Rock
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Sheryl Crow had no words for her excitement about being on the list of 2023 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Okay, she had a few. “I am BLOWN AWAY by the nomination,” the singer tweeted Wednesday night (Feb. 1). “It really means so much to me. Thank for your support, and for being a part of the voting process! Love you all! [heart emoji],” she added.
Crow joined an eclectic list of nominees for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, including: Art rock auteur Kate Bush; hip-hop iconoclast Missy Elliott; metal legends Iron Maiden; post-punk-turned-dance-rock pioneers Joy Division/New Order; eccentric pop icon Cyndi Lauper; pop titan George Michael; country GOAT Willie Nelson; rap-metal firebrands Rage Against the Machine; grunge trailblazers Soundgarden; soul vocal pros The Spinners; alt hip-hop progenitors A Tribe Called Quest; garage blues revivalists The White Stripes; and caustic singer-songwriter Warren Zevon.
The rootsy rocker joins other first-time nominees Elliot, Joy Division/New Order, Lauper, Michael, Nelson, the Stripes and Zevon. To be eligible for the RRHOF, an artist’s first commercial release must have come out at least 25 years prior to the nomination year.
After starting her career as a backup singer on Michael Jackson’s Bad tour in 1987 and recoding backing vocals for everyone from Jimmy Buffett to Stevie Wonder, Crow dropped her smash Grammy-winning 1994 debut Tuesday Night Music Club, which spawned the hits “Leaving Las Vegas,” “All I Wanna Do,” “Strong Enough” and “Can’t Cry Anymore.” Her self-titled 1996 follow-up continued the hot streak, landing more Grammy wins for the single “If It Makes You Happy,” and spawning the radio staples “A Change Would Do You Good” and “Everyday Is a Winding Road.”
Inductees will be revealed in May, with the induction ceremony taking place this fall. The top five artists selected through fan voting will be tallied along with the ballots from the Rock Hall’s international voting body to determine the Class of 2023. Fans can vote online every day through April 28 at vote.rockhall.com or IRL at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland.
Check out Crow’s tweet below.
Smashing Pumpkins will rock Australia this April for a 10-date festival run, dubbed The World Is A Vampire and featuring touring buddies Jane’s Addiction.
Takings its name from the opening line of “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” from the Pumpkins’ Grammy Award-winning third studio LP Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Vampire is the brainchild of founder and frontman Billy Corgan.
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Set to kick off April 15 at Stuart Park, Wollongong, Vampire criss-crosses four state and comes to a halt April 30 at Broadwater Parklands, on the Gold Coast.
The trek reunites Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addiction, which joined forces for a major U.S. tour in 2022, Spirits on Fire.
Also on the bill are ARIA Award-winning punk rock heroes Amyl And The Sniffers, alongside Sydney rockers RedHook and seven-piece guitar band Battlesnake, plus local acts.
The alternative music fest promises a break from traditional programming by pitching wrestling matches from Corgan’s NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) with WAOA (Wrestling Alliance of Australia) as part the daily activities.
One World Entertainment is producing the Australian jaunt. General tickets are released midday local time on Friday (Feb. 3).
The World Is A Vampire Festival 2023 Australia tour dates:
April 15 — Stuart Park, Wollongong NSW
April 16 — Sandstone Point, Bribie Island QLD
April 18 — Hordern Pavilion, Sydney NSW *
April 19 — Newcastle Entertainment Centre NSW *
April 22 — Hastings Foreshore, Mornington Peninsula VIC
April 23 — Kryal Castle, Ballarat VIC
April 26 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre SA *
April 27 — PICA, Port Melbourne VIC *
April 29 — Nepean Aerospace Park – Penrith NSW
April 30 — Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast QLD
Bruce Springsteen might be tired of talking. Between two runs of his narrative-heavy Springsteen on Broadway residency and eight episodes of his Renegades: Born in the USA podcast co-hosted with former president Barack Obama, Springsteen had been doing a lot of gabbing in the six years since he last hit the road with longtime backing outfit The E Street Band. But if Wednesday night’s (Feb. 1) opener to the group’s 2023 Tour is any indication, story time is over: The Boss is back, and he just wants to play.
In fact, for the great majority of the show at Tampa’s Amalie Arena, the only thing Springsteen had to say — outside of the occasional “TAMPA!” holler or stage direction for his 19-piece band — was “one, two, three, four!” as he introduced their next ripper. No mention was made of the relatively long layoff since their last global trek, nor of any of the real-world circumstances that might’ve accounted for a couple of those dormant years, nor even of the fact that this was their first show back; if you’d wandered in from across the street, you’d likely assume they had already been on the road for months already.
