Classic Rock News

Styx will be touring the Great White North this fall, and they’ll be bringing Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson and her new solo group, Nancy Wilson’s Heart, along for the road trip.

The 11-date Canadian trek is scheduled to kick off on October 5 in Victoria, British Columbia, and is scheduled through an October 18 show in Winnipeg. The tour will include two-night stands in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, respectively on October 9-10 and October 12-13.

Tickets for the Canadian concerts go on sale to the general public this Friday, April 1, at 10 a.m. local time via LiveNation.com. Styx will offer VIP packages and exclusive pre-sale opportunities starting Tuesday, March 29, at 10 a.m. local time at StyxWorld.com.

In addition, American Express card members will be able to buy pre-sale tickets beginning Wednesday, March 30, at 10 a.m. local time; visit Ticketmaster.ca/americanexpress for more information.

Earlier this year, Nancy Wilson’s Heart served as Styx’s special guest at the band’s five-show show Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Theatre that ran from January 28 through February 5.

Before the Canadian trek, Styx has a series of spring U.S. headlining lined up, and then will team up with REO Speedwagon and Loverboy for lengthy Live & Unzoomed Tour, which kicks off May 31 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is mapped out all the way through a September a September 18 performance in Bangor, Maine.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On April 8, expect your favorite artists’ socials to be flooded with messages calling for support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion and the associated humanitarian crisis.

Among the artists participating in the Stand Up for Ukraine social media movement are Stevie Nicks, U2, Billy Joel, Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Radiohead and many more.

Organized by Global Citizen, Stand Up for Ukraine is designed to mobilize people across the globe to call on world leaders to commit billions of dollars to help refugees. It takes place ahead of a global humanitarian pledging summit on April 9.

More than 12 million people need assistance due to the war in Ukraine, and more than 6.5 million have been displaced internally; in addition, more than 3.5 million have left the country for neighboring countries. Nearly two million are women and children. Since the conflict began, one child from Ukraine becomes a refugee every second.

Visit GlobalCitizen.org to learn how to participate yourself.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Chad Smith is one proud papa today: His daughter earned a Golden Ticket to Hollywood on Sunday night’s American Idol.

Under the name Ava Maybee, the 20-year-old daughter of the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer sang Stevie Wonder‘s classic “Lately,” and impressed judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Richie compared Ava’s alto voice to that of Cher, and Perry said it was a “cool sound.”  Bryan said he felt that Ava was an “artist,” adding, “I’m interested to hear and see more of what you’ve got goin’ on.”

Richie then said he was going to “go against” the singer’s family, joking, “You’re not going to be a ‘maybe,’ you’re going to be a ‘for sure.'” Perry and Bryan dubbed her “Ava Yes,” and told her she was going to Hollywood.  Perry also complimented Ava’s outfit, which mixed florals with leopard print.

Ava’s birth name is Ava Maybee Cardoso Smith. 

American Idol‘s Hollywood Week starts tonight on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

The Chili Peppers will release their new album, Unlimited Love, on April 1.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jane’s Addiction frontman and Lollapalooza co-founder Perry Farrell has posted a touching video message on his Facebook page in which he discusses his friendship with late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died Friday at age 50.

Blabbermouth.net reports that Farrell recorded the five-minute message on Saturday, and it was played Sunday during the Lollapalooza Brasil festival, where Foo Fighters had been scheduled to play a headlining set.

“Taylor Hawkins…was my best friend — beloved in my home by my wife, my children, even my dogs,” Farrell begins his tribute. “He was one of the most passionate drummers I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. When I think of him, I sum it up with one word: velocity. He had the gift to maintain a confident striking and stroking velocity on drums.”

Perry continues, “There’s a large part of my heart that I had reserved for him. I accepted him into my heart when we became friends because he was such a pure guy, so pure of heart…I would receive texts from Taylor. There were always bits and pieces of songs he was writing or looking to write or wanted me to listen to. I got music tidbits as often as I got ‘I love you’s.”

Farrell goes on to explain that their mutual passion for music was the “common ground” that served as a basis for their friendship.

He concludes, “The only sense that I could make of the tragedy is to know that Taylor’s now in heaven; he can hear us. What I’m gonna do from this day forward is to try to make music that I think Taylor would really love.”

The video also features footage of Perry and Taylor singing Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody” together accompanied by a street musician playing piano.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Aerosmith just announced that it will return to the stage this year for the first time since the start of the pandemic for a new series of Las Vegas residency shows, but now comes word that founding drummer Joey Kramer won’t be joining the band.

