Real Rock News

PAUL STANLEY SLAMS JANN WENNER FOR KISS ROCK HALL SNUB

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:41:00 GMT

With the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony now running on HBO, there's definitely a marked difference between the haves and have-nots. Although Rush fans played a tremendous part in finally getting the band inducted into the Hall after being passed by every year since first becoming eligible in 1999 -- Kiss, who also first became eligible that year, are no closer to induction than they were then.

Kiss frontman Paul Stanley took time to salute the band's fans while taking a swipe at Rock Hall co-founder Jann Wenner when asked if he ever sees a day when Kiss will be inducted, telling The Huffington Post, "Well, it depends on who lives longer, us or Jann Wenner. Look, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is marketing. You've got a bunch of faceless people in a back room who trademark a name that sounds very official. Well, if you had thought of it first, you would have been the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I am one of the biggest Laura Nyro fans. I still listen to that stuff incessantly. Laura Nyro does not belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Songwriter Hall of Fame? Absolutely."

He went on to plead his case, saying, "It's absurd for anybody to look around and hear the acts and artists who cite us as an inspiration, and then tell me that we're not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I would certainly accept on their (the fans) behalf because it seems to be a major sore spot for them, but I don't need the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

We caught up with Rush's Geddy Lee and Neil Peart backstage at the Rock Hall ceremony and they gave all the credit for their long awaited induction to their legendary fans: (Geddy Lee): "I think the collective voices of our fans -- without question -- put a hell of a lot of pressure on the board of whoever decides these things. To take. . . (Neil Peart): Gotta be. (Geddy Lee): Gotta be. I had the people from the Hall of Fame coming up to me today, thanking us, because it's the quietest it's ever been after the announcements were made. Usually they're so besieged with angry, violent (laughs) emails and such. So, they had a lot to do with it and so, I really appreciate it."

Randy Newman was one of the many acts in 2013 -- like Rush -- who have been eligible for years before finally seeing induction. Newman told us that he had basically given up on thinking he'd even had a shot: "I didn't think about it, I just didn't think I would get in. 'Cause when I didn't get in with the original sort of interest, I didn't think it would happen till I died, or something -- or never -- 'cause why would I?"

DAVE GROHL JOINS ROLLING STONES ON STAGE IN ANAHEIM

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:40:00 GMT

Dave Grohl joined the Rolling Stones on stage during their Saturday (May 18th) night show in Anaheim, CA. The appearance was teased earlier in the day with an announcement by the Stones on Twitter.

Midway through the set, Grohl joined the rockers for a rendition of "Bitch." UltimateClassicRock.com reported that "Grohl banged out the guitar parts along with Keith Richards and traded vocals with Mick Jagger."

Grohl is just the latest star to join the Stones along their 50 & Counting' Tour. On opening night, the band was joined by Gwen Stefani and Keith Urban, while Tom Waits, John Fogerty and Katy Perry have also been part of the show on various dates.

PAUL McCARTNEY LAUNCHES NORTH AMERICAN 'OUT THERE' DATES

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:39:00 GMT

Paul McCartney kicked off his North American Out There tour dates on Saturday and Sunday (May 18th and 19th) in Orlando, Florida at Amway Center. The setlist was pretty much the same as his previous three stadium shows in Brazil -- with several Beatles classics receiving their live debut on the new tour -- "Eight Days A Week," "All Together Now," "Your Mother Should Know," "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!," and "Lovely Rita." Three solo and Wings rarities have also returned after several decades -- "Another Day," "Listen To What The Man Said," and "Hi, Hi, Hi." For the second show in Orlando, McCartney replaced his 1993 hit "Hope Of Deliverance" with the "Fab Four" Help! favorite "I've Just Seen A Face" and switching "Get Back" for "I Saw Her Standing There."

Unlike many of his peers who've been playing the same songs on the road for decades, McCartney, who's only begun playing most of his Beatles hits in his late-40's, finds something still incredibly fresh about playing the group's songs live: "'Why does this feel so fresh?' Y'know, I haven't done it in a long time. But I realized the only time we ever did it was when we recorded it -- the day we recorded it. That was it, as far as the Beatles were concerned, we'd given up touring then. So, we never got to that ever again. I never got to do 'Hey Jude' live. And those songs are really good live. They need to be live."

