Pearl Jam fan's attending the Sunday (6/29) concert in Oslo got to hear a Stones song Mick Jagger's own band has played live fewer than a dozen times since its 1981 release. It was the third time the Seattle group has covered Waiting On A Friend in concert. Pearl Jam performed the song twice during its 2006 tour.
He preferred to live outside the artistic mainstream but judging from the size of the estate the late musician left behind, Lou Reed's musical and artistic enterprises generated a lot of money and the value of his work appreciated considerably following his death. His $30 million estate will be mostly divided between the three closest women in his life, his wife, sister and mother. Singer Laurie Anderson, Reed's wife, will receive the couples Greenwich Village apartment and their property in the Hamptons The real estate's a combined value is $8.5 million. She will also be awarded cars, boats, clothing, jewelery and Sister Ray Enterprises, Reed's company. His mother will be well cared for by his sister, who Reed's original will allocated $500,000 ofr that purpose. That figure has now multiplied 10x based on the increased value of the estate since Reed died.
Calling it the '...beginning of the long goodbye', Roger Daltrey confirmed that he and Pete Townshend are laying the ground work for a tour they plan to dub The Who Hits 50 tour. The announcemnt was accompanied by a brief acoustic set for the assembled media at Ronnie Scott's club in London's Soho district Monday (6/30). An album is also in the offing according to Townshend, who recently gave Daltrey a trio of new songs and said, 'Happily he likes them.' While the concert sets will be heavy with crowd pleasing tunes, the pair seems intereted in also mixing in some relatively obscure pieces their hard core fans have hoped to hear on past tours. As Pete put it, 'We are hoping that there will be a few nice surprises for people who have seen us many times.'
The UK portion of the tour opens in Glasgow November 30 and runs through an O2 Arena date in London on December 17. BBC.co.uk
Monday (6/30), BlindedByTheLight.com, a web site dedicated to Bruce Springsteen goes live. The online museum aims to be 'The Ultimate Bruce Springsteen Experience' and launches with more than 300 artifacts relating to Bruce and his E Street Band. Site developer Michael Crane intends to boost the online archive by 30 - 50 items each month and promises twice a year giveaways through the site. First up is autographed original album art.
Crane told Rolling Stone he plans to give away Bruce's 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Gaining access to the full online array of all things Bruce will run $9.99 for a month of unlimited visits.
Bruce's 8th grade report card is amoung the momorabilia site visitors can find on the site. He made out okay for a kid that couldn't spell or write. NYTimes.com
The Rolling Stones acknowledged the role Bobbby Womack had in their early success by doing his song It's All Over Now in his honor during their 19 song set at the EW Festival in Belgium Saturday (6/28). Womack, who wrote the song while a member of the Valentinos, died Friday. The song became the first #1 song for the Stones in England. The performance of the tune was the group's first since the Bigger Bang tour nearly a decade ago.
Less than a week after Eric Clapton made an early exit due to sound problems during a concert in Glasgow (story), the legendary guitarist suggested his touring days could soon be over. Speaking with Uncut, EC called being on the road 'unbearable', 'unapproachable' and 'hostile'. Given that he probably flies on private luxury jets or first class and makes astronomical amounts for playing less than two hours, it's a little tough to dredge up much sympathy for Eric. What appears to aggravate him as much as anything is his perception that too many once unique places in the world have turned into '...a different version of America'. Sounds like he's a good part of the way to 'Get off of my lawn!'. NME.com
Farm Aid organizers are letting supporters know which day the organization's annual benefit concert is going to take place, but remain mum on the city and venue. Our sources indicate the Raleigh-Durham area will be hosting the Saturday, September 13th event to raise money and awareness to support family farming.
One of Farm Aid charter member John Mellencamp's sons attends Duke University, where he earned a walk-on reserve cornerback position on the Blue Devils football team.
Jeff Beck will be out of action for six weeks after undergoing a hospital procedure to deal with an unspecified medical problem. The guitarist has had acute back trouble in the past. Beck still anticipates being able to tour the U.S. during the tail end of the summer, but the recovery period has forced him to cancel concerts in Europe. Posts from representatives on his online sites expressed the guitar great's '...greatest regret' over the need to pull the plug on those dates, adding that Beck '...sends his profound apologies tot hose fans that had bought tickets', and that he, '...very much looks forward to playing for audiences after he has completed his treatment.'
On June 27, 1971 the lower East Side of Manhattan's fabled Fillmore East hosted its final concert. The Allman Brothers Band headlined and Boston's J. Geils Band and the great Albert King shared the closing bill. Tickets were $3.50, $4.50 and $5.50 ($20.56, $26.43, $32.31 in 2014 dollars). A pretty good price - and one helluva evening. The Allmans set had just 9 songs, but they were epic. Bill Graham was a shrewd business man and promoter to be sure, but his low-key, no BS intro for the Allmans that made it clear that, first and foremost, he was a fan. Enjoy!
Steve Hackett's Genesis Revisited concert at Royal Albert Hall DVD delivers faithful renditions of songs from what many fans consider the golden era of Genesis. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes preview of the preparation for the concert and the performance of Carpet Crawlers.
Genesis Revisited set list
Dance On A Volcano
Dancing With The Moonlit Knight Fly On A Windshield Broadway Melody Of 1974 Carpet Crawlers The Return Of The Giant Hogweed The Musical Box Horizons UnquietSlumbersForTheSleeprs In That Quiet Earth Afterglow I Know What I Like Firth of Fifth Ripples The Fountain of Salmacis Supper's Ready Watcher of the Skies Los Endos
The cancerous condition Vivian Campbell developed and chemothrerapy temporarily knocked back has returned. The Def Leppard guitarist hopes a stem cell transplant will beat the Hodgkins lymphoma into remission. Campbell is also being treated with a recently developed form of chemo that is easier on the body than the previous treatments he underwent. He plans to continue those while Def Leppard tours with KISS this summer and then knock the disease out by undergoing a stem cell transplant in September. Campbell says he's not looking forward to that process but believes the stem cell strategy gives him the best chance to beat the disease once and for all. HenneMusic.com
Note paper from a former Washington DC hotel would not be of much interest or value in a garage sale, but four sheets of the hotel stationary once provided in rooms at the Roger Smith Hotel fetched a top bid of $2 million Tuesday (6/24). It was on those pages that Bob Dylan scribbled the only known draft of the words to Like A Rolling Stone in 1965. Adding value to the artifact, alternate lyrics for a few lines Dylan was considering and his doodlings of some seemingly random items. The high bidder's identity was not announced. The amount paid for the iconic lyrics easily eclipsed the $1.2 million paid for the Lennon penned lyrics for A Day In The Life, which sold in 2010.
Steve Perry's recent return to the stage for the first time in eons '...felt really amazing' according to the former Journey front man, but Perry categorically states he has no plans to reunite with his former group despite their current lead singer opening the door for Perry to reassume his position in the band. Arnel Pineda made the offer after seeing a video of Perry doing an impromptu appearance with The Eels. Pineda tweeted the fan who sent him the link to the video, 'He should come back. His voice is still there. Missed that voice', and added that the lead vocalist spot in Journey is '...his righteous place anyway.' Perry's reaction? He told Fan Asylum, 'I don't know who or what would make Arnel want to say such a thing. He's their lead singer and I only wish him all of the best! There is no reunion.' Commenting on how it felt to be back in front of a live audience, Perry said it was '...like having sex for the first time in 20 years.' HenneMusic.com
Sound problems during his Saturday (6/21) concert at the Hydro in Glasgow left fans feeling hosed when an obviously irritated Eric Clapton abruptly left the stage after cutting-short Cocaine. Eric was a few notes into High Time We Went when he stepped to the mic and said, 'Sorry about that' before turning and walking off the stage. Band members followed suit. Many of the 12,000 startled fans voiced their disappointment and anger before exiting the venue and then took their complaints to Clapton's Facebook page. A post to Clapton's web site later read, 'Unfortunately we experienced a steadily worsening technical problem with the PA system that the band battled with throughout the show. By the last song of the set it became unbearable and Eric was unable to complete that number.'