But in many ways, that’s just Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. They may be rock history’s most successful bar band, but they still have that working man’s approach to the gig — and priority one of Wednesday’s show was demonstrating that they were back in business, and picking right up where they left off. The group was cooking from the opener, Born in the U.S.A. fist-pumping fan-favorite “No Surrender,” and the energy stayed at that level close to throughout the 28-song set. No time for putting on airs; there was six years’ worth of rocking to catch up on.
The setlist also reflected this ethos, with the spirit of the selections being far more side two of The River than side four. (Only one song actually from The River, the boisterous rave-up “Out in the Street,” made the cut; presumably Springsteen figured we got our fill of that double LP the last time out.) Renditions of longtime live staples like “Prove It All Night,” “She’s the One” and “Johnny 99” were positively scorching — and though the show’s setlist was relatively light on major curveballs, longtime fans in attendance were no doubt please to hear the extended shine given to jammier early cuts “The E Street Shuffle” and “Kitty’s Back,” Springsteen even conducting the brass section in individual solos on the latter.
And the man himself remains a physical marvel. His voice is obviously still mighty, but you might’ve wondered if age and time off would result in Springsteen, now 73, appearing visibly diminished. But he still shows a wiry, near-pugilistic scrappiness onstage — perhaps a little stiffer in movement, but no less authoritative and striking for it. Among his classic rock peers, perhaps only Stevie Nicks can compare in terms of the amount electricity they can summon to this day simply by lifting their arms. (Bruce’s years might show most in his sense of humor, including on-stage banter with sideman Stevie Van Zandt during the ending of “Glory Days” about it being “time for us to go home… it’s way past my normal bedtime.”)
The show also aimed to demonstrate that Springsteen still has it as a songwriter, with a whopping six tracks pulled from his 2020 LP Letter to You. (Last year’s Only the Strong Survive cover set got a quick two-song mini-set, while 2019’s dustier group of originals Western Stars was not represented at all.) The new songs meshed surprisingly well with the old — particularly the anthemic “Ghosts,” which already sounds like it should’ve been a live fixture for decades — with the repetitive “House of a Thousand Guitars” the lone selection where you could feel the energy lag a bit. The evening’s most emotionally charged moment might’ve come with Springsteen’s spellbinding solo acoustic performance of Letter ballad “Last Man Standing,” preceded by his lone preamble of the evening — which explained the song as being inspired by the death of an early bandmate, leaving him the lone living member of his first-ever band. “At 15, it’s all tomorrows… at 73, it’s a whole lot of yesterdays,” he summarized, to roaring audience support. “So you gotta make the most of right now.”
It certainly felt like the band made the most of their time in Tampa — particularly once they started blazing through a show-ending run of classics like “Born to Run,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” and “Dancing in the Dark,” with Springsteen even mimicking his famous dance moves from the latter’s music video. The “Dark” performance also included a rare miscue for the band, as someone came early with the chord changes in the first verse — a foible that came off as more charming than anything, especially with the rest of the group visibly shrugging to themselves and one another, eh whaddya gonna do, it’s opening night, lotta tour still ahead.
The final number was a second Letter to You acoustic rendition, this time of “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” which Springsteen also used to close Springsteen on Broadway in 2021. Dedicating the song to Emily Rose Marcus — the recently deceased daughter of rock critic Greil Marcus — Springsteen’s hushed performance was a thoroughly heartbreaking closer. But as he walked offstage at 10:43 ET, seemingly with time still left for an epic encore (“Thunder Road” perhaps?) the crowd continued buzzing expectantly for a couple minutes — until the house lights came on, confirming that The Boss was indeed checking out. He had said all he needed to say for the night.
Setlist:
No SurrenderGhostsProve It All NightLetter to YouPromised LandOut in the StreetCandy’s RoomKitty’s BackBrilliant DisguiseNightshiftDon’t Play That SongThe E Street ShuffleJohnny 99Last Man StandingHouse of a Thousand GuitarsBackstreetsBecause the NightShe’s the OneWrecking BallThe RisingBadlands
Encore:Burning TrainBorn To RunRosalita (Come Out Tonight)Glory DaysDancing in the DarkTenth Avenue Freeze-OutI’ll See You in My Dreams
At the upcoming 65th annual Grammy Awards, legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne is nominated in four categories for his Patient Number 9 album, including its title track, which features the late Jeff Beck.
