Pulse – Rock Music News

On Friday (September 30th), Eddie Vedder joined Steve Nicks for a duet of her Tom Petty-written solo classic, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." Nicks welcomed the Pearl Jam frontman during her headlining set at Vedder's Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California.

Rolling Stone reported that in addition to Vedder handling the Petty-sung vocal line, the two rock legends danced together during the tune's iconic guitar solo.

Although Stevie Nicks has recorded duets with such distinctive vocalists as Lindsey Buckingham, Kenny Loggins, Don Henley, Sheryl Crow, and Tom Petty, she told us that she's waited over 50 years to share a stage with three specific singers: "Well, when I moved to Los Angeles with Lindsey (Buckingham) in 1972, I wanted -- there were three songs I wanted to sing two-part harmony with; Paul McCartney 'Yesterday,' James Taylor 'Fire And Rain,' and Elton John 'Your Song.' I've never gotten to sing any of those three songs with those three men! So, I'm still looking that maybe that will happen someday. Because that was before this happened, y'know? That was like way before we were famous."

Billie Eilish isn't going to get on stage without a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

The "Ocean Eyes" singer revealed in an Apple Music TikTok posted Friday (September 30th) that she always has schar backstage, a gluten free bread from Germany and added, "I have that and I always have peanut butter and jelly."

She revealed that he also includes crackers, chips and salsa, guacamole, and watermelon and tajin in her rider.

As for drinks, Eilish says she prefers lemonade chocolate milk and Poppi, a low-sugar probiotic sparkling soda.

Billie Eilish announced earlier this week that the final night of her tour will be livestreamed and now she wants everyone to know why it's so important to her.

In an interview with Billboard, she explained that it goes back to her childhood and the shows she didn't get to see, because she either couldn't afford them or just didn't get a chance.

To Eilish, the idea of being able to watch them online would have been her "absolute dream." She wants her fans to have that opportunity.

She said, "My live show is one of the most important parts of me as an artist. And the idea that there are people that know me as an artist and don't know me live, freaks me out."

Eilish's Apple Music concert will livestream from England, tonight (9-30) at 10pm ET.

TL;DR:

Godsmack's Sully Erna has clarified his recent comments that the band's next album will be their last. Last April, during an interview, Erna said during a radio interview, "I've gotta tell you, this might be the last one for us — it might be the last record for us."

In a recent radio interview, he said, "This is the last record we're ever gonna do. This is the last run around the mill for us. We put every single ounce of energy and emotion into this album."

He continued, "Especially for me, when I wrote a lot of these songs, it was about my life journey. That's really what the sequence of this album becomes about. Not that it was planned that way, but this really kind of mystical thing happened where I felt like the universe wrote this record."

That being said, Erna revealed that while this may be their last album, there's no intent of Godsmack breaking up after the touring and support for the album are complete. He explained, "I wanna make sure people are clear about what we're saying here. I'm not saying that the band may be breaking up. What I'm saying is I think this may be the last body of work you get musically from the band. And it's because we're in this place in our lives right now where we've done a lot of work over the last three decades. Without sounding egotistical, which we're not trying to do, we're at 27 Top 10 singles, 11 Number Ones. We could literally do back-to-back nights in an arena and play 15 songs a night and never play the same single twice, let alone the 'B' cuts."

Miley Cyrus shared a voicemail she received from Taylor Hawkins that explained why she chose to sing a Def Leppard song at his tribute this week.

On her socials, she played the recording where Hawkins said he was listening to Def Leppard's classic song, "Photograph," and told her that she would "kill it" if she ever sang it.

She never forgot it and during the mega-star tribute to the late Foo Fighters' drummer, she and Def Leppard's Joe Elliott joined forces to sing the song.

Backing them was Def Leppard's lead guitarist, Phil Collen, along with Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, and Chris Shiflett. Weezer's Pat Wilson was on drums.

The voice message was from a time when Cyrus was neighbors with Hawkins and his family.

TL;DR:

• Miley Cyrus shared a voicemail she received from Taylor Hawkins that explained why she chose to sing a Def Leppard song at his tribute this week.
• Taylor said he was listening to Def Leppard's classic song, "Photograph," and told her that she would "kill it" if she ever sang it.
• At the time, Cyrus was neighbors with Hawkins and his family.

Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction kick off their 32-date joint "Spirits On Fire Tour" on Sunday (October 2nd) at Dallas' American Airlines Center. The 32-city trek wraps on November 19th at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl, with he upcoming gigs marking Jane's first full-scale tour dates since 2016.

Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan explained that the last thing he ever wanted was for the band to reunite and be viewed as a nostalgia act: "To go back under the Smashing Pumpkins name engendered a lot of people expecting us to be nothing more than a reunion band, playing its greatest hits, and with a fan base not particularly keen to listen to the new music. What I try to tell people that get caught up in the reunion kind of concepts -- like where are the original members and stuff like this -- the band was founded on an idea that it must be progressive and it must always be moving forward."

Smashing Pumpkins / Jane's Addiction tour dates (subject to change):

October 2 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
October 3 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
October 5 - Austin, TX - Moody Center
October 7 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
October 8 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Casino
October 10 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
October 11 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
October 13 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
October 14 - Belmont Park, NY - UBS Arena
October 16 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
October 18 - Washington, DC - Capital One Arena
October 19 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
October 21 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
October 22 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena
October 24 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
October 26 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
October 27 - Quebec City, QC - Centre Videotron
October 29 - Cleveland, OH - Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
October 30 - Milwaukee, WI - Fiserv Forum
November 1 - St. Louis, MO - Enterprise Center
November 2 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
November 4 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
November 5 - Chicago, IL - United Center
November 7 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
November 9 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
November 11 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
November 12 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
November 13 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
November 15 - San Francisco, CA - Chase Center
November 16 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
November 18 - Phoenix, AZ - Footprint Center
November 19 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl

Sammy Hagar & The Circle dropped their latest studio set, titled Crazy Times, today (September 30th). The album was produced by country-based producer Dave Cobb -- who was most recently behind the boards for Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators' latest set, 4.

Sammy Hagar admitted to us that although he fell in love with singing at an early age -- he's pretty much the definition of a reluctant performer: "I just liked it. It felt good and it felt natural. It's still not comfortable to me -- I'm not a comfortable singer/entertainer; even though I'm more of an entertainer, y'know, when I get on stage, I turn into an entertainer. But it's very uncomfortable for me. And I'm always runnin' around backstage, a nervous wreck until I get out there. But, other than that -- I like it."

Tuesday night's (September 27th) star-studded Taylor Hawkins tribute at L.A.'s Kia Forum once again featured the late-drummer's heroes, friends, and fans performing the songs by the artists that meant the most to him. Loudwire posted the night's setlist and, like the previous Wembley Stadium show, the amount of sheer talent gracing the stage alongside Dave Grohl and his Foo Fighters bandmates was fitting for one of rock's most beloved modern drummers.

With Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters acting as the night's house band, the show featured performances by Rush, the Police's Stewart Copeland, Queen, Taylor Hawkins' son Shane Hawkins, Dave Grohl's daughter Violet Grohl, Joan Jett with Blink 182's Travis Barker, the Darkness' Justin Taylor, Red Hot Chili Pepper's Chad Smith, Kesha, Level 42's Mark King, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, Yes' Jon Davison, Alanis Morissette, Nirvana's Krist Novoselic, Wolfgang Van Halen, the Cars' Elliot Easton, former-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler, Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Miley Cyrus, Heart's Nancy Wilson, Pink, Joe Walsh reunited with the James Gang, Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee, Mark Ronson, Them Crooked Vultures, Taylor Momsen, actor Jack Black, comedian Dave Chapelle and more.

A while back we spoke with the late, great Taylor Hawkins and he remained awestruck at how many musical doors had been opened over the years for the group's members: "We call it the 'Foo Fighters Rock N' Roll Fantasy Camp,' 'cause after Dave has been doing the thing with John Paul Jones, and I've done things with Queen, got to do a Dennis Wilson thing, got to jam with (Yes bassist) Chris Squire, Rush, it's like we just get to all kind of all fulfill a lot of our sort of rock n' roll fantasies playing with these people, y'know? And it's really amazing and really cool." |

In an excerpt from this year's Time 100 issue, Avril Lavigne praised the music evolution of Machine Gun Kelly.

When asked about some of her favorite musicians, she talked about Kelly and said he has grown in the "most authentic way." She explained how he started as a rapper and evolved into one of the biggest rock stars in the world.

She said, "I have a lot of respect for him and how thoughtful he is with his craft. When he's performing, you can't help but love him even more because he puts on such a good show."

Earlier this year, Kelly appeared on Lavigne's seventh studio album, Love Sux, on a song called "Bois Lie." Lavigne also joined him on his Mainstream Sellout tour this past summer.

TL;DR:

• Avril Lavigne praised the music evolution of Machine Gun Kelly.
• She said, "I have a lot of respect for him and how thoughtful he is with his craft. When he's performing, you can't help but love him even more because he puts on such a good show."