The more riveting and charismatic the singer you aspire to sub for, the bigger the risk of rejection. Queen and Adam Lambert seem willing to take that risk. Judge for yourself how well the American Idol veteran does as lead singer with this snippet from the Thursday (6/19) tour opener at the United Center in Chicago.
Mick Jagger has taken flack over his rapid return to romance after the suicide of his former lover (story). Now Jagger's latest love interest is in trouble, too. The New York Post reports that the 27 year-old ballerina apparently called in sick to the American Ballet Theatre on Broadway as an excuse to jet to Zurich to be with Jagger. Hamrick has a role in Cinderella, which opened at the Metropolitan Opera House June 9th. Our take? a good looking 27 year-old finding 70 year-old Mick Jagger does qualify as being sick.
Michael McDonald rejoins the Doobie Brothers for three songs on the group's new album. The record features tracks from the band's good sized catalog re-done with the participation of some of the biggest artists in Country music, including Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Sara Evans and the Zac Brown Band. Recording for the project is done and the album should be out this fall. Patrick Simmons credits the earlier generations of fans for their longevity. 'Our old fans force their children to listen to us. And their children are now forcing their children to listen to us... so it's working out just as we planned.'
Merry Clayton, whose riveting vocals helped make Gimme Shelter by the Stones the great song it is, suffered serious injuries in a car accident in Los Angeles on June 16. The singer, recently celebrated in the outstanding documentary about background singers Twenty Feet From Stardom, sustained '...severe injuries to her lower body, including major trauma to her lower extremities', according to a post on her web site. Clayton's pipes were also featured on Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama as well as on albums and tours of dozens of other artists. NOLA.com
Singer Brian Johnson spends a lot of time on the road when AC/DC is off the road. Much of his time and energy between tours and recording sessions is devoted to auto racing. His passion for fast cars spawned books about his favorite rides and they led to a television series - Cars That Rock. Thanking fans on his web site for the great response the show has earned from band fans and fellow car fanatics, Johnson posted a message sure to be well received in the AC/DC fan ranks. The Thursday (6/19) post on BrianJohnsonRacing.com ended with the lead singer writing, .\'...ther is the slight distraction of my day job with AC/DC - and it looks very likely that we will be on the road again before the end of the year. So stand by for more music - and more Cars That Rock.'
Yes is giving fans a preview of one of the 8 new tracks to be included on Heaven & Earth, the album the group will release July 8. Production of the album was handled by Roy Thomas Baker, veteran producer of projects by Foreigner, the Cars, Queen and Alice Cooper.
The band will perform two classic Yes albums during the tour that opens July 5 at Tioga Downs in Nichols, New York. 1971's Fragile will be done live for the first time ever in its entirety, followed by the following year's classic Close To The Edge. Encores on each night of the tour will feature favorites from a number of other Yes albums.
Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band Of Gypsys veteran Billy Cox will be joined by Buddy Guy, Zakk Wylde, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, Eric Gales, Doyle Bramhall II, Double Trouble member Chris Layton and others on the next series of Experience Hendtix dates. The tour opens in Hollywood, FL on September 19 and works its way west, closing on October 18 in Oakland.
9/19 Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock 9/20 Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall 9/21 Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theater 9/23 Melbourne, FL - King Center 9/24 Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Centre 9/25 Birmingham, AL - Alys Robinson Stephens PAC 9/26 Nashville, TN - Schermerhorn 9/28 Austin, TX - ACL Live @ Moody Theater 9/29 San Antonio, TX - Tobin Center PAC 9/30 Austin, TX - ACL Live @ Moody Theater 10/2 Houston, TX - Bayou Music Center 10/3 Durant, OK - Choctaw Events Center 10/4 Newkirk, OK - First Council Casino 10/5 Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater 10/7 Mesa, AZ - Ikeda Theater 10/9 Valley Center, CA - Harrahs Rincon Theater 10/10 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theater 10/11 Indio, CA - Fantasy Springs Casino 10/12 Avila Beach, CA - Avila Beach Resort 10/14 Santa Cruz, CA - Civic Auditorium 10/15 Santa Rosa, CA - Wells Fargo Center 10/16 Davis, CA - Mondavi Center 10/17 Lemoore, CA - Tachi Palace 10/18 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
A batch of equipment Lou Reed used over the decades is being sold on eBay to raise money for the Lou Reed Archive. A post on the late artist's Facebook page reads, 'Over the past thirty years Lou Reed amassed a large collection of equipment in support of his many tours. While all of his most important guitars, amps and effects will be kept by Sister Ray Enterprises for his archive, there are many pieces of musical gear and road cases that need to be sold.' Prospective bidders can sort through the offerings at https://stores.ebay.com/Lou-Reed-Archive.
