BLACK SABBATH: Worried
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has no idea what to expect when they do their final show in their hometown of Birmingham, England on July 5th. He tells Music Week, "This would be a big, monumental thing if it all comes out good. The worrying thing for me is the unknown. We don't know what's going to happen. "Normally, when we'd tour, we'd rehearse and run through the thing for a while, and it's just us. But with this event there are so many other moving parts."
One moving part that won't be moving is Ozzy Osbourne. "You're used to Ozzy running around," says Iommi, "but he certainly won't be doing that for this show. I don't know if he's going to be standing or sitting on a throne or what." So, bottom line, he says he's approaching the show with "excitement mixed with fear. Once we start playing, then we'll know we're doing it. It's always a worry, even when we did tours before, there's always that build-up, and then it gets to the point that we do it and it's okay."
The show, called Back to the Beginning, will also be the last show for Ozzy's solo career. In addition to Sabbath and Ozzy, 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.
Rolling Stones working on NEW album after dropping plans for massive summer tour
The Rolling Stones are currently working on their 31st studio album, with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood hitting the recording studio since April. The band has already recorded 13 songs and is discussing a release date for the new album. The Stones' last album, Hackney Diamonds, released in 2023, topped the charts. The band is working with producer Andrew Watt at West London's Metropolis Studios. In November, the band plans to release a remastered edition of their 1976 Black and Blue album to mark Ronnie Wood's 50th anniversary with the band.
One of Two Guitars Stolen from Heart is Recovered
Hall of Fame rock group Heart has one of its two stolen musical instruments back. Atlantic City, New Jersey Police say a suspect -- Garfield Bennett -- is under arrest for the theft. The 57-year-old is accused of stealing a custom-made purple Telecaster, and a vintage 1966 Gibson Mandolin. They were stolen from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's Etess Arena last Saturday, when the band played a show there. Police used license plate readers to identify the car of the woman who bought the Telecaster and quickly located it. The woman voluntarily returned the guitar but the mandolin -- which band member Paul Moak has played for more than 25 years -- remains missing.
JOHN, PAUL & RINGO: June 11th Is a Blessing and a Curse
June 11th is a good day in the personal lives of John Lennon and Ringo Starr, but not so much for Paul McCartney. Starting with Lennon, it was on that day in 1970 that he and his wife Yoko Ono told reporters in California they planned to settle in New York. It was also on that day in 1969 that The Beatles, while still together, had their final number-one song in the UK as "The Ballad of John and Yoko" hit the top spot. They since had another one -- "Now and Then" in 2023.
For Ringo, it was June 11th, 1980 that he announced his engagement to American actress Barbara Bach. They were married on April 27th, 1981 -- second marriages for both -- and are still together.
As for Paul, June 11th is a day he'd rather soon forget as it was on that day in 2002 that he married his second wife, British model-turned-activist Heather Mills at Castle Leslie in County Monahan, Ireland. The only good thing to come out of the drama-filled marriage was their daughter Beatrice, who was born in 2003. The British press had a field day with Mills, often branding her a liar. Their divorce in 2008 cost McCartney close to $50-million with Justice Hugh Bennett saying that throughout the case, Mills was "inconsistent, inaccurate and less than candid" while McCartney was "honest." McCartney started dating Nancy Shevell in 2007 and they married in 2011.
YES: Fragile's Turn
Yes will tour the U.S. in the fall, and this time out they will perform their 1971 album Fragile in its entirety. It was released in the U.S. in January 1972. The Fragile Tour 2025, The Album Series will start on October 1st in Wallingford, Connecticut with 31 shows through November 16th in Reno, Nevada. Tickets go on sale June 13th. Go to YesWorld.com for details. Guitarist
Steve Howe says, “All the band’s albums had a unique feel and approach. After The Yes Album, so many things came together... While the band focused on only four main songs with full arrangements, each of us wrote and designed a solo piece, which was [drummer] Bill
[Bruford]'s great idea. It's fairly 'odd-ball,' but we were at the height of our creativity, determined for success. It gave us confidence, further than our own in-stock belief, we'd crafted this unusual but noticeable musical twist to rock and what later became prog.”
Fragile was also their first album to feature Roger Dean's artwork, and they will perform in front of a video wall featuring AI treatment of Dean’s art. His art will be available at all the shows. Howe says, “Roger was and is quintessential to the look of Yes. He's still creating great paintings and design -- he has no competition.”
Fragile, the band's fourth album, contains such classics as “Roundabout,” “Long Distance Runaround,” and “Heart of the Sunrise.” It peaked at number-four on the Billboard 200 and has been certified double platinum.
Music World Reaction To Sly Stone's Death
Musicians including Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz, and a Sex Pistol have paid tribute to Sly Stone, the legendary musician behind Sly & the Family Stone. Stone passed away at the age of 82 on June 9, prompting an outpouring of admiration and respect from his peers. Members of the Go-Go’s, Belinda Carlisle and Kathy Valentine, also honored Stone on social media, highlighting his enduring influence on the music industry.
KISS frontman Paul Stanley is also among those paying tribute to Sly Stone, who passed away on Monday. Stanley posted on social media that he saw Sly and the Family Stone debut at the Fillmore East in New York City in 1968, opening for Jimi Hendrix.Stanley called Sly and the Family Stone "a freight train of bombastic, joyous souI." He added that they would go on to "change the sound of R-and-B for so many other artists." Stone's death comes five months after the release of the documentary "Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)."
KISS: Control Freaks
The KISS Army Storms Vegas event on November 14th, 15th and 16th was being planned by a third party, but Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons weren't pleased with how it was shaping up so Stanley says they took matters into their own hands. "It's going to go through some major changes to be what we think it should be. We spent 12 years nurturing a KISS cruise. So, this virtually will become a KISS cruise in Vegas. [It] doesn't need a ship. So, there'll be some announcements forthcoming and to do it in Vegas at the Virgin Hotel, it's gonna be everything that people want and have been hoping for." And, Stanley says he and Simmons along with KISS guitarisrt Tommy Thayer will do a 15-song electric set minus the make-up. KISS did their last show on December 2nd, 2023 at New York's Madison Square Garden, and, after selling their intellectual property to Pophouse, Simmons says they're contractually not allowed to tour or perform with the make-up. "When we sold the IP (Intellectual Property) to Pophouse we promised we would never tour again because while you're on top, get out of the ring. Don't wait for some chump to knock you out. We've all seen boxers and rockers and everything that's stayed around to long. 50 years -- half a century -- is plenty of time."
DAVID BYRNE: Gets Hayley Wiliams and St. Vincent For New Album
David Byrne will release his first studio album in seven years on September 5th. Who Is the Sky? features collaborations with two people Byrne as worked with in the past -- Hayley Williams of Paramore and St. Vincent, who Byrne released Love This Giant with back in 2012.
The first single and video is "Everybody Laughs," which is on YouTube now. Byrne has also
announced a fall tour that starts September 14th in Providence, Rhode Island and wraps up December 6th in Miami.
David Bowie And Mick Jagger's "Dancing In The Street" Getting 40th Anniversary Reissue
Nothing says "80s" like the visual of David Bowie and Mick Jagger forehead-to-forehead, singing "Dancing In The Street." Their remake of the Martha and the Vandellas classic was all over the radio and MTV 40 years ago, and it's about to make a comeback. For the 40th anniversary of the duet, a limited edition white vinyl 12-inch will be released on August 29th, two days after the song's 40th anniversary. 30-percent of the retail price from the sale of the single will be donated to The Band Aid Charitable Trust. The disc will include five different remixes of the song.
R.E.M., ISBELL, WILCO: A Forward Compilation
Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Wilco are among the acts contributing songs to a new vinyl only compilation due out July 4th. The two-LP set is called Democracy Forward and it will raise funds for the organization of the same name that is "one of the key legal organizations doing the essential work of defending democracy."
Stipe opens and closes the album -- his solo track "Invocation" is the opener, while "No Time for Love Like Now" with Big Red Machine closes things out. Other artists on the album include Tyler Childers, Brandi Carlile, Kevin Morby and Waxahatchee, Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Brittany Howard.
BUSH: Can't Beat Albums
In the age of streaming and TikTok making unlikely hits, it's harder than ever for an artist to get traction with a full album. But Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale said he could never see the group just cranking out singles. Rossdale told Kerrang "I think a body of work is what it’s about when it comes to being an artist. You need a body of work so that people can decide if they want to come and see you live. If you just have one song with four billion streams but no other songs, no one is going to have the confidence to come and see you." He adds, "It’s ridiculous for me to try to be connected to what young bands are doing, though – for me, releasing albums is about maintaining quality and doing the best live show we can. Music continues to be an incredible journey of exploration, with each record allowing me to experiment with these wild sounds." Bush's new album, I Beat Loneliness, is due out July 18th.
MACHINE GUN KELLY, BOB DYLAN: Well, This Was Unexpected
When Bob Dylan unexpectedly shared an old clip of Machine Gun Kelly on his Instagram account back in February, it's safe to say no one expected it to end up with the pair collaborating. But when MGK posted a trailer for his new album, Lost Americana, on social media Tuesday afternoon he wrote "trailer narrated by" and then used an ellipsis. And when fans pressed play on the 52 second video they heard Dylan's voice describing the new album.
It's not clear if Dylan wrote his own script, but what he says is "Lost Americana is a personal excavation of the American dream. A journey to find what's been lost. This album is a love letter to those who seek to rediscover the dreamers, the drifters, the defiant." "It's a sonic map of forgotten places. A tribute to the spirit of reinvention and a quest to reclaim the authentic essence of American freedom. From the gold neon diamonds to the rumble of the motorcycles, this is music that celebrates the beauty found in the inbetween spaces where the past is reimagined and the future is forged on your own terms." The pairing isn't a total surprise, as MGK met Dylan May 16th when the Outlaw Music Festival played at the Hollywood Bowl. Lost Americana is due out on August 8th.
Bonnaroo Co-Founder Dies
"Billboard" is reporting the death of a festival visionary.Jonathan Mayers co-founded the Bonnaroo and Outside Lands music festivals, among many others. He also co-founded Superfly Entertainment in 1996.Mayers' death was reported today, but the cause was not released. He was 51.The 2025 Bonnaroo Festival kicks off on June 12th in Tennessee. Organizers plan to plant a tree on property grounds in Mayers' memory.
IN OTHER NEWS
Pink Floyd is the subject of a new book. Pink Floyd Shine On: The Definitive Oral History by Mark Blake is described as “the most comprehensive history of the band ever compiled.” It includes new, archival and unpublished interviews with David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, the late Richard Wright, and Rosemary Breen, the sister of the late Syd Barrett. It will be published on October 9th.
Ringo Starr’s 1969 Beatles song “Octopus’ Garden,” on Abbey Road, is the inspiration for a new line of merchandise to coincide with World Oceans Day, which was this past Sunday, June 8th. Among the items are a T-shirt, sweatshirt, hat, framed print and tote bag. For details go to EarthDay.store. Proceeds benefit EarthDay.org, which is dedicated to promoting environmental education, conservation and action.
Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden has reworked and remixed some songs on his 1994 album Balls to Picasso for a new reissue called More Balls to Picasso. It’s due out July 25th.
A guitar pick used by Kurt Cobain when Nirvana performed on MTV Unplugged in 1993 is being raffled off to raise money for the Royal College of Music in London.
Legendary jazz fusion guitarist John McLaughlin – aka Mahavishnu – joined Eric Clapton on stage last week in Nice, France for a run through “Before You Accuse Me.” Clapton is now off the road until his U.S. tour starts on September 8th in Nashville.
Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton and his new band, Close Enemies, are guests on the new episode of The David Ellefson Show podcast hosted by former Megadeth bassist and Joshua Toomey. You can find it on YouTube.
Billy Corgan announced that his National Wrestling Alliance has inked a deal for its matches to be streamed on Roku.
Randy Bachman’s new version of Bachman-Turner Overdrive – minus Fred Turner who is retired – have added eight fall dates to their U.S. tour. They run from October 23rd in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania through November 3rd in North Tonawanda, New York. The summer tour starts July 18th in Council Bluffs, Iowa and runs through September 20th in Lincoln, California.
Gene Simmons posted a photo on Instagram of himself and actor Harrison Ford each holding the Universal Smile Award they received last week at Operation Smile’s annual Smile Fiesta in Los Angeles. He says, “[It was] a privilege and an honor to receive an award from Operation Smile, presented by my wifey Shannon Tweed and my son Nick alongside the powerful and attractive Harrison Ford. We are very lucky, and but for a twist of fate, we could have been born much less lucky. Awards are all well and fine, but the people at Operation Smile, including the late Dr. Randy Sherman, are the ones who deserve recognition.” Proceeds from the event benefit Operation Smile Los Angeles.