TYLER & PERRY: Reunite for Benefit Performance
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry took the stage for the first time together since Aerosmith's last show in 2023. It happened Wednesday in San Francisco at a benefit concert for Tyler's charity, Janie's Fund, which helps young women and girls who have survived abuse. The two were supposed to perform at the charity's Grammy Awards Viewing Party in Los Angeles in February, but Perry had to cancel due to a family matter. After performances by Robin Zander of Cheap Trick and Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, the Toxic Twins came out to do "Toys in the Attic," "Same Old Song and Dance," "Sweet Emotion," "Dream On" and "Walk This Way." Perry then joined in the finale of "Train Kept a Rollin'" and "Come Together."
The backing band featured former Guns n' Roses drummer Matt Sorum, and guitarists Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme and Phil X from Bon Jovi.
In other Tyler news, he's been added to the bill of the final Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath
concert on July 5th in Birmingham, England. Members of Soundgarden were also added.
David Lee Roth Plays First Full Show In Five Years
David Lee Roth performed his first full show in five years, and if fans were hoping for his solo hits, there were none to be found. Saturday night, DLR and his band played the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, and it was straight-up a celebration of classic Van Halen, featuring sixteen songs -- every one of them from his glory days with the band. Diamond Dave's next scheduled performance is set for Saratoga, California on September 12 as part of the Mountain Winery's 67th Summer Concert Series. See the entire M3 performance here.
1."Panama"
2."Drop Dead Legs"
3."You Really Got Me" (THE KINKS cover)
4."Unchained"
5."Dance The Night Away"
6."Runnin' With The Devil"
7."Mean Street"
8."Atomic Punk"
9."And The Cradle Will Rock..."
10."Jamie's Cryin'"
11."I'm The One"
12."Everybody Wants Some!!"
13."Romeo Delight"
14."Hot For Teacher"
15."Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"
16."Jump"
Sammy Hagar To Livestream Vegas Residency Show
Can't make it to see Sammy Hagar for his "Best of Both Worlds" show in Vegas? Get comfy and make sure your home theater is fully functional; Sammy's May 16 performance will be live streamed via Veeps.com and will be available to watch wherever you are. On social media, Sammy revealed, "We're gonna rock the hell out of your house! We’re gonna blow your mind,” while joined by bandmates Michael Anthony (bass), Joe Satriani (guitar), Kenny Aronoff (drums) and Rai Thistlethwayte (keyboards). Presale tickets for the "Best of All Worlds" May 16 livestream are available now. The residency concludes the following day, May 17.
OZZY: It Was a Belly Flop
Ozzy Osbourne, in an interview with The Guardian to promote his and Black Sabbath's final show -- July 5th in their hometown of Birmingham, England -- comes clean on what really happened in his bedroom in February 2019, the result of which almost landed him in the hospital. He's always said he tripped on the rug while returning to bed after going to the bathroom, but he now says, "I thought I knew where the bed was. I was stupid, I dived and there weren’t a bed there. I landed straight on my face. I felt my neck go crunch. I went: ‘Sharon! Call an ambulance!’ She said, ‘Where the hell are you? Get into bed!’ I said: ‘Sharon, don’t ask questions.’ I thought I was going to be paralyzed.”
Having previously damaged his neck in a 2003 quad bike accident, he underwent surgery to repair any further damage, which he says was "the worst surgery you can imagine. I should have got a second opinion, but you think surgeons know what they’re doing.” He had metal plates inserted on either side of his spine, but the screws became loose, which created bone fragments and lesions. Sharon says, “They haven’t figured out the damage, it’s so intricate. Five operations later, it just [screwed] his body. It was torturous for him: Parkinson’s and damage to his spine. It’s just been horrendous.”
The years since have left him in a state of depression, so much so that he wanted to die. “You wake up the next morning and find that something else has gone wrong. You begin to think this is never going to end. Sharon could see that I was in Doom Town, and she says to me, ‘I’ve got an idea.’ It was something to give me a reason to get up in the morning. I thought: oh, [bloody] hell, she’s got an idea. Here we go.” The idea was this farewell show in July. “We’re only playing a couple of songs each. I don’t want people thinking, ‘We’re getting ripped off’, because it’s just going to be...a sample, you’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath. "I’ve got a vocal coach coming 'round four days a week to keep my voice going. I have problems walking. I also get blood pressure issues, from blood clots on my legs. I’m used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around. I don’t think I’ll be doing much jumping or running around this time. I may be sitting down, but the point is I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up.”
Interestingly enough, the one person who debated showing up is Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. He explains, “I’m the one that said, ‘I don’t know if we should do it’, because we did a farewell tour [in 2016 and '17] and I didn’t want to get into that thing like all the other bands are doing, saying it’s the last tour and then reappearing again. But I’ve been convinced, because we’re doing it for a reason.” The reason is it's a benefit for Parkinson’s and children’s charities.
