METALLICA Is This Year's National Jukebox Day Ambassador
TouchTunes has chosen Metallica as their ambassadors for National Jukebox Day, allowing users to win a VIP experience at the band's Philly tour stop by playing Metallica songs on the app. The contest runs until December 8, with a limit of 250 entries per user. Prizes include meeting the band and more information can be found on the TouchTunes website. Metallica's M72 World Tour dates for North America in 2025 have also been announced.
Trent Reznor Says Nine Inch Nails Was Inspired by This Cult Classic Film
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails revealed that the 1988 horror mystery film Dead Ringers was a major inspiration for the band. The movie, directed by David Cronenberg, follows the story of identical twins and their complex relationships with women. Reznor praised the film for its sense of dread and its ability to make viewers feel bad throughout. Dead Ringers has since become a cult classic and influenced Reznor's approach to creating music with Nine Inch Nails.
AC/DC Set To Hit Road For North American Tour
AC/DC will be hitting the road. The band announced on Monday they are bringing their Power Up Tour to North America next year. The 13 stop tour will start on April 10th in Minneapolis and will hit cities like Detroit, Dallas, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Tampa and Chicago. It'll wrap up in Cleveland on May 28th. Tickets go on sale on Friday.
My Chemical Romance Posts Tribute to Late Drummer Bob Bryar
My Chemical Romance has announced the passing of former drummer Bob Bryar, who was a key member of the band's history. The band expressed their condolences to Bryar's friends and family and paid tribute to his contributions to their music. Bryar joined the band in 2004 and played on albums such as The Black Parade and Danger Days. He later left the music industry to focus on real estate and charity work. Bryar was found dead at his home in Tennessee at the age of 44, with the cause of death currently under investigation.
Ozzy Osbourne claims spinal surgery is reason for health problems
Ozzy Osbourne attributes his ongoing health issues to a surgery he underwent in 2019, following a fall at his LA home. The surgery aggravated previous injuries from a quad-bike crash in 2003, causing metal rods in his back to become dislodged. Despite his Parkinson's diagnosis, Ozzy believes the spinal surgery is the root of his health problems and regrets not seeking a second opinion before the operation. Reflecting on his mortality, the musician expressed uncertainty about his remaining years and the passage of time as he approaches his 76th birthday.
SLIPKNOT's ELOY CASAGRANDE Named 2024 'Metal Drummer Of The Year' By Readers Of MODERN DRUMMER Magazine
Former SEPULTURA and current SLIPKNOT drummer Eloy Casagrande was voted the No. 1 metal drummer in Modern Drummer magazine's 2024 Readers' Poll. Casagrande expressed gratitude for the recognition and emphasized the importance of support from fans and the drumming community. After parting ways with Jay Weinberg, SLIPKNOT teased a new drummer and Casagrande joined the band, making a significant impact on their sound. SLIPKNOT recently completed the North American leg of
their "Here Comes The Pain" tour, celebrating their 25th anniversary with a classic look and energetic performances.
Iron Maiden’s 40-Year-Old Album Surges 4,000% In Purchases
Iron Maiden's album "Powerslave" has made a strong comeback on the charts in America, debuting on two Billboard rankings. The album's recent re-release on a special edition picture disc vinyl with new cover artwork and notes has sparked renewed interest among fans. Sales of "Powerslave" saw a significant increase, with the album selling over 5,400 copies in a week, marking a gain of over 4,000% from the previous period. The band's success with "Powerslave" has landed them on the Top Album Sales and Top Hard Rock Albums charts, with the album reaching No. 24 and No. 25 respectively.
IRON MAIDEN: Legacy Of The Beast Video Game To Go Offline At The End Of 2024
Navigator Games has announced that IRON MAIDEN's Legacy Of The Beast mobile game will be closing after eight years. The game, launched in 2016, allows players to battle as Eddie, MAIDEN's mascot, across worlds inspired by the band's imagery and music. IRON MAIDEN was closely involved in character creation and story content for the game. To celebrate the game's legacy, a 4-week celebration with in-game additions and giveaways is planned. Cash-only in-app purchases have been removed, and all in-game currency must be used by December 31, 2024.