Paul McCartney's setlist on May 18th, 2013 in Orlando, Florida:

"Eight Days A Week"
"Junior's Farm"
"All My Loving"
"Listen To What The Man Said"
"Let Me Roll It"
"Paperback Writer"
"My Valentine"
"Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five"
"The Long And Winding Road"
"Maybe I'm Amazed"
"Hope Of Deliverance" (5/19 - "I've Just Seen A Face")
"We Can Work It Out"
"Another Day"
"And I Love Her"
"Blackbird"
"Here Today"
"Your Mother Should Know"
"Lady Madonna"
"All Together Now"
"Mrs. Vandebilt"
"Eleanor Rigby"
"Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!"
"Something"
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
"Hi, Hi, Hi"
"Band On The Run"
"Back In The U.S.S.R."
"Let It Be"
"Live And Let Die"
"Hey Jude"

First Encore
"Day Tripper"
"Lovely Rita"
"Get Back" (5/19 - "I Saw Her Standing There")

Second Encore
"Yesterday"
"Helter Skelter"
"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End"

Paul McCartney tour dates (subject to change):

May 22, 23 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
May 26 - Memphis, Tennessee - FedEx Forum
May 29, 30 - Tusla, Oklahoma - BOK Center
June 8, 10 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
June 14 - Manchester, Tennessee - Bonnaroo Festival
June 22 - Warsaw, Poland - National Stadium
June 25 - Verona, Italy - Roman Amphitheatre
June 27 - Vienna, Austria - Happel Stadium
July 7 - Ottawa, ON - Scotiabank Place
July 9 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
July 12 - Washington, DC - Nationals Park
July 14 - Indianapolis, IN - Bankers Life Fieldhouse
July 16 - Milwaukee, WI - Miller Park
July 19 - Safeco Field - Seattle, Washington
July 23 - Quebec City, QC - Plains Of Abraham
August 9, 10, 11 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park (***Show Date TBA)
August 12 - Winnipeg, MB - Investors Group Field
August 14 - Regina, SK - Mosaic Stadium At Taylor Field

FLASHBACK: 35 YEARS AGO: PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS' 'WITH A LITTLE LUCK' HITS NUMBER ONE

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:35:00 GMT

It was 35 years ago today (May 20th, 1978) that Paul McCartney & Wings scored their fifth Number One hit with "With A Little Luck." The song, which McCartney and the band began recording the previous year on a yacht docked in the Virgin Islands, was featured as the lead single from Wings' London Town album.

"With A Little Luck" was McCartney's only major hit of 1978 and was able to temporarily break Barry Gibb's songwriting and production toe-hold on the Number One spot, which he and his brothers and bandmates, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, dominated throughout the year.

"With A Little Luck" knocked the Bee Gees-written Yvonne Elliman hit "If I Can't Have You" out from the top spot and held the Number One position for two weeks, breaking Barry Gibb's already 15-week run at the top spot with songs he wrote and co-produced. "With A Little Luck" was knocked from Number One by Johnny Mathis and Deneice Williams' "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late."

Wings, which at that time was pared down to just Paul and Linda McCartney, Denny Laine and new drummer Steve Holly, filmed a promotional video for the song in late March, reuniting McCartney with Michael Lindsey-Hogg, who had directed the Beatles' 1970 movie Let It Be.

McCartney says that he's always preferred straight-ahead performance videos than over-the-top big budget clips: "You suddenly had to be a short filmmaker as well, and not all of us liked it. I must say occasionally it was like, 'oh my God,' and the process was kind of quite wearing. Y'know, you'd kind of farm it out to three or four directors who you thought were hot, who would come back with 'I see you. . .' -- it was a little bit like a comedy sketch -- 'I see you on a mountain top in Tibet wearing nothing but a loin cloth. The sun god shines down. . .' And you're going 'Oh no -- next one!"

The promo clip for "With A Little Luck" is featured on the three DVD video collection The McCartney Years.

