Before producer David Foster completed their transformation into pop stars, Chicago had built an early reputation as a tough jazz-rocking outfit. Peter Cetera was just one of their vocalists, rather than the honey-sweet ballad-singing frontman. He actually played bass. Robert Lamm, one of Chicago’s other prominent singer-songwriters, served as principal pianist. Foster changed all of […]
Who’s Bruce Springsteen gonna call when he needs an opening number for his 2024 Halloween show? That’s right… Ghostbusters. Springsteen opened up his Thursday night concert in Montreal with a loving, unironic take on Ray Parker Jr.’s chart-topping theme song to 1984’s second-highest grossing film. In a year that’s already been filled with surprises, it’s […]
At the height of their fame, Toto was forced to fire their lead singer — a decision that cofounder Steve Porcaro describes today as “really traumatic.” Though 1982’s Toto IV had put the band in a new stratosphere of commercial success, things were strained behind the scenes, most notably with frontman Bobby Kimball, who was in […]
Bruce Springsteen explained how he dealt with drug issues among members of the E Street Band. He said he was proud of how he and his colleagues had survived the music industry, describing its negative extremes as a “death cult.” He added that their concerts were about honoring late members Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici […]
Heart has announced the opening acts for its Royal Flush Tour 2025. The band has tapped Squeeze, Cheap Trick and Lucinda Williams as special guests for most of the shows. Last month, Heart added more concerts to their tour itinerary for next year, bringing the total number of dates for 2025 to two dozen. The concerts […]
Primus is dealing with an unexpected change in their lineup. Tim “Herb” Alexander, the band’s longtime drummer, has quit the group. His departure brings an abrupt end to the rocker’s third run with Primus. Alexander originally joined the band in 1989 before leaving in 1996. He returned when the band reformed in 2003, then left […]
Muscle of Love, the seventh and final album from the original Alice Cooper Band, received a deluxe edition reissue this week, complete with early versions and alternate mixes of all of its tracks. You can see the track listing and listen to “Teenage Lament ’74 (Acoustic Diversion)” below. Muscle of Love (Deluxe) is available in 2-LP pink vinyl […]
The Who isn’t finished yet. After a year mostly spent apart, Pete Townshend confirms that he and Roger Daltrey will be working together again in 2025. “I met with Roger for lunch a couple of weeks ago,” Townshend tells The Standard. “We’re in good form. We love each other. We’re both getting a bit creaky, […]
Alice Cooper has announced tour dates for 2025, starting with a show in late January. The new dates follow his recent tour with fellow shock-rocker Rob Zombie that got underway in late August with its latest leg. The 2025 dates so far include nine concerts that will keep Cooper on the road through February, plus a […]
Nikki Sixx said his life would probably have gone differently if he’d started out playing a good-quality guitar. Instead, his musical endeavors started with a cheap, incomplete instrument his stepfather had owned – and the Motley Crue icon asserted it defined his career. “When I first learned to write music I had a three-string nylon,” Sixx […]