The Cure Announces Songs Of A Live World
The Cure is announcing a companion release for their comeback album. Last month, the band released "Songs of a Lost World" the band's first album in almost two decades. Now, the band has announced a live release of all eight songs from their new album that were recently performed at a show at Troxy London last month. Proceeds from the release will benefit War Child UK, with the album available in a variety of forms December 13th.
Goo Goo Dolls tour postponed after singer's hospitalization
The Goo Goo Dolls have apologized to fans for canceling their South Africa shows due to singer John Rzeznik being hospitalized with pneumonia. The band expressed their disappointment in a social media post and promised to return in March 2025. Rzeznik, in a video from his hospital bed, apologized for the cancellation and explained his health condition. The rescheduled dates for Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria are set for late March 2025, with original tickets remaining valid. The band's upcoming shows include a December gig in Florida and a January performance in New York before their Australia tour in February-March.
Lenny Kravitz shares sweet, and shirtless, birthday wishes to daughter Zoë Kravitz – 100.7 FM – KSLX – Classic Rock
Lenny Kravitz posted a throwback photo on Instagram to celebrate his daughter Zoë Kravitz's 36th birthday. The black-and-white photo shows the father-daughter duo cuddling on a bed. Lenny expressed his love and pride for Zoë in the caption, thanking her for teaching him true love and joy. Zoë is Lenny's only child, and her mother is his ex-wife, Lisa Bonet.
GEOFF TATE Says His New Music Will Be Released One Song At A Time Over A Two-Year Period
Geoff Tate, former QUEENSRŸCHE singer, announced his final "Operation: Mindcrime - The Final Chapter" tour starting in March 2025. Tate plans to perform the classic album in its entirety for the last time due to his age. He also revealed that new music is in the works, with a full album's worth of material set for release over a two-year period. Additionally, Tate is working on the third and final chapter of the "Operation: Mindcrime" album series, which will continue the story of Dr. X, Nikki, and Sister Mary.
THE WHO: Solemn Anniversary
Today (Tuesday) December 3rd, marks 45 years since 11 Who fans were trampled to death while rushing the gate at their 1979 show at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio. The band was doing a soundcheck, which some mistook for the show, leading to the stampede.
Two years ago, on May 15th, 2022, The Who returned to Cincinnati for their first concert there in 43 years. Performing at TQL Stadium, a Major League Soccer venue in Cincy, Pete Townshend addressed the significance of the show following a few songs. "You know, I've been trying to think of what to say, what would be cool to say, what would be uncool to say, and really, there's no words that we can say that can meet with the fact that you guys have come out tonight and supported this event. Thank you so much."
That show was a benefit for the P.E.M. Memorial Scholarship Fund, founded in August 2010 in memory of the three seniors from the city’s Finneytown High School killed that night -- Stephan Preston, Jackie Eckerle and Karen Morrison. The scholarship is for high school seniors who pursue degrees in the arts or music. Townshend said "As you probably know, we're not being paid for this so I'm not gonna work very hard. But, you are paying, and your money is going to great causes -- many of which are related to what happened back here in Cincinnati in 1979, which is probably time for us to both remember and try to forget. Anyway, it's so lovely to be here in this brand new place. We're gonna go back and try to play the way we used to play in 1979 -- loud, messy...here we go." With members of nine of the 11 families impacted by the tragedy on hand, photos of the 11 victims were shown on the screen during "Love, Reign O'er Me."
And, in the next and final song of the night, "Baba O'Riley," The Who were joined by seven members of the Finneytown Children's Choir, which is part of the scholarship program, as well as other musicians from the program. And, one of the P.E.M. scholarship awardees, as well as three current student musicians sat in with the orchestra that backed the band. This show was originally scheduled for April 2020 across the Ohio River at the BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky, but was postponed due to the pandemic.
