Classic Rock News

Fans have been given a peek inside the memorial service held earlier this month in honor of the late Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie. A photo shared on her Instagram page shows a piano covered in flowers, along with two photos of Christine and an arrangement of candles.

“One week ago today we celebrated Christine’s extraordinary life in an intimate gathering just above the ocean waves in one of her favorite places – Malibu,” reads the post. “We honored our beautiful Songbird by sharing stories and toasting her legacy that will continue to inspire … She is missed beyond words and will remain in our hearts forever.”

McVie passed away November 30 at the age of 79. Her celebration of life took place at Little Beach House in Malibu, with her Fleetwood Mac bandmates Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks, as well as former bandmate Lindsey Buckingham, in attendance. Mick recently posted the eulogy he gave at the service, sharing a poem he wrote the day after he found out she had passed away.

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Queen is set to launch the second season of their YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live on Friday.

The new season, which debuts at 7:00 a.m. ET, will feature 50 videos and will once again include archival and contemporary footage of live performances, along with behind-the-scenes interviews, with visuals crated by longtime multimedia collaborator Simon Lupton. 

Episode one, titled “Rehearsals – Part 1,” will feature interviews with Brian May and Roger Taylor as they share their rehearsal secrets with fans, sharing footage from both past and present tours.

“Rehearsing before tour is always a bit of a surprise because you don’t know how much you’re going to remember, and you don’t know if it’s still going to feel the same,” May shares in the episode. “But it’s surprising how stuff does flow back into you, into your veins, once you start kicking stuff around.”

Taylor adds of the rehearsal process, “Normally we play a song through and see if we think it’s going to work live. They don’t always work live. So there’s quite a few songs we’ve never played live that have been on albums and probably for good reason.”

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Kate Bush made a lot of new fans last year thanks to Stranger Things, and if they want to learn more about her songs, now’s their chance.

The singer is set to release the paperback version of How To Be Invisible: Selected Lyrics, which was released in hardcover in 2018. The new version, dropping May 9, will come with a new introduction courtesy of Bush, along with a new cover design by Jim Kay. You can preorder the book now.

The release will include a limited number of signed copies, available at bookstores and record stores. And some fans who purchase those signed copies are in for a surprise. In a small number of them Bush has included a written message using invisible ink, which can only be revealed under ultraviolet light.

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This year marks the 50 anniversary of Pink Floyd’s iconic album The Dark Side of the Moon, and they are celebrating the occasion with a new box set, and a whole lot more.

The Dark Side of the Moon deluxe box set will be released March 24 on CD and gatefold vinyl, and will include a newly remastered version of the album, as well as Blu-Ray and DVD audio with the original mix and remastered stereo versions. There will also be a new Blu-Ray disc and CD of the classic concert “‘The Dark Side of the Moon — Live at Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974.” You can pre-order the box set now.

Also on March 24, the Wembley concert will be issued on its own for first time, both on CD and, for the first time, on vinyl. And, as previously reported, there will also be a new book, Pink Floyd — The Dark Side of the Moon: 50th Anniversary, featuring rare and previously unseen photos taken during the Dark Side of the Moon tour, which ran from 1972 to 1975.  The book will also be included in the box set.

The band is also marking anniversary with a new competition, asking fans to create animated music videos for any of the songs on the album. Entries are due by November 30 and animators can enter up to 10 videos, although only one per song. The winner will be selected by a panel of experts, which includes Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason. PinkFloyd.com has more info.

But that’s not all. In March, a new The Dark Side of the Moon planetarium exhibit is set to launch at planetariums around the world, featuring 42 minutes of the album accompanied by visuals of the solar system.

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When Bon Jovi released “Livin’ on a Prayer” back in 1986, the idea of digital music platforms didn’t exist, but the hit single has since gone on to become one of the most-streamed songs from the ’80s.  And on Instagram Wednesday, Jon Bon Jovi celebrated its official Spotify certification for one billion streams.

While opening up a large box containing his new Spotify award — which looks like a shiny metal bowl attached to a plaque — an amused Jon says, “Streaming is the new ‘it,’ right? This is unbelievable, and I’m really grateful for it.”

After reading the words on the plaque — “one billion streams for ‘Livin’ on a Prayer'” — Jon pronounces the honor to be “pretty cool,” and, addressing the fans, says, “Thank you, you guys!”

“Livin’ on a Prayer” is Bon Jovi’s signature song: It was their second number-one hit, and has been certified three-times RIAA Platinum for sales of three million units. It has 996 million views on YouTube.

