QUEEN: May-be or May-be Not
It's been over two years since Queen+Adam Lambert toured, and drummer Roger Taylor was asked if they have plans to hit the road again during a recent appearance on The Rock Show on BBC Radio 2. "Well, it is a big machine to gear up, but I think it's more down to [guitarist] Brian
[May] than me. I love playing live. I enjoy it. Always have. It's really how he feels. [If] we both want to do it I'd be happy to, but we'll see." In December, May's wife, British actress Anita Dobson, told the Mirror that they were done with large-scale tours, saying, "They will do little bits and bobs, but they won't do those big tours. We are all getting old." While Anita didn't say why they won't be doing big tours, it could have to do with her husband's health struggles, which included a stroke in September 2024, and, since 2012, a heart attack, two torn discs in his back, a knee replacement, and surgeries on his left calf and left eye.
Not long before her comments, Taylor was asked by Rolling Stone if they would do a farewell tour and he said, "I don't think we're done, and I don't think we're going to say a final farewell tour. Because it never is, is it?" Queen's last tour ended on February 14th, 2024 in Tokyo.
Taylor will hit the road for six shows in the U.K. in September in support of his new album,
Violence Insane in a Beautiful World, which will be released on September 18th.
JON BON JOVI: Vocal Cords are Locked and Loaded
Bon Jovi are just under three weeks away from their first tour in four years and Jon Bon Jovi tells People his vocal cords are "fully recovered" following surgery in 2022. "I feel great. I mean we're literally well past 50 songs that are show ready at this point. You know, the thing about my show is I changed the set up quite a bit and we're well-rehearsed and now it's just about waiting out the clock to get to the stage." Jon has done at least 15 performances since the last tour but singing two hours a night will be a real test. If you've seen some of his performances since then, it's clear that he is either overcompensating or implementing a new technique, which makes him sound a bit off. Bon Jovi start their Forever Tour on July 7th with the first of nine shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden followed by five dates in the U.K. through September 9th in London. If all goes according to plan, they'll do an extensive tour next year.
FOO FIGHTERS, BLACK SABBATH: Bassists Talk Bass
Nate Mendel of Foo Fighters and Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath recently sat down to talk about the bass for Fender's Lowdown on the Low End series. The pair not only talk about their history with the bass, they also discuss what inspired them to pick up a Fender in the first place. Mendel said that he was “really into The Police” when he first got into bass playing.
“Sting was playing a P Bass, so that became the guiding light for me. I gotta do what he’s doing." Mendel then asked Butler what got him into playing a Fender bass, and he cited Jack Bruce of Cream. "Everybody was going, You’ve got to see this incredible guitarist. His name’s Eric Clapton,' and back then, [they] used to play little clubs around Birmingham. I stood right at the front of the stage [and] Jack came out with his Fender, and it was like, 'What the hell?' I couldn’t believe that people could do that with a bass, and that was it. I went, 'That’s what I want to do. I want to play bass.'" Watch the whole conversation on YouTube.
RUSH: When Time Stood Still
If you attended or followed the four shows Rush played last week at The Forum in Los Angeles to kick off their Fifty Something tour, you know that they were joined each night by Aimee Mann from 'Til Tuesday. She reprised her role of singing background vocals on "Time Stands Still," which was part of their tribute to their late drummer Neil Peart. Aimee summed up the experience in one of her comic strips that she occasionally posts on Instagram, explaining that Geddy Lee first asked her to join them in March, but it took her six weeks to respond due because she was in a "[crappy] place." Only asked to sing at the first show, Aimee recounted the four-night run in an interview on Tuesday with Brendan Smith of Rocktails. "I think that the audience is so loving and accepting and excited and happy. You know, I felt incredibly supported by them. It really lifted the whole place up and it felt like a beautiful tribute to Neil [Peart] and I was just like so happy to be like part of the team for a minute. That made me feel really good." Aimee, who is a bassist, adds that she also used the opportunity to examine Geddy's bass playing. "It's like a badger claw digging a hole. It's so muscular. The strings are just flapping around. I've never seen somebody play that hard. He's doing the rhythm guitar job and he's playing sort of lead bass. He's doing so much. It's really fascinating." Rush now head to Mexico City for two shows on Thursday and Saturday.
SPRINGSTEEN, VEDDER, BONE/THE EDGE: Playing Obama Center Unveiling
Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera and Eddie Vedder are among the acts performing at the Obama Presidential Center opening ceremony Thursday in Chicago. The event will launch at Noon ET and be livestreamed through the Obama Foundation's website.
President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama will both give speeches at the opening. Other acts performing include U2's Bono and The Edge, Common, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend,
Marc Anthony, The Roots and Tems.
Handwritten Jimi Hendrix Lyrics Hit The Auction Block
A piece of music history is up for auction. Hand-written lyrics by Jimi Hendrix for "Room Full of Mirrors," written across two sheets of Londonderry Hotel stationery, are about to be made available to the highest bidder. The song was never placed on an official Hendrix album during his lifetime, though an unaltered rough mix recorded one month before his death on August 20, 1970, was later released on the posthumous compilation album "Rainbow Bridge" in October 1971. As of last night, the highest bid was $10,500. The auction contains the Hendrix lyrics as well as numerous other rock artifacts, which you can see and bid on at the auction's website. Hurry - the auction ends tomorrow.
