Big Rig ROCK Report 3.17

ZZ Top's Frank Beard Steps Away From Tour For Health Reasons

ZZ Top will be relying on a pinch hitter behind the drum kit as their "Elevation Tour" continues. In a social media announcement yesterday, the band broke the news that drummer Frank Beard left the tour to focus on an unspecified "health issue." According to the statement, Beard "has temporarily stepped away from the current tour to attend a health issue requiring his focus in the near term" and is "looking forward to a speedy recovery." The rhythm section is in good hands, however. John Douglas, long time drum tech for the band, will take over for Beard. Douglas has sat in with the band before; he was the go-to in 2002 when Beard underwent an emergency appendectomy. 

VAN HALEN: And No Toto Too

Following up on last week's report out of the Netherlands that has Toto guitarist Steve Lukather assisting Alex Van Halen on unfinished recordings of his late brother Eddie, Steve has taken to Instagram to set the record straight. In the comments section of a photo he posted on January 26th, which would have been Eddie's 70th birthday, he wrote: "Ever since Alex Van Halen dropped some [news that] we were gonna work together I think there is a huge misunderstanding. "I will NOT EVER play a guitar note on a Van Halen song ever! "Al asked

 me to help him go thru a ton of unfinished recordings of Al and Ed writing and recording that never saw the light of day. "As of now, that's all I got. "The fact that ANYONE would think for even a second that I would play anything on this is ridiculous. I have too much love and respect for that and ... I play nothing like Ed. [It's] more as a co-producer or something. "I am honored Al would ask me though. "Let's see ..."

What Alex said to Dutch reporter Jean-Paul Heck was, "Ed and Steve Lukather were very good friends and they often worked together. There is no one who can do this process with me as well as he can.” Steve and Eddie have played on the same recordings, most famously Michael Jackson's "Beat It." Lukather on lead and Eddie does the solo.

Remaining Rush Members Were Asked To Play Black Sabbath's Final Concert

We almost had a mini-Rush reunion. In an interview on the "Loudwire Nights" podcast,

guitarist Alex Lifeson revealed that he and Geddy Lee had been invited to perform at Black Sabbath's final concert, "Back To The Beginning," this coming July 5. "We were asked to be a part of it, and we had agreed to do it, but other things came up,” Lifeson explained, "and sadly we had to back out of it." While Alex and Geddy won't be there, other rock luminaries will be, including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Tom Morello, Billy Corgan and Sammy Hagar.

ALEX LIFESON Says Drummers Asked To Audition For RUSH "Within Minutes" Of NEIL PEART Dying

Legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart passed away in January 2020, prompting some drummers to immediately contact Rush about potentially filling in for him. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson revealed that drummers were asking to audition for the band shortly after Peart's death, showing a lack of respect for the band's longtime member. Lifeson emphasized his close friendship with bandmate Geddy Lee and expressed his love for playing music, whether with Rush or other projects.

Journey's Houston Rodeo Show Cut Short Due To Electrical Fire

It's a good thing they know all the words. Fans taking in the Journey concert at the Houston Rodeo Friday night followed lead singer Arnel Pineda's urging to sing along with their signature hit, "Don't Stop Believin'," taking over for a verse. After Neil Schon's iconic solo, Pineda came back to sing the rest of the song...and then the audio cut out entirely. The crowd seemingly felt it was part of the show, singing the rest of the song, but it was definitely unscripted. An electrical fire interrupted the proceedings, leading to the band leaving the stage and not returning. While Journey has yet to address the situation, the rodeo posted to their socials, "Due to an unforeseen electrical incident under the stage area, we regretfully announce the cancellation of tonight's Journey concert. We sincerely apologize to all fans for this disappointment. Our team is working diligently to assess the situation, and we will provide updates regarding rescheduling options and refunds as soon as possible." Country star Warren Zeiders played the next night, and the show reportedly went off without a hitch. 

PEARL JAM: Mariners and Padres to Play for Vedder Cup

The Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres will play for a new trophy this season -- The Vedder Cup. The trophy is designed by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, and the cup is part of the two teams' new support for the Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Partnership, a charity co-founded by Eddie and Jill Vedder that funds research to discover treatments and cures for EB.

The two teams will play May 16th through the 18th at Petco Park in San Diego and August 25th through 27th at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. If the season series is tied, the first tiebreaker is run differential and the second is "EV (short for Exit Velocity and Eddie Vedder) -- if the clubs share an even run differential in the season series, the team with the highest exit velocity recorded on a hit will win the Vedder Cup."

Fans will have the opportunity to buy Vedder Cup merchandise at the team stores in Seattle and San Diego during both series. And there's a themed ticket special will include an exclusive Vedder Cup item not available elsewhere. Vedder grew up in San Diego and moved to Seattle to join Pearl Jam.

SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM: Cameron's New Project

Matt Cameron of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam has released a surprise EP with Seattle singer Shaina Shepherd. It's called New Beginning and was co-produced Cameron and it's being released through Keep It Trippy Records, the label founded by Cameron and the late Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters in 2020 for their project Nighttime Boogie Association.

Shepherd fronted a brief Soundgarden reunion -- using the name Nudedragons – at a benefit concert in Seattle back in December.

Tom Petty guitarist reveals why he never confronted singer about his heroin addiction

Mike Campbell, founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, opens up about his complex friendship with the late singer in his upcoming memoir, "Heartbreaker." Campbell reflects on his inability to address Petty's heroin use in the '90s, citing a lack of touchy-feely talks between the two. Despite concerns about Petty's health, Campbell trusted that Petty would make the right decisions for himself. The guitarist also discusses the band's decision to continue their 40th-anniversary tour despite Petty's injury, emphasizing that he has no regrets about their choices. "Heartbreaker: A Memoir" is set to be released on March 18.

Rikki Rockett Confirms Poison 2026 Tour

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett is confirming the band's touring plans for next year. In a conversation with SiriusXM host Eddie Trunk, the musician said 2026 will be a "Poison year" and noted that the band will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of their debut album "Look What the Cat Dragged In."Rockett didn't give any specific details and explained that the outing is still being planned. However, he did say the tour will likely be a mix of headlining dates and other shows alongside another big artist.

Bob Dylan's Earliest Known Demo Sells For $39-Thousand

The earliest known demo by Bob Dylan has sold at auction, with the new owner dishing out just over $39-thousand for the historic tapes. Recorded at New York’s Gaslight Café in 1961, the original master demo tape captures the legend when he was just 20 years old. The tape features six early Dylan tracks, including original compositions “Man on the Street,” “He Was a Friend of Mine,” “Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues,” and “Song to Woody,” alongside traditional covers “Pretty Polly” and “Car, Car.” 

JOHN LENNON: From Mint to You

Three months after England's Royal Mint honored Paul McCartney with a coin comes one for John Lennon to commemorate what would have been his 85th birthday this October 9th.

Available in gold and silver, it features a photo of Lennon taken on the roof of his New York City apartment building by Bob Gruen, along with the word "Imagine." It will go on sale today (Monday) at 2 p.m. ET at RoyalMint.com. Prices range from $24 all the way up to $8300 for a two-ounce gold proof coin that's limited to 90. Other artists recognized by the Royal Mint include Queen, The Who, David Bowie, Elton John, The Rolling Stones and The Police.

JIM MORRISON: He's "Alive" ... Again

The 54-year-old rumor that Jim Morrison faked his death has reared its ugly head again.

This latest bonehead theory comes from a new documentary, Before the End: Searching for Jim Morrison, which is streaming on Apple TV+. Jeff Finn, the film's director, narrator and major Doors fan, claims that Morrison now goes by Frank and is a maintenance worker in Syracuse, New York. To bolster this claim, the film includes:

·An interview with Frank, who is very vague about his identity. 

·Finn shares a photo of Frank with two of Morrison's girlfriends who cried over the so-called resemblance. 

·Frank displaying a scar on his nose where Morrison had a mole.

Previous "Morrison sightings" had him living as a cattle rancher in Oregon, and as a drifter named Richard in New York City.

ALICE COOPER: With a Little Help From His Friends

Alice Cooper held his annual Coopstock golf tournament and concert Saturday at the Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona. Joining him on stage this year were Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, Cheap Trick singer Robin Zander, and Living Colour singer Corey Glover. Backed by the Nashville cover band Sixwire, the sets were as follows:

·Alice Cooper: “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Be My Lover,” “Lost in America,” “I’m Eighteen,” “Poison” and “Under My Wheels”

·Rob Halford did four Priest songs: "Heading Out to the Highway," "Breaking the Law," "Living After Midnight" and "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

·Robin Zander with his son Robin Taylor Zander on guitar: Cheap Trick's "Surrender," "The Flame," and "I Want You to Want Me," along with covers of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel" and Fats Domino's "Ain't That a Shame," both of which Cheap Trick recorded.