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In a recent interview with Billboard, Osbourne discussed his good fortune with collaborations, having worked with most of his heroes. However, he has yet to work with his biggest inspiration: Paul McCartney. A devoted Beatles fan, Osbourne has indeed reached out to McCartney in the past. “I did ask him one time,” he says, “but he came up with the excuse of, ‘Well, I couldn’t beat the bass player that was already on there.’ I went, ‘Maybe you’re right.’”
Patient Number 9 is indeed a star-studded affair. Beck, Mike McCready, Eric Clapton and former Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, plus many more, all contributed instrumentals. The co-writers are just as impressive, with Osbourne tapping Chad Smith, Ali Tamposi and the late Taylor Hawkins, among others.
“He died literally a week or two after he worked on my album,” Osbourne recalled of the Foo Fighters drummer. He shared with a laugh how Hawkins would repeatedly tell him, “Dave Grohl is my boss.” Says Osbourne, “I didn’t know if he was joking or what.”
He also discussed working with Post Malone and Miss Piggy, who according to the rocker said he “stunk.”
He also touched on what having a hit reality TV show did for his career (and to his family) and most importantly, addressed how his fans have been there for him every step of the way. “That’s the thing I really miss about not doing gigs,” he says. “I’m a hands-on guy. I like talking to my fans, I miss them terribly.”
On Wednesday (Feb. 1), Osbourne posted a note to fans on social media, saying, “This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans…” In it, he announced that his touring days have come to an end and that his scheduled European/UK tour dates have been canceled. “Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really f—s me up, more than you will ever know.”
“My team is currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city or country to country,” he continued in the note, which echoes a hope he shared during his Billboard interview.
“My goal is to get back onstage as soon as possible.”
Watch the full interview in the video above.
The annual music and tattoo festival, Inkcarceration Festival, unveiled its jam-packed 2023 lineup on Wednesday (Feb. 1), with Limp Bizkit, Pantera and Slipknot leading the group as headliners.
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Volbeat, Highly Suspect, Coal Chamber, Hatebreed, Lamb of God, In This Moment, Motionless in White, Underoath, Megadeth, Bush, Flyleaf with Lady Sturm and Asking Alexandria are among the many artists also scheduled to take the stage at the three-day festival at the historic Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio, which was made famous by the film The Shawshank Redemption.
In addition to three days of music and haunted attractions, the 2023 festival will host a tattoo convention with dozens of shops and tattoo artists. Fans can book appointments with visiting artists, and Inkcarceration will host tattoo competitions hosted by Jennifer “Jenncity” Arroyo and judged by Caleb Neff, Brian Adamson and Mat Helton.
Single day, weekend general admission and VIP passes for Inkcarceration are on sale now, in addition to camping and hotel packages. See more information on the festival’s official website here.
Check out Inkcarceration’s full lineup below.
Talk about way more than halfway there! The music video for Bon Jovi‘s classic single “Livin’ On a Prayer” officially crossed the billion view milestone on YouTube Wednesday (Feb. 1).
As the second single off the band’s 1986 breakthrough album Slippery When Wet, “Living On a Prayer” followed “You Give Love a Bad Name” as the New Jersey rockers’ second consecutive No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and dominated the chart for four consecutive weeks in February and March of 1987, sandwiched between Madonna’s “Open Your Heart” and “Jacob’s Ladder” by Huey Lewis and the News.
The music video, meanwhile, was filmed at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles and finds frontman Jon Bon Jovi belting out, “Tommy used to work on the docks/ Union’s been on strike, he’s down on luck/ It’s tough, so tough/ Gina works a diner all day/ Working for her man/ She brings home her pay for love, for love” as his bandmates flail above the stage on a fly system.
According to YouTube, the black-and-white visual filled with pyrotechnics becomes Bon Jovi’s second video to achieve the nine-digit viewership feat after 2000’s “It’s My Life.”
Last June, Alec John Such, Bon Jovi’s founding member and bassist from 1983 to 1994, sadly passed away at the age of 70. At the time, his former bandmates paid emotional tribute to him on social media, writing, “He was an original. As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was integral to the formation of the band. To be honest, we found our way to each other thru him – He was a childhood friend of Tico and brought Richie to see us perform…Today those special memories bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. We’ll miss him dearly.”
Revisit Bon Jovi’s music video for “Livin’ On a Prayer” in the video above.
