ROCK HALL: 2025 Nominees Announced Today
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation just announced its nominees for the Class of 2025. The 14 artists, in alphabetical order, are:
·Bad Company - first nomination
·The Black Crowes - first nomination
·Mariah Carey - second nomination
·Chubby Checker - first nomination
·Joe Cocker - first nomination
·Billy Idol - first nomination
·Joy Division/New Order - second nomination
·Cyndi Lauper - second nomination
·Maná - first nomination
·Oasis - second nomination
·OutKast - first nomination
·Phish - first nomination
·Soundgarden - third nomination
·The White Stripes - second nomination
To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Nominee ballots will be sent to an international voting body of more than 1200 artists, historians and members of the music industry. The selection criteria includes an artist’s impact on music culture, influence on other musicians that have followed, as well as the scope and longevity of their career and body of work. And once again you can cast your ballot at vote.RockHall.com.
This year’s Induction Ceremony will take place in Los Angeles in the fall, with exact dates and ticket-sale details following soon.
Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers says, "If I were a gambling man I would wager that Bad Company fans and friends had something to do with this nomination for the Rock Hall. I am told that there has been a movement afoot for awhile and we salute them for their persistent consistence. Hopefully we are triumphant and get inducted and their efforts are realized. Thanks from Mick [Ralphs], Simon [Kirke], [the late] Boz [Burrell] and I -- aka Bad Company."
And Simon Kirke tells us when he first received the news that they were finally nominated he thought, "Finally. At last!" But, he understands why it might have taken so long. "I realize it was not a cut and dry decision given the several lineups Bad Company has had over the years. But we've been a huge influence on many groups over the past 50 years and I feel that we really deserve a place in the Hall of Fame. In particular Paul Rodgers. One of the greatest singers ever." Bad Co. have been eligible for nomination since 1999.
Billy Idol had been eligible for nomination since 2007 -- 25 years after the release of his self-titled debut album.
PAUL McCARTNEY: Live From New York
Paul McCartney played a surprise club show Tuesday night in New York at the just under 600-seat Bowery Ballroom. In town for Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary special Sunday on NBC, he performed a condensed 22-song set of what he did on tour last year in 90 minutes.
Tickets went on sale Tuesday at Noon at the Bowery box office and sold out in 30 minutes. Priced at $50, there was a one ticket per person limit. There's talk of a second show today as the Bowery has moved its originally scheduled show to nearby Irving Plaza, and canceled Thursday’s show.
Paul McCartney - Bowery Ballroom set list:
1.A Hard Day's Night
2.Letting Go
3.Got to Get You Into My Life
4.Let Me Roll It
5.My Valentine
6.Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
7.Maybe I'm Amazed
8.I've Just Seen a Face
9.From Me to You
10.Mrs. Vandebilt
11.Blackbird
12.Come on to Me
13.Jet
14.Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
15.Get Back
16.Now and Then
17.Lady Madonna
18.Let It Be
19.Hey Jude
20.Golden Slumbers
21.Carry That Weight
22.The End
SNL Music: Mick Jagger Surprise Appearance
Stevie Nicks might not be part of this Friday's "SNL50: The Homecoming Concert," but she is in the record books for the longest amount of time between Saturday Night Live appearances by a musical guest. Last spring, she broke the record previously held by The Rolling Stones. But Mick Jagger might hold the unofficial record for the shortest amount of time between musical appearances. The Rolling Stones were hosts and musical guests for the Season Four premier on October 7th, 1978. But just a little more than two months later, Jagger shocked the studio and TV audience with an unannounced appearance. Reggae artist Peter Tosh was the musical guest on the December 16th, 1978 episode.A few notes into Tosh's cover of The Temptations' "(You Gotta Walk) Don't Look Back," Jagger casually strutted on stage and joined Tosh on vocals. Jagger had performed vocals on the original studio recording of the song on Tosh's "Bush Doctor" album, his second of five albums released on the Rolling Stones Records label.
OZZY: Back on the Charts...
Ozzy Osbourne releases a new song this Friday. "Gods of Rock N Roll" is an updated version of his friend Billy Morrison's 2015 song "Gods," which Ozzy co-wrote. The new version features an orchestra and adds Steve Stevens on guitar. And even though it won't be out for another couple of days, it's already charted at number-15 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart thanks to Morrison playing it on Ozzy's SiriusXM channel, Ozzy’s Boneyard. The song will be included on the deluxe digital edition of Morrison’s 2024 album, The Morrison Project, which will be out on February 21st.
Pat Benatar, Neil Geraldo Announce Spring Tour Dates
Pat Benatar and husband Neil Geraldo will have a busy spring.The Hall of Fame couple announced 26 North American dates, beginning April 11th in Palm Springs, California and wrapping up in Selbyville, Delaware on June 1st. The tour includes three stops in Texas right after their opening show, as well as two shows in Ontario. Their official website also lists an appearance at the Bourbon and Beyond Festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 11th.