Hayley Williams posted online to thank fans ahead of the release of Paramore's new single titled, "This Is Why."

It's been over five years since the band's last album release and she expressed appreciation of their "unwavering support" despite their absence.

According to Williams, it was crucial for her and fellow bandmates Taylor York and Zac Farro to take a step back from the spotlight. She revealed that during their time away, she regained the opportunity to do simple activities such as keeping doctor's appointments, relaxing at home, and spending more time with friends and family.

She wrote, "We're just picking up where we left off. For so many reasons I don't even have words for, I think we are about to experience our happiest, most fulfilling moments as Paramore."

The new single "This Is Why" is the first song from their next album. It will be released on September 28.

TL;DR:

• Hayley Williams thanked fans ahead of the release of Paramore's new single titled, "This Is Why."
• It's been over five years since the band's last album release and she thanked them for their "unwavering support" despite their absence.
• The new single "This Is Why" is the first song from the band's long awaited, sixth studio album that will be released on Sept. 28.

Following a health episode that caused cancelation of two shows, Post Malone returned to the stage for a full concert in Cleveland on Tuesday night (9-27).

After taking a bad fall at one concert, the next one was canceled due to stabbing pains and breathing problems.

Malone showed no ill effects in Ohio and told the audience all about what he went through. He said after a couple of days of rest and "some stuff" to help out, he was ready to "F***ing kick some A**."

Not only did he bounce back strong, but he also paid tribute to NBA star Darius Garland, by wearing a replica jersey of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

TL;DR:

• Post Malone returned to the stage for a full concert in Cleveland on Tuesday night (9-27).
• Malone showed no ill effects in Ohio and told the audience all about what he went through.
• He said he was ready to "F***ing kick some A**."

Sammy Hagar admits that he still regrets that a final all-inclusive Van Halen tour with all its past and former members never took place. Hagar and the Circle drop their latest album, Crazy Times, tomorrow (September 30th), and the "Red Rocker" appears in conversation tonight (September 29th) for a career-spanning chat at the Clive Davis Theater at L.A.'s Grammy Museum.

Regarding the "kitchen sink" tour that never was due to Eddie Van Halen's 2020 death, Hagar told Rolling Stone, " What a shame, huh? I mean, honestly, the shame is that Eddie Van Halen's no longer with us. That's the shame. But if we would've done that. . . All the damage that I did with my book, the damage Ed did with his actions and his stuff he did in public, and the (Gary) Cherone shenanigans, and the (David Lee) Roth reunions, my reunion. . . That would've righted everything, if we would have did that tour. That would have righted everything, and I wanted that so bad. Just to all of us to go, 'We're clean again. We're angels. We're spotless.'"

He went on to say, "I just think it's crazy to do anything that's called Van Halen without Eddie. I would love it if Dave wanted to do a tribute where he'd sing ten of his songs, and then I'd come out and do ten of mine. That would be great with Alex (Van Halen) and Mike (Anthony) and maybe a bunch of different guitar players. Look at what Dave (Grohl) just did for Taylor (Hawkins). That's one of the greatest events in rock history. That's right up there with the early Farm Aids, and right up there with Live Aid. That was a great event, and that could be done for Ed with everybody playing."

As to what form a tribute to Eddie Van Halen could take, Hagar said, "I'm thinking of one-off weekend or something where we give the money away to some cause. It can't just be, 'Hey, we're going to grab some money.' I got plenty of money. There's nothing that I would do for money that I just wasn't in love with the idea of doing. And I'm not in love with the idea of being Van Halen without Eddie Van Halen. 'Matter of fact, I'm dead against it. But I would love to play music with Alex and Mike again. I would love to play those songs again. And if we did a residency or a tribute, I would sing 50/50. I would sing half the Dave songs too for the Van Halen fans. And those songs are great. I don't mind singing some of them."

Regarding some type of tribute for Eddie Van Halen, Hagar said: "I think it's necessary."

Sammy Hagar has been on both sides of the frontman game -- replacing David Lee Roth in Van Halen -- along with Extreme's Gary Cherone replacing him in 1996. Hagar told us a while back he sympathized with Cherone accepting what he probably thought was the gig of a lifetime -- only to see it go down in flames: "To me, it was inevitable. It didn't work. Everybody knows it didn't work. The album was a stiff and the tour didn't do well -- it was just was bad chemistry. Y'know, that coulda happened when I joined the band -- but it didn't because we made a great record. And my career was in a place with 'I Can't Drive 55,' y'know, I was equal to Van Halen at that time, so, it was a lot easier for the fans to accept that; and even then, it wasn't totally accepted immediately. Y'know, we had to work hard. It's a bummer for Gary because it'll probably ruin his whole damn career. Y'know, the guy's a decent singer, but what's he going to do now? 'Hey, he's the guy that bombed with Van Halen. (Laughs) Y'know, he's the guy that. . .' Y'know, that's not a good handle to have."