What could’ve been. Shania Twain opened up in a new interview with Apple Music on Tuesday (Feb. 1) about the time she almost worked with Prince before his death.
“I missed out on that because Prince called me when I got divorced,” the country icon tells Zane Lowe in a clip shared exclusively with Billboard. “We’re on the phone and he said, ‘Shania, why don’t you come to Paisley Park? I want to make the next Rumors album with you.’”
“And that was the weirdest thing he could have ever have said,” she continued, “because Mutt [Lange], his standard of what he thought, of what I could live as a standard was that album, Rumors album. And he said that to me. So when Prince said that to me, I’m like … ‘This is way too ironic what you’re saying.’ Right? And I’m such a major Prince fan.”
However, Twain admitted she found herself “too insecure to go and get with Prince in the studio” because she was still in the process of finding her voice after splitting from Lange, who was not only her husband of 15 years, but also her longtime producer and collaborator on smash albums such as 1997’s Come on Over and its 2002 follow-up, Up!
On their phone call, Prince also laid out some ground rules for his would-be studio time with Twain — namely that there was no swearing allowed at Paisley Park.
“So that was another strike,” Twain joked. “I’m like, ‘Oh no, I love you so much, but I don’t think I could get through writing and recording an album without swearing, somewhere along the way! What are you going to do to me if I swear? I might have to stand in the corner or something.’ I wasn’t sure about that. I don’t think I was ready for what all that was going to mean for me. I didn’t give up on it or anything, but then he died.”
This weekend, the singer — who just dropped her galloping new single “Giddy Up!” — is set to serve as a presenter at the 2023 Grammy Awards along with the likes of Cardi B, Viola Davis, Olivia Rodrigo, Dwayne Johnson and more.
Watch Twain recall her fortuitous missed connection with His Royal Badness below.
Two sets start atop Billboard’s rock album charts dated Feb. 4, as HARDY’s The Mockingbird & the Crow and Måneskin’s Rush! open atop the lists.
HARDY’s Crow, a hybrid between the country and rock genres, debuts at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums tallies with 55,000 equivalent album units earned Jan. 20-26, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 34,000 units are from streaming and 20,000 via album sales.
The former total is the best for any title on Top Hard Rock Albums since it adopted a consumption methodology in 2017, while Crow’s overall unit count is the biggest on the chart since Slipknot’s The End, So Far bowed with 59,000 units (Oct. 15, 2022).
Crow is HARDY’s first No. 1 on each chart, achieved in his first appearance on each (as his previous albums were more fully within the country genre). It’s also his first Top Country Albums ruler, surpassing the No. 4 debut and peak of A Rock in 2020.
On the all-format Billboard 200, Crow bows at No. 4, becoming HARDY’s first top 10. Its predecessor, A Rock, reached No. 24.
Meanwhile, Måneskin’s Rush! starts at No. 1 on the Top Alternative Albums chart with 18,000 units earned. It’s the Italian rockers’ first leader in their first appearance.
The set also begins at Nos. 2, 4 and 4 on the Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts, respectively.
It’s the band’s first top 20 title on the Billboard 200, beginning at No. 18.
Tracks from both new sets concurrently rank on the multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, paced by HARDY’s “Radio Song,” featuring A Day to Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon, at No. 25. In the latest tracking week, “Radio” earned 2.3 million official U.S. streams and sold 1,000 downloads.
Seven songs from HARDY’s Crow appear on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, with “Radio” followed by “Jack” at No. 27.
Måneskin’s Rush!, meanwhile, boasts an appearance in “The Loneliest,” which lifts 40-34 with 2.3 million radio audience impressions and 1.9 million streams. Prior to the album’s arrival, two cuts included on Rush! reached Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: “Supermodel” (No. 13 peak last July) and “Mammamia” (No. 21, October 2021).
“Loneliest” is the current radio single from Rush!, concurrently charting at its No. 6 best on Alternative Airplay. Crow’s current rock radio single, “Jack,” ranks at its No. 11 high on Mainstream Rock Airplay. The latter’s country single, “Wait in the Truck,” featuring Lainey Wilson, likewise holds the No. 11 spot, its top rank so far, on Country Airplay.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame unveiled its Class of 2023 nominees on Wednesday (Feb. 1), which includes a total of 14 musicians that are now eligible for induction into the Rock Hall this year.
The 14 artists nominated are Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden, The Spinners, A Tribe Called Quest, The White Stripes and Warren Zevon.