ELTON JOHN: Not Looking Good
Elton John has seen better days ... literally. After recently saying he's blind in his right eye due to an infection over the summer, he now says he really can't see out his left. Taking the stage Sunday for a curtain call with the cast of his London musical, The Devil Wears Prada, he said, "I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight. So, it’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it and, boy, it sounded good tonight.”
But, as he told Good Morning America, he remains optimistic.
“There’s hope and encouragement that it will be okay, but I’m kind of stuck in the moment, because going into the studio and recording, I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric for start. We're taking an initiative to try and get it better. But at the moment that's really what we're really concentrating on. It's never fortunate for anything like this to happen. And it kind of floored me, and I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything."
Steve Vai Says An Eat 'Em And Smile Reunion Almost Happened
Steve Vai revealed that he narrowly missed reuniting with David Lee Roth and their original solo band for a surprise performance in 2015. After persuading Roth to join what was at first planned as a jam session at Los Angeles' Lucky Strike, the event was overwhelmed by a crowd of 2-thousand…way over the venue's 350-person capacity. "We were all ready to go," Vai shared on social media, but safety concerns forced the fire marshal to shut down the event just as Vai was about to play the opening chord of "Yankee Rose." Vai was okay getting a fine if he played, but he found out that the venue could lose their license if he did. Despite the temptation to proceed, Vai ultimately decided to respect the fact that the venue losing its license wasn’t a great outcome. Roth seemed ok in the end about the whole thing going sideways, joking, “Perfect! Now we’ll get more press out of it than if we actually played.”
KISS: A Year Later
KISS brought their five-year End of the Road tour to its conclusion a year ago today -- Monday,
December 2nd -- which was a Saturday. (It started on January 31st, 2019, in Vancouver, Canada, and has gone around the world for a total of 13 legs and 250 shows.) Held at Madison Square Garden in their hometown of New York City, they've marked the anniversary by posting on YouTube a 20-minute highlight video, which includes the video they premiered that night of them as fantasy-based superhero avatars performing their 1991 cover of Argent's 1973 song, "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You," along with a QR code taking you to their new website and the special announcement, which was that they will be the first U.S. band to stage an avatar show, similar to what ABBA is doing in London with their Voyage production.
Still no word on when and where this next phase of the band will launch.
Doobies, McDonald Top Yacht Rock Song Rankings
The recent premiere of HBO's "Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary" inspires a look back at a ranking of the top so-called "yacht rock" songs. Ultimate Classic Rock unveiled its ranking of the Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs and not surprisingly, the number one song features lead vocals by Michael McDonald."What a Fool Believes" by The Doobie Brothers tops the list and is among four songs in the top 15 that features McDonald on lead or backing vocals. McDonald, whose voice was once described by a critic as "smooth as melted chocolate," sings lead on the number 15 song "Minute By Minute" by The Doobie Brothers. McDonald contributes backing vocals on the sixth-ranked song, "Ride Like the Wind" by Christopher Cross, and the number two song "Peg" by Steely Dan.
IN OTHER NEWS
Graham Nash, with special guest Peter Asher, will tour Europe next fall. Nash will also do U.S. dates in the spring. All dates at GrahamNash.com.
The Soulshine concert on November 24th at New York's Madison Square Garden, which was organized by the Dave Matthews Band and Warren Haynes, raised over $4.5 million for hurricane relief in western North Carolina and Florida.
Pat Benatar, Wynonna, Ashley McBryde, Grace Potter, Beverly D’Angelo, Crystal Gayle, Kristin Chenoweth, Rita Wilson and many others are featured on Great Performances – Patsy Cline: Walkin’ After Midnight, which recently premiered on PBS. The show was filmed at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. You can also watch the show online at PBS.org.
Dave Mason has posted a video showing himself recuperating from heart surgery last month. He says he’s “walking [his] way back to health and feelin’ alright!”
Pearl Jam have started their annual "12 Days of Pearl Jam" series of videos. They've posted four clips of Dark Matter songs so far -- two versions of "Scared of Fear," plus the debut live performances of "Setting Sun" and "Running." Watch them on YouTube.
ZZ Top, with George Thorogood opening, will tour Australia and New Zealand in late April and May.