SAMMY HAGAR: Isn't it Ironic
Sammy Hagar has given a thumbs up to David Lee Roth's decision to resume touring in July after announcing his retirement five years ago. He says, "I am happy that Dave is out there doing it like Mikey [Anthony] and I. Supporting some of the greatest rock songs in history... The fans deserve it, good or bad. I believe we're both doing our best and I'm actually happy. Dave is supporting his era, and I will support mine, as well as my solo career and side projects for the rest of my life. Everyone should enjoy what we're both trying to do. Keeping the music alive [and] his legacy is important and so is the music both Dave and I wrote with Eddie [Van Halen]."
Hagar has been doing a boatload of Van Halen songs at The Best of All Worlds Tour Stays in Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM, which is a followup to last year's tour. The irony in all this is that Roth will be the only former member of Van Halen who is actually touring. Hagar tells us that he's been "offered all of these shows," but adds that touring is "off the table." "I just don't know if I can do it. I squeezed it out [last year], 31 shows, but I was whooped. It's tough at my age to do all that traveling and play that long of a show and meet those standards that I put for myself. I raised my bar higher than ever on this tour. I said, 'I'm gonna show these people I still got it.' Without the travel, I'm hoping that at a residency it's not so strenuous on me. I'm also an antsy kind a guy. You know, I'm laying around all day, I'm going, 'Man, I can't go out and party because I got a show tonight. So, I'm bored.' So, we'll see." Hagar is down to the last two dates of his nine-show residency -- this Friday and Saturday.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Now For the Country Track
Bruce Springsteen is now previewing Somewhere North of Nashville, the country collection that's one of the seven unreleased albums contained in his new compilation, Tracks II: The Lost Albums. Recorded simultaneously with The Ghost of Tom Joad album in the summer of 1995, Somewhere North of Nashville features E Street Band members Danny Federici and Garry Tallent. Springsteen says, “What happened was I wrote all these country songs at the same time I wrote The Ghost of Tom Joad. Those sessions completely overlap each other. I’m singing ‘Repo Man’ in the afternoon and ‘The Line’ at night. So, the country record got made right along with The Ghost of Tom Joad. ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ got me connected to my socially conscious or topical songwriting. So that’s where The Ghost of Tom Joad came from. But at the same time, I had this country streak that was also running through those sessions, and I ended up making a country record on the side.”
You can find "Repo Man" on YouTube as well as other streaming sites. Tracks II: The Lost Albums will be released on June 27th. Springsteen and The E Street Band started The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour last night (Wednesday) in Manchester, England. Their only tour this year, it runs through July 3rd in Milan, Italy.
STEVE PERRY: WillieFully
Steve Perry dusted off Journey's "Faithfully" and re-recorded it with Willie Nelson. Perry says, “No one has a voice or vocal phrasing anything like Willie Nelson. Singing this duet with Willie has been something I’ve always wanted to do. After recording ‘Faithfully’ with Journey, I always felt it would be a great song for Willie too. What a wonderful experience it was to finally sing with Willie. I’m so proud of what we have accomplished together.” And Willie adds, “Working with Steve Perry on ‘Faithfully’ was a meaningful experience. It was a pleasure to collaborate on this song. I’m proud that we could create something meaningful and use it to give back through Farm Aid.” Proceeds from the recording will be donated to Farm Aid, which Nelson founded to support American family farmers.
The duet is available now on digital streaming platforms, and an animated video can be found on YouTube. Written by Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, "Faithfully" is on their 1983 album, Frontiers. Cain recalls… “’Faithfully’ is a song that I wrote out of a dream. We were on an eight-hour bus run and I was all sweaty and smelled like diesel fumes and I piled off in Saratoga, New York feeling absolutely out of it. And I was having trouble with my relationship at the time with my wife. She was coming on the road the next week and I was kind of bummed out with the road in general, but I thought, ‘No, there’s got to be a song here.’ So I went to sleep and I woke up and I had this little keyboard, and I started writing lyrics on this napkin. And they were all like I was reading them from somewhere. I wrote these lyrics down and within an hour the song was done.”
Foo Fighters Announce First 2025 Show
If you want to see the Foo Fighters in 2025, you'll have to wait until October. And travel to China. The Foo Fighters announced they will perform at the Singapore Grand Prix on October 4th.The show will mark the band's first concert performance since last August in Seattle. Frontman Dave Grohl has performed two shows this year with surviving members of Nirvana -- in January at Fire-Aid in Los Angeles and in New York City in February at the Saturday Night Live 50 concert.
