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In 2011, before the split that tore Queensÿrche into two separate bands, singer Geoff Tate told Prog why their 1992 single Silent Lucidity became their only UK Top 20 on its second release.

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Even if most people regard the 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime as the apogee of Queensrÿche’s career, it was the follow-up, 1990’s Empire, that was their biggest commercial success. It also gave them their only Top 20 single in the UK when Silent Lucidity made it to Number 18 in August 1992.

Written by guitarist Chris DeGarmo (who left in 1997, returning briefly in 2003 and 2007), the song is assumed to be about lucid dreaming. “Well, that’s one of the sub-themes of it,” says vocalist Geoff Tate.

“It was really about being a parent and waking up in the middle of the night by your kid who’s had a bad dream. It’s trying to explain to a young child that dreams aren’t necessarily a bad thing or a good thing.”

Tate has his own theory about the track’s success. “I think it really connected with people at that time for a number of reasons. The Gulf War was going on and people were separated from their families and loved ones. That tends to put people’s emotional radar a little bit higher than normal. Also, that album came out at the height of popularity for rock music.”

On first release as a single in April 1991, Silent Lucidity only got to Number 34 in the UK charts. It was only when released for a second time that it took off, with EMI’s backing.

“We had a functioning record industry with millions of dollars to put behind the promotion of a record then,” Tate recalls. “People were really exposed to that song. There was a tremendous focus on rock music at that time, and Silent Lucidity had all the right ingredients.”

Still, it didn’t fit what would be regarded as the usual parameters for a hit single; it stood apart from much that was popular at the time, partly because of its inner strength and substance.

“Most singles are about love in one way or another,” Tate says. “But there’s a simple reason why we put it out – it’s a beautiful song.”

UK acoustic guitar whizz Mike Dawes has published the official video for his cover of Sleep Token’s Euclid.

On Wednesday (April 30), the Guildford fingerstyle player released a studio recording of his rendition, live versions of which went viral on TikTok and Instagram last year. Watch the clip below.

With the new video, Dawes has issued a statement about his love for Sleep Token and how he rearranged Euclid for one acoustic guitar.

“I’ve been a fan of Sleep Token for quite a while since my ex-college housemate produced some of their early work,” he explains. “They have such a unique sound with stunning melodies and arrangements that translate perfectly to acoustic guitar.

“After I opened for Periphery in the US, I had the opportunity to jump up at the UK’s Radar festival last year and wanted to take on Euclid just for that show, as a nod to Sleep Token who headlined that same festival the previous year. The live response blew me away. The melodies work so well in this CGDGAD tuning. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this arrangement and hope it strikes a chord with others as well.”

Dawes is known for his reimaginings of famed rock, pop and metal tracks as mind-boggling feats of finger athleticism, and he regularly plays in Europe and America. People in the US will be able to see him this summer, as he treks across the country from July to August. See dates and get tickets via Dawes’ website.

Euclid is the final song on Sleep Token’s 2023 album, Take Me Back To Eden. It ends with a motif introduced at the start of The Night Does Not Belong To God – the first song on their debut album, 2019’s Sundowning – intended to mark the end of one ‘era’ of the band and the start of the next.

Sleep Token’s current ‘era’ kicked off last year, when the masked band signed to major label RCA. They’ll release their first album through their new home, Even In Arcadia, on Friday, May 9. The singles Emergence, Caramel and Damocles are streaming.

The band will play the European festival circuit, including a headline slot at Download festival in the UK on June 14, this summer. They’ll then play arenas in the United States in the autumn. Dates on the headline run sold out within hours of going on sale in March.

2025 is seriously heating up – both literally (if you’re in the UK at least) and metaphorically as new releases and tours are being announced at breakneck pace. But if you’re finding it all a bit much to keep up with fear not, that’s what we’re here for!

That in mind, here are the results of last week’s vote! There were some seriously big names in the running last week with new singles from Ghost, Machine Head, Sleep Token, Sabaton and so much more all in the running. But when it came to the fan vote, the return of Aussie prog metallers Voyager generated enough excitement to nab them third place, with Ghost’s Peacefield taking second place. The overall winners though were Colombian thrashers Poison The Preacher, who trounced the competition with One Man Army.

This week we’ve got a diverse selection for your listening pleasure. There’s new music from Turnstile and House Of Protection, rising stars in Cwfen, Rise Of The Northstar and Believe In Nothing and even the long-awaited return of Liverpool’s Loathe. As ever, we need you to tell us which song excites you most, so don’t forget to cast your vote in the poll below – and have a fantastic weekend!

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Loathe – Gifted Every Strength

They’re baaaaaack! Loathe haven’t exactly been inactive since the release of The Things They Believe in 2021, but the groundswell of excitement about a potential new album has been persistent since they cancelled tour dates in 2022 to apparently finish their next album. Three years later, we’re getting our first proper glimpse of where the Liverpudlian band are headed; the Deftones-y nu metal vibes they pivoted to on 2021’s I Let It In… are maintained, but there’s also a delightful return to clanging tech that feels more akin to their debut. It’s exciting stuff, and delightful to have them back.

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Death Angel – Wrath (Bring Fire)

Mark Osegueda has been kept plenty busy lately fronting Kerry King’s solo project, but with his main squeeze Death Angel back on the road this summer it’s high time we get some fresh thrash offerings. Wrath (Bring Fire) is pretty much everything you’d expect from Death Angel in the 21st Century, all hyperspeed riffing and imperious vocalisations from Osegueda. New album later this year? We can but hope.

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Cwfen – Bodies

Scottish newcomers Cwfen invoke the spirit of cosmic doom on latest single Bodies. Taken from their upcoming debut Sorrows, out May 30, the track taps into the thick, ethereal spirit of modern doom innovators Chelsea Wolfe and King Woman, going heavy on the atmospherics to craft something utterly bewitching.

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Turnstile – Seein’ Stars / Birds

There’s a little over a month to go until we get Turnstile‘s new album Never Enough on June 6, so to tide us over the hardcore stars have unveiled a double-single in Seein’ Stars and Birds. It’s testament to just how diverse their sound is that the singles are drastically different; Seein’ Stars offers up serene melodies and hazy 90s nostalgia (with added vocals from Paramore’s Hayley Williams), while Birds is the familiar, high-intensity workout that makes their live shows so thrilling, with riffs for days.

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Heaven Shall Burn – Confounder

Now in their 30th year, Heaven Shall Burn only grow better with age. Confounder is the latest single taken from Heimat, due June 27, and the single balances out the band’s penchant for extremity with an almost metalcore like melodicism, those sweeping guitars feeling like they wouldn’t be out of place in mid-00s songs by the likes of All That Remains or Killswitch.

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Primus – Little Lord Fentanyl

With over three decades’ experience making metal as freaky as possible, we probably shouldn’t be surprised that the new Primus song is weird as hell. Moreso considering it features a guest appearance from Tool‘s Maynard James Keenan and marks the first official appearance from new drummer John Hoffman after the departure of Tim Alexander last year. Funky, psychedelic and just plain weird, Little Lord Fentanyl is pure brain-melting oddness – and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Shadows Fall – Souls Devoured

Loathe aren’t the only band making a long-awaited comeback in 2025. Returning to live duty in 2021, Shadows Fall unveiled stand-alone single In The Grey last year that gave us a glimpse at how they were sounding after over a decade of inactivity. Souls Devoured picks up from that single and shows they’re arguably heavier than ever, adding more melodeath to their repertoire than was apparent in their turn-of-the-millennium output as they helped popularise the New Wave of American Heavy Metal and shift metalcore into the mainstream.

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Chthonic – Endless Aeons

Chthonic’s importance to the spread of metal in Asia can never be overstated. Now in their 30th year, the Taiwanese band remain a boundary-pushing creative force, new single Endless Aeons folding in elements of extreme metal and Taiwanese folk music to create something expansive and glorious. It’s epic in the truest sense of the word.

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Part Of The Theory – Famished Mammon

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Part Of The Theory – Famished Mammon

Newcomers based out of Athens, Part Of The Theory are making a seriously ambitious opening statement with their debut single Famished Mammon. Combining undulating prog metal basslines with Balkan folk and symphonic elements, the track is gorgeous and colossal.

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Rise of The Northstar – Neo Paris

Bridging hardcore swagger with the nu metal revival, Rise Of The Northstar’s Neo Paris swings for the fences with bounding rhythms and turntable scratches aplenty. It’s a typically colourful offering from the French band and has us wanting to bounce off the walls until the support beams come down.

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Nailed To Obscurity – Overcast

Summer? Not if Nailed To Obscurity can help it. The dour Germans have always had an inclination towards the frosty tones of Scandinavian melodeath and doom, and Overcast is no exception to that with gloriously bleak tones delivered amidst thundering, imperious riffs and some intricate guitar-work. Taken from the band’s forthcoming fifth record Generation Of The Void, due September 5, it’s a reminder that no matter how glorious the summer might seem, winter’s chill is never too far away.

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Dead7 – Hole

Sleek, modern metalcore out of St. Louis, Dead7’s latest single Hole offers up some Bring Me The Horizon style sonic shifts as the band balance out some dropped-deadweight riffs alongside surprisingly smooth and sleek radio-friendly choruses. Taken from upcoming album Love What You Can While You Still Got Something Left To Love, due July 11, it suggests some serious ambition from the newcomers.

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Believe In Nothing – Complete Desolation

They say you should never judge a book by it’s cover, but you can sometimes tell a lot by a song title. That’s certainly the case for Believe In Nothing’s latest single Complete Desolation, a fitting title for a track that dives headlong into despairing, abyssal doom metal and seems perfectly content with drowning at the bottom of the world’s muckiest swamp. We love it.

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Although they’ve followed very different career paths over the past four decades, founding Kiss stars Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley have used remarkably similar set list formulas on their recent solo tours.

Since first leaving Kiss in the early ’80s, Frehley has toured steadily and released nine studio albums. (He also returned to Kiss for a five-year reunion in 1996.) Simmons remained busy with Kiss until their 2023 retirement from touring, but began playing occasional solo tours in 2017.

Comparing the average set lists of Frehley and Simmons’ recent tours reveals some common patterns. At a typical show Simmons plays nine Kiss songs, which is either one or three less than Frehley depending on if you count songs from his 1978 solo album, released while he was still in the band, as solo songs or not.

Read More: The Kiss Album That Made Gene Simmons ‘So Nervous’

What’s more, the two former bandmates play five of the same Kiss songs most nights: “Parasite,” “Cold Gin,” “Deuce,” “Shout It Out Loud” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.” The first two songs were written by Frehley, although Simmons sang them on the 1974 albums Kiss and Hotter Than Hell.

On his 2024 tour Simmons usually played two songs from his solo albums. Despite having a much bigger solo discography, that’s the same number Frehley plays from his post-Kiss solo albums at an average show, compared to 12 from his former band. Simmons has also been mixing in covers of songs by Van Halen, Led Zeppelin and Motorhead at recent shows.

Simmons’ Kiss song selections are also tied closely to his time with Frehley – only one of the nine Kiss songs he plays comes from after the guitarist’s departure from the group, 1982’s “I Love it Loud.” And Frehley was still technically a member of the band at that time. Although he doesn’t perform on the song, for contractual reasons the “Spaceman” appears in its video and on the cover of its home album, Creatures of the Night.

All these commonalities might make you think, “Hey, why don’t Ace and Gene just tour together?” In fact they did just that on a brief 2018 tour of Australia, which went so well that Frehley wound up wholesale replacing his former band with Simmons’ touring band.

But considering how they’ve already broken up over personality and creative differences twice, and still occasionally trade nasty barbs with each other in the press, it’s probably best that the two Kiss stars stay on their separate tour buses.

So who has the better set list? It’s a tough call since the majority of both shows draws largely from the same half-decade of Kiss’ career. Simmons is clearly having a blast performing without 50 pounds of leather and metal or a rigid set list timed to match up to Kiss’ pyrotechnics and lighting cues, and the cover songs are well chosen.