Peter Frampton Adds Nine More 2025 Shows
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Peter Frampton is rolling out his "Let's Do It Again!" tour to celebrate 60 years of touring and has added another nine shows in March and April. Frampton, a Grammy-winning guitarist, has had a storied career, collaborating with legendary artists such as George Harrison, David Bowie, and B.B. King. His accolades include a Grammy win, induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame, and a spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Frampton's recent album "Frampton Forgets The Words" received critical acclaim, and a limited-edition vinyl box set of his essential studio releases will be released in July. See the full tour schedule so far at peterframpton.com.
·3/30 — Uncasville, CT — Mohegan Sun Arena
·4/1 — Port Chester, NY — The Capitol Theatre
·4/3 — Bethlehem, PA — Wind Creek Event Center
·4/5 — Atlantic City, NJ — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
·4/7 — New Brunswick, NJ — State Theatre New Jersey
·4/9 — Niagara Falls, ON — OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
·4/11 — Carmel, IN — The Center for the Performing Arts
·4/15 — Milwaukee, WI — The Riverside Theater
·4/17 — Chicago, IL — The Chicago Theatre
·4/19 — Mount Pleasant, MI — Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
Jack White Is Offering $20 Student Tickets On His No Name Tour
Jack White is giving students an opportunity to watch his show for an affordable price. Taking to Instagram, the singer announced he'll be providing a limited number of tickets for students at 20-dollars each at the box office of each stop on his 2025 tour. These tickets will only be available in person with a valid student ID. White's 2025 tour kicked off last night in Brooklyn, New York.
BRIAN MAY: Crazy Little Thing Called Tone
Brian May has a unique guitar sound, which he credits to the late Irish blues guitarist Rory Gallagher [pr: GAL-uh-her]. He tells the Guitarist it was Gallagher who introduced him to the Vox AC30 amplifier. “[The AC30 and Dallas Rangemaster treble booster] was there from the moment I saw Rory Gallagher. I managed to stay behind at The Marquee [in London] when everyone had gone home. “I asked him, ‘Rory, how do you get that sound?’ And he said, ‘Well, it’s easy, I have the AC30 and this little box, and I turn it up and it sings for me.’ The next day, I went to a guitar shop and found two secondhand AC30s for £30 each. “I found a treble booster. I plugged in with my guitar, turned all the way up and it just melted my stomach. That’s my sound. And it’s different from Rory’s. His is much more bright.” And, in an interview for the film What's Going On - Taste Live at the Isle of Wight, May says Gallagher was "incredibly patient. He was packing up his own gear -- that’s the kind of man he was...and he had the grace to speak to us. He didn’t go, ‘Get out of here!’” Rory Gallagher died in 1995 at the age of 47.
TED NUGENT Launches The 'UltimateGonzo Fan Experience' Featuring 'Never-Before-Seen And Never-Before-Heard Treasures'
Legendary rocker Ted Nugent has launched NugeVault.com, offering fans exclusive access to unreleased recordings, rare footage, behind-the-scenes photos, and more. In 2023, Nugent completed his farewell tour, citing a dislike for travel and hotels as reasons for stepping back from the road. Despite this, Nugent clarified that he is not retiring from playing live and will continue to collaborate with musicians. Nugent's latest album, "Detroit Muscle," was released in April 2022.
Patti Smith Announces Horses 50th Anniversary Tour
Patti Smith is sharing plans for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of her album "Horses." The singer will perform the record in full across the U.K., U.S., and Europe this fall. The U.S. dates begin on November 10th in Seattle, Washington and end on November 29th in Philadelphia. Tickets go on sale this Friday.
IN OTHER NEWS
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1983 film, Heartbreakers Beach Party, will begin streaming on Paramount+ on March 11th.
The Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, will start streaming on February 25th followed by its release on Blu-ray on April 1st. The film has earned over $69 million in U.S theaters since opening on Christmas.
Billy Joel played his first show of 2025 on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with
Sting opening. Billy joined him for his first song, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” and Sting repaid the favor by joining Billy on “Big Man on Mulberry Street.” They have six more shows together this year with the next one on April 11th in Syracuse, New York.
Elton John and Brandi Carlile have posted a video on Instagram of themselves checking out the tri-color vinyl edition of their album, Who Believes in Angels?, which will be out on April 4th.
George Harrison’s widow, Olivia, has posted a video on Instagram of George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life, an exhibit on his love of horticulture that opened Sunday at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus in Florida. And Harrison’s first wife, Pattie Boyd, is on vacation in Marrakech and posted a photo of cutouts adorning a wall of The Beatles crossing Abbey Road from the cover of their Abbey Road album.
Playing for Change, which was established to create positive change through music and arts education, will premiere a new rendition of Steve Miller’s "Fly Like an Eagle" on February 20th, World Day of Social Justice. It will appear on Rolling Stone and Playing for Change’s YouTube channel and website before landing on major streaming sites. Miller, who is featured in this new version, says, “To help unify the world through the power of music is my greatest dream… I wish you all peace, love and happiness every day and especially on February 20th, 2025, World Day of Social Justice.”