They say everything is bigger in Texas. That includes zany ideas. Odd-ball philanthropist Stanley Marsh made his fortune from oil and gas and built a roadside attraction on Route 66 in Amarillo consisting of 10 Cadillacs planted nose down in the ground. The Cadillac Ranch inspired the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name on his 1980 River double album. The Ranch was not the only off-beat creation Marsh came up with. He also had a 180' pool table at his own ranch with a billboard reading 'Actual size' next to it. The idea for the Cadillac Ranch was hatched in an art collective Marsh created in 1974 and named the Ant Farm. He told the Amarillo Globe-News ten years ago that the installation was intended as a '...monument to the American dream, when we all thought we could hit the road, get a blonde, break the bank in Las Vegas and be a movie star.'
It may only end up being a one off, but a BBC commitment from former Genesis to reunite for a documentary the network is producing could open the door to the group performing together for the first time since Peter Gabriel parted ways with Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Steve Hackett. Peter Gabriel recently indicated for the first time that he was no longer staunchly opposed to the idea of playing together. A live performance would certainly add an exciting dimension to the documentary that will delve into the history of the Prog Rock masters. A Gabriel web site post says the group managed to '...perplex and enrage the die-hards' by heading in an increasingly pop direction during its last incarnation. No broadcast timetable has yet been announced, nor have details about where and when a live performance might be stage staged.
Royal Albert Hall would be quite a setting, but O2 Arena or a BBC studio might be more likely
That Little 'Ole Band From Texas tore things up during the 2013 Montreux Jazz Festival. That performance becomes available for Top fans July 22 when Eagle Rock Entertainment releases the set on Blu-ray. The career spanning set list found the trio dipping their boots into early, recent and decades between crowd pleasers, including Waitin' For The Bus>Jesus Just Left Chicago, Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man. La Grange, Tush, Tube Snake Boogie and close to a dozen other tracks.
1. Got Me Under Pressure 2.Waitin' For The Bus 3.Jesus Just Left Chicago 4.Gimme All Your Lovin' 5.Pincushion 6.I Gotsta Get Paid 7.Flyin' High 8.Kiko 9.I Loved The Woman 10. Foxey Lady 11.My Head's In Mississippi 12.Chartreuse 13.Sharp Dressed Man 14.Legs 15.Tube Snake Boogie 16. La Grange 17.Tush
Photos in the press of Mick Jagger cavorting with an attractive 27 year-old ballarina on a Zurich hotel balcony during recently resumed Rolling Stones tour have a sister of designer L 'Wren Scott calling Mick out for being '...grotesquely disrespectful' to her late sister and her family. Jan Shane went so far as to suggest that her sister's suicide may have related more to troubles in her relationship with the Stones front man than she previously believed. Shane told the Mirror, 'The more I think about it, the angrier it makes me. My sister derrves more respect.' Jagger reportedly paid to fly Melanie Hamrick to join him on the road in Europe. Papparazi snapped a number of photos of the couple snuggling and carrying on on June 1.
NBC is reportedly planning to develop a series based on the Beatles. The Peacock network is said to be engaging Michael Hirst, the creator and producer of The Tudors, to put together an undertermined number of installments that chronicle the years leading up to the Beatles arrival on the world stage. No word yet on whether they have specific actors in mind to portray John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
In a descrption that conjures bizarre images, Richie Sambora said the solo album he is working on includes songs that sound like 'Fleetwood Mac on steroids'. No release date or title have been settled on, but Sambora has some 30 tracks under consideration for the album. As to whether and when the guitarist will rejoin Bon Jovi, neither Jon or Richie has closed the door on the prospect. Speculation about whether an incident between the two caused Sambora to quit the band has not been commented on directly by either. Richie did say that playing live with Bon Jovi had become too constricting. As he put it to Rock Radio NI, 'There wasn't enough room to improvise, to have that moment where you can actually lose yourself musically.'
