Mötley Crüe Cancels Festival Appearance Over Vince Neil Health Issues
Mötley Crüe has canceled their scheduled headlining appearance at the upcoming Boardwalk Rock festival in Ocean City, Maryland, citing the ongoing health issues of lead singer Vince Neil. The two-day festival, scheduled for May 17, initially had Crüe co-headlining the first night of the festival with Def Leppard. Due to them opting out, Alice In Chains will be taking their slot. "Vince's health comes first, and we fully support him in prioritizing his recovery. Please join us in wishing him well,” the band said in a statement. The nature of Neil's health issues remains undisclosed, though they had already led the band to delay the launch of their Las Vegas residency from this spring to a new September 2025 start date.
Elton John Shares Update On Eye Condition
Elton John is sharing an update about his eye condition. In a recent interview with The TImes of London, the singer talked about how difficult it is for him to see, saying he can't watch TV, he's unable to read, and he can't watch his children playing sports.Last year, Sir Elton revealed he lost the ability to see in his right eye after getting an eye infection that summer.Now, he says it makes him emotional, but he can still see out of his left eye. Despite his eye struggles, Elton John recently teamed up with Brandi Carlile for their collaborative album, "Who Believes in Angels?" which arrived last Friday.
ROCK HALL: Fan Vote Recap - Week Eight
The order of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Fan Vote remains the same for a second straight week with Phish still on top. With close to 2.1-million votes cast over eight weeks, the
complete order and number of votes, rounded up, is as follows:
1.Phish - 281,500
2.Bad Company - 224,500
3.Billy Idol - 212,000
4.Cyndi Lauper - 192,000
5.Soundgarden - 190,000
6.Joe Cocker - 187,000
7.Chubby Checker - 164,000
8.Black Crowes - 136,000
9.Mariah Carey - 119,500
10.Joy Division + New Order - 99,500
11.The White Stripes - 93,000
12.Outkast - 91,000
13.Oasis - 84,500
14.Mana - 30,500
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.
Judas Priest's Jason Faulkner Reveals He Had A Stroke
When Judas Priest's Richie Faulkner experienced an aortic aneurysm while performing at the 2021 "Louder Than Life" festival in Kentucky, that was just the beginning of years of health problems. In a new interview with "PremiereGuitar," Faulkner reveals that a month after the incident, he suffered a series of small strokes. Once he returned to performing, he knew something was really wrong. "There was something different. I could get through it, but there was something different about my right hand," he shares. Once more tests were done, it was discovered he'd had a larger stroke along the way, damaging his brain. He continues to battle through it but finds that often he struggles to play songs he'd played hundreds of times before. He's revealing it now for two reasons: because he's tired of it being a secret, and he hopes that "maybe it helps someone else that might be struggling with their struggle to think, 'This is okay' and 'I'm not alone'."
DON FELDER: Hotel Victim
Don Felder's iconic guitar riff formed the basis of arguably the Eagles' biggest song, "Hotel California," and now, 48 years later comes its companion piece, "Hollywood Victim," the second song off his forthcoming album, The Vault - Fifty Years of Music. (The first was "Free at Last," released last month.) Written in the early '90s for the Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over tour, it tells the story of starry-eyed dreamers who arrive in Hollywood with high hopes, only to become casualties of the city’s ruthless entertainment machine. The Vault - Fifty Years of Music will be released on May 23rd. Until then, Felder has scattered dates through May 28th and the start of The Brotherhood of Rock tour with Styx and Kevin Cronin in Greenville, South Carolina.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Bio-Pic Trailer Turns Heads
While we wait to see if actor Jeremy Allen White can deliver the goods in his portrayal of Bruce Springsteen in Deliver Me From Nowhere, the trailer went over well Thursday at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. White and Jeremy Strong, who portrays Springsteen's manager Jon Landau, were on hand with White saying the movie was “incredible, challenging and a dream come true… I feel really lucky. We all had Bruce’s blessing on this film.” As for the reaction to the trailer, the Hollywood Reporter says it's "contemplative and rousing,” with the audience responding favorably to White performing “Born to Run.” And Variety says the performance was "thrilling," particularly White capturing Springsteen's “raspy croon, tossing his sweat-drenched hair on stage and ending in a split that brings his electric guitar down to the floor with him.”
