Kirk Hammett’s Back to the Beginning guitar sells for over $76K

November 26, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Gibson SG Custom guitar played by Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett during the massive Back to the Beginning concert has sold at auction for $76,800.

The winning bid dramatically exceeded the estimated price of the guitar, which was set between $4,000 and $6,000.

Kirk played the guitar during Metallica’s Back to the Beginning set for a cover of Black Sabbath‘s “Hole in the Sky.” The concert, which took place July 5, ended with a performance from the original Sabbath lineup: Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.

The show was announced as Ozzy’s final live performance ahead of time, and his promise was sadly fulfilled upon his death just over two weeks later on July 22.

Hammett’s guitar was part of Julien’s Auctions’ Played, Worn, & Torn sale, which also included the infamous safe from which the Tommy Lee/Pamela Anderson sex tape was stolen. That safe, which was estimated to go for between $5,000 and $7,000, went for $2,560.

Early demo of ‘Psycho Killer’ part of Talking Heads’ Record Store Day release

November 26, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

An early demo of the Talking Heads’ classic “Psycho Killer” is part of the band’s Record Store Day Black Friday release, Tentative Decisions: Demos and Live, and drummer Chris Frantz is happy fans are getting to hear it.

The song was recorded in the early ’70s when he and bandmates David Byrne and Tina Weymouth were a cover band, The Artistics, playing on the Rhode Island School of Design campus.

“I think the real fans will recognize the songs in their demo form,” Frantz told The Boston Globe. He notes “it was three amateurs in front of one microphone in a dusty apartment on Benefit Street, so technologically it’s not brilliant or anything like that. Quite the opposite.”

He adds, “But it’s got an excitement to it and it’s got a real, I think, rock ‘n’ spirit. I’m very happy with it.”

The Record Store Day release also includes The Artistics’ demo of the More Songs about Buildings and Food track “Warning Signs,” as well as other tracks recorded by the trio between 1975 and 1976.

“In our early years in New York before we made any records, you can see the songs evolving over time, and they really did evolve as we got better and more refined in our listening and our thinking,” Frantz said. “I’m very happy that this is coming out because it’s, you know, to me, it’s an important cultural artifact.”

Bryan Adams enlists friends for new holiday tune ‘California Christmas’

November 26, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bryan Adams is getting everyone in the holiday spirit.

The rocker just released the new holiday song “California Christmas,” which he co-wrote with his longtime songwriting partner Jim Vallance.

The tune is described as “a sun-soaked holiday anthem that brings a bright West Coast twist to the season.” It is the first taste of Adams’ upcoming holiday album, Bryan Adams & Friends: A Great Big Holiday Jam, and features guest appearances by such Canadian artists as Alessia Cara, Barenaked Ladies, Alan Doyle and The Sheepdogs.

“California Christmas” is available now via digital outlets.

The album also features Adams and friends covering holiday staples like “Little Saint Nick,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Deck the Halls,” “O Christmas Tree” and more.

Bryan Adams & Friends: A Great Big Holiday Jam will be released Dec. 8 to coincide with Adams’ Canadian holiday TV special of the same name, which will air on CityTV.

Adams, who earlier this year released the new album Roll With the Punches, is set to wrap his U.S. tour on Wednesday in Minneapolis. He then heads to the U.K. in December. A complete list of dates can be found at BryanAdams.com.

The Rolling Stones pay tribute to Jimmy Cliff

November 26, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Rolling Stones have paid tribute to Jamaican reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, who passed away Monday at the age of 81.

Mick Jagger posted a black-and-white photo on social media of him and Cliff laughing together, writing, “So sad to lose the beautiful voice of Jamaica, Jimmy Cliff.”

Both Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood also posted photos with Cliff. While they were different shots, they appear to have been taken around the same time.

Richards covered Cliff’s hit track “The Harder They Come” in 1993 and wrote about seeing the impact of the movie of the same name, which Cliff starred in.

“Farewell Jimmy, I was in Jamaica when the ‘Harder They Come’ was in every cinema on the island. You could feel the pride and and the love for Jimmy everywhere,” he wrote. “The sweetest voice, the sweetest soul. His music will live with us forever! Heartfelt condolences to his family! One love, Keith @jimmycliff.”

And in his tribute, Wood recalled Cliff’s 1982 album, Special, which he appeared on.

“Very sad news, bless @jimmycliff,” he wrote. “I made an album with him Jimmy in Kingston, Jamaica – a song called ‘Peace Officer’ among others xx.”

And those weren’t the only times The Stones and Cliff collaborated. The reggae star contributed backing vocals to the band’s 1986 album, Dirty Work.

Guns N’ Roses light up Los Angeles sky with drones to celebrate world tour announcement

November 26, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Guns N’ Roses announced a new world tour on Monday, and they celebrated the news in a big way.

The “Paradise City” rockers enlisted Sky Elements Drone Shows to stage a 500-drone display above Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles Tuesday to draw attention to the news.

The 12-minute show lit up the city with images from the band’s career, including song titles like “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” an image of Slash’s iconic hat, a gun with a rose shooting out of it, a guitar and more, ending with drones spelling out “Guns N’ Roses” and “2026 World Tour.”

“Sky Elements was honored to be a part of the Guns N’ Roses World Tour announcement,” said Kyle Pivnick, vice president at Sky Elements Drone Shows. “With 500 drones flying over the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, it was an iconic moment, and symbolic to the band’s return to the world stage.”

Guns N’ Roses’ 2026 World tour includes a U.S. leg that runs from July 23 in Raleigh, North Carolina, to Sept. 18 in Atlanta. They’ll also play a one-off show in Hollywood, Florida, on May 5 and the Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida, on May 7.