Lynyrd Skynyrd made Call Me The Breeze one of JJ Cale's best known songs with their Rockin' cover of the tune. Eric Clapton does a version with the shuffle approach typical of many Cale originals on the forthcoming tribute album to the late guitarist and close friend. Get the full track list here, and hear Eric and Albert Lee's take on the tune in the video.
Tackling Doors classics is a tall order. The lineup that's been put together for a forthcoming tribute album just might pull it off. Light My Fire - A Classic Tribute to The Doors features a host of contemporaries of Morrison, Densmore, Manzarek & Krieger performing a number of the legendary bands best known songs and a few relatively obscure tracks. Check out some of the artists and the songs they do on the upcoming release.
LA Woman - Jimi Jamison (Survivor), Patrick Moraz (Moody Blues)
Love Me Two Times - Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Thijis Van Leer (Focus), Larry Coryell
Roadhouse Blues - Leslie West (Mountain), Brian Auger
Love Her Madly - Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) Mik Box (Uriah Heep)
Riders On The Storm - Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow), Tony Kaye (Yes)
The Crystal Ship - Edgar Winter
Intro to People Are Strange - Keith Emerson (ELP), Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter (Doobie Brothers)
People Are Strange - David Johansen
Touch Me - Robert Gordon, Steve Morse (Deep Purple)
Hello, I Love You - Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep)
Spanish Caravan - Elliot Easton (Cars)
Alabama Song - Todd Rundgren
Break On Through - Mrk Farner (Grand Funk Railroad)
Light My Fire - Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Rick Wakeman & Steve Howe (Yes)
Tom Petty lets us know some time ago that the next Heartbreakers album would have more in common with the band's mid 70's albums than some of the groups more recent releases. If American Dream Plan B and U Get Me High are any indication, he meant it. Get a taste of what Tom has in store for fans in this combo album and tour tease.
Slash has turned loose a 30 second clip from one of the new songs he and Myles Kennedy will include on the World On Fire album. The September 16th release will be the third album on his own by the former Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver guitarist.
Recuperation from the virus he fell victim to in Asia has forced Paul McCartney to delay the opening of his US tour. June dates have been rescheduled for October. The opening night of the McCartney trek will be his July 5th date in the Times Union Center in Albany. Sir Paul apologized to fans that will be inconvenienced by the shuffle of about 1/3 of the concert dates but says he is '...feeling great but taking y doc's advice to take it easy for a just a few more days.' Rescheduled dates for concerts are San Francisco (now 8/14), Lubbock (10/2), New Orleans (10/11), Dallas (10/13, Atlanta (10/15), Nashville (10/16), Jacksonville (10/25) and Louisville (10/18). Original date tickets for all will be honored on the new dates. AntiMusic.com
Sibling rivalry has kept the Kinks apart for decades but Ray and Dave Davies seem finally to have decided to bury the hatchet someplace other than between one anothers shoulder blades. The bickering brothers seem willing to at least set aside their nasty feud long enough to mount a 50th anniversary tour. Ultimate Classic Rock reports that Ray and Dave have agreed to tour, quoting Ray as saying, "I met Dave only last week to talk about getting back together again.'
He also expressed the hope that the two of them will write some new songs together and says both feel a tour needs to include some new material as well as past hits. UltimateClassicRock.com
The ranks of guitar greats that admire Johnny Winter is long and strong. A quick invite was all it took to get Joe Perry, Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, Billy Gibbons and Mountain veteran Leslie West to jump at the chance to be on Winter's next album. The September 2 release titled Step Back is being described as 'aggressive vintage blues' and also includes appearances by Ben Harper, Brian Setzer and Dr. John.