Man Finds Alice Cooper’s Credit Card At Gas Station, Returns It To Rock Star
During a stop at an Arizona gas station last week, Geoff Guy found a credit card stuck in a gas pump reader. After removing it, he realized the card belonged to a person named Alice Cooper and he began trying to track down its owner. Guy eventually connected with Cooper through Alice Cooper's Solid Rock, a teen center the musician founded in Phoenix. He was able to return the card, and the rocker gave him a signed copy of his 2025 studio album, “The Revenge of Alice Cooper.” Cooper says he’d accidentally left the card behind while in Payson, Arizona, to play golf, adding that everyone loses a card at some point. The 78-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is also preparing to release a five-LP collection featuring his first four solo albums and a selection of rarities next month.
Travis Barker Reveals Why He Wouldn't Give Advice To His Younger Self
Travis Barker is getting candid about why he wouldn't give advice to his younger self. On Saturday during the world premier of his Hulu documentary "Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear," the musician admitted that he wouldn't have listened to himself, adding "the only way to learn is to live through it."The Blink-182 drummer also said "I wouldn't have learned anything without the lesson. So I'm just happy with the way everything turned out." "Louder Than Fear" details the rocker's rise to fame, personal struggles, and the aftermath of his plane crash in 2008. It'll premier on Hulu and Disney-Plus on August 13th.
CHICAGO: Co-Founder Dead at 81
Walt Parazaider [pr: Para-Zay-Der], a co-founder of Chicago, has died at 81 from complications related to Alzheimer's disease. His daughter Felicia made the announcement early this morning on Facebook, saying, "I didn’t get back in time. My father, my hero, is gone. He went peacefully about 20 minutes ago. There’s no more pain. No more struggle. "I psychically knew I wasn’t going to make it back in time. And I knew that it would be just my mom and him. It’s how it was in the beginning. Just the two of them. And so it should’ve been in the end. "Thank you for loving my father, even if you didn’t personally know him. I know that many of you loved him. I’m in shock and disbelief and yet not at all. This was the worst six years. The hardest season of my life. And I’m so grateful that my dad is not suffering anymore. "I love you poppy, my Pal. You coloured our world. God bless you, you dear soul. I love you beyond thoughts and words." In April, Lee Loughnane [pr: Lock-Nane], Chicago's trumpet player and last original member, said Parazaider was “not doing well.” Chicago have also issued a statement.
And original Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine has posted a lengthy tribute in part saying, "Brother look at what we created together and how many lives its changed, for the better. The beautiful music that came from our deep friendship and vision... "Please know that I've missed you all these years we've been apart and know that you've never left my heart. I'll always hold onto the wonderful times we shared together both good and bad. Lastly please tell Terry [Kath] that I miss him every day and someday I know we'll all be together again to play our music and be brothers again..."
Parazaider, who played saxophone and retired from the band in 2017 due to a heart condition, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in late 2020. He went public with the diagnosis in April 2021, saying, "So many of you have been very kind over the years with birthday and well wishes, I want to share some news with you before you saw rumors on the Internet. "Five months ago I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Needless to say, my wife, daughters and myself were shocked and devastated. It has taken awhile to process this news and the fact is, we still are.
"The good news is we have a wonderful medical facility here and I have a very good doctor. I am working hard and not going to give up. With new treatments and therapy, along with my family's love and support, I feel very positive about the future..." Parazaider met two of his future Chicago bandmates, guitarist Terry Kath and drummer Danny Seraphine, at DePaul University in Chicago, and they formed a band called the Missing Links. The three Links eventually joined forces with Loughnane, James Pankow, Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera and Chicago was born. They first called themselves The Big Thing before changing it to the Chicago Transit Authority and then eventually Chicago. Parazaider was there for all their chart-topping albums and songs, as well as when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. He is the second of the band's original members to pass. Terry Kath accidentally shot and killed himself in 1978.
IN OTHER NEWS
Two festivals have already announced their dates for 2027 -- Welcome to Rockville will return to Daytona Beach, Florida May 6th through the 9th and the Washington, D.C. stop of the Warped Tour is set for June 19th and 20th.
Former Journey bassist Ross Valory is re-releasing his 2024 debut album, All of the Above, on August 21st. Available for the first time on vinyl and CD, the updated release includes a new instrumental track, "City Lights," the video of which you can watch on YouTube. Joining him on the song is former Journey drummer Steve Smith. Both Valory and Smith were fired from the band in 2020 after Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain claimed they attempted a "coup" in order to gain control of the Journey trademark.
Roger Waters has released the video for “Comfortably Numb” Re-Imagined, his duet with Palestinian-American artist, singer and songwriter Mona Miari in protest of Israel's treatment of neighboring Palestine. Shot in black and white it shows the devastation caused by Israel’s genocide. He says, “From us to you - the people, a reflection on memory, dignity, and truth.” You can watch it on YouTube.
Mick Fleetwood has headed home to Maui after a week of recording in Los Angeles. He says, “Closing in on finishing my album.”
Sammy Hagar posted a video on Instagram in which he invites John Mellencamp to his show this past Sunday in Noblesville, Indiana, just outside Indianapolis. He says, “He called me back immediately with some funny comments not for everyone, which kept us entertained the whole flight. Thanks to Starlink we could talk from the plane.” Hagar’s drummer Kenny Aronoff played in Mellencamp’s band for 17 years. Hagar’s tour heads to Clarkston, Michigan on Friday and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on Saturday.
Five years after his death, Meat Loaf is headed to Las Vegas as the 1975 film he had a cameo in, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, will be adapted and shown at the Sphere next year. Meat played Eddie, a former delivery boy.
Steve Miller, a board member of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, will once again play two shows there – October 9th and 10th. This will be his ninth installment of shows honoring his blues and jazz heroes. More information and tickets are available on the Lincoln Center's official website.