Classic Rock News

Joni Mitchell’s re-emergence into public life continued Thursday when she attended the opening night of the Broadway musical adaptation of filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film, Almost Famous.

Mitchell – who revealed it was her first-ever Broadway show – declared that the musical was “even better than the movie.”

Crowe, told Page Six on opening night that it was “bizarre” seeing a story that was inspired by his past as a young reporter for Rolling Stone now staged as a Broadway musical. He was also thrilled that Mitchell was there, and referenced the 1979 interview he did with the rock legend for Rolling Stone: “Joni Mitchell hadn’t done an interview in 10 years and chose me to be the young reporter that would do the interview, and it remains the best interview I’ve ever done,” he said.

Other rock luminaries in attendance on opening night included Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, Rolling Stone founder Jan Wenner and legendary producer Clive Davis.

Mitchell, 78, had rarely performed in public since suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015, but she surprised everyone at this year’s Newport Folk Festival last July when she sang several songs, including her classics “Both Sides Now” and “The Circle Game” as guest of honor at the “Joni Jam,” organized by Brandi Carlile. That led to the October announcement that Joni would join Carlile for her first headlining concert in over two decades as part of Carlile’s Echoes through the Canyon concerts next year at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre on Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10.

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Last August saw the release of The Complete Reprise Studio Albums – Volume I, a vinyl box set featuring remastered versions of Eric Clapton‘s first six studio efforts for the Reprise label. Should you find yourself in need of a late holiday present this year, good news: volume two is right around the corner.

Eric Clapton: The Complete Reprise Studio Albums — Volume 2 will be out January 13, and “combines remastered versions of five solo studio albums Clapton recorded with Reprise between 2001 and 2010 with an additional LP of rarities selected from the same era,” according to the label.

The set includes newly remastered versions of five studio albums released over nine years, all pressed on 180-gram vinyl: 2001’s Reptile, featuring the Grammy-winning title track; 2004’s Me & Mr. Johnson, featuring covers of songs by Delta blues legend Robert Johnson, and the companion album Sessions for Robert J; the Grammy-winning and RIAA Gold-certified Back Home, from 2005; and 2010’s Clapton. All the albums will be released as double LPs, with the exception of Sessions for Robert J, which will be a single disc. The box set also marks the first time that album will be released on vinyl.

Additionally, the Rarities Vol. II 2001-2010 disc includes eight tracks, including the newly remixed bonus track “Midnight Hour Blues,” which you can get a taste of now.

You can pre-order Eric Clapton: The Complete Reprise Studio Albums — Volume 2 now via Rhino Records or Clapton’s official website. Volume I is still available both places as well.

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Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain released a new holiday EP titled Christmas Is Love on Friday, November 4.

The five-song collection, which is available now via streaming services, was written and produced by Cain, with four of the tunes mixed and mastered by Jonathan’s frequent collaborator David Kalmusky at Nashville’s Addiction Sound Studios.

“Christmas is love. It is that simple,” says Cain about the message of the EP and its title track.

“Hope Was Born” highlights the story of the birth of Jesus, while “Who Is This Child” finds Cain marveling at Jesus’ arrival.

“I enjoy celebrating Christmas every year,” adds Jonathan. “What went down in the desert at Bethlehem, it’s such a monumental miracle that shouldn’t be taken for granted. It was a game-changer.”

The Christmas Is Love EP also includes “Wonder of Wonders,” a duet with Michael Tait of the popular Christian-rock act that Cain first released in 2019. The final song on the EP is “Behold,” a previously unreleased tune that Jonathan performed at his 2021 Wonder of Wonders Christmas Concert held at the City of Destiny church in Apopka, Florida, where his wife, Paula White-Cain, serves as pastor.

Cain is planning to host a 2022 edition of his Christmas Concert at the church on December 18.

Christmas Is Love follows Cain’s latest faith-based album, Arise, which arrived in May, and Journey’s new studio effort, Freedom, which was released in July.

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Somehow, Guns N’ Roses have found a way to make “November Rain” even more dramatic.

The “Welcome the Jungle” rockers have released a new version of the Use Your Illusion epic, recorded alongside a 50-piece orchestra. Grammy-winning composer Christopher Lennertz arranged the orchestration and served as the conductor.

The orchestra-accompanied “November Rain” is one of the many bonus tracks featured on the upcoming reissue of GN’R’s Use Your Illusion I and II albums, due out November 11. The super deluxe box version of the reissue will be available as eight-CD and 12-LP collections, and includes a hardcover photo box and various memorabilia.

Use Your Illusion I and II were originally released simultaneously in September 1991 and debuted at the top two spots on the Billboard 200. The nearly nine-minute “November Rain” was released as a single off Use Your Illusion I in 1992 and is among the longest songs to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s theatrical — and historically expensive — video has over one billion views on YouTube.

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Eurythmics are among the artists who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this Saturday, November 5, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart are reuniting to perform at the ceremony and recently revealed they will be playing three songs at the big event.

While Eurythmics have only performed sporadically since their last tour ended in 2000, Stewart tells ABC Audio he’d love to hit the road with Lennox again, although he doesn’t think Annie is open to the idea.

“I think Annie always casts her mind back to touring … in the ’80s or even at the end of the ’90s,” Dave notes. “And [she thinks], ‘Oh, it’s flying every day and … masses of press all day.’ And I personally know that we don’t need to do that anymore.”