McCartney has never performed "With A Little Luck" live in concert, although the song was rehearsed with Wings in early 1980 prior to the band's ill-fated tour of Japan during which McCartney was arrested for possessing seven ounces of marijuana. McCartney's arrest led to the tour being canceled with McCartney being deported after being jailed for 10 days.

During his L.A. rehearsals for his current Out There world tour, it was reported that McCartney and his band had rehearsed "With A Little Luck" -- but the song has yet to appear in any of his pre-show soundchecks or concerts.

DID YOU KNOW?

In addition to "With A Little Luck," the only other two post-Beatles chart toppers McCartrney has yet to perform live are 1971's "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" and his 1983 team-up with Michael Jackson, "Say Say Say."

BILL WYMAN ON THE ROLLING STONES: 'NEVER AGAIN'

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:40:00 GMT

Bill Wyman says that while it was nice to sit in for a couple of songs during the Rolling Stones' London shows last year -- he's happy he's not in the band. Wyman, who's just published his new high-end Stones tome, Bill Wyman's Scrapbook, talked to The Huffington Post and explained where he stands with the band these days, "The nice thing was that my kids saw me on stage with the Stones. They'd asked me the December before, and I had to jam with them for three days. I was under the impression I was going to get really involved, but when it came to it, they only wanted me to do two songs, which was very disappointing."

During the Stones' 2012 50 & Counting dates, Wyman only appeared onstage for two songs -- "It's Only Rock N' Roll" and "Honky Tonk Women." Wyman, who at 76 is the oldest Stone, quit the band in 1991 after nearly 30 years with the band: "I've always maintained that you can't go back to things, and they can never be the same. It's like a school reunion, or (an) Army reunion. If you try to go back and have a relationship with someone, it doesn't work, and it's the same musically. It doesn't work. It was a one-off. Five minutes. Okay, never again. No regrets, we're still great friends."

Wyman retired from the Rolling Stones shortly after their 1989/1990 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle world tour. He says that he doesn't listen to the band's recent work: "I don't really listen to their music now, I must say, because it's something that is gone out of my life, really, y'know? I never did play the records anyway, much, because you kind of, you'd heard them all so many times by the time the records came out, you know, in the studio, the mixing and mastering and that."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE TOWNSHEND

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:38:00 GMT

Happy Birthday to Pete Townshend, who turns 68-years-old on Sunday (May 19th)!!! Townshend, who is the primary creative force behind the Who, wrote nearly all of the band's music and has been responsible for crafting the stories and themes behind such rock classics as Tommy, Who's Next, and Quadrophenia. In February, he wrapped the North American dates for the Who's Quadrophenia & More tour, with the trek resuming next month in Europe. Last year, he published his long awaited autobiography, titled, Who I Am, to critical acclaim.

In January 2012, Townshend signed an exclusive, new publishing deal with Spirit Music Group to administer and promote his past and future songwriting catalogue. The pact also includes a long-term publishing agreement for Townshend's upcoming projects, including new songs composed for potential solo and Who releases -- as well as songs from Townshend's upcoming multimedia piece, Floss, which is based around an aging couple. Back in 2010 he pushed back a series of Who dates to presumably complete Floss. He was quick to explain that the project is not the Who's next "rock opera" posting on TheWho.com, "Floss is not a new Who album. It is a musical play. Some of the music might work for Roger (Daltrey) and me; I am still working on it. I reckon I have another year to go writing."

In 2009 he had announced the Floss project by stating: "Floss will be a (sound and light) musical piece, intended for outdoor performance, or arenas. Several of the more conventional songs from Floss will be featured on a forthcoming Who recording for release in 2010. Floss will be heard in concert for the first time in 2011, at a venue and date yet to be established. I am already having talks with producers in New York."

There is still no date set for Floss' stage premiere.

That same year Townshend and his wife of 40 years, Karen Astley, were granted a preliminary divorce in London's High Court. The couple had been separated since 1994. Townshend has been romantically linked with musician Rachel Fuller since 1996.