GODSMACK RELEASES NEW SINGLE: Godsmack has released a new single entitled "Surrender" via BMG. The track marks the first release from the band in four years. Sully Erna opened up about the song, saying, "'Surrender' is a very cut-and-dry song. It's simply about the exhaustion we can all feel in relationships at times from the redundancy of fighting with each other. At a certain point in our lives, we submit to putting aside who's right or wrong, we just want it to STOP! So we wave the white flag."

LAMB OF GOD LAUNCHES LIVE VIDEO FOR ‘OMENS': Lamb Of God has launched a live video for the title track of their upcoming ninth studio album Omens. The clip was filmed during the band's August 14th set at the Bloodstock Open Air in Walton-on-Trent, UK. A day prior they will be hosting a special livestream of a previously recorded in-studio performance and a documentary of the album's creation. Omens will be released next Friday (October 7th).

VOLBEAT DROPS LIVE VIDEO FOR ‘SHOTGUN BLUES': Volbeat has premiered their new live video for their track "Shotgun Blues." Footage for the video was shot during the band's early October 2021 shows at the Observatory North Park in San Diego, California. Videographer Brittany Bowman directed the clip.

Coming on November 25th is David Bowie's Divine Symmetry, a newly compiled a four-CD, one Blu-ray box set celebrating "the 12 months leading up to the release of the album Hunky Dory in December 1971 via home demos, BBC radio sessions, and live and studio recordings." The collection contains 48 previously unreleased tracks/demos and new alternative mixes of Hunky Dory tracks by original co-producer Ken Scott.

The package features two new books -- a 100-page hardback featuring exclusive memorabilia and photos, alongside a 60-page replica composite of Bowie's notebooks from the era featuring handwritten lyrics, costume drawings, recording notes, and set lists.

During a 1973 chat with the BBC, David Bowie looked back to his pre-glam period, which was based far more in straight on androgyny than his then-Glam-based fashions: "Long hair quickly got dissipated. I mean, I used to be able to stop traffic quite easily by just walking down the street. . . Just 'cause I had long hair. I'm very much a character when I go onstage, I feel. I believe in my part all the way down the line. But, I do play it for all it's worth."

Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has opened up about the death of his bandmate Taylor Hawkins. In an interview with The Plug with Justin Jay, Shiflett compared the loss of Hawkins to that of his father. He explained, "I remember for a long time after my dad died, you're sad about it, but you almost, like, forget for a second."

He continued, "Even, like, waking up in the morning ... and for a foggy second, you forget that he's dead. And then, 'Oh, f*ck, that's right, he's dead.'"

Shiflett said it's been a similar experience dealing with Hawkins' death, especially as the band prepped for the Hawkins Tribute Concerts. He explained, "Being at our rehearsal studio ... it's like you just expect him to walk in the room. That's the part that's really bizarre. ... You know it's true, you know it's reality — I don't know when that sinks in for real."

Billy Corgan didn't mince words about how the music business does not produce happy people. Loudwire transcribed some of his chat on WFAN's Boomer & Geo show, in which he explained, "I don't know if you can be happy in the music business because the music business is sort of designed to mess with your head. I think the music business in particular has been very late to the game with mental health and artists."

The Smashing Pumpkins leader went on to say, "We lost Jimi Hendrix at 27 years old to addiction and think of all the music that Jimi Hendrix didn't make. We're still talking about Jimi Hendrix 54 or 55 years after his death. I get lost in there because it's so sad to me. Think of all the people my generation has lost just to addiction and suicide alone. It is a travesty that there wasn't more support systems around those artists. I don't mean to throw shade at anybody. I just know how the business works. It's one of exploitation."

Corgan went on to talk about how he feels lucky to remain one of rock's survivors: "I feel blessed, so that's the start of every sentence. I would just like people to say he made it through, and if that inspired them to try harder, great. I'm not trying to be that role model, but I don't want to be on the other end of the casualty list."

Back in 1996 when inducting Pink Floyd into the Rock Hall, Billy Corgan spoke about Syd Barrett -- one of rock's first fallen heroes and permanent victims of the drug culture: "The very root of Pink Floyd surrounds the genesis with Syd Barrett -- and as we all know, we're consistently amazed in rock n' roll with tragedy and beauty, and Syd was both. His original artistic vision that's expressed on the first Pink Floyd record really defined what this band still continues to be -- an exploration into the outer terrains of whatever it is that makes music happen."

Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction kick off their joint North American tour on October 2nd at Dallas' American Airlines Center.

Billie Eilish is ending her sold-out global world tour with a special livestream from the O2 Arena in London.

Eilish broke the news to her fans online and called the Happier Than Ever Tour, her "favorite tour" she's ever done.

She added, "I can't wait for you to see it!"

The event will stream exclusively on Apple Music this Friday, (September 30^th) at 10:00p ET. Eilish is one of Apple's top streaming artists worldwide.

TL;DR:

• Billie Eilish is ending her sold-out global world tour with a special livestream from the O2 Arena in London.
• Exclusively on Apple Music this Friday, September 30^th.

Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis shed light on the band's new tribute to the late-Eddie Van Halen. The track, named "Eddie," will be featured on the band's upcoming double album, Return Of The Dream Canteen, which drops on October 14th.

Kiedis explained how the song came about, posting on Twitter, "Sometimes we don't realize how deeply affected and connected we are to artists until the day they die. Eddie Van Halen was a one of a kind. The day after his death Flea came into rehearsal with an emotional bassline."

He went on to write, "John (Frusciante), Chad (Smith) and I started playing along and pretty soon with all our hearts, a song in his honor effortlessly unfolded. It felt good to be sad and care so much about a person who had given so much to our lives."

Kiedis closed by saying, "Although the song doesn't speak to Eddie by name, it talks about his early days on the Sunset Strip and the rock n' roll tapestry that Van Halen painted on our minds. In the end, our song asks that you not remember Eddie for dying but for living his wildest dream."

Return Of The Dream Canteen once again pairs the Chili Peppers with producer Rick Rubin. Anthony Kiedis told us years ago why the band loves teaming up with Rubin whenever they can: The best way to describe Rick as a producer would be if Baron Von Munchausen were to ejaculate the Red Hot Chili Peppers onto a chess board. As the players of that board, Rick Rubin would be the perfect chess player. He's very intelligent, very emotionally in tune with hardcore soulful music. He knows how to extrapolate the best and most relaxed natural performance of a band without changing them."

Red Hot Chili Peppers will next perform on October 9th and 16th in Austin, Texas at Austin City Limits Music Festival.

Ahead of her appearance at tonight's (September 27th) tribute concert at L.A.'s Kia Forum, Heart's Nancy Wilson has posted the video to her new musical salute to her dear friend, the late-Taylor Hawkins.

Wilson spoke about the tune, titled "Amigo Amiga," explaining to Consequence Of Sound: "I heard myself in tears saying 'too soon too soon,' which became a refrain in the song. I spent quite a few sleepless nights trying to express it all. He was a wonderful friend and we always had funny pet names for each other like 'Amigo' and 'Amiga' as well as 'Luv' and 'Dahling.'''

Wilson went on to say, "It is such a painful loss -- but it also feels like Taylor has galvanized and re-energized rock n' roll with so many of his musician friends and fans coming together. It's a new renaissance Taylor and the Foo (Fighters) family have gifted us all."

All profits from "Amigo Amiga" will benefit the non-profit organization MusiCares.

Olivia Rodrigo says that Alanis Morissette "Completely changed" her life. She made the comment in Toronto over the weekend as Morissette was being honored by the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Rodrigo noted that listening to Jagged Little Pill inspired her and said that Morissette's writing was unlike anything she'd ever heard.

Rodrigo commented, "I haven't heard anything quite like it since. And that voice… fierce and tender and sometimes funny and playful. I became hooked for life."

The two met last year during a Rolling Stone cover shoot and then later performed together at a concert in Los Angeles.

Near the end of the ceremony, Morissette gave a ten-minute speech and expressed her joy and gratitude as an inductee.

TL;DR:

• Olivia Rodrigo says that Alanis Morissette "Completely changed" her life.
• Rodrigo noted that listening to Jagged Little Pill inspired her.
• Says that Morissette's writing was unlike anything she'd ever heard.
• Morissette was being honored at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

From the hospital, Post Malone canceled his Saturday night (9-24) concert in Boston. Through social media posts, he told fans that he woke up to a cracking sound on the right side of his body and was having "stabbing" pains. He was also having difficulty breathing.

He wrote: "I feel terrible, but I promise I'm going to make this up to you. I love you Boston, I'll see you soon. I'm so sorry."

The cancelation came a week after he took a hard fall during a show in St. Louis and had to cancel mid-concert to be taken to the hospital. The fall had bruised some of his ribs.

TL;DR: