DAVID LEE ROTH And PEARCY/DEMARTINI Partial RATT Reunion To Headline 2025 Edition Of M3 ROCK FESTIVAL
Ratt alumni Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini will reunite for the first time in six years to headline the M3 festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland May 2-4. David Lee Roth will also make a return to the stage after over five years of retirement. Other acts scheduled to perform at the festival include Sebastian Bach, Ace Frehley, Warrant, Winger, Great White, Lita Ford, and Vixen. Ticket pre-sales for the event begin on tomorrow, January 29 and tickets go on sale Friday. Details at M3rockfest.com.
Kansas, .38 Special Team Up for Summer Tour
Kansas and .38 Special are teaming up for a summer 2025 tour that will also feature Jefferson Starship, the Outlaws, and Dave Mason on select date. The tour kicks off June 6 in Richmond, Virginia, and is set to conclude on July 26 in Rogers, Arkansas. Kansas recently wrapped up their 50th-anniversary tour with a special appearance by co-founding drummer Phil Ehart, who suffered a heart attack in 2024, and original bassist Dave Hope. 38 Special will celebrate their 50th year as a band in 2025, with their last album released in 2004.
Pre-sale tickets and VIP packages will be available starting today, January 28, using the code KANSASBAND on their official website kansasband.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday.
·June 6 - Richmond, VA - Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
·June 7 - Oxon Hill, MD - The Theater at MGM National
·June 13 - Southaven, MS - BankPlus Amphitheater
·June 14 - Huntsville, AL - Orion Amphitheater
·June 20 - Orange Beach, AL - The Wharf Amphitheater
·June 21 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
·June 27 - Charlotte, NC - Skyla Credit Union Amphitheater
·June 28 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater
·July 12 - La Vista, NE - The Astro
·July 13 - Cedar Rapids, IA - McGrath Amphitheater
·July 19 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
·July 20 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
·July 25 - Camdenton, MO - Ozarks Amphitheater
·July 26 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP
Simple Minds announce 2025 North American tour with Soft Cell and Modern English
Simple Minds announced their biggest live run across the US and Canada in four decades last week. The Alive and Kicking Tour 2025 will feature three UK bands - Simple Minds, Soft Cell, and Modern English. It gets underway May 16th in Ridgefield Washington and wraps up June 22nd in Noblesville, Indiana. The tour coincides with the 40th anniversary of their hit song, “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” reaching No. 1 on Billboard and they’ll perform the song on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Wednesday night. Pre-sale starts tomorrow, tickets for the tour go on sale on Friday January 31 at 10 a.m. local time.
Trailer released for Becoming Led Zeppelin featuring Robert Plant
Sony Pictures Classics has released a teaser clip from the upcoming film "Becoming Led Zeppelin," which explores the origins of the iconic rock group. The official trailer features Robert Plant introducing the band and performing "How Many More Times" in Denmark in 1969. The film delves into Led Zeppelin's meteoric rise in just one year, showcasing never-before-seen footage and performances. "Becoming Led Zeppelin" is the first officially sanctioned film on the group, told in their own words. Tickets for the UK cinema release are now on sale, with an exclusive IMAX release next Wednesday and Thursday, February 5 & 6.
THE WHO: Doing Their Annual Good Deed
The Who will return to the stage in March, playing two sets at the annual week of shows at London's Royal Albert Hall to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust. They're scheduled for March 27th and 30th with Level 42 opening. Other artists taking part are the Sex Pistols, James Arthur and The Corrs. Last year, Roger Daltrey, a patron of the charity, announced that he would no longer curate the annual week of concerts.
Alice Cooper Recruits Gilby Clarke for Upcoming Tour
Alice Cooper has announced that Gilby Clarke will be filling in for Nita Strauss on his upcoming tour, replacing Orianthi who had to step down due to unforeseen circumstances. The tour will run from this Friday Jan. 31 to Feb. 17, with Clarke joining the band for performances in various cities. Clarke, known for his work with Guns N' Roses and other projects, will be taking over guitar duties for the tour. Cooper has additional tour dates scheduled for the spring and summer, with Strauss set to return to the lineup for those shows.
BOB DYLAN: Cover to Cover
With Bob Dylan making headlines with his bio-pic, A Complete Unknown, Rolling Stone has ranked his 40 studio album covers. Topping the list is his second album, 1963's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, which shows him and then girlfriend Suze Rotolo walking in the middle of Jones Street, just off West 4th Street in New York's Greenwich Village. In her 2008 memoir, A Freewheelin’ Time, the now-deceased Suze said it was folk musician Dave Van Ronk who told him that he needed to think about his image. She wrote, “Much time was spent in front of the mirror trying on one wrinkled article of clothing after another until it all came together to look as if Bob had just gotten up and thrown something on. Image was all."
Interestingly enough, the second favorite also pictured Dylan with a woman -- 1965's Bringing It All Back Home, which features Sally Grossman, the wife of his then manager Albert Grossman. And the third, 1965's Highway 61 Revisited, features the lower half of folk singer and Dylan friend Bob Neuwirth.
The least favorite cover was for his 1986 album, Knocked Out Loaded, which shows a woman about to smash a vase over the head of a bandido strangling another man, which was taken from the January 1939 cover of the pulp magazine Spicy-Adventure Stories. With that, here are the Top 10 Dylan album covers according to Rolling Stone:
1.The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - 1963
2.Bringing It All Back Home - 1965
3.Highway 61 Revisited - 1965
4.Desire - 1976
5.Blonde on Blonde - 1966
6.The Times They Are A-Changin' - 1964
7.The Basement Tapes (w/The Band) - 1975
8.World Gone Wrong - 1993
9.Nashville Skyline - 1969
10.Street Legal – 1978
In other Dylan news, he's starting to roll out a spring tour with four Midwest dates announced:
·3/25 - Tulsa, OK - Tulsa Theater
·3/29 - Wichita, KS - Century II Concert Hall
·4/4 - Mankato, MN - Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center
·4/6 - Green Bay, WI - The Weidner - Cofrin Family Hall
Details at bobdylan.com.
