Classic Rock
Dropkick Murphys and Bruce Springsteen Rock an Empty Fenway Park: Watch
The gates around the storied Fenway Park opened today to welcome its first event since the COVID-19 pandemic. In front of stands empty of audience members, Dropkick Murphys took to the baseball diamond for a livestream concert. Though they were alone inside the stadium, Bruce Springsteen joined them remotely near the end of the set for a collaborative performance. Dubbed Streaming Outta Fenway, the special benefit performance marked both the first time Dropkick played a full concert at Fenway, and the first such show of any kind sans an audience at a major US arena or stadium. Springsteen, meanwhile, made history in 2003 by becoming the first musician to play a ballpark-wide concert at Fenway. Thus it was fitting for The Boss to join the Boston Celtic punks for the uniq...
R.I.P. Bob Kulick, Lou Reed Guitarist and SpongeBob Songwriter Dies at 70
Bob Kulick, a veteran session guitarist known for his work with Lou Reed, Meat Loaf, and KISS, has died at the age of 70. News of Bob’s death was revealed by his older brother, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick. “I am heartbroken to have to share the news of the passing of my brother Bob Kulick,” Bruce wrote in a post to Facebook. “His love of music, and his talent as a musician and producer should always be celebrated. I know he is at peace now, with my parents, playing his guitar as loud as possible. Please respect the Kulick Family’s privacy during this very sad time.” Bob himself actually auditioned for KISS in 1972, but was beaten out for the job by Ace Frehley. Nevertheless, he was an active contributor to the band in an uncredited capacity, playing on albums including Alive II, Unm...
Rush Share Permanent Waves 40th Anniversary Reissue: Stream
Rush have shared a 40th anniversary reissue of their classic 1980 album Permanent Waves. Stream it below with Apple Music or Spotify. Permanent Waves was a defining moment in the prog-rock era. Rush eased back from the epic song formats that had defined their first six albums, producing tight, radio-friendly cuts and an honest-to-goodness hit in “The Spirit of Radio”. But the essence of the band remained experimental, and in the shifting time signatures of “Jacob’s Ladder” and the multi-suite, nearly ten-minute closer “Natural Science”, they allowed their creativity to run wild. Fittingly for the band’s maximalist ethos, the new reissue has been given the name Super Deluxe. In addition to the original six tracks (re-mastered as part of the famous “Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015” se...
Judas Priest’s Rob Halford to Release Tell-All Autobiography Confess in September
Judas Priest Rob Halford, photo by Steven J. Messina Judas Priest singer Rob Halford will “expose every facet” of himself in an upcoming autobiography, titled Confess. A September 29th release date has just been announced for the book. The metal legend revealed that he was working on the book last year. In an initial press release, he promised he wouldn’t hold anything back. “Confess is a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to expose every facet of myself,” stated Halford. “Digging deep with nothing to hide and nothing to fear was in many ways exciting, fun, disturbing, terrifying and cathartic. I’ve held nothing back. It’s time for me to ‘confess.’” The book will span Halford’s entire life and career, including his decision to publicly come out as gay in 1998. Among the other top...
Led Zeppelin’s Reunion Concert Film Celebration Day to Stream on YouTube
Celebration Day, the concert film capturing Led Zeppelin’s one-off reunion at London’s O2 Arena in 2007, will stream for free on YouTube this weekend. The film will be available for 72 hours beginning Saturday, May 30th at 3:00 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in below via Led Zeppelin’s YouTube channel. Led Zeppelin’s reunion, which doubled as a benefit concert for music executive Ahmet Ertegün, took place at London’s O2 Arena on December 10th, 2007. It marked the band’s first full-length performance in almost three decades, and their first time playing together since John Bonham’s death in 1980. For the show, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones were accompanied by Bonham’s son, Jason, on drums. Celebration Day, which was released in 2012, captures Led Zeppelin’s 16-song, two-encore set i...
Queen’s Brian May “Grateful” to Be Alive After Suffering Heart Attack
Queen’s Brian May revealed Monday that he recently suffered a small heart attack earlier this month, and was rushed to the hospital by his doctor. The incident came amidst other notable health concerns for the legendary guitarist. A few weeks ago, May revealed on Instagram that he had torn his gluteus maximus muscle in his buttocks during a “moment of over-enthusiastic gardening”. In his new video message, the guitarist admitted he was “pissed off” by the “Brian May Is a Pain in the Bum”-type headlines. While May did indeed tear his gluteus maximus, he said that he found out later, after another MRI, that the excruciating pain he described at the time actually came from a severely compressed sciatic nerve. “That’s why I had a feeling that someone was putting a screwdriver in my back,” he e...
