Classic Rock
Judas Priest Welcome Andy Sneap Back Five Days After Dropping Him from Touring Lineup
Judas Priest have reversed course on their recent decision to drop guitarist and producer Andy Sneap from their touring lineup. The legendary metal act announced Saturday (January 15th) that Sneap will indeed be with the band when it launches its North American tour in March (tickets available here). Sneap joined the Priest live lineup when longtime guitarist Glenn Tipton stepped away from regular touring after revealing in 2018 that he is battling Parkinson’s disease. On Monday (January 10th), Judas Priest announced that they would be proceeding without Sneap as part of their live band, but that he would still stay on to produce the group’s upcoming album. The band stated at the time, “Hello maniacs! We are chomping at the British Steel bit to return to world touring… celebrating 50 years...
Judas Priest to Perform as Four-Piece, Dropping Andy Sneap from Their Touring Lineup
Judas Priest will play their upcoming tour as a four-piece after dropping guitarist and producer Andy Sneap from their live lineup. The legendary metal act’s rescheduled 2022 North American tour kicks off March 4th in Peoria, Illinois, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. Initially, a statement from the band suggested that the split was amicable, with Sneap leaving to concentrate on production — including work on Judas Priest’s next album. Judas Priest stated, “Hello maniacs! We are chomping at the British Steel bit to return to world touring… celebrating 50 years of Judas Priest as an an even more powerful, relentless four piece heavy metal band – with Glenn [Tipton] coming out on stage with us here and there as before. Big thanks to Andy for all you’ve done and continuing to be in th...
Bob Dylan Calls Sex Abuse Lawsuit from Professional Psychic a “Brazen Shakedown”
Bob Dylan’s legal team has formally responded to allegations made by an anonymous woman that he sexually assaulted her when she was 12 years old, calling her lawsuit a “brazen shakedown.” As multiple outlets have reported, his lawyers have also sought to discredit the woman by bringing attention to her work as a psychic. The plaintiff is a now-68-year-old woman identified in court documents as J.C. She initially claimed that in April and May of 1965, Dylan tried to “lower her inhibitions with the object of sexually abusing her, which he did, coupled with the provision of drugs, alcohol and threats of physical violence, leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day.” However, Dylan was on tour during that period, and J.C.’s timeline of events didn’t match...
Bon Jovi Announce Spring 2022 US Tour
Hard rock icons Bon Jovi have announced a Spring 2022 US arena tour that spans 15 dates in April. The trek kicks off April 1st in Omaha, Nebraska, and runs through an April 30th date in Nashville. The route will hit markets in the Midwest, along the East Coast, and throughout the Southeast and Texas. Tickets go on sale to the general public January 14th at 10 a.m. local time in most markets, and can be purchased via Ticketmaster. Pre-sales will begin as early as January 11th. Related Video “We have all missed touring and we know that nothing can replace the energy of a live show for the fans or the band,” Jon Bon Jovi said via a press release. Advertisement The band was forced cancel its last major tour with Bryan Adams in April 2020 after pandemic lockdowns hit. Bon Jovi have played a han...
Slash: Guns N’ Roses Plan to Release “Entire Record’s Worth” of New Material
Guns N’ Roses released two new songs last year, and there’s more where that came from. In a new interview, Slash revealed that the legendary rock band will continue to release new material until a full album is completed. And fans won’t have to wait long. “There’s new Guns material coming out as we speak, and we’ll probably keep putting it out until the entire record’s worth of stuff is done and then put it out solid,” Slash told Classic Rock magazine. “It’s cool. I’m enjoying working on the stuff and having a good time doing it.” Related Video The guitarist rightly projected a 2021 release for Guns N’ Roses’ most recent singles: “Absurd” and “Hard Skool.” Both originated from the Chinese Democracy era, but were reworked by the band’s current lineup — particularly the guitar parts. Ev...
Cobra Kai Creators Really Want to Use Classic AC/DC Song But Can’t Afford It
Even the current No. 1 show on Netflix can’t afford AC/DC! Creators of the popular series Cobra Kai have been hoping to work the legendary rock band’s classic hit “Thunderstuck” into an episode over the course of its four seasons, but the price is too steep. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz revealed that he and the show’s other writers had “Thunderstuck” in mind for a montage in a Season 4 scene in which Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) puts Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) through some grueling Eagle Fang training. And it wasn’t the first time they wanted to feature the iconic 1990 tune. “We had ‘Thunderstruck’ written into the script,” explained Hurwitz. “We’ve written ‘Thunderstruck’ into the script several times over the years, and we’ve never...