Elton John Joins Paul McCartney In Slamming AI Legislation
Elton John is joining Paul McCartney in calling out proposed new rules in the UK that would look to put new rules around copyright would work for artists and musicians. Speaking with “The Times,” John shared that he was worried that the “wheels are in motion to allow AI companies to ride roughshod over the traditional copyright laws that protect artists’ livelihoods.” He is backing an amendment to a proposed bill that would extend copyright protection in the UK, as a proposed bill could potentially allow AI companies to have greater access to copyrighted works if artists don’t “opt out.” McCartney has already shared that the need to opt out of a bunch of potential AI models was a burden to artists…and threatened their livelihoods.
Mansion Once Owned By Genesis For Sale
A nine-room Scottish mansion located on nearly 12 acres of land by the sea and once owned by the three members of Genesis is being listed for less than 225-thousand-dollars. There is one catch -- it's a bit of a "fixer-upper."The listing on the Right-Move real estate agency website says the mansion is believed to date back to 1819 with additions built in 1920. After providing glowing descriptions of the Isle of Mull area where the property is located, the listing becomes brutally honest in its description of the home itself."The house now lies in a derelict state." A spokesperson for Genesis responded with similar brutal honesty: "Why the house is listed baffles me. It would probably cost more today in recession to restore the house than the whole estate is worth on the market."
BRIAN MAY: Crazy Little Thing Called Hoarding
Queen guitarist Brian May, who has a PhD in astrophysics, has a passion for all things Star Wars. His wife, British actress Anita Dobson, says, “Brian is a collector of Star Wars toys... He’s a big collector. He buys a packaged one and one that he can have for the grandkids. “He’s bought quite a lot. It’s eased off a bit, as he’s gone through life. His favorite is the little green guy, he loves Yoda...“I always think I’ve got to have a clear out, and a lot of my clothes go to the local hospice. But there’s so much stuff. The way I look at it, my husband is a hoarder and I’m a semi-hoarder. “I try to lessen the accumulation of stuff that comes in. My husband is really clever so any little things that come in that you think are useless he will go, ‘No, no, don’t get rid of that because it might come in useful.’ And it does. Something he is fixing, or something he has decided to add, and there it is, he’s got it in his DIY box.”
May is also a collector of Queen memorabilia, including costumes he wore on stage and at photo shoots, records, and one-off releases, as well as items related to astronomy and prehistoric creatures.
Warren Haynes Plots Extensive 'Million Voices Whisper' Tour
The Warren Haynes Band's Million Voices Whisper Spring Tour begins February 7 with a sold-out show in Knoxville, Tenn., in support of Haynes' latest solo album. The tour includes stops in Buffalo, Los Angeles, Portland, Toledo, San Francisco, Tempe, and San Diego. Limited-edition fan packages are available, and presales for West Coast shows start today, January 28. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Blues Albums Chart, featuring collaborations with Derek Trucks and lyrics initially started by Gregg Allman. The band includes members from Gov't Mule and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and a portion of ticket proceeds will go towards hurricane relief efforts.
Incubus Announce 2025 Morning View tour dates
Incubus is announcing a new run of North American tour dates.The trek is an extension of last year's "Morning View and The Hits" tour. The new 13-date leg starts on June 25th in Nashville and wraps up on October 4th in Los Angeles. Manchester Orchestra will join the Incubus for the duration of the tour.Tickets go on sale January 31st.
IN OTHER NEWS
The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger has been added to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp from February 27th to March 2nd in Los Angeles. Also participating are Police drummer Stewart Copeland, former Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Rolling Stones touring bassist Daryl Jones.
Don Henley has commented on Eagles touring guitarist Steuart Smith stepping away due to Parkinsonism — a collection of movement symptoms associated with several conditions — including Parkinson’s disease. He says, “The Eagles will be forever grateful for the extraordinary talents that he brought to both our recordings and live performances. Steuart will be greatly missed, but he will always be a part of our musical family. We know our many fans join us in wishing him well.” As previously announced, Chris Holt has taken his place.
Guitarist Carlos Alomar and bassist George Murray, who played together in David Bowie's band from 1975 to 1980, are teaming up for a European tour focusing on Bowie's Berlin trilogy -- Low, Heroes and Lodger. It starts November 7th in Berlin and wraps up December 1st in Dublin.
Steve Miller and Kenny Wayne Shepherd have paid tribute to keyboardist Barry Goldberg, who died last week from non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 83. Miller says, “Barry Goldberg was a great pianist, a brilliant songwriter and a lifetime friend. We played blues together in Chicago in 1965 as the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band and he was an important part of the blues revival in Chicago in the mid-’60s. R.I.P Barry, yours was a great musical journey.” And Shepherd, who was in The Rides with Goldberg and Stephen Stills, writes, “Barry was a musical powerhouse and a sweetheart of a person. If you knew him and his wife Gail, you’d never forget them. Both full of love and adoration for one another and attached at the hip. If you didn’t know Barry, do yourself a favor and learn about him as he was part of many of the musical moments that defined Rock & Roll. We will all miss him dearly but I’m forever grateful for the time we had together.”