In addition to Ozzy and Sabbath, the bill includes Metallica, Guns n' Roses, Tool, Slayer,
Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Anthrax and Mastodon. Tom Morello, the show's musical director, will also led an all-star band that will feature Duff McKagan and Slash of GNR, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Wolfgang Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Steven Tyler, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vernon Reid of Living Colour, David Draiman of Disturbed, Jonathan Davis of
Korn, Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, former Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing, members of Soundgarden, and Tobias Forge of Ghost.
Green Day Reunite With 7-Eleven For New Slurpee Flavor
Green Day is teaming up with 7-Eleven for a new exclusive Slurpee drink flavor. It's called "Kerplunk Kandy Grape," and it's a tribute to the band's 1992 album "Kerplunk!." According to a statement, the drink is a "sweet and slightly twisted treat that tastes just like the cotton candy grapes Green Day keeps as a staple on their backstage riders." The new flavor is available now for a limited time at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripe stores nationwide.
GREEN DAY: From Album to Musical to ... Movie?
Billie Joe Armstrong says a movie based on Green Day's 2004 album, American Idiot, is still a possibility. After a successful run as a musical on Broadway and London's West End, there was talk of turning it into a movie with actor Tom Hanks reportedly showing interest in producing.
In 2013, playwright Rolin Jones said he was “finishing up” the script, with Armstrong adding in 2016 that HBO gave it the green light and that he would reprise his role as St. Jimmy. But in 2020, Armstrong told NME that the film had been “pretty much scrapped.” Now there's a chance it could be resurrected as Armstrong tells Variety, “I’m sure something is gonna happen. The musical did so well and they’ve done it in Australia, Italy, Germany, England… It’s traveled so well. Eventually it’s going to happen, I would think.”
While we wait to see if this ever pans out, Green Day are producers on a new film inspired in part by them. New Years Rev is about a trio of musicians who mistakenly think they're opening for Green Day on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles.The film, written and directed by Lee Kirk, is under production in Oklahoma. And finally, Green Day have shared “Ballyhoo” from the deluxe edition of Saviors, which is out May 23rd. Check it out on YouTube.
Neil Young Announces New Album
Neil Young has announced that a new album, "Talking To The Trees" is on the way, and with the announcement came the release of the second track from the project. The ten-track album will be the first studio album featuring Neil's new band, The Chrome Hearts. "Big Change" was released back in January; "Let's Roll Again" uses Woody Guthrie's melody from "This Land Is Your Land" and cranks it to 11, taking swings at Elon Musk along the way.
R.E.M.: Radio Free Remix
On Friday, R.E.M. released Radio Free Europe 2025, a five-track benefit EP featuring a never-before-released 2025 remix of their 1981 debut single, "Radio Free Europe," by the band's longtime collaborator Jacknife Lee. Available to download or stream, this release celebrates the 75th anniversary of the “OG” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and arrives just ahead of World Press Freedom Day tomorrow (Saturday).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was established by the United States 75 years ago and currently broadcasts news and information in 27 languages to 23 countries where a free press is either banned by the government or under threat. Throughout the Cold War and continuing today, RFE/RL is often the only lifeline to the outside world for people living under extreme censorship. R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Mike Mills say this mission of promoting free expression has always resonated with them.
Michael Stipe: “Whether it’s music or a free press – censorship anywhere is a threat to the truth everywhere. On World Press Freedom Day, I’m sending a shout-out to the brave journalists at Radio Free Europe.”
Mike Mills: “Radio Free Europe’s journalists have been pissing off dictators for 75 years. You know you’re doing your job when you make the right enemies. Happy World Press Freedom Day to the ‘OG’ Radio Free Europe.” And Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty President and
CEO Stephen Capus adds, "To me, R.E.M.’s music has always embodied a celebration of freedom: freedom of expression, lyrics that make us think, and melodies that inspire action. Those are the very aims of our journalists at Radio Free Europe -- to inform, inspire, and uphold freedoms often elusive to our audiences. We hold dictators accountable. They go to great lengths to silence us -- blocking our websites, jamming our signals, and even imprisoning our colleagues.”
A limited-edition 10-inch orange-vinyl pressing of the EP will be available on Record Store Day -- September 12th -- with proceeds going to RFE/RL. In 2009, “Radio Free Europe” was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry for “setting the pattern for later indie-rock releases.”
FOREIGNER: Pulling Out All the Tricks
Foreigner have re-recorded their 1981 hit "Urgent" in Spanish with their guitarist Luis Maldonado on vocals. It was released Friday to coincide with their Latin and South American tour, which finds them in Peru tonight (Friday) and Ecuador on Saturday.
