Author: Web Rock Radio News Dept

Rick Springfield’s been playing gig after gig for decades and while it’s unlikely that you’ll ever find him on a critic’s rundown of best concert performers, the reality is that he deserves a slot on that list.

Burning Film: Rick Springfield Through the Lens, is a new book that takes visual stock of the Aussie ’80s rocker’s concert adventures of the past 20 years. All of the shots were taken by photographer Jay Gilbert, who first got to know the singer-songwriter during his time working at Universal Music, Springfield’s label at the time. But he’d been a fan long before that.

“I’m a big power pop guy, you know, I grew up on the Beatles,  Badfinger, Jellyfish [as well as artists like] Will Owsley, just anything that has melody,” he remembers during a conversation with the UCR Podcast. “My favorite band growing up was Cheap Trick. They were heavy, yet they were super melodic. And Rick, you know, those albums were like that for me. I remember I worked in record stores, first at an indie, then I worked at Tower Records. So I was always listening to all these records that came in. So I was working in a record store when Working Class Dog came in, I remember putting it on and going,  ‘Wow, these are really good musicians.’ Number one, the backing vocals for Rick, were just stellar and I love the the songs. Then he [released] Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet and I was hooked.”

READ MORE: How Rick Springfield Broke Through With ‘Working Class Dog’

As Springfield prepared his recent collection, Big Hits: Rick Springfield’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, it offered an opportunity to finally make the idea for the book a reality, something which the rocker and Gilbert had been discussing for the past five years. The photographer dug through his archive of more than 60,000 photos that he’d captured in the past two decades and narrowed it down to 200 shots that appear in Burning Film, which is available as part of a special box set edition of Big Hits.

Gilbert shared a selection of pictures that appear in the book, which you can view below. “I loved shooting him live because, you know, it’s just such an energetic show with great lighting,” he explains. “I think I’ve done seven albums with him, and that’s the fun part, right? That’s when you get in the studio and you’re like a mad scientist, and you’re like, ‘Okay, what are we going to try to do here?'”

This summer, Rick Springfield will be back out on the road, anchoring the latest installment of his I Want My ’80s tour with a slew of special guests, including John Waite and Wang Chung.

Listen to Rick Springfield and Jay Gilbert on the ‘UCR Podcast’

Paul Simon began his first tour since 2018-2019 with a transcendent 19-song performance on Friday night at New Orleans’ historic Saenger Theater.

He devoted the opening set of this aptly named Quiet Celebration Tour to 2023’s Seven Psalms, a gorgeous uninterrupted 33-minute meditation on struggles with faith that had never been performed in its entirety. After a brief intermission, Simon returned with an engaging – and a bit more lively – second set that alternated between his most familiar songs and some intriguing deep cuts.

He probably wouldn’t have been allowed to leave the ’20s-era Emile Weil-designed theater without playing tried-and-true favorites like “Slip Slidin’ Away” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” But Simon also made room for “Train in the Distance” from 1983’s Hearts and Bones, “Under African Skies” from 1986’s Graceland and “Spirit Voices” from 1990’s Rhythm of the Saints, among other lesser-known gems.

READ MORE: Top 10 Paul Simon Songs

Simon mounted Homeward Bound: The Final Tour, which included a September 2018 stop at the nearby Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, after suffering since-resolved issues with his hearing. This new tour is smaller in scale, with 50 concerts held on multiple nights at midsized venues, and far more intimate.

He spoke almost confidentially at the sold-out 4,000-seat Saegner when sharing stories about “St. Judy’s Comet” (from 1973’s There Goes Rhymin’ Simon), and “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and “Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War,” both also from Hearts and Bones.

Listen to Paul Simon’s ‘Under African Skies’

Is Paul Simon Playing Simon and Garfunkel Songs?

Edie Brickell, who scored a Top 10 hit in 1988 with “What I Am,” joined her husband on stage for three songs: “The Sacred Harp” and “Wait” were among six tracks from Seven Psalms that made their live debuts. (Simon had performed “Your Forgiveness” in March 2024 on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert.) Brickell also took over for Linda Ronstadt for the soaring duet on “Under African Skies.” (They changed the lyric from Ronstadt’s hometown of “Tucson, Arizona” to Brickell’s, “Dallas / Fort Worth.”)

