R.E.M. (Briefly) Reunites!
Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy's R.E.M. tribute show hit the band's hometown of Athens, Georgia on Thursday and Friday nights, and that led to a one song reunion by the full band. Thursday night Shannon and Narducy welcomed Peter Buck and Michael Stipe on stage to do "Pretty Persuasion" and mid-song, Mike Mills jumped on stage to add backing vocals while drummer Bill Berry came out to add tambourine. Watch that performance on YouTube.
On Friday night all four members were on stage at the start of the song, with Stipe doing all the lead vocals instead of trading off with Shannon. Watch that performance on YouTube.
All four members of the band appeared on stage with Shannon and Narducy last year in Athens, but didn't all play together. It was the first performances by the four members since their Songwriter's Hall of Fame induction in June 2024. The rest of the show on Thursday featured Buck playing guitar on six songs, Mills singing on seven songs and Berry playing drums on one song. Friday's show had Mills appear on seven songs, Buck on four songs and Berry playing on three songs.
MICK JAGGER: Brings Satisfaction to Oscars
Mick Jagger was the presenter of the Original Song Oscar Sunday night at the Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Taking the stage to the strains of The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," he said, "You’re so kind. I’m greatly honored to be invited to give this award. “Much as I love doing it, I wasn’t the first choice. The producers really wanted Bob Dylan to do this. But Bob Dylan won’t do it because he said the best songs in a movie this year were in [his biopic] A Complete Unknown. Bob said, ‘You should find somebody younger.’ Hey, I’m younger than Bob Dylan!” (Dylan is 83 and Jagger 81, and none of the songs from A Complete Unknown were nominated. The film also lost out in the eight categories it received nominations, including Best Actor for Timothee Chalamet, and Best Director for James Mangold.) The winner was "El Mal" from Emilia Pérez, and, while accepting the award, the song's writer Camille Audiard sang “woo-woo” from the Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” Among the losers were Elton John and Brandi Carlile for the title track to Elton's 2024 documentary, Never Too Late. Had he won, it would have been Elton's third Oscar.
ROCK HALL: Fan Vote Recap - Week Three
With just over a million ballots cast over three weeks, Phish continues to lead the the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Fan Vote. The rest of the Top 5 remains the same with Billy Idol (2),
Soundgarden (3), Bad Company (4), and Cyndi Lauper (5). The only change in the last week was The White Stripes overtaking Oasis for the 12th spot. The complete order of votes, rounded up, is as follows:
1.Phish - 164,000
2.Billy Idol - 100,000
3.Soundgarden - 95,500
4.Bad Company - 93,000
5.Cyndi Lauper - 87,500
6.Joe Cocker - 82,500
7.Chubby Checker - 75,000
8.Black Crowes - 66,500
9.Mariah Carey - 59,500
10.Outkast - 52,000
11.Joy Division + New Order - 52,000
12.The White Stripes - 50,000
13.Oasis - 48,500
14.Mana - 19,500
You can vote once a day through April 21st at RockHall.com. The top five artists selected by the public will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to determine the 2025 Inductees. The Class of 2025 will be announced in late April with the ceremony set for the fall in Los Angeles.
HEART: Ann Wilson still not well
Heart resumed their Royal Flush Tour with two shows at the BleauLive Theatre in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday. The tour was postponed last July following Ann Wilson undergoing an operation and treatment for cancer. And it was clear that she's still not 100-percent as she sat in a wheelchair for most of the show, and the set list was trimmed from the upwards of 20 songs a night last year to 13 on Friday and 14 on Saturday. The tour heads to Los Angeles this Monday with Squeeze opening their first show through March 14th in Portland, Oregon.
Cheap Trick takes over from March 20th in Calgary, Alberta through April 5th in Quebec, and
Lucinda Williams joins for two shows – April 10th in Toronto and the 16th in New York City, which is the final date for this leg.
Heart's opening night set list - February 28th at BleaLive in Las Vegas:
1.Bébé Le Strange
2.Never
3.Love Alive
4.Straight On / Let's Dance
5.These Dreams
6.Crazy on You
7.Dog & Butterfly
8.Going To California (Led Zeppelin)
9.Edward (Nancy Wilson song)
10.Alone / What About Love
11.Magic Man
Encore:
1.Sand (Lovemongers cover)
2.Barracuda
On Saturday they replaced "Love Alive" with "Little Queen," and, also from the Little Queen album, "Treat Me Well," which they hadn't performed since 1978.
NEIL YOUNG: Solo Tour Doc Hitting Theaters
The Neil Young solo tour documentary Coastal will hit theaters for one night on April 17th.