Maldonado is handling vocals on this tour in place of Kelly Hansen, who, mysteriously has to limit his travel outside America. Luis says, “We’ve been embraced by fans in Latin America for decades. Recording these songs in Spanish is our way of saying thank you and sharing the music in a more intimate, personal way.” Joining the band for this tour as well as the rest of their tour schedule this year into next is their original singer Lou Gramm, who comes out at the end of the night to sing four songs.
CHEAP TRICK: 21st Studio Album on the Way
Cheap Trick have a new album, tentatively titled All Washed Up, in the works. In an interview with John Johnson of Tampa Bay Music News, singer Robin Zander says, “It’s pretty good. It’s Cheap Trick. It sounds like us. It’s got some good, bad and ugly on it just like our other records.” Johnson, who designed covers for two of the albums, is doing the same for this one.
Cheap Trick's last album was 2021's In Another World. And Robin isn't the only member of his family with new music on the way. His son, Robin Taylor Zander, who also plays in Cheap Trick, is just about done with his second album, and his sister, Zander senior's daughter Sailor, is recording her first album at actor Johnny Depp's studio. "Robin Taylor is helping produce it," says dad. "She’s almost got a whole album…written anyway.” Cheap Trick resume their tour on May 16th in Albuquerque.
Gene Simmons Kicks Off 2025 Solo Tour
Gene Simmons' solo tour is underway. The Kiss star played the first full show on Saturday evening in Beaver Dam, Kentucky after his Friday concert in Atlanta was cut short due to bad weather.Simmons' setlist includes a mix of Kiss classics, with Van Halen and Led Zeppelin covers. His next show is going down tomorrow night in Montclair, New Jersey.The trek is scheduled to end on May 15th at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls.
White Stripes To Release 20th Anniversary "Get Behind Me Satan" Vinyl
Just days after being named as a member of the 2025 Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame class, the White Stripes have announced that for the 20th anniversary of their 2005 fifth studio album, "Get Behind Me Satan," they're coming out with a limited-edition commemorative vinyl release. The 2 LP edition, featuring one red smoke and one clear with red and black smoke vinyl, arrives on Friday, June 27th. The gold album featured the classic "Blue Orchid," and won the band a GRAMMY for Best Alternative album.
Halestorm Announce New Album "Everest" 2025 World Tour
Halestorm has a new album on the way. It's called "Everest" and will feature twelve songs, including their latest single "Darkness Always Win."The full project will be out on August 8th. Along with the album announcement, Halestorm has also announced that they'll be taking the upcoming record on the road for a world tour this year. It kicks off on May 15th with a show at the Rockville Festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. Tickets are available now.
IN OTHER NEWS
The Scorpions canceled a third straight show — Saturday in Quito, Ecuador — as singer Klaus Meine has yet to recover from a case of bronchitis. Up next is the first of two stops in Mexico on Tuesday.
Metallica’s James Hetfield paid a visit Friday in Kentucky to the three-year old thoroughbred Sandman, named after their 1991 song “Enter Sandman,” the day before he ran in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, finishing 18th. Earlier this year, Metallica sent Sandman’s crew T-shirts.
Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett will take part in a Q&A session on June 7th at the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Event Center in Tampa, Florida to celebrate the publication of his new coffee table book, The Collection: Kirk Hammett. Hammett did a Q&A on Friday in Nashville and up next is Columbus, Ohio on May 10th, Philadelphia on May 24th, and Denver on June 28th.
It's no secret that Bruce Springsteen is not a fan of his nickname "The Boss," but, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, he says, "I’ve given up and gotten used to it, I suppose.”
The Doors’ 60th anniversary book, Night Divides The Day: The Doors Anthology, which was released as limited-edition in February, will be available as a mass hardcover edition on May 13th.
Michael McDonald will perform aboard David Foster’s The Hitman Cruise next January 15th to the 20th from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Key West, Florida and Nassau, Bahamas.
Billy Joel, his wife Alexis and The Joel Foundation were honored last week with the Education Partner Award for their longstanding commitment to Long Island High School for the Arts by the Nassau BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) Foundation.
Moody Blues bassist John Lodge has announced the first 12 dates of his new tour, Singer in a Rock and Roll Band – named after his 1972 Moodies song “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band).” It starts July 19th in Red Bank, New Jersey and runs through August 7th in Des Plaines, Illinois. He says, "It's been an absolute pleasure performing [The Moody Blues’] Days of Future Passed [album] in its entirety over the last couple of years, but I'm so excited about our new show. There are a few songs I've not performed before that I've wanted to do for a long time, and many of our classic songs seem to have taken on a new meaning following health challenges, so I hope everyone will enjoy continuing on this journey with me."