Simon only returned to his foundational work with Simon and Garfunkel three times. “Homeward Bound,” from the main set, became a sweet singalong in New Orleans. He closed out the show with a two-song encore of “The Boxer” and “The Sound of Silence,” the latter of which Simon performed alone.

His Quiet Celebration Tour continues tonight (April 5) in New Orleans, with upcoming stops in Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, Nashville, Milwaukee and Toronto, among others.

Paul Simon, April 4, 2025, New Orleans
Set 1: Seven Psalms
“The Lord”
“Love Is Like a Braid”
“My Professional Opinion”
“Your Forgiveness”
“Trail of Volcanoes”
“The Sacred Harp”
“Wait”

Set 2:
“Graceland”
“Slip Slidin’ Away”
“Train in the Distance”
“Homeward Bound”
“St. Judy’s Comet”
“The Late Great Johnny Ace”
“Spirit Voices”
“Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War”
“Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”
“Under African Skies”

Encore:
“The Boxer”
“The Sound of Silence”

Rock Feuds: Simon vs. Garfunkel

When you think about it, watching a live band perform is a once in a lifetime experience, and not just in the sentimental sense.

Allow Nancy Wilson of Heart to explain.

“Because we play completely live, we don’t have pre-records, so we really have skin in the game when we’re on stage,” she told the Los Angeles Daily News in February of 2025. “It’s only going to happen that one time, live on a stage like that, so the moments are really precious and larger than life.”

Heart has been around a long time, and with over a dozen studio albums to their name, they have a lot of music to pick from when it comes to crafting set lists. Below, with the help of data from setlist.fm, we’ve sorted out The Most and Least-Played Song Live Off Every Heart Album. For our purposes here, we’re not including Heart’s most recent album, 2016’s Beautiful Broken, since its mainly made up of re-recordings of older songs.

And of course, there are some songs Heart has never played live in their entire career — we’ll be focusing on songs that have, at one point or another, seen a set list. We should also note that we’re only considering performances of these songs by Heart, though the individual sisters of the band may have played them at their respective solo shows.

Album: Dreamboat Annie (1975)
Most-played: “Crazy on You”
Least-played: “(Love Me Like Music) I’ll Be Your Song”

Not only is “Crazy on You” the most-played song from Heart’s debut album, Dreamboat Annie, it’s the most-played song of the band’s entire career with 935 performances. “I wanted to write an acoustic guitar intro before the song started,” Nancy said to Louder in 2021. “So I sat for a few days, just trying to channel that first bar. I wanted it to be really memorable. It was the hardest part, finding a way in. But now, every time I play the introduction, everyone recognizes it right away.” On the least-played end is “(Love Me Like Music) I’ll Be Your Song,” which only got played three times.

Album: Magazine (1977)
Most-played: “Heartless”
Least-played: Tie Between “Mother Earth Blues” and “I’ve Got the Music in Me” by the Kiki Dee Band

Heart’s second album, Magazine, has a slightly complicated history. It was first released — in an unfinished form without the band’s permission — in 1977 by Mushroom Records. Then it came out again in 1978 with a different sequencing. Only one track from this album has never been played live, “Here Song.” The title for next least-played then is a tie between “Mother Earth Blues,” which was included on Magazine in live form, and a cover of the Kiki Dee Band’s “I’ve Got the Music in Me” — each have been played three times. At the No. 1 spot is “Heartless,” which has racked up 355 plays.

Album: Little Queen (1977)
Most-played: “Barracuda”
Least-played: “Go on Cry”

It’s one of rock’s instantly recognizable riffs: the one from “Barracuda,” a No. 11 hit for Heart. (Nancy has said that she drew inspiration for it from Nazareth‘s cover of “This Flight Tonight” by Joni Mitchell.) “Barracuda” has been played just a little over 900 times from the year it was released up until the band’s most recent tours. Only one song from this album hasn’t been played live, a track called “Cry to Me.” But another song with a similar name holds the title for least-played with four performances: “Go on Cry.”

