Classic Rock

Okay, I fear I’m tempting fate if I write this, but to hell with it. It finally feels like we’re coming out the other side of the pandemic, doesn’t it? I mean, I’ve been to more gigs in the past fortnight than I have in the the last two years. Just one glance at this issue’s gig reviews section is testament to the definite rebirth of the live scene. Download was back to full strength (see p94), Muse rocked Rock In Rio in Lisbon (p101) – yeah, that confuses me too – Guns N’ Roses returned to the UK (p102), as did Rammstein (p105) and many more. Across the pond Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe finally began their much-postponed The Stadium Tour (we have exclusive photos and a chat with…

DAVID SINCLAIR In this issue musician and writer David catches up with Billy Gibbons for our cover story to discover what life after losing Dusty Hill entails for the mighty ZZ Top (p26). David’s new single with the David Sinclair Four, Won’t Be Divided b/w Bye Bye Johnny, is released on Critical Discs/Proper. Find out live dates and more at www. davidsinclairfour.com ALEX BURROWS Former Classic Rock managing editor and longtime contributor/friend of the Louder team Alex immersed himself in Siouxsie And The Banshees’ back catalogue for this month’s Buyer’s Guide (p80). By day he’s Operations Manager at Twin V, the creators of Space Rocks, Iron Maiden’s fan club mag, the World Metal Congress and much more. PAUL BRANNIGAN Paul Brannigan has been chatting with rock stars for over a…

Twice delayed due to covid-19 and two years later than planned, The Stadium Tour – featuring co-headliners Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, plus Poison and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – finally got under way at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia on June 16. It didn’t take long for the tour, which comes to Europe next summer, to produce the drama that had always seemed inevitable. The opening night made instant headlines around the world when Crüe drummer Tommy Lee left the stage in agony after just five songs, handing his sticks to Tommy Clufetos for the rest of the set Former Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent man Clufetos had been waiting in the wings after Lee, on the tour against medical advice, broke four ribs before it…

Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks is among those who have voiced outrage after the Unites States Supreme Court overturned a law – in a case known as Roe vs Wade – that gave women the right to have an abortion. “I would like for everyone to watch the documentary called The Janes,” Nicks said via social media. “I watched it tonight. It is a huge déjà vu for me, as it is about my generation leading up to Roe vs Wade. Please watch it. It will blow your mind.” Garbage’s Shirley Manson called on the US to “Abort the Supreme Court!” “We have turned the clock back decades for women,” stated Queensrÿche frontman Todd La Torre. “It still feels impossible to comprehend that we live in a country divided on…

“I’d probably be a better lead singer of a rock band if I could stop smiling so much on stage,” jokes Taylor Goldsmith. This summer, you can’t blame the affable Dawes frontman for smiling. He and his wife Mandy Moore are expecting their second child, and he’ll be touring behind Dawes’s eighth album, Misadventures Of Doomscroller. While more adventurously proggy than their previous records, it still carries what Goldsmith calls the “Dawes DNA” – aguitar-driven California breeze threaded through philosophical lyrics. We caught up with him to chat about everything from progressive jazz “I got immersed in to fatherhood. jazzier things. Records What was your vision for the new record? On our last album take their time.” the songs were three minutes long. Tight, clear and concise – all the…

John Paul Jones, Nile Rodgers, former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson are among the latest additions to the bill of the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London, which takes place at Wembley Stadium on September 3. They join the already announced Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, ex-Rush pair Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Liam Gallagher, Stewart Copeland, Supergrass and headliners the Foo Fighters. A sister event in Los Angeles is set to include John Paul Jones, Nancy Wilson, Krist Novoselic, P!NK and LeAnn Rimes in addition to the previously announced Gene Simmons, Nikki Sixx, Miley Cyrus, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, RATM drummer Brad Wilk, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette and The Struts frontman Luke Spiller. Proceeds from the ticket sales from both…