Big Rig ROCK Report 8.18

Radiohead Surprise Release "Hail To The Thief Live Recordings 2003-2009"

Radiohead is surprising fans with the release of a new live album, "Hail to the Thief Live Recordings 2003 to 2009" in digital format. The band previously announced the physical "one-off" vinyl impression would be out on October 31st.Along with the digital release, Radiohead has also released a live video performance of "There, There," from the set. The new album features performances of tracks from "Hail to the Third" that were captured in London, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, and Dublin between 2003 and 2009.

Twenty One Pilots Announce "Breach" Listening Parties Around The World

Twenty One Pilots are planning listening parties for their upcoming 8th album "Breach."They've mapped out listening events for the record starting September 6th around the world. Indie record retailers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., and other countries are taking part. Limited edition picture discs will be available at each location while supplies last. "Breach" will be out on September 12th, with Twenty One Pilots kicking off their "Clancy Tour: Breach 2025" on September 18th in Cincinnati.

Liam Gallagher Says He Can No Longer Throw Maracas Into Crowd

Liam Gallagher is being forced to end his tradition of throwing his instruments into the crowd during the Oasis reunion shows due to safety concerns. During the band's recent gig in Edinburgh, Gallagher said he was told that he can't throw his tambourine and maracas out anymore. The ban is said to have been put in place because a woman was hurt after two men tried to wrestle maracas from her at a recent concert. In another incident, a fan who caught maracas posted a photo of a welt on her head on social media.

David Lee Roth Makes Fun Of Sammy Hagar Being "Visited" By Eddie Van Halen's Ghost

David Lee Roth took a moment during a recent concert to take a jab (seemingly a playful one, considering their history) at Sammy Hagar. In the middle of "Dance The Night Away," Diamond Dave told a story that included Hagar's recent assertion that the ghost of Eddie Van Halen gave him a song in a dream - one he ended up recording called "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight." "One of my esteemed colleagues, he's a contemporary, he's got a great voice, he's got a great catalog. You all know Sammy Hagar, right? He's got a great voice. And Sammy (told) the media about six weeks ago that the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited him and graced him with a song that he memorized and then went home and recorded." Then Dave went on to describe his own "ghostly encounter" with Eddie. "I don't know what the odds are, but last night the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited me...I was watching the weather report, and he came in and he was laughing. I said, 'What did you do now?' He said...'Dave, you know that song I gave Hagar?...It's actually 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' backwards. Don't [ ] tell him.'" See Dave tell his story (CAREFUL! NSFW LANGUAGE!) here.

THE WHO: So, Will the Song Really Be Over This Time?

The Who launched The Song Is Over -- The North American Farewell Tour Saturday at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, just outside of Fort Lauderdale. The one big surprise was their first-ever performance of "Going Mobile" from 1971's Who's Next. A staple of Roger Daltrey's shows, it was sung by Pete Townhend's younger brother Simon Townshend, who sings it in Daltrey's band. Daltrey has long been in favor of introducing un-played or rarely played songs to the set. “This is a fact, it has to be said, he just doesn't dedicate as much time to thinking about the shows as I do. And it’s as simple as that. And I like to listen to what the fans say, you know, just get an idea of, ‘Well, we've ever done that one live and let’s give it a try and see how it goes down.’ And it's just a matter of stretching yourself out a bit, even if it's only for two songs a night. It’s that little thing that just keeps it fresh.” The other U.S. debut was the title track and last song of the night, "The Song Is Over," which they only did two other times -- this past March in London and last month in Italy.

As for the rest of the show, it was the usual array of suspects, including "I Can't Explain," "Who Are You," "Behind Blue Eyes," which they had to re-start due to technical difficulties, "Pinball Wizard," "You Better You Bet," "Love, Reign O'er Me," "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again." (Full set list below.)

In regard to the technical difficulties, Daltrey said, "You’ll never remember the perfect show. You’ll remember the [screw]-ups.” They are doing a total of 17 shows through September 28th in Las Vegas with Newark, New Jersey up next on Tuesday. This is The Who's first tour with drummer Scott Devours from Daltrey's band in place of Zak Starkey, who they parted with after their London shows in March. This is also their second farewell tour with the first coming in 1982 when they were in their 30s.

Now that Daltrey is 81 and Townshend 80, it makes sense that they're winding it down, as Pete explained. "I'm not crazy about touring. But performing, once I'm on a stage -- I was hypnotized once as a little boy by my dentist who was experimenting with hypnotism, that whenever I walked on a stage I would do my best, and that's what happens. I get on a stage, I remember that post-hypnotic suggestion and I do my best. And that's how it works for me. I find it easy. But being on the road is not a great way to live."