Album: Dog & Butterfly (1978)
Most-played: “Straight On”
Least-played: “Lighter Touch”

With Dog & Butterfly, the lone never-played song is fittingly titled “Nada One.” In last place then is “Lighter Touch,” which got exactly one play on the Fourth of July in 1981. Fortunately someone thought to record that, which you can hear below. Meanwhile, “Straight On” is the most-played with 655 performances. “When I hear those songs now,” Nancy later said about this album in 2023, “I feel proud.”

Album: Bebe le Strange (1980)
Most-played: “Even It Up”
Least-played: “Down on Me”

The ’70s may have ended, but Heart was something of a train that could and would not be stopped. Bebe le Strange, released in May of 1980, went to No. 5 and spent 22 weeks in total on the charts. According to Ann Wilson, “Even It Up,” the most-played song from the album, was meant to be a statement. “[I]t was definitely a response to being obstructed as women in the rock field,” she told Songfacts in 2022. “There are so many systemic things that get thrown up in front of you, different glass walls and stuff. We were speaking out against it then.” There is again one song from this LP that has never seen a set list, “Pilot.” The least-played then is “Down on Me,” a track Ann described in that same Songfacts interview as a “great blues song.”

Album: Private Audition (1982)
Most-played: “City’s Burning”
Least-played: “Bright Light Girl”

“The band was in a period of transition…and that was reflected on the record,” Ann once explained of 1982’s Private Audition. “It wasn’t a bad record. It just wasn’t a commercial record.” (Turns out, it was at least a little bit of a commercial record, since it went to No. 25 on the U.S. Billboard 200.) Four of the album’s 11 tracks have never been played: “Private Audition,” “Hey Darlin Darlin,” “One Word” and “America.” On the low end, “Bright Light Girl” has managed to squeeze in two plays, once in 1981 and once in 1982. Even the most-played song, “City’s Burning,” only has 33 performances logged.

Album: Passionworks (1983)
Most-played: “How Can I Refuse”
Least-played: Tie Between “Johnny Moon” and “Love Mistake”

With 1983’s Passionworks, two new faces enter the Heart lineup picture: Denny Carmassi and Mark Andes on drums and bass respectively. You’ll notice that this album is a bit different sounding than previous Heart releases, with heavy synthesizer usage. “We changed everything. Nancy and I just instinctively felt that we had come to the end of an era,” Ann explained to Classic Rock in 2023. Four of Passionwork‘s songs have not been played: “Together Now,” “Heavy Heart, ” “Language of Love” and “Ambush.” That creates a tie for least-played between “Johnny Moon” and “Love Mistake,” each of which have 11 performances logged. The album’s leadoff track, “How Can I Refuse,” holds the top spot with 161 plays.

Album: Heart (1985)
Most-played: “These Dreams”
Least-played: “What He Don’t Know”

That aforementioned period of transition worked out well for Heart. When they released a self-titled album in 1985 — their first with Columbia Records — it went to the top of the U.S. chart. Again, only one song has been neglected set list-wise, a track called “All Eyes.” But the rest have gotten some great representation. “These Dreams” has accumulated 740 plays, which makes it the fourth most-played song of Heart’s whole catalog. On the low end is “What He Don’t Know” with 13 plays, all of which took place in 1985.

Album: Bad Animals (1987)
Most-played: “Alone” by i-Ten
Least-played: “RSVP”

Heart’s next album, 1987’s Bad Animals, did not fare as well as Heart. And by that we mean: instead of landing at No. 1, it landed at No. 2. In this case, it’s actually a cover song that takes the cake — Heart’s version of i-Ten‘s “Alone” has 667 plays to its name. There are multiple tracks from this album that have never been played live, making “RSVP” the next least-performed with eight total plays, all in 1987.

Album: Brigade (1990)
Most-played: “Wild Child” by Romeo’s Daughter
Least-played: “I Love You”

If you are a fan of the following three Heart songs, our apologies to you, for they have never been selected for a set list: “Secret,” “Cruel Nights” and “I Want Your World to Turn.” Perhaps you’re into the closing track from Brigade, “I Love You,” and were lucky enough to catch one of only two times it was played in 2003. And then there’s “Wild Child” at the top of the list with 148 performances, a song penned by Robert John “Mutt” Lange, Craig Joiner and Anthony Mitman.