On the other hand, the perhaps too small selection of solo songs that Frehley plays each night rank among the finest work by anybody ever associated with Kiss. So decide for yourself, or even better go to both shows!

Gene Simmons Band Average 2024 Set List

1. “Deuce”
2. “War Machine”
3. “Are You Ready” (from Gene Simmons Vault, 2017)
4. “I Love It Loud”
5. “Shout It Out Loud”
6. “House of Pain” (Van Halen cover)
7. “Communication Breakdown” (Led Zeppelin cover)
8. “Ace of Spades” (Motorhead cover)
9. “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (from Asshole, 2004)
10. “Charisma”
11. “Parasite”
12. “Cold Gin”
13. “Calling Dr. Love”
14. “Rock and Roll All Nite”

Watch the Gene Simmons Band Perform ‘Shout It Out Loud’

Ace Frehley Average 2025 Set List

1. “Shock Me”
2. “Deuce”
3. “Cherry Medicine” (from 10,000 Volts, 2024)
4. “Rock Soldiers” (from Frehley’s Comet, 1987)
5. “Love Gun”
6. “Rocket Ride”
7. “Parasite”
8. “Detroit Rock City”
9. “Rip It Out”
10. Blues Jam
11. “She”
12. “New York Groove”
13. “Cold Gin”
14. Guitar Solo
15. “Shout it Out Loud”
16. “Rock and Roll All Nite”

via SetList.fm

Watch Ace Frehley Perform ‘Shout It Out Loud’

Simmons will launch a nine-date tour on May 2 in Peachtree City, Georgia. That same night Frehley and his band will be at the Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, New Jersey. You can keep up with the Kiss legends’ tour plans at GeneSimmons.com and AceFrehley.com.

Neil Young‘s first album with his new band, the Chrome Hearts, comes out next month.

Talkin to the Trees is scheduled for release on June 13. Young’s debut single with the group, “Big Change,” arrived in January.

The Chrome Hearts includes organist Spooner Oldham, guitarist and singer Micah Nelson, bassist and singer Corey McCormick and drummer Anthony LoGerfo. Young wrote the album’s 10 songs and coproduced the LP with Lou Adler.

READ MORE: Neil Young Albums Ranked

You can see the track listing for the album below.

Young recently released the live soundtrack record Coastal, which documents his 2023 solo tour of the West Coast. In March, he also released Oceanside Countryside, an unreleased album of songs recorded in 1977.

Talkin to the Trees marks Young’s first album of new material since All Roads Lead Home, credited to Neil Young, Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot and Nils Lofgren, in 2023 and 2022’s World Record with Crazy Horse.

Where Is Neil Young Playing in 2025?

Young and the Chrome Hearts will also start their first tour in mid-June, less than a week after the album’s release, with a month’s worth of European dates.

They will then head to North America at the start of August for five weeks of concerts; the opening night is in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can see all of the tour dates below.

Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, ‘Talkin to the Trees’ Track Listing
Family Life
Dark Mirage
First Fire Of Winter
Silver Eagle
Lets Roll Again
Big Change
Talkin To The Trees
Movin Ahead
Bottle Of Love
Thankful

Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts Love Earth World Tour 2025
EUROPE:
Jun 18 — Rättvik, Sweden — Dalhalla
Jun 20 — Bergen, Norway — Bergenhus Fortress
Jun 22 — Copenhagen, Denmark — Tiøren
Jun 26 — Dublin, Ireland — Malahide Castle
Jun 28 — Glastonbury, UK — Glastonbury Festival
Jun 30 — Brussels, Belgium — Brussels Palace Open Air, Palace Square
Jul 01 — Groningen, Netherlands — Drafbaan Stadspark
Jul 03 — Berlin, Germany — Waldbühne
Jul 04 — Mönchengladbach, Germany — Sparkassenpark
Jul 06 — Montreux, Switzerland — Montreux Jazz Festival
Jul 08 — Stuttgart, Germany — Cannstatter Wasen
Jul 11 — London, UK — BST Festival
Jul 13 — Paris, France — Adidas Arena

