Rock Daypop Archives

Jeff Beck, Paul Rodgers and Heart’s Ann Wilson have announced a North American summer tour.  They’ll play a total on 19 dates on the Stars Align Tour, kicking off in West Valley City on July 18 and wrapping up in Tampa on August 26.  Beck saId in a statement: “I always enjoy touring the US in the summer and joining with Paul and Ann Wilson should make for quite an exciting night.” Tickets will go on sale from 10am local time on Friday, February 2 via LiveNation. 

Primus will join forces with Mastodon for a late spring/early summer tour of the U.S.  Kicking off May 6 at Red Rocks, the tour will cross the country and back, with stops at Austin 360 Amphitheater, The Fox in Atlanta, Coney Island Amphitheater in Brooklyn, Northerly Island in Chicago, Greek Theaters in San Francisco and Los Angeles and many more before ending July 7 in Phoenix.  Primus’s ninth studio album, “The Desaturating Seven,” is being well-received and marks the return of singer/bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde and drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander, for its first album of original music since 1995. Pre-sale tickets start Tuesday, January 30 local time (password: Goblins) and general onsale is Friday, February 2.

Bob Seger has just released a previously unheard track called “Finding Out,” which was intended for 2006’s Face the Promise album but didn’t make the cut. Seger is now offering the song as a free download on his website. The song was first started more than a dozen years ago but finally completed during the sessions for I Knew You When, Seger’s most recent LP which was released last year. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press back in 2003, Seger said that “Finding Out” was a new track for his then-upcoming album. “I’ve got a ballad on the new album called ‘Finding Out,’ where I really nailed the lyric,” he said at the time. Just this past fall, Seger was forced to postpone his 19-date tour that was planned to precede to the November release of his 10th studio album due to back surgery. But he’s on the road to recovery and hoping to get back on tour soon.

Many artists took to the stage at Radio City Music Hall on Friday, two days before the 2018 Grammy Awards, to pay tribute to Fleetwood Mac at the 2018 MusiCares Person of the Year event.  Artists such as Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Keith Urban, Harry Styles, Little Big Town and Jared Leto were among those who performed covers of the legendary blues rock band’s songs. Former President Bill Clinton presented the blues rock band with their MusiCares Person of the Year award. The group is the first band to win the annual award, which is usually given to a solo artist.  The former president is a longtime fan of Fleetwood Mac and had chosen the band’s 1977 song “Don’t Stop” as the theme song for his 1992 presidential campaign, which they also performed at his inauguration. “They let me use it as a theme song and I have been trying to live by it ever since,” Clinton told the audience.

Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan disclosed last week he underwent some form of medical treatment. However, he did not provide specifics on his ailment. He posted a picture to Instagram of an IV going into his left arm, saying “Sometimes rock and roll has its costs.  But it does occur to me sitting here that my aim is to make peace with my family first, and then spend whatever time I have left here making peace with God.”   Later that day, he uploaded a video of him repeatedly singing “I’m fine” while playing piano chords. He then unveiled another picture of his back covered with welts, saying it came from “yesterday’s cupping session.”  Smashing Pumpkins are reportedly planning a tour to begin in July that brings guitarist James Iha back in to the band with Corgan and original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The group’s founding bassist, D’arcy Wretzky, who split with the band in 1999, revealed that she is not taking part in the reunion.