Daltrey explains why they're saying goodbye to America first. "Every musician's dream was to make it successfully in America because that was where we first heard the pulses of rock music coming from. To have America take us to its hearts, it meant to much and they've been so loyal to us, and I hope we've given back to you in the same manner. But, it's got to come to an end one day. It would be great to do it while I can still sing the songs in the same key. Pete's still playing great guitar and music's still got a vitality that suits it."

And depending on how this tour goes will determine if they take it elsewhere. RD: "Let's see if we survive this one. Touring America is a damn sight easier than touring the UK because for some reason or the other the UK has decided to make it as difficult as possible to go from A to B, and in America you seem to want to make it as easy as possible. But I don't want to say there won't be, but equally I'm not confident of saying there will be. That's the honest answer to that."

The Who set list - August 16th in Sunrise, Florida:

1.I Can't Explain

2.Substitute

3.Who Are You

4.The Seeker

5.I Can See for Miles

6.Bargain

7.Love Ain't for Keepin'

8.Behind Blue Eyes

9.Going Mobile - live debut with Simon Townshend on lead vocals

10. Pinball Wizard

11. See Me, Feel Me

12. Eminence Front

13. My Generation

14. You Better You Bet

15. The Real Me

16. I've Had Enough

17. I'm One

18. 5:15

19. Love, Reign O'er Me

20. Baba O'Riley

21. Won't Get Fooled Again

22. Tea & Theatre

23. The Song Is Over

David Lee Roth Makes Fun Of Sammy Hagar Being "Visited" By Eddie Van Halen's Ghost

Neil Young Leaves Facebook Over Meta Internal Memo Leak

If Neil Young has friended you on Facebook, chances are you won't see him around for awhile. Young has announced he's leaving the social media platform over a leaked internal memo about how its AI interacts with children. On his page, his most recent post explains. "At Neil Young’s request, we are no longer using Facebook for any Neil Young related activities.

Meta‘s use of chatbots with children is unconscionable. Mr. Young does not want a further connection with FACEBOOK." Reuters reported Thursday on internal Meta documents regarding policies on AI chatbot behavior, which included permissions for chatbots to "engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual," among other questionable decisions by Meta regarding AI and underage users. Once the report surfaced, Meta responded, telling Reuters "the examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed."

ACE FREHLEY: KISS Off

While original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley plans to be with his bandmates in Washington, D.C. in December when they are presented with the Kennedy Center Honors, he won't be joining

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in November for their KISS Kruise: Land-locked in Vegas event at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Frehley tells Guitar World, “They asked me and I declined. There’s no way I’m gonna be involved with that, you know? Their biggest mistake is that they should have done that at Madison Square Garden, not in Las Vegas in a 5000-seater, or whatever it is.” Frehley is referring to the band's final two End of the World tour shows at the New York City arena on December 1st and 2nd, 2023.

“There are multiple reasons," adds Frehley. "You know, about nine months before KISS was going to play Madison Square Garden, both Paul and Gene were saying, ‘We’re going to bring everybody out on stage.’ “And then, a few months before the concert, they both changed their tune and said, ‘Ace and Peter [Criss] aren’t going to do it.’ In fact, Paul went on to say, ‘If Ace and Peter got on stage with us, the band could be called Piss.’ So, I kind of got into an argument with him.” But, he makes it clear that he's "the kind of guy that never says never. I don’t hate Paul or Gene, you know? We’re rock and roll brothers, and Peter, too. So, anything can happen.” Frehley resumes touring on August 30th in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Bernie Leadon To Release First New Album In Over Two Decades

Bernie Leadon, guitar legend who was integral to the sound of the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Eagles, announced his first solo album in 22 years. "Too Late To Be Cool" reunites Leadon with producer Glyn Johns, who worked on several of the Eagles' earliest albums. He had previously released a new song, "Too Many Memories," last month without announcing an album was on the way. Now, with this news, he's released a second track, "Just A Little." The album comes out October 10.

Ronnie Rondell Jr., Stuntman Set On Fire For Iconic Pink Floyd Album Cover, Passes

One of the most famous album covers in rock history featured two men shaking hands, with one of them being on fire. Of course, we're talking about the cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." Sadly, the man who was set aflame for that photo, stuntman Ronnie Rondell Jr., has passed. Besides going down in rock history for that album cover, he was a Hollywood stuntman with hundreds of films and television shows to his credit, including "How the West Was Won," "Ice Station Zebra," "Twister" and more. His last credit was in "The Matrix Reloaded," where he worked on the epic car chase scene for which his son, R.A. Rondell, was the stunt coordinator. Ronnie Rondell Jr. was 88-years-old.

.38 SPECIAL: Train Stop

.38 Special have released “Slightly Controversial,” featuring Train’s Pat Monahan. It's the second single off Milestone, their first album in 21 years. .38 singer and guitarist Don Barnes says the song is a “powerful guitar banger,” adding that it’s "wrapped around a mystery woman who’s been through a few things in her life. She wants to keep people guessing and talking about her every move and they just can’t seem to figure her out. Her choice to be an enigma is for her own emotional protection.” You can find it on digital outlets and YouTube.

Milestone, their 13th studio album, will be out on September 19th.

THE BEATLES: 60th Anniversary of the Start of Stadium Rock

Friday, August 15th, was the 60th anniversary of arguably the most famous concert The Beatles ever played. Sunday, August 15th, 1965 marked the start of their U.S. tour in front of 55,600 people at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. It was the first concert held in the stadium that was home to Major League Baseball's New York Mets. It was the largest gathering to attend a pop concert at that time, and forerunner to stadium shows, which became the norm a few years later. Topping a bill that featured Brenda Holloway, The King Curtis Band, Sounds Incorporated, The Young Rascals and Cannibal and the Headhunters, The Beatles turned in a 12-song set that last 30 minutes.

1."Twist and Shout"

2."She's a Woman"

3."I Feel Fine"

4."Dizzy Miss Lizzy"

5."Ticket to Ride"

6."Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby"

7."Can't Buy Me Love"

8."Baby's in Black"

9."Act Naturally"

10. "A Hard Day's Night"

11. "Help!"

12. "I'm Down"

Among those in the audience were Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Marvin Gaye, Paul McCartney's future wife, Linda Eastman, Ringo Starr's future wife, Barbara Bach, as well as future brother-in-law Joe Walsh. After the show, The Beatles were visited by Bob Dylan at the Warwick Hotel in Manhattan. The Beatles returned to Shea Stadium a year later, August 23rd, 1966. Paul McCartney returned to Shea Stadium in 2008 to play the final concert there as a special guest of Billy Joel.

The New York Mets celebrated the anniversary Friday night during their game at Citi Field, which sits on Shea’s parking lot. The first 15,000 fans in attendance received a miniature replica of Shea and were entertained by The Beatles cover band 1964 The Tribute. Also, former Shea staff members from that night threw out the first pitch, and there was a post-game fireworks display set to The Beatles' music.

Liam Gallagher Says He Can No Longer Throw Maracas Into Crowd

Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickenson Says They Have No Interest In Playing At LV Sphere

Bruce Dickenson says Iron Maiden has no interest in playing at the Las Vegas Sphere. In an episode of SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, the rocker shut down the idea of playing at the state-of-the-art venue. He explained that "Maiden is about the relationship between the band and the audience, and the show is an enhancement of what we do," and believes that the band would be "very uncomfortable" with the idea of playing at The Sphere. Dickenson thinks the venue's large LED screen would render a live band irrelevant.

IN OTHER NEWS

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm will be on display at Nashville’s Frist Art Museum November 6th through January 26th.

George Thorogood and The Destroyers performed at halftime of the San Francisco 49ers - Las Vegas Raiders pre-season NFL game Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas. Thorogood posted photos from the day on Instagram, writing, “What a truly phenomenal experience… From meeting legends like Jim Plunkett and Marcus Allen … and getting to share it all with my daughter … UNFORGETTABLE!...”

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has released a second song off his compilation Fearless: Anthology 1965-2025. Previously unreleased, “Mother of Pearl” features Imelda May on background vocals. The album will be released on September 26th.

Last Friday, August 15th, marked the 50th anniversary of the release of Rod Stewart’s sixth album, 1975’s Atlantic Crossing. He says, “Hard to believe it’s been 50 years… Recorded back in ’75 over in America, this one really reminded me why I fell in love with recording in the first place.” Among the songs on the album are “Sailing” and “This Old Heart of Mine.”

The 40th anniversary of the death of Thin Lizzy frontman and bassist Phil Lynott will be remembered with a tribute concert on January 4th in Dublin. Lynott died on January 6th, 1986. He was 36.

Billy Idol has released limited vinyl re-pressings of his Whiplash Smile (1986) and Charmed Life (1990) albums, along with his Don’t Stop (1981) EP. All three are also available in Atmos, and a video for 1990’s “Prodigal Son” has been released on YouTube for the first time.

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