According to a statement that Aerosmith shared with USA Today, Kramer has “regrettably made the decision to sit out the band’s concerts in 2022 so he can focus his full attention on his family during these uncertain times.”

The 71-year-old musician’s hiatus is described as “a temporary leave of absence,” and the statement notes that “he and the band look forward to his future performances with Aerosmith.” Filling in for Kramer will be the group’s drum technician, John Douglas, who previously took over for Joey at select shows in 2019 when Kramer was injured.

In early 2020, Kramer sued his band mates when they decided to not allow him to perform with the group when they played the Grammy Awards ceremony because they felt he hadn’t sufficiently recovered from then-recent injuries he’d suffered.

He was subsequently invited to rejoin Aerosmith when they began their February 2020 Las Vegas residency.

As previously reported, Aerosmith’s 2022 residency features 24 dates, broken up into three eight-show engagements taking place at the Dolby Live at Park MGM theater from June 17 to July 8, from September 14 to October 5, and from November 19 to December 11. Tickets for the residency dates go on sale to the general public this Thursday, March 31, at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.com.

The band also has a previously announced September 8 concert at Boston’s Fenway Park with Extreme scheduled.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Roxy Music will reunite this fall for its first tour in 11 years, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the influential art-rock band’s self-titled debut album.

The trek will feature 10 North American dates, kicking off September 7 in Toronto and mapped out through a September 28 show at the famed Los Angeles-area venue The Forum. The trek also will visit Washington, D.C.; New York City; Philadelphia; Boston; Chicago; Austin and Dallas, Texas; and San Francisco.

The band will feature four members of Roxy Music’s classic lineup — singer Bryan Ferry, sax player Andy Mackay, guitarist Phil Manzanera and drummer Paul Thompson.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, April 4, at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.com. Pre-sales will be available starting on Tuesday, March 29, at 10 a.m. local time, and a number of VIP packages also will be offered. Visit BryanFerry.com, LiveNation.com and VIPNation.com for more information.

Alt-rocker St. Vincent will open all of the North American shows except for the Boston concert. Roxy Music also has announced three U.K. dates in October — in Glasgow, Manchester and London.

In related Roxy Music news, the band also will celebrate its 50th anniversary by reissuing special vinyl editions of its eight studio albums. The LPs will be half-speed mastered, and will feature revised artwork. The albums will be released two at a time in installments, with the first pair — 1972’s Roxy Music and 1973’s For Your Pleasure — due out this Friday, April 1.

Roxy Music was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. They are best-known in the U.S. for the 1975 dance hit “Love Is the Drug” and the acclaimed 1982 album Avalon, which included “More Than This” and the title track.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Elton John was a guest on Friday’s episode of his pal Dua Lipa‘s podcast At Your Service, and among the topics they discussed were those unexpected moments that change your life completely. Elton revealed it was one of those moments which has led to his greatest happiness: becoming a father.

“I was never going to have children,” Elton told Dua. But several years ago, he and his husband David visited an orphanage in Ukraine, where he found himself carrying around an 18-month-old boy for a few hours. 

“Then we had a press conference at the end,” Elton recalls. “And they said, ‘You seem very fond of this little boy. Would you think of adopting him?’ And I went, ‘Oh yeah, I’d actually love to.'”

That, of course, made headlines, but it turned out that Elton and David weren’t allowed to adopt the boy, nor his half-brother, because they were “too old” and, Elton says, “Because I was gay, they wouldn’t allow us to do it anyway.”  But Elton and David were determined to get the boys out of the orphanage, and, he says, “Luckily they had a grandmother who took them.”

But then, Elton says, David asked him about having their own children.

“I always said no, but this little boy was telling me something,” Elton recalled. “He was saying, ‘Come on, you can be a dad.’ And that’s when we decided to have children, because of this little boy Lev, in Ukraine.” 

While Elton and David continue to make sure Lev and his brother are safe, they’ve since welcomed their own children, Zachary and Elijah.  And Elton’s desire to spend more time with them is why he tells Dua of his Farewell Tour, “I will be happy when it’s over.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

While Elton himself couldn’t make it in person, the 30th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, held Sunday night in Los Angeles, was a huge success.

The party, hosted by Elton’s husband David Furnish, and their friends Lady Gaga, Billy Porter and Eric McCormack, raised $8.6 million for the Foundation.  Elton joined via satellite from his concert in Lincoln, Nebraska to thank the attendees, and shared a performance of “Your Song” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” During that performance, guests received limited-edition Elton John Eyewear “Gold Dust” frames to wear along with Elton.

