RockerKevin

Robert Plant Reforms The Honeydrippers

     Robert Plant is set to reform the Honeydrippers.  The band, which formed in 1984 and has had a revolving lineup will perform at JBs in the U.K. tonight.
      The show is set to raise money for Plant's Kidderminster neighbor, Jackie Jennings who is suffering from a brain tumor.
     It is not clear who will be in the band, although it has at times featured Plant's former Led Zeppelin band mate Jimmy Page, and former Yardbird Jeff Beck.
     Other one time members have included Brian Setzer and Paul Schaffer, who is the bandleader in the CBS orchestra on the David Letterman show.
     The show will be billed as 'An Evening of Rhythm and Blues'.

Van Halen Is Back!

     The Van Halen rumors are true.  David Lee Roth is back in the band, Michael Anthony is out and Eddie Van Halen's 15-year old son, Wolfgang is the band's new bass player.
     Van Halen announced a 40 city US tour with Roth out front of the now three Van Halen's, Eddie, Alex and Wolfie.
     In a statement, Eddie Van Halen says I am very excited to get back to the core of what made Van Halen."
     The announcement of the tour puts an end to the rumours of a Van Halen tour with both Roth and his replacement Sammy Hagar.

Police 30th Anniversary Tour

     The Police have called a press conference for today, at which time they are expected to announce details of their reunion world tour.
     The tour will mark the band's 30th anniversary, and comes more than two decades after their acrimonious split.  While the band have performed together a handful of times since, they have never 'officially' reunited.
     The announcement follows the band's comeback gig at last nights Grammy Awards, where they opened the ceremony by proclaiming, "We are the Police, and we are back!" before playing "Roxanne".
     The Police will also stage a 'private rehearsal' at the Whisky A Go Go venue in Los Angeles, at which 20 'legacy members' of Sting's official website will win the opportunity to sit in.

Billy Joel Plays "Highway To Hell"

     You know hell really has frozen over when you go to a Billy Joel concert and don't get 'Just The Way You Are' but do get AC/DC's 'Highway To Hell'.
      At the recent Melbourne show, a roadie, Chainsaw, handled lead vocals for the classic, giving Joel the space to strap on a guitar and get a bit of 'rock God' action happening.  Maybe the AC/DC addition wasn't all that much of a stretch.  After all, Joel's current band features Adelaide born Andy Cichon who at one time also played in Rose Tattoo.
     The surprising factor of the Joel show was just how damn funny the guy is. In referring to his bald head, his best line of the night was "it's really not about having less hair, it's about getting more head".
     He thanked the people in the "cheap seats".  "Thanks for buying the cheap seats because all of our kids have to go to college".

Rod Stewart Kicks Off Tour In Florida

     Rod Stewart is about to embark on one of his most thorough North America tours ever.  The tour will start in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and last 5 months, ending on May 9th.
     The new Stewart tour will promote his new album 'Still The Same – Great Rock Classics Of Our Time'.  It is his first rock album since the successful Great American Songbook series.

The Last Meatloaf Tour?

     Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell III" tour, slated to start March 1 in Florida, will be his last, he said during a recent teleconference.
     "The next tour we're doing in 2007 pretty much is going to sum it up, yeah," the theatrical rocker said.  "You can wrap me up and put a bow on me.
     "I don't like the packing the suitcases.  I love going on stage, when everything is clicking and everything and we're all healthy and everything is working.  I love that.  I enjoy that a lot. It's not so much standing there and letting the audience applaud for you.  It's more about self-fulfillment.  In my case, it's sort of the search for the Holy Grail.  I'm always looking for the Holy Grail.  I'm always looking for the best show ever."
     Like many veteran acts, this isn't the first time Meat Loaf has said he's giving up touring; he said in 2003 that he was putting an end to extensive road trips so that he could concentrate more on his acting career.  Dates for his 2007 tour haven't been confirmed.
     Meat Loaf's forthcoming album, "Bat Out of Hell III," due out Oct. 31, features seven songs written by longtime collaborator Jim Steinman.  Steinman's involvement follows the amicable resolution of a lawsuit regarding ownership of the lucrative "Bat Out of Hell" trademark.

Duran Duran Move To Second Life

     Duran Duran have bought an island in Second Life.
     Second Life is an online virtual world where users can make complex avatars and objects and interact with each other.  It’s almost like a cross between World Of Warcraft and myspace. 
     Duran Duran are not the first such artists to visit Second Life; on August 3 a virtual version of singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega performed a live concert streamed through the site.

Appetite for Destruction - 7/22

I saw Appetite for Destruction last Saturday at the Orange Peel in AsheVegas, NC.  For more info, check out RockerKevin Show #4.

The Def Leppard Challenge!

Listen below to find out about The Def Leppard Challenge! 

Download the_def_leppard_challenge.mp3

• Go to the Def Leppard website and join the forum to discuss The Def Leppard Challenge.
• Write letters and/or phone Def Leppard Management at:

ISLAND DEF JAM MUSIC GROUP
825 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10019
USA
Phone (212) 333-8000
 

• Email Island Def Jam
• Use the "contact us" tab here to contact the band

  

Def Leppard/Journey - Charlotte, NC - 7/15

I saw Journey and Def Leppard last Saturday night at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, NC.  Check out The RockerKevin Show #3 for more details.

Southern Culture on the Skids - Asheville, NC - 7/21

On Friday night, I went to the Orange Peel, and saw Southern Culture on the Skids.  Want to know more?  Check out The RockerKevin Show #2.

Huey Lewis & The News/Chicago - Charlotte, NC - 7/14

I saw Huey Lewis & The News and Chicago at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater this last Friday night.  Check out The RockerKevin Show #1 for more details. 

Who's Bad - Greenville, SC - 6/24

     Last night, me and three of my friends decided to hop on down to Greenville, SC to check out a tribute band called Who's Bad.  They are, of course, a Michael Jackson cover band.  We saw them a couple of years ago up in Knoxville, TN at a place called Blue Cats and they kicked ass; so we figured we'd check them out.
     This time, they were at Wild Wing Cafe.  Our crew got there and had way too many shots and buckets of beer while we waited for the band to come on.  We were trying to get Jason-san drunk enough to do the moon walk; no luck though.  By the time they came on at 11, the place was packed with tons of hot chicks - but we were too drunk to do anything but repel them.

Pat Benatar - Greensboro, NC - 6/16/06

      I last saw Pat at Harrah's in Cherokee, NC about 4 years ago (I don't know the date for sure; those bastards don't let you keep ticket stubs); so I knew what to expect.  Pat Benatar, born Patricia Andrzejewski, is a classically trained vocalist and still has the pipes to prove it!
     Pat is currently on the "Polyamnesia" tour and is packing smaller venues, such as Greensboro's Special Events Theater, which holds approximately 4,300 concert goers.  The venue was about 3/4 full.  The accustics were only so-so, which is typical for quonset shaped venues such as this.  The warm-up group was a group called Hangface.  Never heard of them; but they were almost done when we arrived.  Tickets were provided by David Aiken at Rock 92 (Thanks Dave!).  Beer was $8 for a 20oz cup and t-shirts were $25.