KISS will no longer be turning Sin City into Rock City in late 2021 and early 2022. The band’s upcoming Las Vegas residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino has been canceled, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Ticketmaster.com.
No reason has been given for the cancellation, but Ticketmaster reports that people who purchased tickets for the shows will automatically receive a refund.
The Vegas concerts had been scheduled for December 29, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, as well as on January 19, 21, 22, 26, 28 and 29, and February 2, 4 and 5.
News of the cancellation comes a couple of days after Rolling Stone published a story that called into question how stringent the COVID-19 safety protocols for KISS’ End of the Road farewell tour were in the wake of the October 17 death of the band’s longtime guitar tech, Francis Stueber, who passed away two days after being put in quarantine because of the virus.
The article interviewed three members of the road crew — who wished to remain anonymous — who alleged that the tour “didn’t take strict enough safety measures,” and suggested that this may have led to Stueber’s death.
Meanwhile, KISS currently are taking part in the 10th edition of their KISS Kruise. As seen in fan-shot video from the cruise, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick joined his old band Friday to perform a pair of songs — “Heaven’s on Fire” and “Tears Are Falling” — during an outdoor performance.
KISS Kruise X runs through Wednesday, November 3. KISS also confirmed plans for a KISS Kruise XI, which will set sail from Los Angeles on October 29, 2022, and will visit Enseneda, Mexico, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, before returning to port on November 3.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
After skipping a full-on ceremony in 2020 due to the pandemic, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Gala returned in full force to Cleveland, OH on Saturday night, ushering in Foo Fighters, Carole King, Go-Gos, Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren, JAY-Z and more.
—Paul McCartney inducted Foo Fighters, and compared Dave Grohl‘s post-Nirvana career to his own time in Wings, noting, “We had a great time with our groups, but eventually tragedy happened and my group broke up. Same happened with Dave. His group broke up under tragic circumstances. So the question is, what do you do now?”
“In my case, I said, ‘Well, I’ll make an album where I play all the instruments myself.’ So I did that,” Macca continued. “Dave’s group broke up…what’s he do? He makes an album where he plays all the instruments himself. Do you think this guy’s stalking me?”
The Foos performed “Everlong,” “Best of You” and “My Hero” before taking the podium. Grohl’s acceptance speech was short, he explained, “because the last 25 years has been me, just like, ‘Blah, blah, blah … rock & roll … blah, blah, blah.’” He thanked his band and crew family, and his actual family, ending with “We did it!” In his speech, drummer Taylor Hawkins campaigned for the eventual induction of Soundgarden and George Michael.
The night concluded with McCartney and Foo Fighters jamming on “Get Back.”
—Drew Barrymore inducted the Go-Go’s, and recreated the cover of their album Beauty and the Beat by wrapping herself in a bath towel and applying face cream. “Beauty and the Beat blew the doors of my life off,” she told the crowd, adding, “They made me believe in things that weren’t possible.”
Accepting their honor, bass player Kathy Valentine said now that the Go-Go’s had been inducted, they’d be “advocating for the inclusion of more women,” adding, “Here is the thing: There would not be less of us if more of us were visible.” The band then rocked the crowd with “Vacation,” “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got the Beat.”
—Angela Bassett, star of the Tina Turner biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It, inducted Turner for the second time — she had already been inducted in 1991 as one half of Ike & Tina Turner. As Bassett noted, “What brings us here tonight is Tina’s journey to independence. For Tina, hope triumphed over hate…ambition eclipsed adversity.”
Turner herself didn’t attend; she sent a pre-recorded thank you. Instead, country star Mickey Guyton took the stage in Tina’s iconic ’80s uniform of denim jacket and black leather dress to sing “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Then, country star Keith Urban and Oscar-winning R&B star H.E.R. sang “It’s Only Love.” Urban stepped in last-minute for Bryan Adams, Tina’s original duet partner on the song, who’d tested positive for COVID.
Christina Aguilerabrought it all home with a stunning rendition of the Ike & Tina Turner classic, “River Deep, Mountain High.”
—Todd Rundgren, who’s said for many years that if inducted, he wouldn’t attend, pointedly booked a concert the night of the ceremony. He was virtually inducted by Patti Smith, who’s known Todd since their twenties. A tribute video included commentary from The Bangles‘ Susannah Hoffs and Daryl Hall.