Album: Desire Walks On (1993)
Most-played: “Back to Avalon”
Least-played: “My Crazy Head”

The Heart sisters often wrote songs in collaboration with others — “Back to Avalon,” the most-played song from Desire Walks On, is just one example of that. It was co-written with a woman named Kit Hain, who enjoyed both a solo career and was a member of the duo Marshall Hain. Her songs have also been recorded by the likes of Roger Daltrey, Fleetwood Mac and more. Now technically, the Spanish version of “Will You Be There (In the Morning)” — “Te Quedaras (En la Manana)” — is the least-played track with two performances, both unsurprisingly in Spanish-speaking countries. (That version appeared as a bonus track on the European and Japanese editions of Desire Walks On.) But as far as English tracks from the original release, “My Crazy Head” is the least-played with three performances.

Album: Jupiters Darling (2004)
Most-played: “Lost Angel”
Least-played: “The Perfect Goodbye”

After Desire Walks On, Heart took an 11-year break from releasing albums, finally returning in 2004 with Jupiters Darling. “We thought: let’s put the Heart car up on blocks in the back yard, let’s just look at it and figure out a new way to present it later,” Ann explained to Classic Rock Radio then. “We started touring and we started writing songs again magically like they were just coming down from somewhere. It took us a while to get the songs for Jupiters Darling, but when we did, then we felt, well, the time is now.” “Lost Angel” is the most-played with 34 performances, while “The Perfect Goodbye” holds last place with just one performance in Nashville — well, unless you also count the time they played it on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, in which case it got two performances.

Album: Red Velvet Car (2010)
Most-played: “WTF”
Least-played: “Safronia’s Mark”

Only five of Red Velvet Car‘s 10 tracks have been performed live. Of those, “Safronia’s Mark” is the least-played with a mere three appearances, while “WTF” has earned 86. “[“WTF”] started like a jam, like that song by Cream ‘SWLABR,'” Ann explained in 2010, the year Red Velvet Car came out. “Later when I wrote the words, they were really angry and they just blasted out of me, like I might have just as well said, ‘What the fuck?'”

Album: Fanatic (2012)
Most-played: “Dear Old America”
Least-played: “A Million Miles”

Fanatic, Heart’s 15th studio album, will close this list. (As mentioned, we’re not including 2016’s Beautiful Broken given that it consists of mainly re-recordings of older songs.) Despite being comparatively recent, only three of Fanatic‘s songs have not been played live yet: “Skin and Bones,” “Pennsylvania” and “Corduroy Road.” That makes “A Million Miles” the next least-played with two performances, which happened just days apart from one another in 2019. At the top is “Dear Old America,” a song the Wilson sisters based on their experiences of growing up in a military household.

Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has revealed that he lost part of his record collection after his late wife, Nora, accidentally set their kitchen on fire.

Lydon, who currently doing interviews to promote Public Image Ltd’s upcoming European tour, was speaking with This Is Money, a website that provides consumers with financial advice.

“I have a collection of London double-decker toy buses,” says Lydon, asked if he treats himself to any luxuries. “They’re just biscuit tins, but I really like them. I hate the shortbread inside, and I wish it was toffees or sweeties.

“In London, I had a collection of the Coronation tins [celebrating the 1952 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II], but they got destroyed when Nora accidentally set fire to the kitchen after cancelling the insurance.

“Lots of my records melted in the blaze, but I still have loads over there. Hopefully, I’ll raise enough money on my upcoming tour to get them sent over.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Lydon reveals that he’s made more money from his appearances on the reality TV show I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here and from his Country Life butter advertisements than he ever did from his Sex Pistols royalties.

Earlier this week, we reported that Lydon had slammed his former Sex Pistols bandmates‘ current tour with frontman Frank Carter, calling them “woke” and “a clown’s circus”.