·Corey Glover did Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll," Prince's "Purple Rain," The Doobie Brothers' "Takin' It to the Streets," and Living Colour's "Cult Of Personality."

Proceeds from Coopstock benefit Alice's Solid Rock Teen Centers.

Gene Simmons' Side Gig Is Not What You'd Expect

We'd say "Don't give up your day job," but he does he even have one? KISS bassist Gene Simmons apparently has time on his hands these days now that KISS are retired; he showed up on Los Angeles TV station Fox11 last week to assist with the weather forecast, and it was not the smoothest forecast in television history. Relying more on banter than weather data, it's probably a good thing that Gene's hitting the road again in a few weeks for his solo tour, which kicks off April 3. 

Dave Mason Health Crisis Causes Multiple Concert Cancelations

Dave Mason was set to return to touring next week after canceling a fall 2024 trek because he needed a heart operation. Unfortunately, health issues have once again put those plans on hold. On his socials, fans were told, "We want to share that Dave has been hospitalized due to a serious infection that developed quickly...tickets for all March, April and May will be refunded at the point of purchase." Mason had been scheduled to launch his 2025 tour in Augusta, Georgia, this Thursday night, with 21 U.S. dates lined up through May 18 in Nashville, all of which are apparently canceled. A second leg of the tour, to kick off July 11, remains up in the air. 

Radiohead Hints At Plans With New Business Filing

Radiohead has something new in the works. On March 10th the band's five members became partners of a new limited liability partnership called "RHEUK25." The move is similar to ones they've made in the past as Radiohead has used LLPs to drop albums like "A Moon Shaped Pool" and "The King of Limbs." The band has yet to make an official announcement, but based on the LLP's name, fans are guessing that a U.K. and European tour might be in the works.

IN OTHER NEWS

Six Rolling Stones albums and two EPs are now available in Dolby Atmos. They are the U.K. edition of 1964’s The Rolling Stones, 1964’s England’s Newest Hit Makers and 12 X 5, 1965’s

The Rolling Stones No. 2 and The Rolling Stones, Now!, and 1969’s Let It Bleed, along with the 1964 EPs The Rolling Stones and Five by Five. They are streaming on Apple Music, TIDAL and Amazon Music. The same will be done at a later date with 1968’s Beggars Banquet, both the U.S. and U.K. versions of 1965’s Out of Our Heads, and 1966’s Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass).

Carlos Santana has released another song off his new album, Sentient. This one is an instrumental cover of Michael Jackson’s “Stranger in Moscow,” recorded in 2007 with producer and drummer Narada Michael Walden’s band. Carlos says, “Narada knew that I loved the song, so he arranged it with his band. I showed up and we played it with no rehearsal. I’m basically singing it with my guitar. I’m visualizing Michael Jackson and what he would do – I got pretty close. I think when Michael listened to it, wherever he is, he smiled and said, ‘Yeah, that’s it.’” You can find it on YouTube. Sentient will be out on March 28th.

Last October when Foreigner announced that their Farewell Tour would continue into this year, they said they would be joined at select dates by original guitarist Al Greenwood, and bassist Rick Wills, who joined for their third album, 1979's Head Games. They also said at that time that they were in discussions with original singer Lou Gramm to join them. Apparently Gramm agreed as he joined them Saturday in Clearwater, Florida for "I Want to Know What Love Is" and "Hot Blooded." 

Rhino has released new high-fidelity vinyl editions of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid and Alice Cooper’s Love It to Death. They're only available through the Rhino webstore.

Original Yes singer Jon Anderson has added 11 more dates to his spring and summer tour starting on June 15th in Washington, D.C. and running through July 13th in St. Louis. He’ll start the tour on April 1st in Tucson, Arizona and wrap up the first leg on May 18th in Carteret, New Jersey. 

A documentary about Iron Maiden for its 50th anniversary is in production and will include new interviews with all current and past members, including the last interview that singer Paul Di'Anno did before his death last year.