NORTH AMERICA:
Aug 08 — Charlotte, NC — PNC Music Pavilion
Aug 10 — Richmond, VA — Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
Aug 13 — Detroit, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre
Aug 15 — Cleveland, OH — Blossom Music Center
Aug 17 — Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
Aug 19 — Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
Aug 21 — Gilford, NH — BankNH Pavilion
Aug 23 — New York, NY — Jones Beach
Aug 24 — Bethel, NY — Bethel Woods
Aug 27 — Chicago, IL — Northerly Island
Aug 29 — Milwaukee, WI — BMO Pavilion
Sep 01 — Denver, CO — Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
Sep 05 — George, WA — The Gorge
Sep 06 — Vancouver, BC — Deer Lake Park
Sep 08 — Vancouver, BC — Deer Lake Park
Sep 10  — Bend, OR — Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Sep 12 — Mountain View, CA — Shoreline Amphitheater
Sep 15 — Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Bowl

John Lodge has announced new tour dates for the summer of 2025.

The former Moody Blues singer will take his Singer in a Rock and Roll Band tour on the road for shows in July and August.

His previous tour, which ended its U.S. dates in March, focused on the band’s classic 1967 Day of Future Passed. He performed the entire album and other songs from the group’s catalog at all shows. The upcoming concerts promise songs from all of the group’s LPs.

READ MORE: The Best Albums by Prog’s 15 Biggest Artists

The Days of Future Passed tour ran in 2024 and earlier this year; after performing the final dates, Lodge revisited the Moody Blues’ catalog and chose songs he’d always loved to perform.

According to a press release announcing the new tour, the Singer in a Rock and Roll Band run will “feature songs from the core seven albums”: Days of Future Passed, In Search of the Lost Chord (1968), On the Threshold of a Dream (1969), To Our Children’s Children’s Children (1969), A Question of Balance (1970), Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971) and Seventh Sojourn (1972).

Songs from 1978’s Octave and 1981’s Long Distance Voyager will also be performed.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure performing Days in its entirety over the last couple of years, but I’m so excited about our new show,” Lodge said. “There are a few songs I’ve not performed before that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and many of our classic songs seem to have taken on a new meaning following health challenges, so I hope everyone will enjoy continuing on this journey with me.”

Lodge had a stroke in late 2023 but was back on the road by the middle of 2024 with the Days of Future Passed tour. “I’m doing great, and I just love to share this music with the fans,” he noted. “I look out and see familiar faces, and occasionally some new ones, and I love what we’ve shared over so many decades. Thank you for keeping the faith.”

Where Is John Lodge Playing in 2025?

Lodge’s new U.S. tour starts on July 19 in Red Bank, New Jersey, and spends the next three weeks winding through the country with stops in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Hartford, Connecticut, and Cleveland.

The current dates wrap up with a show on Aug. 7 in Des Plaines, Illinois. You can see all of the scheduled dates below.

More information about the concerts and tickets can be found on Lodge’s website.

Lodge’s former Moody Blues bandmate Justin Hayward is also on the road with a new tour. The Blue World Tour is currently scheduled to run through May 20.

John Lodge 2025 U.S. Tour
July 19 The Vogel, Red Bank, NJ
July 20 Newton Theatre, Newton, NJ
July 23 Scottish Rite Auditorium, Collingswood, NJ
July 24 Wind Creek Casino, Bethlehem, PA (on Sale May 2nd)
July 26 Lynn Auditorium, Lynn, MA
July 27 Infinity Hall, Hartford, CT
July 29 Flying Monkey, Plymouth, NH
July 30 JPT Film & Event Center, Newport, RI
Aug 1 MCL Pavilion, Newport, KY
Aug 2 Agora, Cleveland, OH
Aug 6 Arcada Theatre, St. Charles, IL
Aug 7 Des Plaines Theater, Des Plaines, IL

Herbie Herbert was the architect of the band Journey. He set up their initial lineup, built their reputation on the road and in stores, hired Steve Perry and made them all very rich through related business deals.

But by the time the group was set for induction in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, he’d been pushed out of his role as manager. Herbert wasn’t planning to attend the ceremony. Ironically, things were particularly strained with Perry – despite Herbert’s key role in bringing him into the band.

