Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!

Tim Abrigg Jr.'s Rock and Roll News Of The Day!: Today's Day In Rock News!: Today's Rock News! Def Leppard Confirm Reason For Phil Collen Leaving Tour(hennemusic) Def Leppard confirmed it was a "family ...

Today's Day In Rock News!

Today's Rock News!

Def Leppard Confirm Reason For Phil Collen Leaving Tour(hennemusic)

Def Leppard confirmed it was a "family emergency" as the reason for guitarist Phil Collen being forced to leave the band's co-headlining tour of North America with Journey.

"Our brother and bandmate Phil has unexpectedly returned home for a family emergency," said the band in a statement. "With Phil's blessing our friend, Steve Brown, will be joining us on stage until Phil is able to return. On with the show!"

Trixter guitarist Steve Brown made his 2018 debut with the group during a May 25 show at the Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA, where fans were given a heads up about the lineup change shortly before showtime.

"Good evening, Hershey. I am Joe Elliott. Welcome to what should be a great night," said the Def Leppard frontman. "I have an announcement to make. And I'd like you to spread the word as people come in. But, very sadly, Phil Collen cannot be with us this evening. He has a family emergency back in California.

"So we are very blessed that our very good friend Steve Brown, who, some of you may remember, stood in for Vivian about four years ago when Vivian couldn't make a couple of shows, has learned the bits very, very rapidly and, with Phil's blessing, will join us on stage tonight…and for the immediate future.

"So just be prepared, okay? We're here for ya, and we're glad that you're here for us. Thank you. See you in 30 minutes."

As Elliott mentioned, Brown stepped in to assist the band in 2014 while guitarist Vivian Campbell was undergoing procedures and treatment for cancer. See video of Joe's announcement and some videos of Brown performing with the band here.



Rolling Stones Jam 'Wild Horses' With Florence Welch(hennemusic)


The Rolling Stones were joined by Florence + The Machine singer Florence Welch for a performance of their 1971 classic, "Wild Horses", during the second of two shows at London Stadium on May 25.

Welch's band were the opening act for the latest show on the Stones' No Filter European tour, and the rocker says she was thrilled to follow-up a 2012 appearance with the group after being a lifelong fan.

"I was brought up with The Rolling Stones because my Dad was a Stones man," Welch explains in an official video released by the band. "They've been a massive influence; I mean still, to this day, the music I'm making is influenced by them. I've been a fan my whole life but there's something magical about being up there with them."

"Thank you to Florence + The Machine for an amazing set and stunning performance on Wild Horses!," posted the Stones on social media after the show.

The Rolling Stones opened their summer tour at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland on May 17; the 14-show series marks band's first appearances in the UK in five years; stops in Germany, France and the Czech Republic will precede the trek's finale in Warsaw, Poland on July 8. Watch video of the performance and interview with Welch here.


Iron Maiden Break Out Rarities For Summer Tour Kick Off(hennemusic)

Iron Maiden featured a series of rarely-performed tracks during the opening night of the Legacy Of The Beast summer 2018 European tour in Tallinn, Estonia on May 26, and video from the event is streaming online.
The band's 16-song set delivered six vintage tracks, including five that haven't been played in more than a decade: "Where Eagles Dare" and "Flight Of Icarus" from 1983's "Piece Of Mind", "Sign Of The Cross" from 1995's "The X Factor", "The Clansman" from 1998's "Virtual XI", "The Wicker Man" from 2000's "Brave New World", and "For The Greater Good Of God" from 2006's "A Matter Of Life And Death."

"The Beast... was unleashed!", posted the band after the show. Inspired by their mobile game and comic book of the same name, the 2018 run will see Iron Maiden mix headline shows with festival appearances - including Sweden Rock, Italy's Firenze Rocks, Austria's Novarock, Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting, France's Hellfest and Hungary's Volt Festival, among others. Watch videos of the rarities performances from the tour kick off here.



Billy Corgan Says Metal A Victim Of 'Weird Class Politics'

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan is a hero is the alt-rock arena but he recently opened up about his metalhead youth and shared his belief that the genre has been maligned due to "weird class politics".
Corgan made the comments during an appearance on Metallica drummer Lar Ulrich's Music Beats 1 show. He said (via Metal Hammer), "For years, I would take sh*t about being a fan of metal - it should be beneath you. It gets into weird class politics. Most of the people who criticize people like us for being who we are, what we are, or what we represent, had better backgrounds than we had.