A presale begins Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. local time; you can register for access now through Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit GunsNRoses.com.

Here’s what to look out for on Record Store Day Black Friday

November 26, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

While some folks will be headed to the mall on Black Friday to find the best deals, plenty of music fans will be headed to their local record store to nab some special releases for the annual Record Store Day Black Friday event.

This year there will be over 170 releases at independent record stores across the country. Here are some to look out for:

Bob Dylan will be represented with two new releases, including The Original Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan, which features four songs that Columbia Records execs pulled from the original 1963 album. There will also be a 7-inch single of “Masters of War,” recorded in Alan Lomax’s apartment in 1962, that includes a conversation between Dylan and Lomax on the B-side.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ live collection The Live Anthology – From The Vaults Vol. 1 will be released on turquoise blue vinyl, marking its first-ever vinyl release.

Fleetwood Mac is releasing Fleetwood Mac: Live 1975 on vinyl for the first time. The album features recordings from the band’s 1975 tour and is being released as a limited-edition crystal clear vinyl.

Grateful Dead has three releases, including a recording of their Oct. 4 & 6, 1980, concerts at The Warfield in San Francisco, which will be released on both limited-edition vinyl and CD. They will also release the live album On A Back Porch Vol. 2, a collaboration between The Dead and Dogfish Head Brewery.

RSD Black Friday 2025 will also feature releases from Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Van Halen, Ramones, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Robbie Robertson, Sammy Hagar, Elton John and Brandi Carlile and more.

For the full list of releases and participating stores, visit RecordStoreDay.com.

Foo Fighters share hand-drawn picture of ’Amazon Music Live’ stage design

November 25, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

During Foo Fighters‘ performance on Amazon Music Live in October, Dave Grohl and company performed in the round on the floor without any elevation. Now the Foos are giving an inside look at how the show came together.

The “Everlong” rockers have shared hand-drawn pictures of the stage design, presumably created by Grohl. A drawing of the overhead view shows where each of the members would stand around drummer Ilan Rubin.

You can check out the drawings via the Foo Fighters Facebook.

Grohl previously took to pen and paper to bring his stage ideas to life when he created a hand-drawn image of the elaborate throne that he sat in during the Foos’ 2015 tour after breaking his leg at a show earlier that year.

Perhaps Grohl is currently drawing the stage setup for Foo Fighters’ 2026 stadium tour, which launches in the U.S. in August.

Warren Haynes to reissue debut solo album, ‘Tales of Ordinary Madness’

November 25, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Warren Haynes is revisiting his 1993 debut solo album, Tales of Ordinary Madness.

The Gov’t Mule frontman is releasing a remixed and remastered version of the album on Jan. 30, featuring one bonus track, “Tear Me Down,” which didn’t appear on the original album.

And Haynes is previewing the release with the remixed version of the album’s opening track, “Fire in the Kitchen,” which is now available via digital outlets.

Tales of Ordinary Madness is available for preorder now.

The album, co-produced by Haynes and Allman Brothers Band‘s Chuck Leavell, was originally released in March 1993. Since then Haynes has released several solo records, his most recent being 2024’s Million Voices Whisper.

Haynes is set to hit the road on an 11-date intimate solo tour starting Feb. 12 in Grass Valley, California, and wrapping Feb. 26 in Pelham, Tennessee. He’ll also be going on tour with the Warren Haynes Band starting March 1 in Birmingham, Alabama, and wrapping March 7 in Ithaca, New York.

Next up, Haynes will headline his annual Christmas Jam on Dec. 13 in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. The lineup includes Stone Temple Pilots and MJ Lenderman & The Wind, along with a special Christmas Jam tribute to Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, featuring Haynes, Lesh’s son Grahame Lesh, Widespread Panic‘s Jimmy Herring and more.

A complete list of dates can be found at WarrenHaynes.net.

Watch Billy Corgan guess songs on ’Track Star’

November 25, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan appears on the latest episode of the viral online show Track Star.

On Track Star, host Jack Coyne asks guests to identify different songs as quickly as possible.

The songs that Corgan is played include “Shout It Out Loud” by KISS, “Limelight” by Rush and “Disorder” by Joy Division. Toward the end of the episode, Corgan learns that there are two separate bands called Goose and Geese.

“They should have a fight,” Corgan suggests. “It should be Goose versus Geese, and winner take all.”

Corgan is currently playing a run of shows at the Lyric Opera of Chicago celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Pumpkins album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Dave Mason, Steve Hackett taking part in Sweet Relief Musicians Fund holiday auction

November 25, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Artists including Dave Mason and Steve Hackett are taking part in the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund holiday auction.

Mason, former guitarist for Traffic, has donated a signed Fender Player II Stratocaster in red, while former Genesis guitarist Hackett has also signed a guitar for the auction.

Also up for bid are instruments signed by George Thorogood & The Destroyers, The Black Keys, Hozier, Dream Theater and more, as well as a signed Pearl Jam poster, and tickets to shows by bands like Bring Me The Horizon, Three Days Grace, Third Eye Blind and Dropkick Murphys.

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides “financial assistance to musicians and music industry workers who are facing illness, disability, or age-related challenges,” according to a press release.

“Wow, another year of incredible generosity from our music industry supporters!” says Sweet Relief Executive Director Aric Steinberg. “All of the proceeds will help us to continue to provide a safety net for musicians and music industry professionals in need of physical or mental health care.”

The auction will be hosted by the site Fandiem. Visit Fandiem.com for more info.

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