Public Image Ltd’s This Is Not The Last Tour tour kicks off on May 22 in Bristol, before embarking on a spoken word tour in September (full dates below). The Frank Carter-led version of the Pistols are currently on tour in New Zealand, with US dates lined up for later in the year.

Public Image Ltd: This Is Not The Last Tour tour 2025

May 22: Bristol O2 Academy
May 23: Ware, Stone Valley Festival South
May 24: Bournemouth O2 Academy
May 29: Barnsley Birdwell
May 30: Newcastle Boiler Shop
May 31: Norwich Epic Studios
Jun 12: Dublin 3Olympia, Ireland
Jun 13: Limerick Dolan’s Warehouse, Ireland
Jun 14: Cardiff Depot
Jun 26: Hastings White Rock
Jun 27: Newark Stone Valley Festival Midlands
Jun 28: Oxford O2 Academy
Jul 03: Leicester O2 Academy
Jul 04: Lincoln Engine Shed
Jul 05: Portsmouth Guildhall
Jul 30: Sheffield Leadmill
Jul 31: Northampton Roadmender
Aug 01: Holmfirth Picturedrome
Aug 07: Cheltenham Town Hall
Aug 08: Durham Stone Valley Festival North
Aug 09: Coventry Empire
Aug 15: Cork City Hall, Ireland
Aug 16: Belfast, Putting The Fast In Belfast (supporting Stiff Little Fingers)

Tickets are on sale now.

John Lydon: I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right tour

Sep 10: Dundalk An Tain Arts Centre, Ireland
Sep 11: Cavan Town Hall Arts Centre, Ireland
Sep 12: Ballybofey Balor Theatre, Ireland
Sep 13: Dublin The Complex, Ireland
Sep 19: Leeds City Varieties
Sep 20: Nelson Muni
Sep 22: Douglas Gaiety Theatre, Isle Of Man
Sep 24: Ilkley King’s Hall
Sep 25: Hull City Hall
Sep 26: Scunthorpe Bath Halls
Sep 27: Lytham St Annes Lowther Pavilion
Sep 28: Stockport Forum
Oct 01: Buxton Opera House
Oct 02: Whitley Bay Playhouse
Oct 03: Hexham Queens Hall
Oct 04: Yarm The PAA
Oct 05: Middlesbrough Theatre
Oct 08: Langholm Buccleuch Centre
Oct 10: Dunfermline Carnegie Hall
Oct 12: Aberdeen Tivoli
Oct 15: Wrexham William Aston Hall
Oct 16: Sale Waterside Oct 17: Cromer Pier
Oct 18: Dudley Town Hall
Oct 22: Spalding South Holland Centre
Oct 23: Hunstanton Princess Theatre
Oct 24: Bury St Edmunds Apex
Oct 25: Stamford Corn Exchange
Oct 26: Peterborough New Theatre
Oct 29: Runcorn Brindley
Oct 30: Mansfield Palace
Oct 31: Wellingborough Castle
Nov 01: Eastbourne Devonshire Park
Nov 02: Greenwich Theatre
Nov 05: Eastleigh Thornden Hall
Nov 06: Paignton Palace
Nov 07: Frome Cheese and Grain
Nov 08: Worcester Huntingdon Hall
Nov 12: Blackburn King George Hall
Nov 13: Cannock Prince Of Wales
Nov 14: Stratford Upon Avon – Playhouse
Nov 15: Redditch Palace Theatre
Nov 16: Melton Mowbray Theatre
Nov 19: Barnstaple Queens
Nov 21: Launceston Town Hall
Nov 22: Swansea Brangwyn Hall
Nov 24: London Golders Green Hippodrome

Tickets are on sale now.

Wilco’s musical journey began in the creative hub of Chicago, Illinois, following the dissolution of alternative country band Uncle Tupelo in 1994. Formed by vocalist and guitarist Jeff Tweedy alongside bassist John Stirratt and drummer Ken Coomer, Wilco quickly stepped into the spotlight, blending elements of rock, folk, country, and experimental music in a uniquely captivating way. The band’s dynamic and ever-evolving sound has continually pushed boundaries, earning them a devoted fanbase and critical acclaim that spans decades.

Since their inception, Wilco has released twelve studio albums, starting with their debut A.M. in 1995, which delivered a distinctively country-rock flavor. Their sophomore effort, Being There (1996), marked a significant artistic progression, revealing Tweedy’s developing songwriting depth and expanding the band’s sonic palette beyond traditional alt-country roots. The album’s ambitious double-disc format underscored Wilco’s drive for innovation and set a precedent for future experimentation.

Wilco achieved their commercial and critical breakthrough with the landmark album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002). Despite initial conflicts with their label that resulted in the band being dropped from Reprise Records, the album became their most celebrated work, reaching number 13 on the Billboard 200. Praised extensively for its unconventional arrangements, emotional resonance, and adventurous production, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has since become a defining record of early 2000s alternative rock.

Following this success, Wilco’s subsequent albums solidified their standing in the music world. Albums like A Ghost Is Born (2004), Sky Blue Sky (2007), and Wilco (The Album) (2009) continued to showcase the band’s intricate musicianship and sophisticated songwriting. Singles such as “Heavy Metal Drummer,” “Jesus, Etc.,” and “Impossible Germany” became enduring fan favorites, highlighting Wilco’s ability to craft memorable, nuanced songs that resonate deeply with listeners.

Throughout their prolific career, Wilco has received notable recognition. The band’s 2004 album A Ghost Is Born earned two Grammy Awards in 2005, including Best Alternative Music Album. Additionally, Tweedy and his collaborators were consistently praised for their live performances, characterized by improvisational elements and engaging energy. Their concerts have become events celebrated for their unpredictability, musicianship, and emotional connectivity with audiences worldwide.

Wilco’s popularity stems largely from their authenticity, relentless creativity, and willingness to explore new musical territories. Jeff Tweedy’s deeply personal lyrics, combined with the band’s innovative and expressive instrumentation, resonate profoundly with fans, critics, and fellow musicians alike. Their approach, grounded in a sincere passion for their craft, positions them uniquely among contemporary acts, influencing numerous bands across various genres.

Beyond their musical achievements, members of Wilco have engaged in meaningful activities outside of their studio work. Jeff Tweedy, in particular, has contributed significantly to various social causes, including involvement in voter registration campaigns and charitable performances. Tweedy has also written extensively, publishing books that provide personal insights into his songwriting processes and mental health experiences, further endearing him and his band to their dedicated audience.

Wilco continues to tour and release new material, reaffirming their status as innovative pioneers within the music industry. With their constantly evolving artistic vision, deep emotional resonance, and significant contributions beyond the realm of music, Wilco remains an influential and beloved entity in contemporary rock.

Complete List Of Wilco Songs From A to Z

Albums

A.M. (1995): 13 songs

Being There (1996): 19 songs

Summerteeth (1999): 17 songs + 16 Canadian Promo Bonus Disc songs = 33 songs

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001): 11 songs + 80 Super Deluxe Edition songs = 91 songs

A Ghost Is Born (2004): 12 songs + 5 Limited Edition Set CD Two songs = 17 songs

Sky Blue Sky (2007): 12 songs

Wilco (The Album) (2009): 11 songs + 1 iTunes Bonus Track = 12 songs

The Whole Love (2011): 12 songs + 5 iTunes and Deluxe edition bonus tracks = 17 songs

Star Wars (2015): 11 songs

Schmilco (2016): 12 songs

Ode to Joy (2019): 11 songs

Cruel Country (2022): 21 songs

Cousin (2023): 10 songs

Hot Sun Cool Shroud EP (2024): 6 songs

Check out our fantastic and entertaining Wilco articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com

Complete List Of Wilco Band Members

Top 10 Wilco Songs Of All Time

Read More: Artists’ Interviews Directory At ClassicRockHistory.com

Read More: Classic Rock Bands List And Directory

Complete List Of Wilco Songs From A to Z article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2025

Machine Head’s Robb Flynn has reflected on touring America less than a week after 9/11.

During an in-depth interview with Suicide Silence guitarist Chris Garza on the Garza Podcast, the frontman discusses the fear and confusion the groove metal band and their fans felt following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Machine Head were set to release their fourth album Supercharger on October 2, had already had the music video for the single Crashing Around You – which featured the band playing amidst crumbling skyscrapers – censored after the attacks, and left for a string of American shows on September 17.

“We’re terrified to even fly,” Flynn remembers. “At this point [people are panicking and thinking], ‘They’re gonna bomb everywhere! They got New York!’ – tour starts in Fargo, North Dakota – ‘they’re gonna get Fargo, North Dakota!’ Why would they get Fargo, North Dakota? They’re not. But, in your mind, you think everybody’s gonna get you.”

He goes on to describe the awkward atmosphere during the first shows of the tour. “They were weird. Everybody in the front row was just like, ‘Why am I here? Tell me it’s gonna be OK.’ And I’m like, ‘I need you to tell me it’s gonna be OK. I don’t know. Don’t look to me, don’t put me up on a pedestal: I’m just as fucked-up and lost and confused about all this shit as you are.’”

However, Flynn adds that that tension started to ease one week into the five-week tour. “All these people that were coming were all trying to get through this fucking insane moment,” he says. “We don’t know what’s going on, we don’t know what’s gonna happen – it’s like, ‘Music is what’s gonna pull us all through this.’ And the shows become this massive release.”

Supercharger, Machine Head’s second nu metal album following 1999 predecessor The Burning Red, disappointed both critically and commercially upon release. In the aftermath, guitarist Ahrue Luster left the band and they were dropped from longtime label Roadrunner, although they were picked back up for the release of 2003’s thrashier Through The Ashes Of Empires.

Talking to Garza, Flynn reveals that Machine Head were turned down by 35 labels during their separation from Roadrunner.

“The first five labels was really crushing to me,” he admits. “It fucking crushed me. I was depressed and like, ‘It’s over!’ Then we’ve got five more labels checking the demo out, same thing: they turned us down. More turned us down. By the time it got to the 15th one I was kind of annoyed. By the time I got to the 20th, I was like, ‘Wait a minute! Really?!’

“By the time I got to the 30th record company rejection, I was just the angriest, most pissed-off, fuck-you, fuck-them, fuck-everybody, fuck-everybody-who-doubts-me… I was just a walking timebomb.”

Machine Head will release their 11th album, Unatoned, on April 25 via Imperium Recordings and Nuclear Blast. The singles These Scars Won’t Define Us and Unbound are streaming.

In 1999, Tobias Sammet stepped away from the German power-metal band Edguy to indulge his fantasy of an all-star metal opera project. Ten albums later, and with cameos from Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine, Dee Snider, Eric Singer and more, Avantasia have become one of Europe’s premiere touring and recording acts.

Avantasia’s latest record, Here Be Dragons, features Kenny Leckremo of H.e.a.t, and two singers from Kamelot: Roy Khan and Tommy Karevik.

What is Avantasia? A band, a side project, a collective of recurring familiar names?

Sammet: It’s hard to answer that. A band implies democracy, and this is a dictatorship. No, I’m not a dictator. I’m a good king.

The past few albums and tours featured a core of Geoff Tate, Bob Catley, Michael Kiske and Ronnie Atkins. This time there’s no Jørn Lande or Eric Martin.

Eric has been very, very busy [with Mr. Big]. I wanted him on the album but it was impossible. Jørn is a member of the family and I’m sure we will work together again.

Do you write specifically for each member? “Ah, Bring On The Night… there’s the Bob Catley song.”

Bring On The Night was absolutely for Bob, but that’s the exception to the rule. With this album the goal was simply to make the songs sound as good as possible.

Bob and the late, great Tony Clarkin are both very dear to you.

The thought of Tony passing, and of their band Magnum being no more, left a mark on me during the creation of that song, albeit subconsciously. I have a dragon drawn by [Magnum’s sleeve artist] Rodney Matthews over my piano.

With choirs and bombastic, symphonic flavours, Here Be Dragons offers perhaps the broadest mix so far.

I don’t know. It’s a very diverse album, but they’ve all been diverse. I’m not great at describing what’s better or worse. It’s not the Olympics, it’s art.

The album’s press release says Avantasia are a “rock and metal flagship”. Are you carrying the torch?

I don’t think too much about my own position in this whole thing. I’ve a lot of respect for those that gave me the inspiration, but I don’t know if what I’m doing is good enough, because nothing compares to those who invented this style of music. No way.

Plenty of big names have appeared on your albums so far. Who is the ultimate name you’d like to feature on an Avantasia record?

It’s no secret that I’d love to have Bruce Dickinson. It may take me twenty-five years, but I hope that some day Bruce will even whisper along to one of my songs.

You are a massive Anglophile.

Absolutely. I’m an English person trapped in the body of a German [laughs].

Here Be Dragons is available now via Napalm Records. Avantasia’s European tour ends on April 26.

A newly restored trailer for Slade‘s classic Slade In Flame movie has been released. The 1975 movie, which saw the Brummie rockers play Flame, a fictitious late 1960s group, is showing in UK cinemas from May 2, with a two-disc DVD/Blu-ray following on May 19. Screening details are available on the BFI website.

“We didn’t go in and make a knockabout comedy movie, which everybody thought we would,” Slade frontman Noddy Holder told Classic Rock in 2005. “We came out with a solid, credible rock film about what went on behind the scenes in the rock business. There were some laughs in it, but a lot of people came out of the cinema shocked.

“When I was a kid, I just thought it was brilliant,” film critic Mark Kermode, who provides an audiocommentary on the DVD, told The Irish News last year. “But, you know, you can see movies when you’re a kid, you think they’re brilliant, and then you go back to them later on and you go, ‘Oh, no, they’re not brilliant – it’s just that I was a kid’.”

Kermode remained a fan, however, and his enthusiasm helped prompt a DVD release in 2007, bringing the film a whole new audience.

“Slade are actually really good in it, and the performance footage of them playing is excellent,” says Kermode. “And, of course, the soundtrack album is just brilliant.

“I’d be saying, ‘Look, I know everybody thinks it’s a joke. And I know I’m saying it’s the Citizen Kane of British pop movies, but I’m serious: It’s absolutely brilliant.”

Playback of the trailer on other websites has been disabled by the British Film Institute, but it can be viewed on their YouTube page.

Halestorm singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale says that a number of music industry figures urged her to abandon her band and start a pop solo career in her teens.

During a Women Of Metal roundtable hosted by Spotify and also featuring Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox and Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil, Hale reveals that, as early as her band’s club days, she was being encouraged to ditch her bandmates and start anew by herself.

“I fought very hard to not have a solo career, despite everyone wanting me to,” the frontwoman says. “I remember being 16 in the clubs and all these men were like, ‘Lose your brother [drummer Arejay Hale], lose the band, lose your buddies – you should be in pop. Why are you into metal? Why are you into hard rock?’ Because this music spoke to us!”

Elsewhere in the interview, Scabbia – who joined Lacuna Coil in 1997 – looks back on the perception of female metal vocalists at the start of her career.

“When I started with the band, it was the end of the 90s, so there were not so many metal bands with a female in the lineup,” she remembers. “And I remember that, many times, I was going onstage and there was always that guy that would be like, ‘Hey, naked! Show us what you got!’ And it was always interesting to see the change along the set: that I could convince that person at least to shut up and witness that I was able to do my job.”

Halestorm released their latest album, Back From The Dead, in 2022 and are working on a follow-up. In an interview with Metal Hammer in January, Lzzy revealed that the band recorded with renowned country producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell).

However, his role doesn’t seem to be tempering the band’s heaviness, as Lzzy compared one track to Motörhead: “One time, I was jamming on my baritone guitar, just walking around the house, and Dave swoops in and goes, ‘We need something like that! Run to the studio, right now!’ And the track has made it onto the record – it sounds very Motörhead.”

She described another song on the record as “crazy, crazy fast”. “The next morning, we showed it to Dave, and he said, ‘We have to put this on the album!’”

Halestorm are touring North America from April to May and will play in Europe from May to July. They have another run of North American shows set for July and August. See all dates and details via their website.