Classic Rock
Pearl Jam Cover The Beatles’ Oddity “Her Majesty” in Tribute (?) to Queen Elizabeth II: Watch
Queen Elizabeth II died on yesterday (September 8th) at 96 years old, and that evening Pearl Jam performed a cover of The Beatles’ oddity “Her Majesty” as a… tribute? Eulogy? Middle finger to the face of the 20th century imperialism? Most of the confusion comes from the song itself, a hidden track tucked some 14 seconds after “The End” on Abbey Road. “Her Majesty is a pretty nice girl/ But she doesn’t have a lot to say,” Paul McCartney sings. “I wanna tell her that I love her a lot/ But I gotta get a belly full of wine/ Her Majesty is a pretty nice girl/ Someday I’m gonna make her mine.” It’s a joke, though whether it’s a harmless bit of fun or deeply rude towards the monarchy depends on your perspective. Pearl Jam made no comment on their intentions when they...
Wolfgang Van Halen Shares Clip of Himself Shredding “Eruption” to Mark Anniversary of Van Halen Classic: Watch
Eddie Van Halen recorded his legendary shred guitar instrumental “Eruption” 45 years ago today this week. To mark the anniversary, the late rock icon’s son Wolfgang Van Halen posted a clip of himself ripping through part of the track in the studio in 2015. Wrote Wolfgang on Twitter: “In honor of Eruption being recorded 45 years ago today, here’s me playing part of it on the guitar it was recorded on in 2015 while tracking some guitars for the first @MammothWVH … Love you, Pop” Wolfgang lets loose and comes very close to replicating his dad’s virtuosic talents. “Eruption” stands as one of the greatest guitar instrumentals of all-time and could be considered the earliest example of the guitar shredder style, as it was released on Van Halen’s self-titled debut in 1978. Advertisement Related V...
NBC Airs Just 10 Seconds of Ozzy Osbourne’s Season Opening NFL Halftime Show
Ozzy Osbourne performed a two-song set at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Thursday night (September 8th) during halftime of the NFL’s season opening game between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately, those watching the game on NBC only saw a few seconds of the performance. During the broadcast, NBC sportscaster Maria Taylor introduced the performance in the middle of Ozzy singing the title track to his new album, Patient Number 9, at midfield. After about 10 seconds or so, cameras cut back to Taylor and the halftime crew analyzing the first half of the game. From what we briefly saw on TV, the metal icon’s backing band for “Patient Number 9” included Tommy Clufetos on drums, Chris Chaney on bass, and producer Andrew Watt on guitar. Thanks to fan-filmed footage on...
The Police Announce Ghost in the Machine Vinyl Reissue
The Police are revisiting their 1981 album Ghost in the Machine by reissuing the LP on a limited edition vinyl picture disc. The project arrives on November 4th. The Ghost in the Machine reissue features The Police’s originally intended tracklisting for the album, as well as three additional tracks: “I Burn for You,” which first appeared on the soundtrack to Brimstone and Treacle, “Once Upon a Daydream,” and “Shambelle.” Four more songs, “Spirits in the Material World,” “Rehumanize Yourself,” “One World (Not Three),” and “Hungry for You,” now include the original audio of drummer Stewart Copeland counting in the tracks. As for the “picture disc” aspect of the reissue, Side A and B of the newly printed Ghost in the Machine are etched with the artwork from the package’s o...
“I Started Crying”: Stewart Copeland Talks Witnessing Shane Hawkins Perform “My Hero” at Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert was a heavy affair, and not even seasoned professional Stewart Copeland was immune to getting emotional. The Police drummer, who performed at the event, reflected on the evening in an interview with CBS This Morning, where he particularly gushed about watching Hawkins’ son, Shane, sit in behind the kit with his father’s band. “I started crying,” Copeland said. “He’s got it. He’s got such power, enthusiasm. He’s got his father’s stance, musical language. That was really emotional to see young Shane up there.” Watch the full clip below. 16-year-old Shane Hawkins joined Foo Fighters for the penultimate song of the six-hour evening, playing drums for the classic “My Hero.” The circumstances alone made it an incredible — if not difficult to watc...
Ozzy Osbourne to Perform at Halftime of Season-Opening NFL Rams-Bills Game
Ozzy Osbourne is slowly making his way back to the stage after a series of health setbacks forced him off the road for the past few years. The metal icon will perform Thursday, September 8th, during halftime of the NFL’s season-opening game between the Buffalo Bills and the defending Super Bowl champs the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Prince of Darkness will be promoting his new album, Patient Number 9, which arrives the next day (September 9th). According to a press release, he’ll perform a multi-song medley, a portion of which will be televised during NBC’s broadcast of the game. Ozzy recently surprised fans in his hometown of Birmingham, England, when he performed “Paranoid” alongside Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi at the closing ceremony of the Commo...
