OZZY: Back to Birmingham
Sharon Osbourne says the return of Ozzfest next year is to kick it off at the last place Ozzy performed, at Villa Park last July 5th in his hometown of Birmingham, England. She announced it during the latest episode of The Osbournes podcast, saying, "We wanna do two days in Aston Villa and then come to America. And we wanna hear from everyone where we should go in America. And also we've gotta find a lot of young, new talent, because that's what [Ozzy] would want." Her son Jack then said it will be "two days in North America somewhere," to which his mom said: "Yeah. And then see how it does. And then if people want it, we'll be there [in the] following years." If all goes well, it will be a traveling festival in 2028 and beyond, provided that the demand is there. Ozzfest stopped being a traveling festival after its 2007 run, and the last one was a one-off show at The Forum in Inglewood, California on New Year’s Eve 2018. WARNING: No surprise, the podcast contains expletives!!!
VAN HALEN: Videos, Portraits and Rehearsals
Van Halen continue to promote the forthcoming release of the 40th anniversary deluxe reissue of 5150, their first album with Sammy Hagar. They've released a remastered and extended version of "Why Can't This Be Love," as well as the first official video for the song, captured in concert at Hollywood Sportatorium in Pembroke Pines, Florida on July 4th, 1986. They’ve also put out a live version of "Summer Nights" from August 27th, 1986 at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut, which is part of the collection's bonus disc of more than 90 minutes of previously unreleased recordings from that show. All these releases can be found on YouTube. The deluxe reissue of 5150 will be released on March 27th, which is 40 years and three days after the initial release on March 24th, 1986.
Sebastian Bach Says He Has Dee Snider's Blessing To Front Twisted Sister We told you that Sebastian Bach had signed on to front Twisted Sister for some live shows later this year. How does group founder and lead vocalist Dee Snider feel about the news? Apparently he's 100-percent on board. On "Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk" Tuesday, Bach got emotional about the new gig. "Well, I have tears in my eyes right now. I am SMF Number Two. I was named that by Dee Snider. And I just have to say, I just got off the phone with Dee Snider. We talked for about 45 minutes, and we were both kind of getting teary eyed." He also hinted at Dee joining the band for some gigs if he's up to it. "So he said, 'You have my full blessing.' He goes, 'I love you.' I told him I loved him, and we were, like, teary eyed...I asked him, 'Hey, you wanna come out and jam with us?' He goes, 'Yeah.' He goes, 'Yeah.' So maybe he'll be at some of these gigs on stage with us. Who knows? I don't know if that's gonna happen or not."
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: A Lanterns Remix
The trailer for the new HBO Max and DC Studios show Lanterns might make Bruce Springsteen fans perk up their ears. The new trailer for the series, which debuts in August, is soundtracked by a remix of "State Trooper" from Nebraska that features some big orchestral sounds laid over Springsteen's guitar and vocal. Springsteen has only authrozied a handful of remixes throughout his career. Remixer Arthur Baker did ones for three Born in the U.S.A. tracks -- "Dancing in the Dark," "Cover Me" and the title track -- and there were three done for Human Touch's "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)." (Note: This trailer is filled with f-bombs, so it is not safe for air.)
ELTON: So Much For Son Shunning the Spotlight
When Elton John released his latest documentary in 2024, Never Too Late, his oldest son Zachary didn't want to be in it because he doesn't like being filmed. Well, one can only wonder what he thinks about his face being on display for all to see. A portrait of Elton, his husband David Furnish, Zachary and younger brother Elijah along with their two Labrador Retrievers, Joseph and Jacob, is part of a new exhibit of photographer Catherine Opie's work at London’s National Portrait Gallery. Elton and David say, “To have our family photographed by Catherine Opie and on display at the National Portrait Gallery is a huge honor. We are huge admirers of her work, and proud to have her beautiful and poignant images in our collection.”
The photo was taken in the library of Elton's estate in Old Windsor, England three days before this past Christmas. Elton is a collector of Catherine's work, and she says the portrait of his family "represents the humanity of what family can be.” The exhibit, To Be Seen, opens this Thursday.
Rolling Stones' Keith Richards Is Going to Be a Great-Grandfather
Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards is set to become a great-grandfather for the first time as his granddaughter Ella Richards is expecting a baby with her boyfriend Sascha von Bismarck. Ella, a model, shared the news on Instagram with a photo showing her baby bump. The couple has been dating for several years, and their romance was confirmed in 2023. Keith has a large family, although he doesn’t speak about them extensively. He welcomed Marlon, Tara and Angela with ex Anita Pallenberg, and Theodora and Alexandra with wife Patti Hansen. His son, Tara, died at 2 months old. Ella is the daughter of Marlon Richards, Keith's son, and has connections to the famous Moss family through her work as a model.
The Doobie Brothers Hit That Was Nearly Tossed in the Garbage Bin by Their Producer: “A Piece of Crap”
Producer Ted Templeman almost threw away the master tape of The Doobie Brothers' hit "What A Fool Believes" due to frustration with the track's arrangement. To say that The Doobie Brothers and Ted Templeman had gotten into the weeds on “What A Fool Believes” was an understatement. After numerous takes and various arrangements, Templeman decided to opt for a more hands-on production technique—literally. To the band’s shock,
Templeman began manually slicing the master tape and splicing it together to make the final cut. In today’s digital age, you’d still be copying and pasting, but the process is far less tedious.
After numerous failed attempts, Templeman manually spliced the tape together to create the final cut. Templeman said he was “just about ready to throw it away,” referring to the master tape. “They said, ‘Are you crazy? That’s great.’ Even when we went to collect the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1980, I was thinking, ‘How did this happen?’ Despite his doubts, the song went on to top the charts in the U.S. and Canada and won a Grammy for Song of the Year in 1980. Templeman's unconventional approach and perseverance ultimately led to the success of the song, which stood out from the band's usual style.
