ROLLING STONES: Teasing an Announcement?

Following a recent report that The Rolling Stones have been back in the studio comes an interesting message on their social media accounts. A photo of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards

and Ronnie Wood is captioned with, "When you think the party’s over but it’s only just begun...” which is a lyric from "Whole Wide World" off their last album, 2023's Hackney Diamonds, followed by "Still Rolling." So, have they finished a new album, which they will announce soon? They were scheduled to tour Europe this year but opted to go back in the studio. Does this mean they may try to squeeze in some dates later this year? Or, with them quoting a lyric from "Whole Wide World," are they planning a world tour? We asked their spokeswoman if they plan to announce something and were told "Nope." Stay tuned. After all, they are "still rolling."

"Back To The Beginning" Film Coming To Theaters Next Year

Chances are, you weren't able to make it to Birmingham, UK to witness the final Black Sabbath concert. You can still experience Sabbath's farewell (as well as the many guest appearances) in the comfort of your local theater. A big screen document of the event is currently in production, to be released next year. The 100-minute concert film, "Back to the Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow," was filmed during Black Sabbath's show on July 5th. After the theatrical release of "Back to the Beginning,” a physical product will also be available later in the year.

Metallica's All Within My Hands Donates $100K To Texas Flood Relief

Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation is donating 100-thousand to Texas flood relief. The band's charity organization is donating through its longtime partners, Direct Relief and World Central Kitchen, as they provide emergency relief.Direct Relief's immediate response included a 50-thousand-dollar commitment to support the deployment of emergency medical supplies and operating funds to the communities that were impacted by the floods. AWMH said it is grant matching Direct Relief's emergency operating fund, while also granting 50-thousand-dollars to World Central Kitchen's relief efforts in Texas.

METALLICA: Come to Rescue of Belgium EDM Festival

Metallica came to the rescue of the Belgian EDM festival Tomorrowland. The festival's main stage burned down on Wednesday. On Thursday, Metallica loaned the festival their M72

stage, which was in a storage facility in Austria. The stage parts were airlifted to Belgium and 36 hours later the main stage was able to open just two hours later than scheduled. Dutch DJ

and producer Martin Garrix, who headlined on Friday night, posted a photo with Lars Ulrich

on Instagram and wrote, "Massive love and a big shoutout to the incredible Tomorrowland team for pulling off miracles — and to Metallica for coming through with the new stage parts."

Tommy Lee Offers Update On His Marriage As Rumors Of A Split Ramp Up

Speculation has been growing that Tommy Lee and wife Brittany Furlan were on the verge of breaking up ever since she admitted to troubles in their marriage back in May. That was followed up by a catfishing incident where she admitted talking to someone online that claimed they were Falling In Reverse singer Ronnie Radke. However, it appears the couple have soldiered through the rough patch and have come out smiling on the other side. The

Mötley Crüe drummer posted a pic of the seemingly happy couple on his Instagram Saturday, captioning it "Hey fake news, we’re not separated or divorced!! Get your s*** together!!" Furlan also posted on her own account, sharing footage of the pair’s shadows kissing via her Instagram Story.

JEFF LYNNE: So, Is This Farewell?

Jeff Lynne has provided a follow-up to his fans following the cancellation of the last two shows of his Jeff Lynne's ELO farewell tour -- one in Manchester, England and the finale in London on July 13th. He says, “I am now at home recuperating. I was absolutely gutted to have to cancel the final two shows. I send my heartfelt thanks to all of the fans as well as my band and crew for all their support and love.” Lynne was diagnosed with a systemic infection and his doctors advised him that performing is simply not possible at this time nor will he be able to reschedule. He started this final leg on July 5th in his hometown of Birmingham, England despite having a broken left hand from a reported run-in with a taxi door. As a result, he was unable to play guitar.

