Classic Rock
Pat Benatar No Longer Performing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” Because of Mass Shootings
Pat Benatar has retired her classic song “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” “in deference to the victims of the families of these mass shootings.” Benatar hasn’t performed “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” live since May, and she has no plans to do so going forward. In an interview with USA Today, she explained, “I tell [fans], if you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it.” “[The title] is tongue in cheek, but you have to draw the line,” she added. “I can’t say those words out loud with a smile on my face, I just can’t. I’m not going to go on stage and soap box – I go to my legislators – but that’s my small contribution to protesting. I’m not going to sing it. Tough.” Advertisement Related Video Written by Eddie Schwartz and released by Benatar in 1980, “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” was Bena...
Ozzy Osbourne Unveils New Song “Degradation Rules” Featuring Tony Iommi: Stream
Ozzy Osbourne has unveiled “Degradation Rules” as the latest single from his upcoming album, Patient Number 9, and this one features fellow Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi on guitar. The track just might be the closest tune we get to a new Black Sabbath song following the iconic metal band’s final album, 13, which was released nine years ago. Iommi once again proves why he’s the lord of the riff, while Ozzy delivers his signature haunting vocals. Meanwhile, Chad Smith and Robert Trujillo handle drum and bass duties on the track, respectively. “Degradation Rules” marks the second single from Patient Number 9, following the title track featuring Jeff Beck. Among the other guitarists on the album are Eric Clapton, Mike McCready, and Zakk Wylde, while additional bassists include Duff McKagan a...
Elton John Says Women Are “Making the Best Music”
Despite his legendary status, Elton John keeps his pulse on current artists, and in his opinion, women are “making the best music” right now. The Rocket Man made the proclamation in a new interview with Music Week while name-dropping a variety of acts, including Consequence Artist of the Month alums Nova Twins and Wet Leg. However, he did take a moment to praise fellow UK musician Sam Fender. “It’s so great to see Nova Twins, Wet Leg, Let’s Eat Grandma, The Linda Lindas, Haim, and all these girls rocking out and making the best music,” John said. “Apart from Sam Fender, none of the boys are doing it, the girls are. It’s a breath of fresh air, because it comes from innocence and pure joy and that, for me, is what music is about.” Advertisement Related Video Elsewhere in the interview, ...
Lou Reed’s Estate Releases Earliest Known “Heroin” Demo: Stream
A demo of Lou Reed’s Velvet Underground epic “Heroin” has been unleashed from the upcoming archival album Words & Music, May 1965. Remastered from an unearthed tape that established the singer-songwriter’s copyright for the composition, it is thought to be the song’s earliest recording. The fuzzy, finger-picked take follows an acoustic folk style similar to the new collection’s initial offering, “I’m Waiting for the Man.” Unlike its predecessor though, which came “nearly complete, with minor changes made in the final arrangement,” “Heroin” seems to have undergone several substantial changes before its visceral debut on 1967’s The Velvet Underground & Nico. Reed is also joined by fellow Velvet Underground member John Cale for the song’s first recorded runthrough. Stream it below. Wo...
Roger Waters Says He’s “Far, Far, Far More Important” Than The Weeknd and Drake
Roger Waters took his “This Is Not a Drill” tour to Canada earlier this month, where he apparently didn’t receive the love and attention he felt he deserved. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, the 78-year-old Pink Floyd bassist took aim at Canadian superstars The Weeknd and Drake, asserting that he’s “far, far, far more important than any of them will ever be.” Waters’ ego was bruised because no Canadian newspapers reviewed his two concerts in Toronto on July 8th and 9th. When he asked The Globe and Mail reporter Brad Wheeler about the perceived snub, Wheeler explained that The Weeknd — a much more popular act than Waters in this day and age — was scheduled to perform on the same night, and Wheeler was assigned to review his show instead. “I have no idea what or...
Bruce Springsteen is a Grandfather
Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa are celebrating the birth of their first grandchild. As Scialfa revealed on Instagram, the couple’s youngest son, Sam, and his fiancée recently welcomed a baby daughter named Lily Harper. Sam, 28, was sworn in a firefighter in Jersey City, New Jersey in 2020. His older brother, Evan, works for SiriusXM Radio. Their sister, Jessica, is a champion showjumper who won a silver medal at last year’s Olympics. Advertisement Related Video Bruce and Patti will have a few months to enjoy being grandparents before they reunite with the rest of the E Street Band and head out on an expansive world tour. Tickets to the newly announced North American leg go on sale beginning next week. https://www.instagram.com/p/CgDLIypvHLd/ [flexi-common-toolbar] [fl...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Curator Charged in Conspiracy to Sell Don Henley’s Stolen Handwritten “Hotel California” Lyrics
Three men, including a curator for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, were charged on Tuesday, July 12th in an alleged conspiracy to sell Don Henley’s stolen lyrics to multiple Eagles classics, including “Hotel California,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” and “New Kid In Town.” According to TMZ, over 100 pages of Henley’s notes were stolen in the 1970s by an author hired to write a biography on The Eagles. In 2005, the author sold the notes, which were valued at more than $1 million, to rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, who then sold them to Rock Hall curator Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski. The three men subsequently attempted to sell the manuscripts through Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses, and even worked to fabricate ownership records in order to “coerce” Henley, who reported them...