Elton’s friend, singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, performed at the party and duetted with singer/songwriter Jake Wesley Rogers on “Rocket Man.”

“I’m so grateful to my friends Lady Gaga, Billy Porter and Eric McCormack for joining David in hosting such an incredible evening, and of course Brandi Carlile for bringing down the house with an electrifying performance,” Elton said in a statement. “Most of all, I’m thankful to all who attended and participated to ensure that we can continue our lifesaving work to end AIDS. I could feel the love and support all the way from Lincoln, Nebraska!”

David Furnish added in a statement, “It was an especially unforgettable and emotional evening with our sons in attendance for the first time. They made their fathers extremely proud representing our family at the Foundation’s most important night of the year!”

Guests at the bash included Demi Lovato, Kevin Costner, Donatella Versace, Chris Pine, Zooey Deschanel, Fran Drescher, Patricia Arquette, Heidi Klum, Chrissy Metz and many more.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Genesis brought its The Last Domino? farewell tour to a close on Saturday night with a concert at London’s O2 Arena, during which singer Phil Collins announced it would be the band’s last ever.

According to Rolling Stone, Collins addressed the audience early on in the concert and said, “Tonight is a very special night…It’s the last stop of our tour. And it’s the last show for Genesis.” He added, jokingly, “After tonight we’ve all got to get real jobs.”

Collins also revealed that original Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel, who left the group in 1975, was in attendance.

“I think Peter’s here tonight,” Phil declared at one point during the show, BestClassicBands.com reports. “Peter Gabriel, ladies and gentlemen…Let’s hear it. I don’t know where he is. Maybe he’s the one shouting for [the 1972 Genesis song] ‘Supper’s Ready.'”

Rolling Stone reports that the event featured the same 23-song set that Genesis had played at nearly every show on the tour, which kicked off with a fall 2021 U.K. leg and also visited North America and mainland Europe.

The World of Genesis fan site tweeted a photo of Gabriel and Collins backstage at the show.

The concert’s final song was a rendition of the 1974 tune “The Carpet Crawlers.” You can check out fan-shot video of the performance on YouTube.

As previously reported, Genesis’ The Last Domino? tour featured the band’s classic trio lineup of Collins, keyboardist Tony Banks and guitarist/bassist Mike Rutherford reuniting to perform for the first time since 2007. Collins, who was unable to play drums on the trek due to recent health issues, was replaced behind the kit by his 20-year-old son Nic. Longtime touring guitarist Daryl Stuermer also took part in the outing.

Here’s the concert’s full set list:

“Behind the Lines”/”Duke’s End”
“Turn It On Again”
“Mama”
“Land of Confusion”
“Home by the Sea”
“Second Home by the Sea”
“Fading Lights”
“The Cinema Show”
“Afterglow”
“That’s All”
“The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”
“Follow You Follow Me”
“Duchess”
“No Son of Mine”
“Firth of Fifth”
“I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)”
“Domino”
“Throwing It All Away”
“Tonight, Tonight, Tonight”
“Invisible Touch”

Encore:
“I Can’t Dance”
“Dancing with the Moonlit Knight”
“The Carpet Crawlers”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Following the shocking news of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins‘ death, more details have emerged as to what transpired on Friday in Bogota, Colombia, where the band had been scheduled to perform.

A tweet from the Attorney General of Colombia on Saturday stated that 10 substances were found in Hawkins’ urine, including THC (marijuana), opioids and both tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines, the latter two of which are used to treat depression.

“The National Institute of Forensic Medicine will continue the medical studies to achieve total clarification of the facts that led to the death of Taylor Hawkins,” the tweet continues. “The Office of the Attorney General of the Nation will continue with the investigation and will report the results obtained within the framework thereof in a timely manner.”

The Colombian news magazine Semana, citing “authorities,” also reported that Hawkins had an enlarged heart, which “collapsed” due to the “cocktail of narcotics” found in his system, and that the cause of death was an overdose of heroin mixed with antidepressants and benzodiazepines.

The local government of Bogota had previously tweeted that an ambulance had been dispatched to a hotel “north of the city” in response to call about a patient suffering chest pain. When it arrived, a private ambulance was already at the scene. Attempts were made to revive the patient, the tweet stated, but he was unresponsive, and declared dead.

Hawkins was 50 years old.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.