R.I.P. Bucky Baxter, Longtime Steel Guitarist for Bob Dylan and Steve Earle Dies at 65
Bucky Baxter, the veteran steel guitarist known for his extensive work with Bob Dylan and Steve Earle, has died at the age of 65. According to Rolling Stone, Baxter passed away Monday, May 26th, at his home in Sanibel Island, Florida. A cause of death was not immediately made available. Baxter played on several Steve Earle albums released during the 1980s and early 1990s, including Guitar Town, Exit 0, and Copperhead Road. Baxter was also a founding member of Earle’s backing band The Dukes. While on tour with Earle in the early 1990’s, Baxter met Bob Dylan, who asked Baxter to teach him how to play steel guitar. Not long after, Baxter was invited to join Dylan’s “Never Ending Tour” and would remain a frequent presence on the road for the next decade. All told, Baxter backed Dylan for ...
Pink Floyd Launch Digital Playlist Featuring Rare or Unreleased Music
During the early part of quarantine, Pink Floyd treated fans to a digital concert series with weekly broadcasts of classic concerts. Now, they’ve launched a “brand new daily evolving playlist” featuring rare or unreleased music previously not available online. The “Syd, Roger, Richard, Nick and David – An Evolving Pink Floyd Playlist” officially launches today with “Us & Them (Live at The Empire Pool, Wembley, London 1974)”, from their 2011 Immersion box set of The Dark Side of The Moon. Each day will bring the addition of one new track to the playlist, ranging from alternate versions of classic songs to deep cuts spanning the entirety of Pink Floyd’s existence. Friday, in particular, will feature material previously made available on Pink Floyd’s Immersion box sets, such as the case w...
Mail Carrier Dresses Up as KISS’ Gene Simmons to Lift Spirits During Pandemic
A mail carrier in the UK has found a unique way to lift up the spirits of people on his route during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of late, Gary Underdown has been dressing up as Gene Simmons’ “Demon” persona in KISS, and he’s even caught the attention of Simmons himself. Underdown has donned the KISS makeup and wig at least four times while delivering packages and letters during his route on the Isle of Sheppey. A photo of the postman was shared on KISS’ Twitter account, and then retweeted by Simmons with the comment, “Wow.” The 32-year-old postal worker told Kent Online, “I have been a KISS fan since I came out of the womb,” adding that he first decided to sport the makeup on his route about a month ago and “got a good reaction.” He continued, “You get a few who are like, ‘Oh my God, that’s ...
Billy Idol Joins Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for “Dancing With Myself” in Quarantine: Watch
When it comes to tunes that capture the vibe of social distancing, Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself” is one that immediately comes to mind. On Thursday night’s Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots performed the song with “at-home instruments,” and got the man himself to join them. While in isolation, Fallon and the members of The Roots have been tackling a number of songs with makeshift instruments from their respective homes, in the vein of their regular “Classroom Instruments” sessions. The “Dancing With Myself” performance started out with just Fallon and The Roots on the first verse and chorus, before Idol joined in for the rest of the song. Among the unique at-home instruments, The Roots’ Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter banged a spatula against a blender, while Questlove used a foo...
Guns N’ Roses Launch “Not in This Lifetime Selects” Concert Streaming Series: Watch
Having just postponed their summer North American tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Guns N’ Roses are offering an alternative “live experience” for fans. The band has launched a new streaming series, dubbed “Not in This Lifetime Selects”, showing pro-shot footage from their mega-successful tour. The “Not in This Lifetime Tour” kicked off in 2016, with Slash and Duff McKagan rejoining Axl Rose in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band. Over a four-year period, the extensive trek has earned $563 million, making it one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. The streaming series starts Thursday (May 21st) with select highlights from the band’s October 29th, 2019 show at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. That gig saw GN’R play 25 songs, including seven from their iconic d...
Guns N’ Roses Postpone North American Tour Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Guns N’ Roses have officially postponed their summer North American tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outing, which was set to feature support from The Smashing Pumpkins on select dates, will be rescheduled. The tour was slated to run from a July 4th gig at Milwaukee’s Summerfest through an August 26th show in Missoula, Montana. The Pumpkins would have opened a handful of shows from July 8th through July 18th. The news comes roughly a week after GN’R called off their European tour, which was set to kick off today (May 20th). A full statement regarding the North American postponement reads as follows: “GN’R Fam, some news: the North American tour is being rescheduled out of an abundance of caution. We will share the updated schedule as soon as the dates are finalized & all tickets ...