The film was directed by his wife, actress Daryl Hannah, and had its world premiere last October at the at the Woodstock Film Festival in Woodstock, New York. It covers Young's West Coast tour in 2023 where he dug deep into his catalog. A soundtrack to the film will be released on April 18th. It's the second album drawn from that 2023 tour -- Young released
Before & After in December 2023, but that featured all the live performances crossfaded into one another. The two albums also have three of the same songs -- "I'm the Ocean," "Comes a Time" and "Don't Forget Love." Check out the first track from Coastal, "Vampire Blues," on YouTube. Neil and The Chrome Hearts will do a free show in Ukraine in June to open their European tour. The date and where have yet to be announced.
Andrew Watt Defends Rolling Stones Winning 2025 Best Rock Album Grammy
Andrew Watt, the producer of the Rolling Stones album "Hackney Diamonds," is defending their win at the 2025 Grammy Awards. The band won Best Rock Album at this year's ceremony.In a new interview, Watt pointed out that the band members are in their 80s and asked the interviewer to tell him another band in history that has made a good album in their 80s. This comes after some people believed the Rolling Stones won Best Rock Album because of their legacy and not the quality of their album.
Bono: Stories Of Surrender Documentary To Premiere On Apple TV
Apple Original Films is sharing the details for its new documentary, "Bono: Stories of Surrender." The film is directed by filmmaker Andrew Dominik and it's based on Bono's memoir, "Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story," and the accompanying book tour. The documentary will feature never-before-seen, exclusive footage from the Beacon Theatre shows. "Bono: Stories of Surrender" will premiere on May 30th on Apple TV-plus.
When We Were Young Festival Adds Second Date Due To Overwhelming Demand
A second date is being added to the When We Were Young Festival due to high demand. The festival will feature the same lineup on both Saturday, October 18th and Sunday October 19th in Las Vegas. Panic! At The Disco and blink-182 will headline the fourth annual festival. Weezer, Avril Lavigne, The Offspring, The Used and more are also on the lineup.Tickets for the second When We Were Young date are available to purchase now.
LED ZEPPELIN: Enough Already
Helen Grant, the daughter of Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant, is tired of all the praise being heaped upon Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and John Bonham in reviews of their documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin, and that more needs to be said about her late father.
She says, "All the hard work, dedication and overall commitment he gave the band? There was a fifth member. Pontificating about the four members can be tiresome and old.” Last year, Helen sold her 10% stake in the band’s royalties. Helen also owns a 10% stake in United Blag Productions, another U.K. business that controls parts of Zeppelin’s catalog, as well as 10% of Bad Company Entertainment, which controls parts of Bad Company’s catalog, who her father also managed, and an unspecified stake in Swan Song, Zeppelin’s label that Bad Company was signed to. She does not own a stake in Zeppelin’s music publishing.
My Life With Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mike Campbell Looks Back
In his new autobiography, "Heartbreaker: A Memoir," Mike Campbell, former guitarist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, shares insights into his musical journey and relationship with Petty. Campbell discusses the possibility of the Heartbreakers continuing without Petty and reflects on his interactions with the iconic musician. He also reveals stories about working with Bob Dylan and the Traveling Wilburys, as well as his current projects with his band, the Dirty Knobs
Last Member Of Badfinger Dies
Joey Molland, guitarist and last surviving member of Badfinger, passed away at 77-years-old after a long period of declining health. Molland kept the band's legacy alive by touring for decades performing hits like “No Matter What” and “Day After Day.” News of his passing came in a statement from his social media manager, though no cause of death was mentioned.
New York Dolls Singer David Johansen Passes
David Johansen, frontman of the New York Dolls and later performing as Buster Poindexter, has passed away at 75-years-old. His daughter, Leah Hennessey, confirmed his passing weeks after revealing his stage 4 cancer diagnosis, which had been kept private for years. The singer only recently revealed he was fighting cancer, and his daughter was working to raise funds to deal with the financial pressures stemming from his health issues. He was known for hit songs including “Personality Crisis” and “Trash.”
IN OTHER NEWS
Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts will do a free show in Ukraine in June to open their European tour. The date and where have yet to be announced.
Former and current Bon Jovi guitarists – Richie Sambora and Phil X – performed the band’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” during the Rock For Responders concert last Thursday on the USS Iowa in San Pedro, California.
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich will appear at the South by Southwest festival on March 11th. He and Zane Lowe of Apple Music will have a discussion called "Breaking the Fourth Wall," which will "explore how the band is continuing to use revolutionary technology to connect more deeply with fans, bringing them truly inside their dynamic live performance."
Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks have announced their fourth show together this year – October 4th at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It’s Billy’s first Bay Area show in 10 years. Their other shows are in Detroit; East Rutherford, New Jersey; and New Orleans. Billy also has scattered stadium dates this year with Sting and Rod Stewart.
Legendary drummer Steve Gadd, who plays with Eric Clapton and Paul Simon, is mourning the loss of his oldest son Duke, a fellow drummer who performed in actor Corey Feldman’s band. He died in February from a fentanyl overdose.