He continues, “[Annie also] worries that, ‘Oh, I used to run around the stage for two hours,’ but you don’t need to do that either … Her voice is so distinct and chilling and beautiful, and she could sit down all the time if she wanted to.”

For his part, Stewart says, “I love playing live … After all that work, it’s the one thing where you get some kind of freedom in expression … and being able to play this stuff that you’ve been hanging around your neck for 40 years or, you know, 35 years. And it’s very therapeutic to me.”

As for whether he thinks Eurythmics will play more concerts, Dave says, “One can only wait and see, but I hope we do,” while noting, “I know that the fans … would really appreciate it.”

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U2 frontman Bono was Stephen Colbert‘s guest on Thursday’s edition of CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert promoting his new book, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, and revealed the clever, if not so honest way they got their big break.

“When we were kids…we had a big TV producer…come into our high school, cause he heard we wrote our own songs. And it was a break, gonna get our big break, on the national [television]. And we were arguing about how the song was going, it wasn’t going anywhere, none of the songs,” Bono told Colbert.

As they were arguing back and forth, Bono said, they heard a knock on the door, which turned out to be the TV exec.

“What are we gonna do? What are we gonna tell him? What are we gonna say,?” Bono recalls the band saying to each other. “And he walks in and [he says] ‘You write your own songs?…Could you play me one?'” Bono adds that he and bandmates Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. “improvised” by playing The Ramones‘ “Glad to See You Go,” claiming it was theirs.

That deception got U2 a TV appearance, though Bono was quick to explain that they did actually perform one of their own songs on the show.

Bono also performed a partly spoken-word, down-tempo orchestral version of the U2 The Joshua Tree classic “With or Without You.”

Surrender, out now, follows Bono from his childhood in Dublin, to the loss of his mother when he was 14, to the founding of U2 and their rise to global stardom. It also covers his activism, including his work to fight AIDS and extreme poverty.

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It’s been over 20 years since Peter Gabriel released an album of new, original songs, but the acclaimed singer/songwriter has hinted that his next record will likely be arriving soon.

During a recent gallery event in New York City promoting his daughter Anna‘s new photo book, Eye-D, Gabriel told ABC Audio, “It’s reaching completion. I’m just finishing things up. So, there should be … some news about it soon.”

Gabriel’s last studio album of new music, Up, was released in September 2002. The new album is tentatively titled I/O.

Meanwhile, Peter and his daughter also shared some details about a new multimedia project they’re involved with, called Reverberation. The project, as Anna explained to ABC Audio, focuses on “how music can affect your brain and sort of the power of music and how to use it in your daily life.”

In conjunction with the project, a book called Reverberation: Do Everything Better with Music, featuring a foreword by Peter, was recently published. Anna also noted that the book will be followed by a TV show, a podcast and more.

Peter also discussed some of the interesting scientific studies tied in with Reverberation about the positive effect music and sound can have on people.

As he pointed out, “Some older folk that had lost the capacity to talk, when they were played music that was significant in their teens to them, they were able to talk again … not permanently, but it just shows the power [music has] to activate certain switches in the brain.”

Visit AbramsBooks.com for more info about Reverberation: Do Everything Better with Music.

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Another day, another ‘will-they-or-won’t they?’ story about a Van Halen tribute concert to Eddie Van Halen featuring past and present members.

The answer remains no, with the latest update coming from former frontman Sammy Hagar, who says he and drummer Alex Van Halen aren’t even on speaking terms right now.

Appearing recently on Sirius/XM’s Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk show, Hagar was asked if there had been any progress on a rumored tribute show to the band’s late guitarist that’d feature guitarist Joe Satriani and Metallica bassist Jason Newsted joining Alex for a show. According to Blabbermouth, Hagar revealed he was approached and was up for it, but under one condition.

“I’ll do anything with Al and Mike and play music with people, but it’s not gonna be Van Halen,” Hagar shared. “There is no Van Halen, I don’t care what anyone says. Wolfie is Van Halen, okay?”

Hagar of course was referring to Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, who replaced estranged bassist Michael Anthony in Van Halen some 15 years ago before achieving Grammy-nominated success with his own band, Mammoth WVH.

But what to call the band apparently isn’t the issue. Asked if original frontman David Lee Roth was the holdout, as rumored, Hagar replied, “It ain’t just one guy. Alex Van Halen and I don’t talk,” adding that he “reached out” to the drummer after Anthony “had a sad thing happen in his family…and [Alex] wouldn’t return my call or my e-mail. And so I said, ‘You know what? F*** it. It’s not on the top of my list, my agenda.”

Hagar’s still up for it, though. “I think Eddie deserves, definitely, a tribute,” he says, adding “the whole world would show up and the whole world would do it.”

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Eddie and Jill Vedder have announced the details of their 2022 Venture into Cures benefit concert stream.

The annual event, now in its third year, supports EB Research Partnership, an organization co-founded by the Pearl Jam frontman and his wife to raise funds and awareness in an effort to cure epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disorder that causes painful skin blisters.

Performers include Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Legend and Broken Social Scene. Additionally, musicians, celebrities and athletes, including Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Will Ferrell, Jack Harlow, Tom Holland, Joe Jonas, Chris Pratt and Venus Williams, will be making appearances.

Venture into Cures 2022 will take place November 20 at 4 p.m. ET. You can watch via 2022.VentureintoCures.org or via Eddie and Pearl Jam’s Facebook and YouTube.

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