Don McLean, the musician behind the 1971 hit “American Pie,” has resigned from performing at the National Rifle Association’s national convention this weekend, following Tuesday’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. “In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week,” McLean said in a statement issued to TMZ. “I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans. I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation.” McClean was one of several performers — including Lee Greenwood, Danielle Peck, and Larry Gatlin — scheduled to perform at the NRA conventi...
Aersomith frontman Steven Tyler has voluntarily checked himself into rehab following a recent relapse. As a result, the band has pushed back the start of their upcoming residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM. “As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years. After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery,” Aerosmith said in a statement released on Tuesday. “We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must cancel our first set of Las Vegas residency dates this June and July while he focuses on his well-being,” the statement added. “We will continue our 2022 dates starting in S...
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are finally returning to the road for a globe-trotting 2023 world tour. The long-awaited reunion will mark the ensemble’s first outing in six years, and may be just the beginning as Springsteen suggested in the announcement: “I’m looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year. And I’m looking forward to once again sharing the stage with the legendary E Street Band. See you out there, next year — and beyond.” Get tickets here, and read on for more details including on-sale dates. What Is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s Next Tour? Advertisement Related Video Springsteen’s upcoming tour will consist of a US arena run in the spring, a summer stadium jaunt across Europe and the UK, and a second North American leg in the fall. Curre...
Primus had a couple of potentially intimidating fans on Friday (May 14th) at Toronto’s Massey Hall, where Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson were in attendance. After all, Primus are paying tribute to Rush during this tour, but it appears they didn’t disappoint the prog-rock legends. Primus have been playing Rush’s A Farewell to Kings in its entirety, along with select Primus cuts, on the ongoing tribute run. When the route passed through Rush’s native Canada, it only made sense for Lee and Lifeson to drop by and check it out (Lee had previously given Primus’ Les Claypool some in-person tips prior to the tour). “On Friday night we had the joyful experience of reuniting with our grand pals from Primus… Les, Ler, Herb and their gang…” wrote Lee on Instagram. “We sat side stage as they i...
Ted Nugent called for violence against “Democrats” and other “enemies” of America while performing at a rally for Donald Trump in Austin on Saturday night. “Think of what the enemies of America have done over the last 14 months,” Nugent told the crowd. “They didn’t sneak into the White House — they lied, they cheated, they scammed, and everyday the Democrats violate their sacred oath to the Constitution. And if you can’t impress you friends on that, they shouldn’t be your friends.” “I love you people madly,” Nugent continued, “but I’d love you more if you went forward and just went berserk on the skulls of the Democrats and the Marxists and the Communists.” Advertisement Related Video Nugent’s comments came just hours after a white supremacist shot and killed 10 people and wounded three ot...
The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins has weighed in on Jon Bon Jovi’s vocal issues, which were apparent on the veteran rocker’s recent US tour with his legendary band Bon Jovi. Jon Bon Jovi’s performances were notably shaky and off-key — a criticism that was consistent across numerous concert reviews. To Hawkins’ ear, Bon Jovi sounded “tired” rather than hindered by a vocal cord problem such as a polyp. Hawkins suggested that it’s psychological, and called for the band’s camp to step in. “It sounds like he needs some kind of therapy,” Hawkins said on his YouTube series “Justin Hawkins Rides Again” [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “It doesn’t sound like it’s a polyp or some sort of lump on his vocal cords ’cause that would be more unpredictable — he would be hitting the notes and then it w...
Considering his legacy, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Elvis Costello has had quite a few exciting celebrity encounters in his lifetime — but, as he explained during a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, one of the rocker’s most memorable meetings came way before his career even started. During a game of “The Colbert Questionert,” Costello recalled a story from when he was about nine years old, when he met classic Hollywood star Gregory Peck. “I lived near Twickenham Studios when I was a little boy, which is where A Hard Day’s Night was shot, and the beginning of Let it Be, which became Get Back,” Costello said, referring to the films starring fellow Brits The Beatles. “We got the word that they were doing a scene in the park where we’d kick the ball...
Bob Dylan is set to release a newly recorded version of “Subterranean Homesick Blues” on Friday, May 6th. The re-recording is tied to a new audio project from legendary producer T Bone Burnett called Iconic Originals. Specifically, Burnett has developed a new analogue sound technology that he says “possesses a depth, resonance and sonic fidelity that exceeds that of vinyl, CD, streaming or any other means of experiencing recorded music.” To launch the project, Burnett enlisted Dylan to re-record some of his most iconic songs. “An Ionic Original is the pinnacle of recorded sound,” Burnett said in a statement. “It is archival quality. It is future proof. It is one of one. Not only is an Ionic Original the equivalent of a painting, it is a painting. It is lacquer painted onto an aluminum disc...
Back in January, racist, conspiratorial COVID-19 denier Ted Nugent took to YouTube to criticize Rolling Stone’s [checks notes] 19-year-old 100 Greatest Guitarists list, where he particularly had a bone to pick with the inclusion of Joan Jett. NME brought Nugent’s one-sided beef to Jett’s attention, who, of course, took his abominable comments in stride. In his video tirade, Nugent said “You have to have shit for brains and you have to be a soulless, soulless prick to put Joan Jett [on the list],” before throwing similar shade to (non-white, non-male) celebrated artists like Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Grandmaster Flash and Patti Smith. When NME told Jett that Nugent didn’t believe she should be on the Greatest Guitarists lists, she shrugged, “Neither should he.” Advertisement Relate...
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Graham Nash catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about Graham Nash: Live, a new release that spotlights a complete run through his first two solo albums, Songs for Beginners and Wild Tales. Related Video The legendary songwriter talks about the relevancy of songs “Military Madness,” “Oh Camil,” and “Prison Song,” and forever being tied to his late ’60s relationship with Joni Mitchell. He also teases a soon-to-be-released solo record. Advertisement Nash goes on to also discuss about the photographs of his Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young bandmates featured in his new book, A Life in Focus. He talks about their enduring f...
Ever since Russia began their ongoing invasion of Ukraine back in February, the latter’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has become a household name and a figure of perseverance around the globe. Today, Primus’ Les Claypool and Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hütz have honored the tenacious leader with a, er, ballsy new anthem called “Zelensky: The Man with the Iron Balls.” Aside from Claypool and Hütz, “Zelensky: The Man with the Iron Balls” boasts some other familiar names: The Police’s Stewart Copeland plays drums, Sean Lennon sings and aids on guitar, Hütz’s bandmate Sergey Ryabtseb plays the fiddle, and Billy Strings joins on the acoustic guitar. The song is backed by a marching band drum beat that will make you want to salute to all the noble steel gonads around the world. Claypool and Hüt...