Classic Rock News

Elton John has just scored his second #1 hit of 2021 on the U.K.’s biggest chart countdown show, and he couldn’t be happier.

Elton’s collaboration with U.K. pop star Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart,” topped The Official Big Top 40 countdown radio show, which measures downloads, streaming and radio airplay, and is most similar to America’s Billboard Hot 100.

Reflecting on his achievement, 74-year-old Elton told the show, “Well, at my age, having one number-one song in the singles chart is an incredible surprise and for me, an achievement. So, two is ridiculous. I mean, this is a dream come true.”

Earlier this year, Elton’s collaboration with British act Years & Years on a cover of the Pet Shop Boys‘ “It’s a Sin” topped the same chart.

“‘Cold Heart,” created by Australian dance duo PNAU, is a mashup of three Elton songs: “Sacrifice,” “Rocket Man” and “Where’s the Shoorah?” On Instagram, Elton wrote, “Thank you for streaming and listening to ‘Cold Heart.’ Even after all this time making music and putting it out there, a number 1 still means so much and I couldn’t be prouder of the song, Dua and PNAU for what we’ve produced.”

Elton also teased, “Big things coming and I’m so excited to share them all with you.”

 

 

 

 

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Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has formed a new band.

The group is called The Lucid, and it also features Sponge vocalist Vinnie Dombroski, guitarist Drew Fortier and Fear Factory drummer Mike Heller. They’ll release their self-titled debut album on October 15; you can listen to lead single “Maggot Wind,” now via digital outlets.

“It’s been a real blast making a record with these guys and I must say that it’s refreshing to explore some new musical avenues…to step out a bit from what each of us have done stylistically in our own careers,” Ellefson says.

“There was an effortless synergy that came with creating these songs together which is always amazing when working with new people,” he adds. “I’m looking forward to everyone checking it out!”

The Lucid is Ellefson’s first project since he was dismissed from Megadeth last May after sexually explicit video of him interacting with a woman leaked online. 2000s era Megadeth bassist James LoMenzo replaced Ellefson on tour, and Dsvid’s bass parts for the band’s upcoming new album were re-recorded.

Here’s the track list for The Lucid:

“Maggot Wind”
“Deaths of Despair”
“Spoiler Head”
“Hair”
“Maskronaut”
“Damned”
“Breech Boy”
“Pigs and Sons”
“Parade of Spit”

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Sammy Hagar has announced plans to relocate his annual birthday bash — traditionally held at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — to two sites in Southern California.

The Red Rocker’s 2021 birthday celebration will kick off with the inaugural Afterburner Music Festival, taking place October 1-2 at Huntington Beach, California. Sammy and his current band, The Circle, will headline the festival’s first day, while the second day will include performances by Sam Hunt, X Ambassadors and Cassadee Pope. Tickets for the fest are on sale now.

Hagar and The Circle will then head to the Catalina Casino on Catalina Island for the 2021 Birthday Bash, scheduled for October 7, 8 and 9.

The October 7 show is a VIP event that will feature an acoustic performance, and Sammy and the band also will share stories and take questions from the audience. Attendees also will receive special merch, memorabilia and more.

A limited number of VIP tickets for the October 7 event and three-day passes are on sale now, as are single-day tickets for the October 8 and 9 events. Fans attending the Catalina Island shows will be required to show proof that they’re fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

During the pandemic last year, Hagar was unable to hold his birthday bash at his Cabo Wabo Cantina. Instead, Sammy and The Circle played a socially distanced concert on October 8 on Catalina Island. About his decision to hold this year’s bash on Catalina, Sammy explains, “I fell in love with the island and when we toured the…iconic Catalina Casino with its massive circular ballroom that opens on three sides to the bluest water I’ve seen in California, I got chills and knew we’d be back.”

Hagar’s actual birthday is October 13. He’ll be 74.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has premiered a new solo song called “Long Way.”

The track was produced by Ozzy Osbourne‘s Ordinary Man collaborator Andrew Watt, who’s also worked with artists including Miley Cyrus, Post Malone and Dua Lipa.

You can download “Long Way” now via digital outlets. It will also be available as seven-inch vinyl single including another new Vedder solo tune, “The Haves.” A lyric video for “Long Way” has debuted at Vedder’s official YouTube channel.

Along with the new song, Vedder has also announced the title of his next solo record: Earthling. The album is Vedder’s first full-length solo effort since 2011’s Ukulele Songs.

More recently, Vedder contributed new music to the film Flag Day, which premiered in August. The soundtrack also includes the debut songs from Vedder’s daughter, Olivia.

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Foo Fighters have announced an intimate, surprise show in Washington, D.C.

Dave Grohl and company will play the 1,200 capacity 9:30 Club tomorrow, September 9, in celebration of the legendary venue’s re-opening week. Tickets went on sale Wednesday morning and sold out immediately.

The Foos were scheduled to play a much bigger D.C.-area show last summer at FedExField to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary on July 4. However, that concert, along with the rest of their 2020 plans, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, Foo Fighters have been touring in celebration of their 26th anniversary. Following the D.C. date, the tour will continue September 15 in Syracuse, New York.

