On this night in 1969, the Who and Led Zeppelin did the first and only concert the two groups did together.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on May 25 include...

1948 Scorpions Klaus Meine born.

1950 Kansas' Robby Steinhart born.

1955 Argent's John Grimaldi born.

1958 The Jam's Paul Weller born.

1965 Dave Davies knocked out after falling onto drum kit during Kinks London concert.

1969 The Who and Led Zeppelin do their only concert together at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

1973 Carole King does a free concert in New York City's Central Park.

1978 Keith Moon does his last concert with the Who.

1982 Queen releases Hot Space.   

1990 Fleetwood Mac opens its Behind The Mask tour in Vancouver.

1990 Lou Gramm of Foreigner goes solo (rejoins in 1992).

1993 Jimmy Buffett releases Before The Beach.

1996 Eric Clapton rescues guitars from burning London home.

1999 Paul Stanley of KISS premiers as Phantom in Toronto Phantom Of The Opera production.

Bruce Springsteen has announced that he and his E Street Band members will start a US arena tour in February, 2023 and follow it up with a European tour. In an unusual move, all of the cities for the second leg of the tour were revealed, but none of the first leg's US cities or venues were announced.

Rockin' Blues guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor already has an avid following in the UK, but her stature in the States is on the verge of getting a big boost thanks to a couple of US guitar greats Taylor has impressed. June 10th Joe Bonamassa's KTBA label will release CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray versions of a concert she did in Franklin, Tennessee that featured Bonamassa with her on three tracks and and Kenny Wayne Shepherd on a fourth. The 16 song June 10th release will also include an additional track, I'm No Angel, on the Blu-ray version along with behind the scenes footage from the concert.

We lost one of the most distinctive voices in rock on April 19th, 2012 when Levon Helm succumbed to neck and head cancer. Almost a year before his passing, the Band's drummer hosted a live session with Mavis Staples at his barn that included Levon's daughter Amy, Staples' sister Yvonne, guitarist Larry Campbell and Levon's Midnight Ramble horn section. The soulful, heartfelt performance recorded June 3, 2011 was released this week on the album titled Mavis Staples Levon Helm Carry Me Home. It features the versions of Curtis Mayfield's This Is My Country, Bob Dylan's You Got to Serve Somebody, the Buddy and Julie Miller song Wide River To Cross, moving renditions of You Got To Move, Trouble In My Mind and Farther Along, plus The Weight, a song Staples sang on during the Band's November, 1976 farewell concert, The Last Waltz.

Robert Plant was in Muscle Shoals, Alabama earlier this week to visit FAME Studios, home of the Muscle Shoals Sound. The Led Zeppelin front man has a deep regard for the studio that birthed so many R&B great songs and albums from artists he admires.

Photo credit: Fame Studios, Facebook

Fans of Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy will want to keep ears and eyes open for Phil Lynott Songs For While I’m Away + Thin Lizzy The Boys Are Back In Town Live At The Sydney Opera House October 1978. This June 24 release from Mercury pairs the acclaimed Phil Lynott documentary with a renowned live concert film, the set will be available as a 2xDVD+CD and Blu-ray+DVD+CD (with the Phil Lynott documentary on the Blu-ray).

Songs For While I’m Away chronicles the life and music of Phil Lynott, utilizing archival footage, interview segments with Lynott, music from both the Thin Lizzy and Phil Lynott solo catalogs,notable conversations with Thin Lizzy's other members and Adam Clayton (U2), Huey Lewis (Huey Lewis & The News), James Hetfield (Metallica) and others, as well as Phil’s wife and daughters. Combined, these conversations reveal an all-encompassing look at Phil, from his 1950s’ upbringing as a Black boy in blue collar Dublin to his rise to fame. Fully exploring his history and rippling impact on music, the film examines Lynott as a singer, songwriter, poet, father, and cultural icon.

Complementing this film is The Boys Are Back In Town Live At The Sydney Opera House October 1978. Previously released on VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD, this version presents the show in the highest quality that has been made available, with not only cleaned up video and remixed audio from multi tracks, but five additional songs from this set that have never been officially released. This performance showcases the electricity of these original Rock ‘N’ Roll masters.

Eric Clapton, Lindsey Buckingham and Pearl Jam are the latest to have touring plans disrupted due to positive COVID tests. While it appears Clapton will be able to resume touring this week and expects his upcoming US dates with Jimmy Vaughan to stay on schedule, the entire schedule of the former Fleetwood Mac member's first solo European tour has been put on hold.

EC tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 days after his May 8th Royal Albert Hall concert and was advised by doctors that a full recovery could be jeopardized if he resumed performing too soon, leading to the postponement of concerts scheduled for Zurich, Switzerland last night and Milan, Italy tonight. Barring any setback, the 77 year-old guitar great should be able to re-start his European tour this Friday in Bologna, Italy. His seven concerts US tour opens in Columbus, Ohio September 8th.

Pearl Jam had soldiered on with replacement drummers at a couple of gigs after Matt Cameron tested positive. After learning that Jeff Ament had also tested positive for COVID, the group announced Wednesday it would cancel concerts in Sacramento and Las Vegas.

We lost the venerable and eclectic musical genius Dr. John (aka Mack Rebennack) to a heart attack in June, 2019.  At the time of his passing, the New Orleans based keyboard great had been working on an album paying tribute to departed musicians he greatly admired .  Things Happen That Way, the posthumous release that comes out September 23, 2022, is titled for Guess Things Happen That Way, a song Johnny Cash put on the charts.  The Release also includes the good Doctor's versions of well-known songs recorded by Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, the Travleing Wilburys and his own I Walk on Guilded Splinters, along with a couple of other songs he wrote during the sessions.  Among the musicians he worked with on what would become his last album were Lukas Nelson, Aaron Neville, bassist Will Lee and Bonnie Raitt's go-to keyboard player Jon Cleary.

What may be the most impressive private collection of rock instruments ever assembled gets its first public viewing next month. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has spent a good chunk of his fortune amassing an array of iconic instruments that belonged to members of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and many other great rockers. Many of those are included in a display that will be viewable for free at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on June 3rd.

Creedence Clearwater Revival was peaking in 1969, a year the group released three very solid albums. In April of the following year, the California band's surging popularity in the UK earned it a debuting concert at Royal Albert Hall. Footage filmed during that concert somehow ended up shoved into a London vault, where it sat for decades. Fans will finally get to see it when a documentary in the works under the guidance of a team that includes credits for work on The Beatles: Get Back, and Rocket Man and Running Down a Dream, the Elton John based film and excellent Tom Petty documentary.

Jimmy Page's decision not to accept the invite to play on Ozzy Osbourne's new album was based on his ongoing interest in developing his own projects and not out of any disrespect of Ozzy. Without dishing any details about what he's working on material or timeline wise, the Zeppelin guitar great gave Classic Rock Magazine this take on why he elected not to join Eric Clapton and other guest musicians on Osbourne's forthcoming album; "It's not just one thing, it's multiple things, and I don't want to even give a hint, because if you do ... you give a one-sentence sound bite, and then if it doesn't materialize, it's like: 'Why didn't you do a solo album?' So I don't want to say what it is that I've got planned, because I don't want to give people the chance to misinterpret it".

Deacon Frey stepped into his father's place in the Eagles after Glenn Frey died. After nearly five years as a member, the 27 year old guitarist wants to pursue his own career. The announcement of his departure makes it clear how deep the appreciation for him is within the group and that his now former band mates have nothing but good wishes for him in the future.

"Deacon Frey has devoted the past 4½ years to carrying on his father’s legacy and, after some weeks of reflection, he now feels that it is time for him to forge his own path. We understand, completely, and we support him in whatever he wishes to pursue in the years ahead. In the wake of his dad’s demise, Deacon, at age 24, did an extraordinary thing by stepping from relative anonymity into the very public world of his father’s long illustrious career. We are grateful to Deacon for his admirable efforts and we wish him well as he charts his future. Deacon’s Eagles Family will always be here to surround him with love, support and goodwill, and he is always welcome to join us onstage at any future concerts, if he so desires. We hope our fans will join us in wishing Deacon the very best as he moves into the next phase of his career."

The Eagles.

Their styles of drumming were as far apart as their ages, but equally great, and Charlie Watts had a long life and career whereas Taylor Hawkins lost who knows how many years of living and loving what he did when he tragically passed away at 50. Both will forever be considered masters at their craft, but the over-the-top, brashness of Hawkins and the fact he died only days before his group would add to it's already impressive collection of Grammy awards landed him in the spotlight and the Rolling Stones drummer among the the passing mentions during the in memoriam segment of last night's ceremony. Knowing Charlie, he would probably have preferred it that way. R.I.P. both great drummers.

The eerily life-like figure of David Bowie took its place in the musician section of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in London this week, joining the collection that also includes life sized figures of Jimi Hendrix and Freddie Mercury.

An injury to his shoulder sustained during a family vacation in Costa Rica has forced guitarist Warren Haynes to postpone upcoming concerts.  The Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule member broke his scapula when he landed badly in a fall on a slick, hard surface. We send along rapid recovery wishes to him

The last Genesis concert ever took place last night in London. The 25 song, two set + encore performance featuring the three principle members of the legendary band willing to perform together included songs from every era of the group's 55 years. 'That's All" was performed, but not as the final song. To the delight of the fans that consider the early to mid 70''s to be the years that the group produced it's best music, the final song was Carpet Crawlers from 1974's Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

Joey Kramer is opting out of Aersmith's upcoming Las Vegas residency. His drum tech will fill-in for Kramer, as he did in 2019 while Joey was sidelined with a shoulder problem. The extent to which the band is addressing his absence for the Vegas run of concerts was limited to a statement that read he "regrettably made the decision to sit out the band's concerts in 2022 so he can focus his full attention on his family during these uncertain times", and went on to say that the band looks forward to his return to the group in the future.

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died Friday night (2/25) in Bogotá, Columbia. The social media post by the band regarding his death provided no information about the circumstances or the cause. The group was in the city to do one of the last concerts of its South American tour.

Update, 3/27/2022: Sadly, the toxicology tests indicate that Hawkins had multiple substances in his system the night he died, making it likely that they caused or contributed to his untimely death.

Photo: Heritage Auctions

A Gibson guitar owned and played by Eric Clapton and Gregg Allman is up for auction. Clapton ordered the instrument from Gibson in 1969 and presented it to Gregg as a gift shortly after Duane Allman lost his life in a motorcycle crash in October,1971. About a decade later, Gregg left the Les Paul custom as a gift to his Anna Marie Island, Florida neighbor. She said she thought Gregg had left it by mistake after a visit to play it at her place. When she contacted Allman about it, he let her know he'd left it as a gift to her. She, in turn, gave it to her daughter, Kendra Presswood, who had an interest in learning to play guitar. She's owned it ever since, but now wants it in the hands of a more deserving musician.  Heritage Auctions is handling the same of the guitar, which comes in its original case with a letter of authenticity and a signed gifting note from Allman.

With prospects slim to none that the surviving members of Pink Floyd will ever again share a stage together in concert, some quite impressive cover bands have been filling the Floyd void. Foremost among them are Brit Floyd and The Australian Pink Floyd. These bands and Steve Hackett's and Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets tours performing mostly true to the originals live renditions have been well received. The Gilmore Project, a group comprised of several musicians with pretty impressive credentials, plans to take a different approach by performing Pink Floyd classics as its members imagine its namesake might arrange and present them if he were to do them live today. As the group's COVID delayed US tour is gets underway, we'll be interested to hear and see what they come up with and how well it goes over.

https://youtu.be/JPPywwTujmw

A Macon, Georgia house is Gregg Allman lived in is now listed on Airbnb. The house at 839 Orange Terrace is owned by a couple that didn't learn that the Allman Brothers Band member resided there in the early 1970's until after they had bought it a couple of years ago.  A couple from Arkansas that are fans of the ABB stopped by the house and let its new owner know that he'd bought one of a the places the keyboard great had called home.  It's a fact he probably wished he'd been aware of before starting to renovate the home as a rental investment property. He also bought the house next door, which Gregg apparently also spent some time living in.

Photo: cc 3.0 calansingh

Rush fans and collectors will get the chance to take posession of a number of instruments and other personal items belonging to guitarist Alex Lifeson during a Julien's Auction hosted at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City May 20-22.  The collection of more than 100 items will include some iconic guitars, among them Whitie, the 1976 Gibson that Alex most often played in the studio and live, which is expected to top the final tally list in value at something close to $300,000.  Also up for bids is his 1980 custom crafted Hento Sportcaster played on the recording of Limelight and the 1981 Gibson Fusion guitar Lifeson played on the Moving Pictures tour.

Neil Young is packaging three 80's works of his into and an EP that was only available in Japan and Australia into an April 29th release. The CD or vinyl set includes Hawks & Doves, Re•ac•tor, and This Note’s for You, and the Eldorado EP that has a pair of tracks Young hasn't previously released, Cocaine Eyes and Thunder Love.

Def Leppard serves up a new album on May 27th with the release of Diamond Star Halos.

Drummer Bill Bruford has compiled a quite comprehensive retrospective featuring tracks he is proudest of during his muti-decade career. The 6 CD set titled Bill Bruford Making Song and Dance - A Complete Career Collection includes 70 songs featuring him on drums with Yes, King Crimson, UK, Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe, Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Roy Harper and others. The set drops on April 29th

Aimee Mann took an artful approach on her Instagram account to express her disappointment and bewilderment over being dropped as the opening act on Steely Dan's upcoming tour.

With Keith Richards saying on CBS Sunday Morning the the band is writing new songs and Mick Jagger popping an updated tongue and lips logo onto his Twitter account, it's looking almost certain the Rolling Stones plan to embrace the group's 60th year with a new album and will probably tour again, as well. Keith says Mick and drummer Steve Jordan have been working up new songs at an unprecedented pace, with eight or nine already done. The group released a blues covers album in 2015, but hasn't dropped an album of new original material since 2005. A new studio album this year or next would be the 25th for the Stones in the US.

Daryl Hall has mined his archive to pull together a retrospective album that will include songs ranging from long ago to relatively recent ones from his highly regarded Daryl's House series. The double disc release due April 1 will also feature some interesting previously unreleased collaborations.

Months before Dusty Hill died, ZZ Top got together in a funky rural dance hall northeast of San Antonio and recorded a live set. That performance, recorded with only the band, crew and a few others present, will get released on July 22. Billy Gibbons says recording it that way was the trio's way to shed the trappings and complications of its success and reconnect in a real basic way with the music they love making together. With the Raw album release, the band, now including former guitar tech Elwood Francis on bass, will launch it's Raw Whiskey Tour. Of losing bass player Hill, Billy says, "The Dust may have left the building, but he is still very much with us."

Bruce Springsteen earned a reputation of giving everything he had every night he hit the stage, but when The Boss and the E Street Band played Cleveland, he always seemed to give even more. That extra came through loud but not too clear on bootlegs of his 1978 concert at the Agora, which was added in better form to his archive collection in 2014. Another example became available this week. His Nov. 10, 2009 concert in Cleveland, one of the last to include Clarence Clemons before his untimely death.