"We didn't necessarily go to the nice school, we didn't get to read the cool newspaper. For me, bands like Metallica told me that there is this other world that is more closely aligned with the experience you're having than the one you're being told about.

"So when I heard Mercyful Fate, Metallica or Ted Nugent, that told me, 'Wait, there's this other world than the world you're telling me that I'm supposed to believe in.' Even to this day, for all the money that metal moves, it's amazing how disrespected it is."

He added, "You can't get that through to a hipster's brain. If you sat around and drew up who you wanted to be on paper, you wouldn't be in Metallica or The Smashing Pumpkins. Those type of bands grow out of almost like a personality conflict."



John Mayall Postpones Tour For Health Reasons

Legendary British blues musician John Mayall broke the sad news to fans that he has been forced to postpone his upcoming U.S. spring tour dates due to a battle with pneumonia.
The 84-year-old music icon was set to kick off the trek later this week in San Diego. His team broke the news with the following social media post, "We are very sorry to announce that John Mayall has to reschedule his upcoming May/June shows due to needing continued medical care after a bout of pneumonia.

"For those of you who have bought tickets, refunds will be available where the tickets were purchased. John loves his fans and is sorry to disappoint you, but is looking forward to seeing you soon at a venue near you. In the meantime, your prayers and good vibes are much appreciated!"



Butcher Babies Release 'Look What We've Done' Video

Butcher Babies have release a new documentary style music video for their single "Look What We've Done". The song comes from their latest album "Lilith".
Singer Heidi Shepherd had this to say about the clip, "Our new docu-video Look What We've Done gives a behind-the-scenes look as to what emotions a tour might bring when the curtains close and real life settles in. When the accolades of the stage and energy of the crowd are gone; when you retreat to your bunk and the loneliness sets in. Where you miss your family, your friends and your loved ones. We touch on when conditions out of your control can make or break your stride. This gives an inside peek as to what keeps us going and how we deal with the extreme highs and extreme lows. The reality behind the stage."

Co-frontwoman Carla Harvey added, "When we started Butcher Babies, I don't think that either Heidi or I had much interest in creating ballads. However over the years our palates expanded and we really began to embrace emoting passion through our singing voices in addition to our screaming voices.

"Look What We've Done takes the listener on a journey through our current emotions, after making music and traveling the world together for nearly a decade. We really wanted a video that would take the viewer on a visual journey with us through an authentic tour experience. Having a videographer accompany us on our latest run in Europe was the perfect fit! Ride along with us as we elate in the highs of touring: sold out shows, exploring new cities, the camaraderie. Stick around for the rough stuff: extreme weather, fatigue, loneliness...Look what we've done!" Watch the video here.



Public Image Ltd Announce 40th Anniversary Box Set(Funhouse)

Following the demise of the Sex Pistols, frontman John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten) moved on with the formation of Public Image Ltd and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the group, they are releasing a new box set.
The Public Image is Rotten(Songs from the Heart) Box Set is set to be released on July 20, 2018 presented as a 5CD/2DVD set and a 6LP vinyl collection. We were sent the following details and track details for both sets:

The box set will feature the PiL Singles Collection (1978-2015), B-sides, Rarities and Radio Sessions, 12" Mixes, Unreleased Mixes and Tracks and a Live concert from New York Ritz in July 1989. The DVD includes PiL promo videos + footage from the BBC's Top Of The Popsand Old Grey Whistle Test. Just in case that isn't enough they've included two legendary live concerts, the first PiL's appearance at the Tallinn Rock Summer Festival in Estonia 1988 (still part of the USSR at the time) and the second from 2013's Enmore Theatre in Australia during the This is PiLtour. Read more here.




Soulwax Streaming New Song 'Essential Three'

Soulwax are giving fans another taste of their forthcoming album with the release of a new track called "Essential Three". The new record, entitled "Essential LP" is set to hit stores on June 22nd.
The band provided these background comments about the new album, "When we were approached to make an Essential Mix for the BBC in May 2017, we chose to do what every sane human being would do, we decided to lock ourselves into our studio for two weeks and make an hour of new music based around the word 'Essential', instead of preparing a mix of already existing music.

"The product of this otherwise unwise decision is something we ended up being very proud of and is now being released on the piece of plastic you're are currently holding in your hands." Listen to the new song here.