Opponents of bear hunting are mounting a campaign to get Metallica dropped from the Glastonbury festival lineup. The online petition stems from James Hetfield's role as host of The Hunt, a History Channel show that includes an episode about hunting down a brown bear in Kodiak, Alaska. A post on the Facebook page started those seeking to have Metallica dropped from the headline spot at the festival reads, 'James Hetfield, lead singer of Metallica is a supporter and promoter of big game hunting' and contends that role conflicts with '...the values of environmentalism that have become so important at Glastonbury.' The site had collected 14,000 Likes. Lars Ulrich calls the petition and other criticism of the group '...ridiculous'. Hear what eles he had to say here...
The back-and-forth in the media between Robert Plant and Jimmy Page sends an increasingly clear signal that a Zeppelin reunion is extremely unlikely. The latest remark from the lead singer in response to Page indicating that he and John Paul Jones are on the same page about getting together and that Plant should be too was fired-off by Plant during an interview with the National when he said, 'I think he needs to go to sleep and have a good rest, and think again.' He followed that remark up by saying, 'We have a great history together - like all brothers we have these moments where we don't speak on the same page. But that's life.'
We have been impressed with the convincing job Andre Benjamin does channeling Jimi Hendrix's mannerisms and speech in the preview scenes we've viewed from Jimi: All Is By My Side film but Kathy Etchingham, Jimi's close companion and lover from 1966- '69, is outraged at what she maintains are '...completely made up' scenes depicting Hendrix behaving violently toward her. Speaking with the Sydney Morning Herald just prior to the film's debut at the Sydney Film Festival, the Melbourne, Australia former real estate sales woman says she might take legal action because, 'If I don't, it'll just get repeated and repeated and it'll become the truth.' Her objections to the movie are echoed by a close friend and confidant of the guitar great. Talking with Variety about the movie, Roger Mayer says the portrayal of the relationship that includes domestic violence convinces him, '...these naughty filmmakers haven't researched anything properly'.
Concert highlights from the 1974 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunion tour will finally get released this summer. After years of debate about what to include and how to get the best sounding audio possible from the original multi-track recordings, everyone, including the nearly impossibel to please Neil Young, has signed-off on the track list. How good is the material they selected? David Crosby told Rolling Stone last year that he thinks it is '...startlingly good'. David appears to have lost on his bid to title the set that chronicles the tumultous tour What Could Possibly Go Wrong. CSNY 1974 bows on July 8.
The Allman Brothers Band may continue doing occasional live concerts, but the Southern Rock institution will cease to be a regular touring band this fall. We now know when and where. The group will do make-up dates for concerts that were postponed in March due to Gregg Allman's illness on October 21, 22, 24 & 25. Tickets for those shows are sold out, but it is likely some will become available once ticket holders unable to attend the new dates opt for refunds. The final two concerts for the band are scheduled to take place October 27 & 28. The Allmans have taken the stage at the Manhattan venue 232 times since adopting the Beacon for an annual residencey in 1989.
Dorthea Hurley, the wife of Jon Bon Jovi, was rushed to a New York City hospital Saturday (5/31) after severely slicing her hand while working in the couple's kitchen. The wound to her palm was suffered while cutting vegetables. Paramedics called to the scene quickly determined that she needed to be transported to a hospital for further treatment of the heavily bleeding wound. Doctors at Beth Israel Hospital stitched her palm and she later returned to the duplex penthouse apartment they recently relisted for sale for more than $35 million. BraveWords.com
Ozzy Osbourne says he has vivid memories of his early years but is prone to forgetting things he did moments ago and has a hard time remembering much of anything in the 90's. Ozzy attributed his lack of recall for things that happened then to the fact 'My drug addiction and alcohol addiction were absolutely fierce then', and added, ...there wasa lot of blackout time'. Ozzy ranked being hooked on cigarettes right up there with his substance addictions in terms of degree of difficulty to break the habit of, calling nicotine one of the most addictive substances he ever indulged in. He thinks cigarettes would be considered as dangerous as heroin if tobacco had not been an earlier fixture in our society.
