rush’s Fifty Something tour will be the first time Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have toured as Rush since the death of drummer Neil Peart in 2020. Playing drums on the tour will be Anika Nilles, who previously worked with the late Jeff Beck.

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