Crosby, Stills & Nash Return to Spotify Following Joe Rogan-Inspired Exodus
In February, Crosby, Stills & Nash joined their old bandmate Neil Young in removing their music from Spotify to protest the spread of COVID-19 misinformation on the platform. Now, five months later the musicians’ music is back on the platform. Young spurred a sort of Spotify Exodus earlier this year when he announced he was taking his music off the streaming service to protest the COVID-19 misinformation spread by Joe Rogan’s Spotify-exclusive podcast. Graham Nash followed suit first, removing his solo recordings from the streamer and announcing “I completely agree with and support my friend Neil Young.” Soon after, Crosby and Stills’ solo works, as well as all music recorded as CSNY, CSN, and CN, had been taken off Spotify. Now, Crosby, Stills & Nash are back on Spotify as a ...
Guns N Roses Joined by Carrie Underwood for “Sweet Child O’ Mine” & “Paradise City”: Watch
Guns N’ Roses received a assist from Carrie Underwood during the band’s concert at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday (June 1st). The pop singer made a surprise appearance near the end of GNR’s main set, joining frontman Axl Rose to perform “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” She then returned to the stage during the encore to sing on “Paradise City.” Watch fan-captured footage below. In April, Rose joined Underwood during her own headlining set at the Stagecoach Music Festival. She described the on-stage collaboration as the “Best. Night. Of. My. Life!!!” and thanked Rose for “making this lifelong dream come true!!!” Advertisement Related Video Guns N’ Roses are amidst a UK/European tour that runs through the middle of July. Later this year, they’ll play shows in South America, Japan, Austra...
Yard Act Recruit Fan Sir Elton John for New Version of “100% Endurance”: Stream
Sir Elton John is just one of many who have hopped on the Yard Act bandwagon. The Rocket Man himself features on a new version of the UK band’s single from May, “100% Endurance.” John sang praises for Yard Act while speaking to NME back in October, specifically complimenting frontman James Smith’s distinctive speak-singing: “I can’t do it but I love it and I wonder how they do it.” Yard Act thanked John in return a couple months later by covering “Tiny Dancer,” essentially confirming what would become a real-life friendship. In a press release, Smith explains how a series of phone calls led him to giving John a spur-of-the-moment invitation to the studio with Yard Act: “Within our camp we have a saying: ‘Mad shit happens when you do art,’” Smith adds. “You make stuff becaus...
Bret Michaels Hospitalized Prior to Poison Concert
Poison frontman Bret Michaels was hospitalized on Thursday shortly before the band was due to take the stage in Nashville as part of “The Stadium Tour” alongside Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. According to Blabbermouth, Poison guitarist C.C. Deville informed the crowd that Michaels had fell ill “because of an allergic reaction to medication,” and had been taken to a local hospital for treatment. Earlier in the day, Poison canceled a scheduled backstage meet and greet with fans after a member of the band’s touring party tested positive for COVID-19. Advertisement Related Video Consequence has reached out to Poison’s representatives for information on Michaels’ condition. “The Stadium Tour” has been anything but smooth sailing since kicking off earlier this month. Apart from Michael’s health i...
Gene Simmons: KISS to Add Another 100 Cities to Ongoing Farewell Tour
KISS’ ongoing farewell tour shows no signs of stopping. In fact, the band plans to add another 100 cities to the itinerary. Gene Simmons broke the news in a recent interview with Chaoszine. When asked when KISS would wrap up the tour and retire, Simmons couldn’t give a definite answer — only that it wouldn’t be anytime soon. “We don’t know,” he said. “We’ve never retired before. This is our first time. It’s like painting a painting or writing a book. When somebody says, ‘When is it gonna be finished?’ You’re in the middle of it; you don’t know.” Advertisement Related Video KISS had originally circled July 17th, 2021 as the date of their final concert — plans that were upheaved by the pandemic. After their itinerary was shifted around, Paul Stanley said that the farewell tour would lik...