Farm Aid organizers are letting supporters know which day the organization's annual benefit concert is going to take place, but remain mum on the city and venue. Our sources indicate the Raleigh-Durham area will be hosting the Saturday, September 13th event to raise money and awareness to support family farming.
The cancerous condition Vivian Campbell developed and chemothrerapy temporarily knocked back has returned. The Def Leppard guitarist hopes a stem cell transplant will beat the Hodgkins lymphoma into remission. Campbell is also being treated with a recently developed form of chemo that is easier on the body than the previous treatments he underwent. He plans to continue those while Def Leppard tours with KISS this summer and then knock the disease out by undergoing a stem cell transplant in September. Campbell says he's not looking forward to that process but believes the stem cell strategy gives him the best chance to beat the disease once and for all.
Note paper from a former Washington DC hotel would not be of much interest or value in a garage sale, but four sheets of the hotel stationary once provided in rooms at the Roger Smith Hotel fetched a top bid of $2 million Tuesday
Steve Perry's recent return to the stage for the first time in eons '...felt really amazing' according to the former Journey front man, but Perry categorically states he has no plans to reunite with his former group despite their current lead singer opening the door for Perry to reassume his position in the band. Arnel Pineda made the offer after seeing a video of Perry doing an impromptu appearance with The Eels. Pineda tweeted the fan who sent him the link to the video, 'He should come back. His voice is still there. Missed that voice', and added that the lead vocalist spot in Journey is '...his righteous place anyway.' Perry's reaction? He told Fan Asylum, 'I don't know who or what would make Arnel want to say such a thing. He's their lead singer and I only wish him all of the best! There is no reunion.' Commenting on how it felt to be back in front of a live audience, Perry said it was '...like having sex for the first time in 20 years.'
Mick Jagger has taken flack over his rapid return to romance after the suicide of his former lover 
Michael McDonald rejoins the Doobie Brothers for three songs on the group's new album. The record features tracks from the band's good sized catalog re-done with the participation of some of the biggest artists in Country music, including Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Sara Evans and the Zac Brown Band. Recording for the project is done and the album should be out this fall. Patrick Simmons credits the earlier generations of fans for their longevity. 'Our old fans force their children to listen to us. And their children are now forcing their children to listen to us... so it's working out just as we planned.'
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Singer Brian Johnson spends a lot of time on the road when AC/DC is off the road. Much of his time and energy between tours and recording sessions is devoted to auto racing. His passion for fast cars spawned books about his favorite rides and they led to a television series - Cars That Rock. Thanking fans on his web site for the great response the show has earned from band fans and fellow car fanatics, Johnson posted a message sure to be well received in the AC/DC fan ranks. The Thursday 
A batch of equipment Lou Reed used over the decades is being sold on eBay to raise money for the Lou Reed Archive. A post on the late artist's Facebook page reads, 'Over the past thirty years Lou Reed amassed a large collection of equipment in support of his many tours. While all of his most important guitars, amps and effects will be kept by Sister Ray Enterprises for his archive, there are many pieces of musical gear and road cases that need to be sold.' Prospective bidders can sort through the offerings at https://stores.ebay.com/Lou-Reed-Archive.
They say everything is bigger in Texas. That includes zany ideas. Odd-ball philanthropist Stanley Marsh made his fortune from oil and gas and built a roadside attraction on Route 66 in Amarillo consisting of 10 Cadillacs planted nose down in the ground. The Cadillac Ranch inspired the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name on his 1980 River double album. The Ranch was not the only off-beat creation Marsh came up with. He also had a 180' pool table at his own ranch with a billboard reading 'Actual size' next to it. The idea for the Cadillac Ranch was hatched in an art collective Marsh created in 1974 and named the Ant Farm. He told the Amarillo Globe-News ten years ago that the installation was intended as a '...monument to the American dream, when we all thought we could hit the road, get a blonde, break the bank in Las Vegas and be a movie star.'
It may only end up being a one off, but a BBC commitment from former Genesis to reunite for a documentary the network is producing could open the door to the group performing together for the first time since Peter Gabriel parted ways with Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks and Steve Hackett. Peter Gabriel recently indicated for the first time that he was no longer staunchly opposed to the idea of playing together. A live performance would certainly add an exciting dimension to the documentary that will delve into the history of the Prog Rock masters. A Gabriel web site post says the group managed to '...perplex and enrage the die-hards' by heading in an increasingly pop direction during its last incarnation. No broadcast timetable has yet been announced, nor have details about where and when a live performance might be stage staged. 
In a descrption that conjures bizarre images, Richie Sambora said the solo album he is working on includes songs that sound like 'Fleetwood Mac on steroids'. No release date or title have been settled on, but Sambora has some 30 tracks under consideration for the album. As to whether and when the guitarist will rejoin Bon Jovi, neither Jon or Richie has closed the door on the prospect. Speculation about whether an incident between the two caused Sambora to quit the band has not been commented on directly by either. Richie did say that playing live with Bon Jovi had become too constricting. As he put it to Rock Radio NI, 'There wasn't enough room to improvise, to have that moment where you can actually lose yourself musically.'
Tackling Doors classics is a tall order. The lineup that's been put together for a forthcoming tribute album just might pull it off. Light My Fire - A Classic Tribute to The Doors features a host of contemporaries of Morrison, Densmore, Manzarek & Krieger performing a number of the legendary bands best known songs and a few relatively obscure tracks. Check out some of the artists and the songs they do on the upcoming release.
Sibling rivalry has kept the Kinks apart for decades but Ray and Dave Davies seem finally to have decided to bury the hatchet someplace other than between one anothers shoulder blades. The bickering brothers seem willing to at least set aside their nasty feud long enough to mount a 50th anniversary tour. Ultimate Classic Rock reports that Ray and Dave have agreed to tour, quoting Ray as saying, "I met Dave only last week to talk about getting back together again.'
The back-and-forth in the media between Robert Plant and Jimmy Page sends an increasingly clear signal that a Zeppelin reunion is extremely unlikely. The latest remark from the lead singer in response to Page indicating that he and John Paul Jones are on the same page about getting together and that Plant should be too was fired-off by Plant during an interview with the National when he said, 'I think he needs to go to sleep and have a good rest, and think again.' He followed that remark up by saying, 'We have a great history together - like all brothers we have these moments where we don't speak on the same page. But that's life.'
We have been impressed with the convincing job Andre Benjamin does channeling Jimi Hendrix's mannerisms and speech in the preview scenes we've viewed from Jimi: All Is By My Side film but Kathy Etchingham, Jimi's close companion and lover from 1966- '69, is outraged at what she maintains are '...completely made up' scenes depicting Hendrix behaving violently toward her. Speaking with the Sydney Morning Herald just prior to the film's debut at the Sydney Film Festival, the Melbourne, Australia former real estate sales woman says she might take legal action because, 'If I don't, it'll just get repeated and repeated and it'll become the truth.' Her objections to the movie are echoed by a close friend and confidant of the guitar great. Talking with Variety about the movie, Roger Mayer says the portrayal of the relationship that includes domestic violence convinces him, '...these naughty filmmakers haven't researched anything properly'.
Concert highlights from the 1974 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunion tour will finally get released this summer. After years of debate about what to include and how to get the best sounding audio possible from the original multi-track recordings, everyone, including the nearly impossibel to please Neil Young, has signed-off on the track list. How good is the material they selected? David Crosby told Rolling Stone last year that he thinks it is '...startlingly good'. David appears to have lost on his bid to title the set that chronicles the tumultous tour What Could Possibly Go Wrong. CSNY 1974 bows on July 8.
Ozzy Osbourne says he has vivid memories of his early years but is prone to forgetting things he did moments ago and has a hard time remembering much of anything in the 90's. Ozzy attributed his lack of recall for things that happened then to the fact 'My drug addiction and alcohol addiction were absolutely fierce then', and added, ...there wasa lot of blackout time'. Ozzy ranked being hooked on cigarettes right up there with his substance addictions in terms of degree of difficulty to break the habit of, calling nicotine one of the most addictive substances he ever indulged in. He thinks cigarettes would be considered as dangerous as heroin if tobacco had not been an earlier fixture in our society.