‘Pink Floyd at Pompeii: MCMLXXII’ Live Album Makes Top 10 Debut On Multiple Billboard Charts
Pink Floyd's live album Pink Floyd at Pompeii: MCMLXXII debuted in the top 10 on multiple Billboard charts, including a No. 3 spot on Top Album Sales, marking the band's biggest sales week in over a decade. The album, which features digitally remastered and remixed audio from the 1971 concert film, sold over 20,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week. It includes eight performances from the film and is available in various formats, with bonus tracks on the CD and vinyl editions. The album also topped the Indie Store Album Sales chart and ranked high on other charts, such as Vinyl Albums and Top Rock Albums.
Coldplay, Elton John Among 400 Artists Seeking Protection From AI
Coldplay and Elton John are among the 400-plus artists asking the U.K.'s Prime Minister to take action in enforcing copyright laws related to artificial-intelligence. A letter addressed to Keir Starmer and signed by 400 British musicians, writers, and artists, warns that they'll be effectively "giving away" their work to technology companies without property copyright protection. Dua Lipa, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush and Florence Welch are some other artists who have signed the letter. This comes after the House of Lords voted an amendment to a bill that would require A-i developers to disclose which copyrighted materials they used to train their models.
Third Eye Blind, 311 And More Join Lineup For Milwaukee's Summerfest 2025
Third Eye Blind, 311 and more artists are being added to the 2025 lineup of Miluwakee's Summerfest. Summerfest is taking place over three weekends, June 19th to the 21st, June 26th to the 28th, and July 3rd to the 5th. Reserved seats for Third Eye Blind are available now.
OASIS: Really, There's No New Album
Even though Liam Gallagher has joked about Oasis having a new album to go along with their reunion tour, the band's co-manager has confirmed that there is no new music on the agenda.
Alex McKinlay, who heads Ignition Management and Oasis's label Big Brother Recordings, told Music Week that “This is very much the last time around, as Noel’s made clear in the press. It’s a chance for fans who haven’t seen the band to see them, or at least for some of them to. But no, there’s no plan for any new music.” McKinlay added that while he and the band were confident in how they'd do in the U.K., they weren't sure how the reunion tour would do in the U.S. He said, "We were quite cautious about what that would mean when it came to people actually buying tickets but we were just bowled over by how huge it was… We could have sold out half-a-dozen Rose Bowls in Pasadena and probably eight MetLife stadiums in New York in a day. We saw the ticket stats, we were watching what was happening and the demand was way beyond our expectations.”
However, Liam Gallagher doesn't agree with McKinlay's statement about nothing happening after this reunion tour. He tweeted "the only people that will be making any kind of decisions on the future of Oasis will be ME n [Noel] so let’s just take it 1 day at a time." In other Liam news, he's going to be a grandfather as his daughter Molly announced that she is pregnant.
Cast Members Announced For Animated Film Based On 2005 McCartney Children's Book
Ringo Starr, Jimmy Fallon and Idris Alba are among the performers who will lend their voices to a 3D animated film based on a 20-year-old Paul McCartney children's book. Sir Paul wrote "High in the Clouds" in 2005 and a film adaptation has been in the works ever since. Other performers include Celine Dion and "Ted Lasso" actor Hannah Waddingham.The soundtrack will include songs written by McCartney. The movie is set to be released sometime in 2027.
BRIAN WILSON & ROGER DALTREY: Join Together With the Girls
Roger Daltrey has joined with Brian Wilson for a re-recording of Wilson's "Love & Mercy" off his 1988 self-titled debut album. This recording was done in conjunction with The Miraculous Love Kids, a non-profit that provides music lessons to girls and young women in Afghanistan.
Wilson originally did the song with the organization in 2018, but it's been updated to include Daltrey. Larry Cordola, the founder of the organization, says, "Love & Mercy" is one of Brian’s most poignant musical statements about the human condition. The melding of Brian, Roger, and the girls is a sound divine. An honor of the highest magnitude and a dream come true for the girls and I. These are world-class musicians with world-class souls.”And Daltrey adds, “I’m really passionate about how you are being treated. You are the future of your country. Please make it better. You really can. And music will play a big part in that … you’ll see.”