John Mayer Tests Positive for COVID-19, Exits Dead & Company Festival in Mexico
Just before flying to Mexico for Dead & Company’s annual festival Playing in the Sand, John Mayer had to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. The band shared the news in a social media post, while also announcing that Margo Price would now be joining the rock veterans. “Today, just prior to leaving for Mexico, per his physician, @JohnMayer tested positive for COVID-19 and will be unable to perform at the upcoming ‘Playing in the Sand’ event in Riviera Cancun January 7-10,” the band wrote. Mayer becomes the second Dead & Company bandmate to bow out of the festival, after drummer Bill Kreutztmann announced that he would be pulling out due to heart issues. According to the group, “The weekend will now feature Dos Hermanos con Amigos,” referring to founding Grateful ...
David Byrne and Yo La Tengo Cover Yoko Ono’s “Who Has Seen the Wind?” for New Tribute Album: Stream
Canvasback Music and Atlantic Records have announced Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono, a tribute album for the iconic artist curated by Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard. The album, which features an all-star lineup of musicians covering 14 of Yoko Ono’s songs, is out February 18th. As a preview, you can stream David Byrne and Yo La Tengo’s collaborative rendition of “Who Has Seen the Wind?” below. Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono “was born out of both love and frustration,” Gibbard said in a statement. “The ‘love’ part is pretty obvious; It is the seemingly bottomless well of inspiration and enjoyment Yoko Ono’s music has provided me and I must assume everyone else present here on this compilation. The ‘frustration’ part, on the other hand, goes back decades.” “As an advoc...
David Lee Roth Cancels Entire Las Vegas “Retirement” Residency
David Lee Roth’s apparent retirement party will have to wait, as the former Van Halen singer has canceled his entire Las Vegas residency. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer had previously declared the planned gigs at the House of Blues Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino would be his last shows ever. The residency was initially slated to be comprised of five shows, and then expanded to nine when four more dates were added. Heading into the holiday weekend, the first two shows (December 31st and January 1st) were initially postponed “due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows.” Then on Monday (January 3rd), the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that all nine shows were canceled. While COVID safety wa...
Rush Pinball Machines Officially Unveiled: Watch Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson Record Dialogue
Stern Pinball has unveiled its new Rush machines, including three cabinet variants. Last week, we reported that Stern’s first pinball machine of 2022 would be themed after the iconic progressive rock band. At the time, only a short teaser trailer was available featuring a list of songs and a CGI version of the Fly By Night owl. Now, Stern has given fans a first full glimpse at the Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition Rush cabinets as well as detailing gameplay and the revolutionary Insider Connected feature. Related Video The company set out to “reflect the energy, excitement, and experience of a live Rush concert” as players “travel with Rush through time.” The game will be guided by exclusive concert footage and custom dialogue from Rush members Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee, along with fellow...
David Bowie’s Entire Publishing Catalog Sells for $250 Million
David Bowie’s estate has sold the publishing rights to his entire catalog to Warner Chappell Music, the publishing arm of Warner Music Group. Variety reports that the months-long negotiations ended in a deal estimated to be worth at least $250 million. This deal includes all the beloved classics from Bowie’s peerlessly cool lifetime, like “Heroes,” “Space Oddity,” and “Life on Mars?,” as well as Toy, his elusive 2001 LP that posthumously received its first commercial release in November of last year. As Variety points out, this deal also means that virtually all of Bowie’s music is now part of the Warner system. Last September, Warner acquired the rights to the musician’s recordings from 1968 through 2016 — even including his last few albums that were originally release...
Ted Nugent Is Pissed Off About a 12-Year-Old List of the 100 Greatest Guitarists
A decade old list ranking the 100 greatest guitarists left Ted Nugent in a foul mood over the holidays. As Blabbermouth points out, Nugent went live on YouTube on December 30th to rant and rave about a list originally published by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke in… December 2010. “When you see the Rolling Stone magazine list of greatest guitar players, they list Joan Jett but not Tommy Shaw [of Styx],” griped Nugent. “How do you list the top 100 guitar players and not list Derek St. Holmes?” he continued. “How do you do that? You do that by lying. The same way you get Grandmaster Flash in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You do that by lying. You have to be a liar.” Nugent took particular umbrage with Joan Jett’s inclusion on the list. “You have to have shit for brains,” he continued, “and yo...