—Taylor Swift opened the ceremony by performing King’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” a number-one hit for The Shirelles before King herself recorded it for her iconic album Tapestry. “I cannot remember a time when I didn’t know Carole King’s music,” Taylor told the crowd during her induction speech, adding that her parents raised her to believe King was “the greatest songwriter of all time.”
King, who’d already been inducted as a songwriter in 1990, acknowledged that even though she’s been told “that today’s female singers and songwriters stand on my shoulders,” we shouldn’t forget that “they also stand on the shoulders of the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. May she rest in power, Miss Aretha Franklin!”
Jennifer Hudson then took the stage to perform “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” followed by King herself leading the crowd in a singalong of “You’ve Got a Friend.”
–Other honorees included JAY-Z, inducted by Dave Chappelle, and Musical Excellence Award recipients Randy Rhoads, inducted by Tom Morello; Kraftwerk, inducted by Pharrell Williams; Billy Preston, inducted virtually by Ringo Starr; Gil Scott-Heron, inducted by Common; LL Cool J, inducted by Dr. Dre; and bluesman Charley Patton, inducted by Gary Clark Jr.
AC/DC‘s “Thunderstruck” video has officially struck one billion views on YouTube.
The clip is the first AC/DC video to reach the milestone. It’s also one of the few ’90s videos to hit the one billion views marks, along with Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Metallica‘s “Nothing Else Matters,” Guns N’ Roses‘ “November Rain,” The Cranberries‘ “Zombie,” 4 Non Blondes‘ “What’s Up,” and Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You.
The “Thunderstuck” video, which was uploaded to YouTube in November 2012, captures a live performance of the song, which was the lead single from AC/DC’s 1990 album The Razors Edge. It memorably features a unique, close-up angle of Angus Young‘s guitar playing.
“Our video for Thunderstruck just passed a billion views on YouTube,” AC/DC tweeted in response to the news. “Thank you fans!”
AC/DC released their latest album, Power Up, last November. It reunites the surviving members of the band’s classic Back in Black lineup, and is dedicated to their late guitarist, Malcolm Young.
Led Zeppelin has joined the ranks of rock bands with their own official account on TikTok.
The account, @ledzeppelin, will feature official Led Zeppelin artwork and graphics, live performance clips and other video content on the social media platform.
The hard-rock legends also have made their entire catalog available to TikTok users to soundtrack their own videos creations. Led Zeppelin’s catalog spans over 100 songs, including such classics as “Whole Lotta Love,” “Stairway to Heaven,” “Immigrant Song,” “Rock and Roll,” “Black Dog,” “Ramble On” and “Kashmir.”
The launch of Led Zeppelin’s TikTok account comes in advance of the 50th anniversary of the band’s hugely successful untitled fourth album, known as Led Zeppelin IV, which was released on November 8, 1971. The album, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200, has sold over 23 million copies in the U.S.
It’s track list includes the aforementioned “Stairway to Heaven,” “Rock and Roll” and “Black Dog,” as well as “Misty Mountain Hop,” “Going to California” and “When the Levee Breaks.”
To commemorate the album’s anniversary, the band has launched a video series on its YouTube channel titled The History of Led Zeppelin IV. The first episode focuses on “Black Dog,” which was released as the album’s first single.
In honor of late Rush drummer Neil Peart, Modern Drummer magazine has announced the launch of an annual scholarship in his name that’s geared toward inspiring a young drummer to pursue a career as a musician.
The “Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship” will provide the chosen recipient with 52 weeks of free drum lessons from respected drum instructor Dom Famularo, as well as a one-year subscription to the Modern Drummer All Access service, and a selection of classic Rush albums.
Entrants must be between 14 and 21 years old, not a professional musician, and not under any entertainment contract or sponsorship that Modern Drummer would consider a conflict with scholarship’s spirit.
To be considered for the scholarship, potential recipients must submit a video displaying their drumming skills running two minutes or less, as well as a brief essay explaining why the scholarship will make a significant positive impact on their life and playing, and how they’ve been inspired by Peart and his legacy.
Submissions, which can be made at ModernDrummer.com, must be received before November 26 of this year.
The scholarship originally was announced during the 2020 Modern Drummer Festival by Neil’s widow, Carrie Nutall-Peart. The first recipient of the scholarship will be revealed at this year’s festival, and the honoree will be featured in an upcoming issue of Modern Drummer.
Peart, widely considered one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, died in January 2020 of brain cancer. He was 67.
It appears that Simon Gallup‘s departure from The Cure was short-lived.