Deliver Me From Nowhere, which is based on Warren Zanes‘ book ‘Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska,’ is scheduled to be released toward the end of the year.
Mayor Feuds With Bon Jovi Over Homeless Services
The mayor of Toms River, New Jersey - Mayor Dan Rodrick - says rock legend and Garden State native Jon Bon Jovi can take his latest soup kitchen elsewhere. He doesn't want it in his community. Bon Jovi has opened a pop-up spot in the Ocean County Library, which he says he'll operate until May. It's the second JBJ Soul Kitchen he's opened in the town, but Rodrick says he's worried it will bring homeless people from all over the state. He says Bon Jovi should confine his outreach to the original location -- or, as he put it, bring the homeless to his mansion. At JBJ Soul Kitchen, customers can pay for their meals and can pay it forward, helping those who are unable to afford a good meal.A statement released Friday sought to make clear that "The JBJ Soul Foundation and JBJ Soul Kitchen are committed to ending homelessness through real solutions." It added "We are not here to just move people around or force them into the shadows."
Coachella 2025 Adds Weezer As Surprise Last Minute Addition
Coachella organizers are making a last-minute change to the lineup.Weezer has been added to the Weekend One lineup, while Ed Sheeran will appear as a special guest on Weekend Two.The change comes as Anitta and FKA Twigs have dropped out of the festival. Some other previously announced performers include Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Clario, Travis Scott, and Post Malone. Weekend One of Coachella is going down from April 11th to the 13th and Weekend Two will run from April 18th to the 20th, in Indio, California. Last minute tickets are still available.
Billy Joel Documentary ‘And So It Goes’ to Open 2025 Tribeca Festival
The new Billy Joel documentary, "Billy Joel: And So It Goes," directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, will open the Tribeca Festival 2025. The two-part doc, set to air on HBO this summer, will explore Joel's life and music, delving into the personal struggles that fuel his songwriting. Featuring never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs, along with one-on-one interviews, the documentary will debut at the Beacon Theatre in New York City June 4. Tribeca Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal expressed excitement about honoring Billy Joel, a legendary performer who embodies the spirit of New York. Director Susan Lacy expressed gratitude for the opportunity to bring Joel's story to the screen and premiere the film at the historic Beacon Theater.
ELTON & BRANDI: They Believe in New York
Elton John and Brandi Carlile celebrated Friday's release of their first album, Who Believes in Angels? with an appearance that night at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. They were on hand for the premiere of Who Believes in Angels? Stories From the Edge of Creation, a 32-minute behind-the-scenes film on the making of the album. Afterwards they, along with Elton's lyricist Bernie Taupin and the album's producer Andrew Watt, sat for a Q&A with Dave Karger from Turner Classic Movies in which Elton explained why he's seen throwing numerous fits in the film. “I think I told everyone to f*** off 10 times! I was frustrated with my inability to come up with something good... “I was tired. I had so much doubt about my ability to come through with what I needed to come through with, and that led to a lot of aggression and bad behavior...“I wanted energy, and my bad behavior and my angst brought the energy … and [when] I cried, I think it was all the pent-up emotion that I was carrying and the pressure that I was feeling to come up with a decent record, a different record from the ones that I’d been making. And it all worked out brilliantly.” Both the film and Q&A can be seen on Elton's YouTube channel.
Saturday, Elton and Brandi were the musical guests on Saturday Night Live, performing two songs off the album -- “Little Richard’s Bible” and the title track -- backed by a band that included Watt on guitar, and Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith. It was the third time each of them performed on the show -- Elton in 1982 and 2011, and Brandi in 2021 and 2022. The two wrapped up the weekend Sunday night on CBS and Paramount+ with An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile, a one-hour concert and Q&A special captured last month at the London Palladium.