Zach Bryan Brings Bruce Springsteen On Stage For "Atlantic City"

The friendship and mutual respect that Zach Bryan and Bruce Springsteen share was on display once again last night. Zach was playing The Boss's home turf (MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey) when Bruce himself joined him on stage. It’s not the first time they’ve performed together; last August, Springsteen surprised fans at Bryan’s Philadelphia concert by joining him for "Atlantic City" and "Sandpaper." Zach first brought out Caleb Followill of opening act Kings of Leon, then introduced "one of the greatest men to ever exist, a New Jersey native, Mr. Bruce Springsteen." The three of them, backed by Zach's band, then launched into "Atlantic City." Bruce would return to the stage at the end of the night to accompany Bryan on his traditional encore, "Revival."

REO SPEEDWAGON: Fans of Coldplay

REO Speedwagon bassist Bruce Hall couldn't resist posting a meme poking fun at Astronomer CEO Andy Byron getting caught with his Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot on the "Kiss-Cam" Wednesday at the Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Showing three stills from the embarrassing moment, Hall captioned it with a line from REO's song "Take It on the Run" -- "Heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from Coldplay you’ve been messin' around..." The Top 5 song off of 1981's Hi Infidelity was inspired by the wife of REO's founder and keyboardist Neal Doughty cheating on him.

BILLY JOEL: That's Daddy's Little Girl

Billy Joel’s daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, from his marriage to Christie Brinkley, likes the way her dad's documentary And So it Goes came out, giving it a five-star review. She says, “Without giving anything away, lemme just tell you…it’s astounding. What an emotional whirlwind to delve into both parts one and two over the last few nights with my mother. “This is a fearlessly raw, reeling and shockingly intimate portrait of my father. The deeply layered narrative insights into Dad’s richly textured history left me stunned. (And here I thought I knew everything there was to know about him.) You don’t know ‘til you watch this! "If you’re interested in the full story behind my Father’s complex background, lineage and personal life…not to mention, his timeless musical perspective and artistry, this is a must-watch. Don’t miss it.” Part one of Billy Joel: And So It Goes debuted today (Friday) on HBO, with part two following on Thursday, July 25th. Both will be available to stream at the same time on HBO Max.

SOUNDGARDEN: Covers for Charity

A new all-star tribute act has launched a series of Chris Cornell covers to raise money for MusiCares. The first single from King Ultramega is a take on Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage" that features Alice in Chains vocalist William DuVall, Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher, Metal Allegiance bassist Mark Menghi and Anthrax and Pantera drummer Charlie Benante. Check

out a video for the track on YouTube. King Ultramega will feature different lineups on each single, anchored by the project's leader Mark Menghi. Some upcoming covers include the guitar work of Kim Thayil from Soundgarden. The series will also feature Cornell solo songs and tracks from Audioslave and Temple of the Dog.

ROGER WATERS: Here's a Cigar

Roger Waters has released his performance of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar" -- the second song following "Wish You Were Here" -- from the soundtrack to his concert film This Is Not A Drill - Live from Prague The Movie. Captured at the O2 Arena in the Czech Republic's capital city on May 25th, 2023, it was shown live that day in theaters around the world. The film, which has been re-edited and its sound enhanced, will be shown in theaters on July 23rd and 27th, followed by the release of the soundtrack on CD, vinyl, DVD, Blu-ray and digital on August 1st.

It contains 20 classic Floyd and Waters songs, including “Us & Them,” “Comfortably Numb,” “Wish You Were Here” and “Is This the Life We Really Want?” Movie tickets can be purchased at RogerWaters.film.

ROD STEWART: Harsh Words for Russia

At every one his shows since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, Rod Stewart has been dedicating "Rhythm of My Heart" to the people of Ukraine and their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Occasionally he adds a little spice to his remarks, which was the case on Friday at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, as he said "[Expletive] Russia." He's also been known to drop the F-bomb in regard to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Since the war started, Stewart and his nephew filled trucks with supplies that were taken to the Ukrainian border. The trucks were then returned to Berlin, Germany with 16 refugees.