David Lee Roth Shares Previously Unheard Version of Van Halen’s “Panama”: Stream
David Lee Roth has shared a new previously unheard live studio version of Van Halen’s “Panama” recorded live in the studio. Little else is known about the track, which was uploaded to DLR’s YouTube channel last night (September 1st) with artwork declaring: “Roth Lives!” This new take stays pretty close to the original Van Halen version, with some new vocal ad libs from Roth and a distinctly Eddie Van Halen-esque guitar tone. Keeping with DLR’s rather enigmatic presence as of late, there’s no information available on which musicians are backing Diamond Dave on the new “Panama” or when it was recorded. It’s the latest in a string of one-off song releases from DLR that have us seriously questioning whether the longtime Van Halen frontman is actually retiring. Advertisement Related Video Most ...
Johnny Depp to Join Jeff Beck on Bulk of 2022 North American Tour
Jeff Beck will be joined by Johnny Depp for the bulk of the legendary guitarist’s upcoming North American tour. The news follows the release of the pair’s joint album, 18, which arrived on July 15th. The dates were announced earlier this month, but Depp’s involvement wasn’t revealed at the time. The actor-musician will be joining Beck on the road beginning October 4th in Washington, D.C., and will remain on the outing through its closing date of November 12th in Reno, Nevada. Tickets are currently available via Ticketmaster. Prior to Depp joining the tour, Beck will play a handful of late September shows supporting ZZ Top, as well as one headlining gig in Atlanta on October 1st. Advertisement Related Video Depp and Beck have already played a number of UK and European dates together this ye...
Crowded House Postpone North American Tour Due to Drummer’s “Painful Lower Back Injury”
Crowded House fans eager to catch the band on their first North American tour in 12 years will unfortunately have to wait a little bit longer. The group has been forced to postpone the trek while drummer Elroy Finn heals up from a lower back injury. “Our drummer Elroy is currently suffering a painful lower back injury and is receiving medical treatment for it. We are advised that there may be some risk in the recovery process for him to play shows at this time,” lead singer (and Elroy’s father) Neil Finn said in a statement. “The good health and future well-being of the band members has to be our priority and we have been assured that Elroy will fully recover in a matter of weeks given rest and rehabilitation.” Finn added, “[We] want to bring our fans in North America the show at full stre...
Olivia Rodrigo Joins Billy Joel to Perform “Deja Vu” and “Uptown Girl”: Watch
Olivia Rodrigo made a surprise appearance during Billy Joel’s concert at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. The Sour singer joined the Piano Man to perform her own “Deja Vu,” as well as the song it famously references: Joel’s “Uptown Girl.” (On “Deja Vu,” Rodrigo sings, “I’ll bet that she knows Billy Joel ’cause you played her ‘Uptown Girl.’”) “Thank you so much for having me, Billy. I’m such a huge fan. I kind of wrote this next song about you,” she said prior to performing “Deja Vu.” Advertisement Related Video Watch fan-captured performance of their on-stage collaboration below. Rodrigo has shared the stage with plenty of music legends as of late. During her recent “Sour World Tour,” she brought out Lily Allen to sing “Fuck You” at Glastonbury, covered “You Oughta Know” with Alan...
Ozzy Osbourne Swore Off Acid After Talking to a Horse for an Hour
Ozzy Osbourne has had his fair share of run-ins with animals over the years, including famously biting the head off a bat onstage in 1982. But a lesser known story involves the metal icon taking acid and talking to a horse for an hour. The Daily Star recently dug up some Ozzy quotes from the 2015 Black Sabbath biography Symptom of the Universe by Mick Wall, and it’s since been picked up as a “new” story by several outlets. While the story itself isn’t new, it’s certainly worth sharing. “At that time in America, people were very fond of lacing your drinks with acid. I didn’t care,” Ozzy said in the book. “I used to swallow handfuls of tabs at a time. The end of it came when we got back to England.” Advertisement Related Video He continued, “I took 10 tabs of acid, then went for a walk in a ...
Joni Mitchell Receives Honorary Doctorate from Berklee: “My Mother Would Be Really Proud”
That’s Dr. Mitchell, to you. Joni Mitchell has received an honorary doctorate degree from Berklee College of Music. Berklee’s Office of the President and Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice presented Mitchell with the much-deserved honor yesterday, August 23rd, at a private event in Santa Monica. As Pitchfork points out, the ceremony was hosted by Linda and Russell Brown of MaddocksBrown Foundation, during which the legendary folk musician quipped: “Well, luckily I’m too old to get a swelled head.” Naturally, she also wore a custom beret to the ceremony, embroidered with her new name “Dr. Joni Mitchell.” “It’s a beautiful event. Words can’t describe it. I’ve got my good friends here with me,” Mitchell told the crowd, which included Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. “I wish my parents were...