With Friday’s release of Who Believes in Angels? comes a video for the song “Little Richard’s Bible.” Elton says, “Little Richard is — musically, vocally and visually — one of our biggest influences. With Bernie’s [Taupin] lyrics, we wrote this song in his honor, and I couldn’t think of a better track than ‘Little Richard’s Bible’ to mark the release of Who Believes In Angels?”
The video is comprised of footage from their film, Who Believes in Angels? Stories From the Edge of Creation.
QUEEN: Not Wanted at Live Aid
Although millions of people believe that Queen's six-song medley was the highlight of 1985's Live Aid, organizer and Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof didn't want them on the bill.
British promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who put the show together with Geldof, tells Mojo
magazine, "Being the producer, I understood how slots work and who went where. I was also dealing with the technical side: We were doing two shows [London and Philadelphia] and had to stay strictly to time because of the satellite. “I thought about it, and said for the late afternoon slot the perfect act would be Queen. Bob said, ‘No, they’ve peaked. I don’t think they should play.’ I said to Bob, I really think they’ll be perfect to go on in that 5.30, 6 o’clock type slot -- knowing Freddie [Mercury] as I did, I knew they’d really make a show of it. Bob and I went backwards and forwards. I had to do a lot of persuading. He said, ‘No, we’ve got other acts we could put on.’ I dug my heels in and said there’s no better act that could do this than Queen."
And then there was Queen, who initially weren't interested in performing, as Brian May
explained to Classic Rock magazine last year. “We definitely hesitated to say yes. We had to consider whether we were in good enough shape. The chances of making fools of ourselves were so big.” And Goldsmith adds, "They’d just finished a long tour and were all a bit wrecked and wanted a break. And it was very close to the day. Freddie stood back from it all a bit -- I think he wanted to see what the reaction to Live Aid’s announcement was. When he realized the reaction of the press and media and the demand for tickets, he talked to the band and to their manager Jim Beach, and they decided to do it. "Of course they wanted to close the show. And I said, 'No, I want you to go on at this slot.' I think what really swung Freddie over was the thought that he could play to a billion people in one go, live. Nobody had ever done that before. I think he just felt, ‘OK, I’ll show you…’ Freddie smelt blood. He went for the throat."
Queen's Live Aid set was re-created for their 2018 bio-pic, Bohemian Rhapsody, and then
Queen+Adam Lambert did the set in 2020 at the Fire Fight Australia benefit concert.
IN OTHER NEWS
Peter Frampton has been performing a new song, “Another Level,” on his Let’s Do It Again tour. He co-wrote it with his son Julian. Frampton’s next stop is this Monday in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
One of the many people to wish Eric Clapton a happy 80th birthday on March 30th was his first wife Pattie Boyd, who wrote, “Happy 80th Birthday to Eric Clapton — aren't we lucky to still be around and enjoying life?!”
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have once again donated items to the Grapes for Humanity Charity Wine Auction, including a guitar signed by them and Neil Peart in 2010. Geddy also donated 55 bottles of wine from his cellar, each one signed by him. Bidding begins on April 12th at Noon ET at Wine. Waddingtons.ca. Proceeds benefit Tree Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, and impactful local charities.
Journey guitarist Neal Schon performed the national anthem Friday at the San Francisco Giants home opener.
Paul Stanley is starring in a new Workday commercial that will start airing this Monday. In 2023, he appeared in one for the software company along with Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Gary Clark Junior and Joan Jett.
Ace Frehley has posted a photo of himself in the studio, which he captioned, “It's a good feeling to be back in 'the office' again.” He’s shown with producer and engineer Alex Salzman, who he’s worked with on many of his albums.
Lenny Kravitz has released a video for “Let It Ride” off his latest album, 2024’s Blue Electric Light. He’s also the first in a series of remixes of the song, this one done by Welsh DJ Jamie Jones.