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The Rolling Stones have taken the next step on social media – they’ve joined TikTok. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers posted their first videos Thursday, sharing a trio of classic clips featuring songs like “Start Me Up,” “Angie” and “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It).”

Stones fans on TikTok can now access the band’s full catalog on the platform, and will be able to create covers and remixes using tunes available on the TikTok Sounds Page. There will also be a new guest playlist on TikTok curated by the band, including 44 classic Stones tracks. 

With the “Start Me Up” clip, the band urged fans to “move like the Stones” and share their creations. The “Angie” clip had them asking fans to share “covers, remixes, guitar solos, mashups…,” and for “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll,” the Stones urged fans to dress like them, with the band promising to share their favorite creations on their page. 

TikTok has launched the official hashtag, #TheRollingStones, to celebrate the band joining the site and make it easier for fans to share their creations.

And that’s not all. Stones frontman Mick Jagger is also planning to launch his own TikTok page, making him the second member of the band on the site after Keith Richards, who joined last year.

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In a new interview with Goldmine magazine, KISS’ Gene Simmons is revealing the 10 albums that changed his life. And folks may be a bit surprised by some of the records that made the list.

“As a preamble, when I first came to America (from Israel) as an eight-and-a-half-year-old boy, this was pre-Beatles. I came to America with my mother in 1958, and I had never heard of rock and roll, and I actually had never seen a television set,” he tells the mag. “The first music I heard in America was Chuck Berry and Little Richard and all that.”

Albums on Gene’s list include greatest hits albums by Ray Charles, Dave Clark Five, Patsy Cline, James Brown and ABBA; 1968’s The Beatles aka The White Album; Jeff Beck Group‘s Truth/Beck-Ola; Led Zeppelin’s 1969 self-titled debut; and The Who’s Tommy.

Of course one of his band’s albums had to make the list, as well, with Gene picking KISS’ 1979 release, Destroyer, noting, “Some of those songs have survived the test of time. It was a strange period. It was the beginning of the end, really. The band started to fall to pieces way back in ’76.”

As for people who may be surprised that ABBA’s Greatest Hits made the list, Gene notes that what he loves “is the ability to craft songs that are forever.” He adds, “So if I’m riding in my car and ABBA music comes on, I turn it up and that’s the sign of greatness. Undeniable songwriting. You just can’t touch it.”

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Bush has announced a livestream of the band’s upcoming show in Los Angeles, taking place January 29.

You can tune in to watch beginning at 9:15 p.m. PT via the streaming platform Veeps. For more info, visit Bush.Veeps.com.

The LA concert is the second date on Bush’s headlining U.S. tour, which kicks off January 28 in Reno, Nevada. Gavin Rossdale and company will be supporting their new album, The Art of Survival, which features the single “More Than Machines.”

“We wanted to do some shows where we could get close to the die-hard Bush fans again,” Rossdale said of the tour.

The bill for the tour will also feature Alice in Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell, Silversun Pickups, Candlebox and Starcrawler on select dates.

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A documentary about Canadian rock band Triumph is set to debut on AXS TV later this month.

Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine, debuting January 25 at 9 p.m. ET, tells the true story of the heavy metal group, known for such guitar anthems as “Fight The Good Fight,” “Hold On,” “Magic Power” and “Lay it On The Line.” 

The doc features commentary from band members Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore, as well as former member Phil X. There are also interviews with actor/musician Kiefer Sutherland, Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach, Styx singer Lawrence Gowan and more.

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Joe Walsh’s annual VetsAid charity concert took place last November, and it raised a lot of money to help veterans organizations.

The Eagles guitarist just announced his organization has handed out $650,000 in grants to charities in Ohio, including $75,000 in grants to seven organizations: the Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Buckeye Chapter, Semper Fi & America’s Fund, the Travis Manion Foundation, Save a Warrior Fund, the QL+ Foundation, Hire Heroes USA and the National Veterans Memorial & Museum. 

In addition, $58,000 went to Combined Arms, $15,000 went to Canine Companions and $12,000 went to VFW Post 9857 in Columbus, Ohio, with Stockhands Horses for Healing, Resurrecting Lives Foundation, Back the Heroes Rumble, Task Force 20, Pegasus Farm and Rickenbacker Military Families each receiving $5,000.

The 2022 VetsAid took place in Ohio and saw a reunion of Walsh’s James Gang, along with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Nine Inch Nails, The Black Keys and The Breeders.

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