This year’s Rock Hall nominees are rather unique — eight of the 14 artists up for induction into the 2023 Rock Hall are first timers, with two (The White Stripes and Missy Elliott) of the eight making it onto the shortlist in their first year of eligibility. Joy Division and New Order were notably combined into a single nomination, though it is not a first for the Rock Hall: Parliament/Funkadelic were inducted together in 1997, as were the (Young) Rascals (also in 1997) and Small Faces/Faces in 2012.
“This remarkable list of nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”
Fans can vote for who they wish to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame through April 28 at vote.rockhall.com or, alternatively, in person at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland.
Who do you think should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Vote in our poll bellow.
Peter Hook says news of Joy Division/New Order‘s joint nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame “made me smile all day” after he learned the news on Tuesday (Jan. 31). It also made him chuckle a little too.
“To be honest with you, we were always against this sort of thing when we started,” the two groups’ founding bassist tells Billboard via Zoom from his home in England. “It was the old punk thing — we hope we die before we get old and destroy all the old musicians, etc. etc. and what rubbish awards ceremonies are. Then all of a sudden you get one, and as you get older you realize… yeah, it’s a wonderful thing. I’m humbled, I really am. It’s nice, and it’s fun to be appreciated.”
The groups were named on Tuesday as part of a class of nominees that also includes Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Iron Maiden, Soundgarden, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, The Spinners, A Tribe Called Quest, The White Stripes and Warren Zevon.
And, he adds, “I will be rooting for us. Ever since we started as Warsaw, I’ve always felt great competition towards other bands. You want to do better than them, you want to achieve something. So this really appeals to me.”
The nomination marks the first inclusion on the ballot for either band. Joy Division has been eligible since 2004 and New Order — formed by Hook, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris (with Gillian Gilbert) after Joy Division singer Ian Curtis’ suicide in 1980 — since 2006. It’s not the first time the Rock Hall has put two bands together as a unit; the Small Face and Faces were inducted jointly back in 2012. And Hook feels that the commonality between Joy Division and New Order makes their pairing both acceptable and appropriate.
“It feels OK to me,” he explains. “It was an odd thing. Joy Division was such a wonderful, powerful entity, and it was so sad the way it ended. But the three of us — Bernie, Stephen and I — got real strength from starting New Order together. We started (Joy Division) after seeing the Sex Pistols, and we’ve been banging our heads against walls and doors and kicking them down musically since then. We were always the square peg in a round hole as Joy Division and very much a square peg in a round hole as New Order. (The Rock Hall) is a hell of an accolade, but my God, I think either band has earned it. We are definitely up there without a shadow of a doubt.”
The potential of a Joy Division/New Order induction does come with the specter of some possible drama. Hook — who’s written two memoirs about his life and in outside of music — has been at odds with Sumner, Morris and Gilbert since 2011, when New Order reformed without him after a four-year hiatus. The resulting lawsuit was settled out of court, but Hook says the musicians “still haven’t spoken, personally in 11 years. We’re still fighting hammer and tong, tooth and nail… I think we’re going for the record for the longest group fallout in history. It’s very tragic.”
But he’s hopeful that, if inducted, all parties will put aside their differences at least for one night.
“It will be a difficult awards ceremony if we get there, but as my wife said we’ve got to rise above these things… and be nice and be courteous and think the best,” Hook says. “Maybe this is the olive branch that we may need to end the injustices that were done with New Order in the end. It’s a very strange position to be in but, y’know, we’re not the first group that’s been ostracized by each other, and we won’t be the last.”
Since the schism New Order has released two studio albums along with several live sets and the 2020 single “Be a Rebel.” On Jan. 27 the box set Low-Life was released, compiling New Order 12-inch singles and filmed live performances. The group will play a set of shows in Texas during March, including an appearance at South By Southwest.
For more than a decade, meanwhile, Hook has led his band, The Light, in performing Joy Division and New Order albums in their entireties. He returns to the road in March for The World is a Vampire Festival in Mexico and starts a U.K. tour in April, playing both of Joy Division’s studio albums (Unknown Pleasures and Closer), a variety of New Order songs and the Substance compilations from both bands.
“It’s all about music,” says Hook, who launched a music business master’s degree program at the University of Central Lancashire in England during 2012. “The reason it’s OK to be playing Joy Division was the fact I thought it needed celebrating more, and for me not to celebrate it I felt was wrong. So it’s been wonderful to do and it’s been wonderful to keep on celebrating New Order music, and probably I will be doing it until I die — and beyond.”