Back in August, the bassist announced that he was “no longer a member” of the goth icons after 40 years in the band, adding that he was “fed up of betrayal.” Well, that relationship’s, ahem, disintegration, is seemingly now on the mend.
In a social media post first spotted by NME, and seen by ABC Audio, a commenter asks, “Is Simon still a member of The Cure?” Gallup then responds, “Yes I am.”
Given that Gallup, who played in The Cure from 1979 to 1982, and then again from 1984 to this year, is the band’s longest-tenured non-Robert Smith member, it did seem odd that his departure would be announced with such little fanfare via a personal Facebook post. Not only that, but neither Smith nor The Cure publicly commented on Gallup’s initial announcement.
Smith, by the way, previously called Gallup his “best friend” in a 2019 NME interview, adding that the bassist has been the “heart” of The Cure’s live band. Gallup was one of 10 Cure members to be inducted along with the band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images
Eddie Van Halen‘s hometown of Pasadena, California, has unveiled an honorary plaque dedicated to the late Van Halen guitarist.
According to Pasadena Now, the plaque is displayed on the outside wall of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, which commemorates Eddie and Van Halen for “reinventing rock ‘n’ roll” and their “connection to Pasadena.”
Eddie and his brother Alex were born in The Netherlands before the Van Halen family moved to Pasadena in 1962. By the time they started their namesake band in the early ’70s, the brothers were local sensations — as the plaque notes, Van Halen performed at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium 14 times between 1975 and 1978.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Pasadena council member Felicia Williams said, “This event brings together history and community to celebrate a world-renowned artist.”
“It’s not just the history of Eddie as a guitar legend, but also the challenges he faced growing up mixed race in Pasadena, which always spoke to me,” Williams added, referring to Eddie’s Dutch-Indonesian heritage.
The plaque arrives a week after the one-year anniversary of Eddie’s death. He died October 6, 2020, at age 65 following a battle with cancer.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have shared another new song from their upcoming collaborative album, Raise the Roof.
The track, titled “High and Lonesome,” was written by the Led Zeppelin vocalist alongside producer T Bone Burnett. It’s the lone original tune on Raise the Roof, which is otherwise filled with covers of “legends and unsung heroes of folk, blues, country and soul music.”
You can listen to “High and Lonesome” now via digital outlets.
“High and Lonesome” is the second song to be released from Raise the Roof, following the lead single “Can’t Let Go,” originally written by Randy Weeks. The whole album is set to arrive November 19.
Plant and Krauss, of course, previously collaborated on the 2007 album Raising Sand. The record won a total of five Grammys in 2009, including Album of the Year.
Wolfgang Van Halen has shared a post honoring his father, Eddie Van Halen, on the one-year anniversary of the iconic guitarist’s death.
“You fought so hard for so long, but you were still taken away,” Wolf writes alongside a photo of him and Eddie smiling and playing music together. “It’s just so unfair.”
He continues, “I’m not OK. I don’t think I’ll ever be OK. There’s so much I wish I could show you. So many things I wish I could share with you. I wish I could laugh with you again. I wish I could hug you again. I miss you so much it hurts.”
Wolf adds that he’s “trying to do my best here without you, but it’s really f***ing hard.”
“I hope you’re still proud,” he says. “I love you with all of my heart, Pop. Watch over me.”
Eddie died October 6, 2020, following a battle with cancer. He was 65.
The Van Halen frontman dropped the bombshell news during a phone interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal published Friday.
“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth said. “This is the first, and only, official announcement.”
Roth said his recently announced five-show solo Las Vegas residency at the House of Blues — taking place on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and January 5, 7 and 8 — will be his final concerts.
“I’m not going to explain the statement,” Diamond Dave declared. “The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.”
During the conversation, Roth also revealed that he talks frequently with Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen, and that his longtime band mate was aware of his plans to retire.
“Al and I have been talking, and I can’t speak for him just yet, but he knows what I am about to say,” Roth said, adding, “We speak to each other constantly, two or three times a day. We laugh like pirates.”
He also suggested that the 2020 death of guitarist Eddie Van Halen was a factor in his decision.
“[I’ve been thinking about] the departure of my beloved classmate recently,” said Dave, noting, “I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter.”
The 66-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also admitted that he thought he might have been the first Van Halen member to pass away.
Roth finished the interview by saying, “I’ve given you all I’ve got to give. It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody. I’ll miss you all. Stay frosty.”