You can watch the performance of this latest version on YouTube. Calling the song "an anthem about love and compassion," Wilson says it was inspired by the 1965 song "What the World Needs Now Is Love." "It took me 45 minutes to write that song. I sat down, had a half a bottle of champagne and got kind of loose, you know, and then I preceded to write it." The title of the song was chosen as the title for Wilson's 2015 bio-pic starring Paul Dano and John Cusack as a younger and older Wilson.
NINE INCH NAILS: A Festival of Composers
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails are launching a new festival based on the work of film and TV composers. The Future Ruins festival is set for November 8th at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, and it will feature Reznor and Ross, Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, Questlove of The Roots, Halloween director John Carpenter and more. The festival's description says, "Future Ruins is designed to feel thoughtful and immersive, bringing this music to light in an environment where it has never been heard before. Every artist is a headliner, each with their own specially curated moment. Each artist is encouraged to take big swings and reimagine their work for a live audience. Ranging from electronic sets and live bands to orchestral performances, fans have the chance to experience live debuts from composers who rarely appear onstage."
Weezer Bassist's Wife Pleads Not Guilty To LAPD Shooting
Jillian Lauren, the wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, is pleading not guilty to felony gun charges following an altercation with police.Lauren has been charged with discharge of a firearm with gross negligence and assault with a semiautomatic firearm. She's facing up to 19 years in federal prison if convicted. On April 9th, officers were searching for hit-and-run suspects when they encountered Lauren who fired at least one shot. Officers fired back as a response, hitting her in the arm.According to audio released by officers, it appears Lauren believed she was shooting at the hit-and-run suspects, unaware she fired at police officers. She'll be back in court on June 18th for a preliminary hearing.
Phish Announces 9th Annual "RIviera Maya"
Phish is going back to Cancun, Mexico to play for (and hang out with) their fans. The 9th edition of their "Riviera Maya" will take place January 28-31, 2026, and will feature eight beachfront sets by the band over four nights. All-inclusive packages will go on sale to the public May 21st at 1PM Eastern. Previous attendees will have access to a pre-sale the day before.
Concert Tickets Getting Special “$30 Ticket To Summer” Promotion
Live Nation is back with their sick “$30 Ticket To Summer” promo and there’s something for everyone! The deal offers up seats to over a thousand shows across the US and Canada where you can rock out with some of your faves. Tickets officially hit the web May 21, but if you’re locked in with T-Mobile or Rakuten, there’s early access kicking off May 20 at 10 AM Eastern. Check out some of the available performances below. For more info on the tix you can go to the Live Nation site here.
· Billy Idol
· Counting Crows
· The Doobie Brothers
· Goo Goo Dolls
· +Live+ & Collective Soul
· The Offspring
· Rod Stewart
· Simple Minds
· Styx & Kevin Cronin Band
· Tedeschi Trucks Band
· Toto + Christopher Cross + Men At Work
· Weird Al Yankovic
IN OTHER NEWS
Elton John is being honored with the Icon Award by QVC for his line of candles. Presented to “trailblazers whose vision and talent have transformed product experiences,” he says, “This is a fantastic honor. I usually receive awards for my music; so, this is genuinely a first for me. It was such a pleasure putting this collection together and creating such sensational scents for everyone to enjoy.” A portion of the proceeds from the candle collections benefit Elton’s AIDS Foundation.
Bob Dylan broke out some new covers and songs he hadn't played in a long time at the opening show of the Outlaw Music Festival Tuesday in Phoenix. He did "Mr. Tambourine Man" for the first time since 2010, and "To Ramona" for the first time since 2017. He also covered "Route 66" for the first time since 1986 and debuted covers of songs by George “Wild Child” Butler ("Axe and the Wind"), Charlie Rich ("I'll Make It All Up to You") and The Pogues ("A Rainy Night in Soho"). The Outlaw fest continues Thursday in Chula Vista, California.
A book about the making of This Is Spinal Tap, titled A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap, will be published on September 9th. The book also includes real-life “Spinal Tap moments” from Slash of Guns n’ Roses, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth from Talking Heads, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, and Don Henley of the Eagles.
Motley Crue guitarist John 5 will release a new album called Ghost on October 10th. He's also teaming with Richie Kotzen for a co-headline tour that starts October 16th in El Cajon, California and wraps up November 25th in Denver.
A second-floor beachfront condo in Marina del Rey, California that was owned by Stevie Nicks in the late ’70s and early ’80s is on the market for $3.9 million. That gets you an ocean view, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a private elevator and access to the roof deck.