Billy Idol Says He Kicked Heroin By Smoking Crack
Don't try this at home, kids. Billy Idol was once in the throes of heroin addiction, but he claims he kicked it...by smoking crack. During an appearance on “Club Random with Bill Maher,” Idol admitted to the unusual tactic. “Once you’re trying to get off heroin, what do you go to? You go to something else. I started smoking crack to get off heroin,” Idol said. “Did you really?” Maher asked, and Idol laughed, “It worked. It worked.” As for where he is at the age of 70, Idol stated he was "California sober," and that he takes “pot pills” sometimes, but he hasn’t done a line of cocaine in 20 years.
GODSMACK, OFFSPRING, GNR: On Board Next Morrison Album
Billy Morrison, Billy Idol's longtime rhythm guitarist and co-host of Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzy Speaks show, has another all-star album on the way. Hollow is due out in August and the first single, “Becoming,” features Sully Erna of Godsmack on vocals and Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt on guitar. The track was written by Morrison, Erna and ex-Fuel singer Brett Scallions. That will be out on March 27th. Other guest artists on the album Dexter Holland
of The Offspring, Marilyn Manson, Chuck D of Public Enemy, Duff McKagan of Guns n' Roses and his Billy Idol bandmate Steve Stevens. Morrison and Osbourne had two big rock hits from his last album, 2024's The Morrison Project -- the number-one "Crack Cocaine" and the Top 10 "Gods Of Rock and Roll (Orchestral)."
TOOL, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, LIMP BIZKIT: Headline Aftershock
Tool, My Chemical Romance, Limp Bizkit and Pierce the Veil are the headline acts at this year's Aftershock festival. It's set for October 1st through the 4th at Sacramento's Discovery Park. Tool, My Chemical Romance and Limp Bizkit are also headlining Aftershock's sister festival Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky September 17th through the 20th. Here's the day-by-day breakdown:
· Thursday, October 1st: My Chemical Romance, Sublime, The Offpsring, The Pretty Reckless, Nothing More, Theory of a Deadman, Lit, Finger Eleven, Killswitch Engage, Sevendust, Starset and From Ashes to New.
· Friday, October 2nd: Limp Bizkit, P.O.D., Drowning Pool, Coheed and Cambria, Atreyu and Chad Gray of Mudvayne.
· Saturday October 3rd: Pierce the Veil, A Day to Remember, Wage War, Down, Black Label Society and The Story So Far.
· Sunday, October 4th: Tool, AFI, Zakk Sabbath, Stone Temple Pilots, Queens of the Stone Age, Highly Suspect, Sleep Theory and Filter.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Gets Chart Boost From Winter Olympics
Donna Summer and Lynyrd Skynyrd are making their return to the Billboard charts thanks to the winter Olympics. Summer's track "MacArthur Park" was used by American figure skater Alyssa Lui for her routine that earned her a gold medal. Thanks to the exposure, Summer's song landed in the top spot on the Dance Digital Song Sales chart at the end of February. At the same time, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" got a boost after it became the unofficial anthem for the U.S. men's and women's hockey teams. It landed at number 15 on the Rock and Alternative Songs chart, number one on the Rock Digital Songs Sales chart, and number six on the Digital Songs Sales chart.
IN OTHER NEWS
Warren Zevon's Epilogue: Live at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, which came out last year as a limited Record Store Day Black Friday release, will be reissued as a two-LP set on silver vinyl April 17th. The album documents his last show from August 2002. He died just over a year later on September 7th, 2003 from cancer. He was 56.
With Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” recently being the unofficial theme song for both the U.S. men’s and women’s Olympic gold medal hockey teams, as well as its use in a Budweiser Super Bowl commercial, the 1973 song is back on the Billboard charts – number-one on the Rock Digital Songs Sales chart, number-six on the Digital Song Sales chart, and number-15 on the Rock & Alternative Songs chart.
The demand for tickets for Bryan Adams’ European tour crashed his website on Tuesday. The tour starts on September 27th in Riga, Latvia and runs through December 19th in Athens, Greece. He starts a run of four Brazillian dates on Friday in Rio de Janeiro, and he will bring his Bare Bones acoustic show to Las Vegas for the fourth time – June 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th at the Wynn.
A 20-foot statue of Ozzy Osbourne will be unveiled at Hellfest, June 18th through the 21st in Clisson, France. Sharon Osbourne and her children plan to attend.
Sting’s fifth album, Mercury Falling, was reissued yesterday (Wednesday) to celebrate its 30th anniversary – March 4th, 1996. This digital-only “Expanded Edition” is on all streaming platforms. Boston’s Tom Scholz has donated his plane to Pilots to the Rescue, which helps save animals. He flew the Beechcraft Bonanza A36 over 700,000 miles, including on tour.
On This Day
· In 1965 - The Yardbirds released "For Your Love" in the U.K.
· In 1982 - Actor/comedian and Blues Brother John Belushi died of an overdose in Los Angeles. He was only 33.
· In 1992 - R.E.M. cleaned up at the Rolling Stone Music Awards, winning Album of the Year for Out of Time, Artist of the Year, Best Single and Best Video for "Losing My Religion," and the Best Band, Best Guitarist and Best Songwriter awards.
· In 1994 - Grace Slick was arrested for pointing a shotgun at police at her Tiburon, Calif., home. Cool heads prevailed. The following June, she was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and mandatory attendance at a long series of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
· In 2002 - The first episode of The Osbournes aired on MTV.