In 2006, after a 24-year-wait, Townshend wrote and produced the Who's comeback album Endless Wire. Despite the album hitting Number Seven in the U.S. charts, Townshend has stated that he felt the album fell short of his commercial expectations, and complained that none of the songs garnered the level of airplay he had come to expect with previous Who projects.

A while ago, we asked Townshend why he needs grand concepts such as Tommy, Quadrophenia, and the recent Wire And Glass mini-opera, behind most of his work: "I just write. I'm just a songwriter, y'know that's what I do. Which is why it's very important for me to have some kind of concept to hold me down, some kind of concept to give my work shape, focus, and direction. Because I don't feel that the Who ever had a clear brief (on what to write for them), ever, ever, ever, ever."

Pete Townshend says that he realized very early on that the Who's relationship with their fans differed greatly from the traditional showbiz precedents: "What we suddenly realized is that we weren't speaking for our audience, our audience were telling us what to say. Now, that's a very, very, different process. And it's one that I discovered when I was very, very young, it's one that I continue to honor today. So what I'm trying to do is, when people say to me, 'Hey Pete, your songs are very personal. How do you think that Roger can feel about singing them?' Roger can sing them 'cause they're not personal at all. My songs are your songs."

He says that he makes no apologies for veering away from rock music to dabble in theater, films and novels: "Y'know, some of those people that still to this day regard me as being pretentious because I aspire to live my life as an artist rather than a 'cash is king' rock n' roll performer. If that's pretentious, so be it."

PAUL McCARTNEY KICKS OFF NORTH AMERICAN 'OUT THERE' DATES

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:37:00 GMT

Paul McCartney kicks off the North American leg of his 2013 Out There tour this weekend. "Macca" and his band open things up over two nights, Saturday and Sunday (May 18th and 19th), at Orlando, Florida's Amway Center. The tour -- which is the former Beatle's busiest road trek since 2005 -- will take in 20 shows over a leisurely 12 weeks playing to both indoor arenas, stadiums, and outdoor festivals. McCartney wraps up his June dates with a quick three-date popover to Europe where he'll play Warsaw, Poland; Verona, Italy; and Vienna, Austria before resuming the second half of North American dates.

McCartney explained that even though some of the songs in his setlist date back 50 years, as a father and grandfather he's able to find new emotions in the tunes that he couldn't possibly have imagined back in his Beatles days: "A song like 'Yesterday' I wrote when I was 20, or 21, or something. And so, it was a quite a young man writing about yesterday -- I didn't have many yesterdays, it was only about few years of them. It's much more emotional now for me, because, y'know, my yesterdays involve bringing up children now, and when they were little babies. As you go on, the songs seem to have more depth. Y'know, words that I just wrote because I liked the sound of them -- now I like the meaning of them."

Paul McCartney tour dates (subject to change):

May 18, 19 - Orlando, Florida - Amway Center
May 22, 23 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
May 26 - Memphis, Tennessee - FedEx Forum
May 29, 30 - Tusla, Oklahoma - BOK Center
June 8, 10 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
June 14 - Manchester, Tennessee - Bonnaroo Festival
June 22 - Warsaw, Poland - National Stadium
June 25 - Verona, Italy - Roman Amphitheatre
June 27 - Vienna, Austria - Happel Stadium
July 7 - Ottawa, ON - Scotiabank Place
July 9 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
July 12 - Washington, DC - Nationals Park
July 14 - Indianapolis, IN - Bankers Life Fieldhouse
July 16 - Milwaukee, WI - Miller Park
July 19 - Safeco Field - Seattle, Washington
July 23 - Quebec City, QC - Plains Of Abraham
August 9, 10, 11 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park (***Show Date TBA)
August 12 - Winnipeg, MB - Investors Group Field
August 14 - Regina, SK - Mosaic Stadium At Taylor Field

FLASHBACK: PAUL McCARTNEY, GEORGE HARRISON, AND RINGO STARR JAM AT ERIC CLAPTON'S WEDDING RECEPTION

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:36:00 GMT

It was 34 years ago Sunday (May 19th, 1979) that a select group of party-goers witnessed the closest thing to a live Beatles reunion when Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr reunited to jam at Eric Clapton's wedding reception at his English estate. The impromptu performance marked the one-and-only time that the three former-Beatles had played in public together since the group's final performance on the Apple Rooftop on January 30th, 1969.

Clapton had married Harrison's ex-wife Pattie Boyd, and set up an outdoor stage for a mammoth jam session which featured the three ex-Beatles, a reformed Cream, the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Bill Wyman, Elton John, David Bowie, and many more. John Lennon was living in the U.S. at the time, and was not present.

Although the three former "Fabs" also took part in a makeshift sing-a-long jam at Starr's wedding in 1981, the Clapton wedding reception marks the only time that the former Beatles made music onstage in a somewhat professional manner. Among the many songs reported to have been performed that day were the Beatles' 1967 classic "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

Wings co-founder Denny Laine also participated at the jam session at Clapton's wedding reception and says that it didn't feel as historic an event as it has been made out to be: "I never think like that, 'Hey, I'm jamming with (laughs) some of the Beatles.' I never think like that. Y'know, these were all people I knew. Like Eric, I'd known when he was in the Yardbirds."

Both Clapton and Boyd published their memoirs in 2008 and spoke about their decade long marriage. Boyd says that upon looking at her marriage to Clapton 20 years after their split, she ultimately regrets leaving Harrison for him: "I don't want to totally blame Eric, but I think his behavior was wrong -- was morally wrong to entice me to leave George, because I was married to George and I really shouldn't have done that. But also, I was wrong as well to allow myself to be flattered (by Eric) to that extent. So, y'know we both were wrong morally on that moral issue."

Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd divorced in 1988. She stayed in close contact with Harrison until his death in 2001, but has no ongoing relationship with Clapton.

BUCKINGHAM & NICKS BOOKEND RELATIONSHIP ONSTAGE

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:35:00 GMT

With Christine McVie long gone from Fleetwood Mac's touring lineup, the show is basically an ongoing dialogue between former lovers Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Although the majority of the band's setlist is made up of material which chronicles their torturous split in the '70s, there are a couple of bright spots showing the couple being positive towards each other.

Fans and critics alike have taken notice of the how the revamped long unreleased Buckingham Nicks song "Without You" and the show closing "Say Goodbye" show an actual real love between the often strained Buckingham and Nicks.

Lindsey Buckingham shed some light on the emotions between the two standout songs: "'Without You,' which I think was written right after Buckingham Nicks, she thinks maybe before, she talks about that being a song about me at a time when everything was before us and simpler times. And then we come on at the end and we do 'Say Goodbye,' which is a song I wrote about her 10 years ago when all our illusions had basically fallen away -- not being a bad thing, really. Y'know, sometimes it tales the loss of illusion in order to keep moving forward. And the song was still about resolve and for the future and about closure."

Fleetwood Mac performs tonight (May 17th) in Calgary, Alberta at Scotiabank Saddledome.

ZAK STARKEY SITTING OUT THE WHO'S EUROPEAN TOUR?

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:12:00 GMT

It's looking as though the Who's European fans won't be seeing Zak Starkey behind the drums when the band kicks off its European tour next month. Once again Roger Daltrey's solo drummer Scott Devours will be filling in for Starkey, who was forced to sit out six gigs during the band's 2013 North American leg due to a pulled tendon.

The news was broken on the Ludwig drums Facebook page, which posted: "This just in: Ludwig artist Scott Devours will be drumming for The Who on their upcoming UK tour. Congratulations Scott, from the whole Ludwig family."

The Who has yet to make an official announcement regarding who will be handling drum duties for the European leg.

The 1996-1997 Quadrophenia revival marked the first time Pete Townshend's kid brother, guitarist Simon Townshend, and drummer Zak Starkey performed as part of the Who. Simon Townshend felt that as die-hard Who fans, he and Starkey were able to bring a certain fire back to the band: "Zak and I, when we started working with Roger back in '96, we always wanted to put that energy into it. We were the youngsters coming in bringing that young blood in there and that was our objective. Whether or not I achieved that, I don't know. It's very hard to sort of emulate what the Who were."

The Who kick off their 14-date European tour on June 8th in Dublin, Ireland at The O2 Dublin.