Stewart also employed two other refugees on his estate in England's Essex countryside. And

in October 2022, he and his wife, Penny Lancaster, rented a house in Berkshire, England for a family of seven who fled the Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.

STEVE MILLER: "Joker" Is Fooling No One

When Steve Miller announced last week that he canceled his tour due to fear of severe weather and natural disasters, we felt that this was a unique way of covering up for poor ticket sales, a family matter, illness, injury or circumstances out of his control. And of course, we're not alone in this estimation. Music industry critic and analyst Bob Lefsetz says, "This is what happens when old people spew their b.s. and think the hoi polloi will buy it." Miller hasn't commented on the blow back, but his bass player has come to his defense. In a lengthy Facebook post, Kenny Lee Lewis, who has been in Miller's band since 1982, says, in part:

"You didn’t see Steve Miller hanging over a railing after our first outdoor stadium show opening in the sun for Journey and Def Leppard in Atlanta trying to fend off heat exhaustion. I was really worried about him... "Next couple of outdoor shows the crew had to arrange the stage air coolers with flexible ducts on him as he also wore frozen gel packs on his neck and shoulders. He looked like the Michelin Man! And he still almost passed out... "Shame on you Bob. You don’t know the half of it. This has got nothing to do with poor ticket sales. The man is trying to be smart about his health!

"Now when we finally got into some air-conditioned stadiums and arenas with with a lid it greatly improved the situation. "This prompted Steve to seek indoor arena shows only for this year. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for several reasons and he reluctantly signed off to keep doing some outdoor shed shows for the sake of keeping our family employed and giving the fans what they wanted. "This decision did not come lightly. When COVID hit in 2020, Steve was one of the first to pull the plug on his tour before any of the other acts did because he knew the severity of the situation and that the pandemic was going to shut everything down. People complained then as well but then the government got involved and we were all out of work. Steve was right. "The Joker has always relied on instincts and in this case he is rolling that pair of dice again. It’s too frickin hot for an 81-year-old to go out on that stage as temperatures keep breaking records even if you are the closer as the sun sets. "As for his indoor shows that were cancelled on this tour I can’t comment on. I’m sure the logistics of fragmenting the dates and changing routing and days off layovers would have been a nightmare for production. So he just chose to cancel everything. And there you have it.

"Now go pick on someone else you cranky old contrarian."

In regard to slow ticket sales, which you can see is the case by looking at seating charts for the 28 shows he had on sale, Lewis says, "We’ve always [done] well with walk-ups and last-minute buys. But even if sales were down Steve has been concerned about this heat for years. That same Atlanta show I mentioned we had to send our stage manager to the hospital for a mini stroke that day! It’s not just the band it’s the crew as well." Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders

recently wrote about dealing with the heat on stage, saying, "I'm remembering the last couple years when we supported Guns N' Roses, and then the Foo Fighters in stadiums. It was so hot I had to strap ice packs around my waist, and I realized then that outdoor events are going to come to an end. It's too hot." Miller's tour was set to start on August 15th in Bethel, New York on the grounds of the Woodstock festival.

IN OTHER NEWS

Van Halen have released a remastered version of “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” off the 30th anniversary expanded reissue of Balance, their 10th studio album and last with Sammy Hagar. In an Instagram post, Hagar says, “I love this song so much that I’m afraid to play it live!” The 30th anniversary edition of Balance will be released on August 15th.

Alex Lifeson joined Tom Morello on stage last Thursday in Toronto for a version of Rush’s "Limelight."

Eagles co-founder Bernie Leadon has released “Too Many Memories,” his first single in over 20 years. You can find it on YouTube. He will perform at AmericanaFest on September 12th in Nashville.

Blondie guitarist Chris Stein says their new album should be out in "the last quarter this year" and that the late Clem Burke plays on all the tracks. Burke died April 6th from cancer at age 70. Blondie's last album was 2017's Pollinator.

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