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After postponing a series of U.S. concerts because founding members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons both tested positive for COVID-19, KISS has confirmed that it will relaunch its End of the World farewell tour with a show this Thursday, September 9, in Irvine, California.

According to a statement from the band, doctors advised that the trek was safe to resume after Stanley and Simmons quarantined for 10 days.

Meanwhile, five of the postponed shows have been rescheduled for late October at the tail end of the 2021 U.S. leg of the outing.

An August 29 concert in Atlanta has been moved to October 10; an August 26 show in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, now will take place on October 13; a September 1 performance in Clarkston, Michigan, has been moved to October 15; a September 4 gig in Tinley Park, Illinois, has been rescheduled for October 16; and a September 2 concert in Dayton, Ohio, has been rescheduled for October 17.

Two other concerts delayed because the KISS members’ COVID diagnoses, originally scheduled for August 28 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and September 5 in Milwaukee, will be made up sometime in 2022, as will an August 22 concert in Hartford, Connecticut — a date that was postponed because of the effects of Hurricane Henri.

Tickets that were purchased for the postponed concerts will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Additional details will be emailed to ticketholders.

Visit KISSOnline.com to check out the band’s full schedule.

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The Black Crowes will wind down their 30th anniversary Shake Your Money Maker tour later this month, and the veteran rockers will follow the trek with a special two-night Las Vegas engagement on November 18 and 19 at the House of Blues.

The residency shows, dubbed The Black Crowes Present: Shake Your Money Maker, will feature the band playing its 1990 debut album in its entirety, along with select hits and other tunes from the group’s back catalog. The Black Crowes’ other 30th anniversary concerts have featured a similar set list.

Tickets for the Las Vegas shows go on sale to the general public this Friday at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets for a Black Crowes band pre-sale are available now, while a Live Nation pre-sale starts on Wednesday, September 8, at 10 a.m. PT.

Shake Your Money Maker was released in February 1990 and peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200. It featured two top-40 hits — a cover of Otis Redding‘s “Hard to Handle” and the original ballad “She Talks to Angels” — as well as fan favorites “Jealous Again” and “Twice as Hard.” The album has sold more than five million copies in the U.S.  A deluxe, expanded reissue of Shake Your Money Maker was released in February.

The Black Crowes’ current tour is mapped out through a September 25 show in Bethel, New York. Visit TheBlackCrowes.com for the band’s full schedule.

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Soundgarden‘s Kim Thayil and Alice in Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell are taking part in the latest edition of Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp.

The special seminar, dubbed “Sounds of Seattle,” is set to take place February 17-20, 2022, in Los Angeles. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from and jam with Thayil and Cantrell, who will prep you for public performances at the iconic Viper Room and Whisky a Go Go LA venues.

“The past few years have been unusually difficult and at times truly bizarre for the nation and world in general, and for the music industry and rock bands in particular,” Thayil says. “I am super excited about the opportunity to connect and re-engage with fellow musicians and fans at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp.”

Thayil and Cantrell will also be joined by another grunge mainstay, original Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen. Additionally, artists including Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, Nickelback bassist Mike Kroeger, and Whitesnake guitarist Joel Hoekstra are among the camp’s guest mentors.

For more info, visit RockCamp.com.

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Pop star Selena Gomez isn’t the only chart-topping musician in the new Hulu series Only Murders in the Building: Sting also has a role.  In fact, the former Police frontman rock legend is starting to look like the prime suspect in the murder that the characters played by Selena and her co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short are investigating. But despite the fact that they’re both musicians, Selena said talking shop with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was the last thing on her mind while filming the show.

“Oh, gosh, no, no, no!” Selena tells ABC Audio when asked if she and Sting discussed collaborating. “But I will say this: [There] was a very cool moment.”

As Selena recalls, “There was a piano on set and I was just playing piano and all of a sudden I hear Sting playing exactly what I’m playing, on the guitar! And I’m like, ‘O.K., this is a surreal moment I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.’ ‘Cause…like, I don’t bother [other stars] with anything; I just wanted them to have a great experience.”

More about Sting and his motivations will be revealed in the fourth episode of the show, which arrives today on Hulu. It’s called “The Sting,” and in it, we’ll find out that there’s a definite connection between the rocker and the victim, Tim Kono, played by Julian Cihi.

Like Selena, Sting has had an acting career running parallel to his music career for years. But according to Entertainment Weekly, the reason Sting is in Only Murders is because he’s been friends with Steve Martin and the show’s casting director, Bernard Telsey, for a long time.

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Foo Fighters have announced a new batch of West Coast headlining tour dates.

The outing includes two shows in Las Vegas, taking place December 2 and 4, as well as stops in Sacramento and Fresno, California, on December 7 and 9, respectively.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 10, at 10 a.m. PT via FooFighters.com.

The newly added dates continue the Foos’ ongoing 26th anniversary tour. Dave Grohl and company had planned a 25th anniversary tour for 2020, but those shows were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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