“Made no mistake: There’s no Journey without Herbie Herbert,” said Paul Rappaport, longtime senior vice president of promotion at Columbia Records, the band’s label. Herbert had met Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon when he was working as road manager during their tenure in Santana. The foundation of Journey was set.

READ MORE: Ranking All 52 Journey Songs From the ’80s

“Herbie went up to Neal Schon and said, ‘I want to build a band around you, around your guitar playing. That’s how Journey started,” Rappaport told the UCR Podcast. “Herbie was sort of like the godfather of this Journey thing. He shepherded it through Steve Perry and through a lot of tumultuous times.”

Among the most tumultuous happened as Journey attempted a mid-’90s reunion. Legendary A&R executive John Kalonder, one of Rappaport’s colleagues at Columbia Records, engineered a meeting between Perry and former bandmate Jonathan Cain almost a decade after Journey drifted apart in the wake of 1986’s Raised on Radio. Soon, Schon was on board too – but Perry made a non-negotiable demand before agreeing to reunite.

Watch Journey Members Discuss Steve Perry’s Surprise Rock Hall Appearance

Journey’s Reunites, But Without Herbie Herbert

Herbert had to go. Apparently, Perry wanted a more central role in decision-making. “He had a terrible animus toward Herbie,” longtime San Francisco Chronicle music writer Joel Selvin said in the Journey: Worlds Apart band biography. “Part of his negotiations were to minimize Herbie’s influence over the band.”

Rappaport said Herbert had already begun to grow weary with the demands of managing the group, their related business operations – and the personalities. He admitted as much prior to an earlier Journey concert as their equipment arrived.

“He says, ‘Want to know something, Rap?’ He goes, ‘I’m really proud. See those semis? We own every one of them,” Rappaport said. “We’ve got 70 people working for us in our management company up in San Francisco. We can record our own record, make our own album cover and distribute it worldwide within a week. That’s what we’ve built. And then he looked at me and he said, ‘And I’m going to tell you something else. It almost wasn’t worth it.’ My knees buckled. ‘It almost wasn’t worth it.’ That’s what Herbie went through with these challenges that you face with egos and whatever.”

READ MORE: Ranking Every Journey Album

The lineup from Journey’s multi-platinum Escape and Frontiers era eventually reunited, producing 1996’s smash Trial by Fire. “When You Love a Woman” became a Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling Top 15 hit single. But, for the first time ever, Herbert wasn’t involved. Journey was being managed by Irving Azoff, an industry heavyweight who has worked with Eagles, Steely Dan, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses and many others.

“Steve Perry became very powerful in the band and there was a political shakeup and there were
power plays – and Herbie got the brunt of it,” said Rappaport, who talks about these years in his new book, Gliders Over Hollywood: Airships, Airplay and the Art of Rock Promotion. “It shouldn’t happen but you know, it’s the business. It’s the way that things can happen. It was between him and Steve and it wasn’t pretty – and Herbie was hurt by it, frankly. And so the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame comes and Herbie almost didn’t want to go because he just kind of felt bad, you know, having left in that fashion.”

Watch Steve Perry’s Rock Hall Acceptance Speech

‘I Guess Steve Just Needed to Fix It’

Rappaport credited manager John Baruck, who’d been tapped by Azoff to handle everyday band operations, with getting Herbert to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for the Rock Hall ceremony.

He said, “‘You’ve got to go – because John Baruck knew something that Herbie did not know. He said, ‘You’ve got to go.’ Herbie said, ‘No, you know, it might be uncomfortable.’ He goes, like, ‘The guys love you; Steve loves you. You just don’t know it. I’m telling you, you need to go.’ And so he went.”

Perry’s appearance on stage during the band’s acceptance speeches was a surprise for Herbert – and, it turned out, for everyone at HBO, too. Perry was listed as “TBD” on the evening’s official broadcast rundown for the ceremony. He began with a lengthy memory of how he originally joined the group, but only after fellow Journey inductees Schon, Ainsley Dunbar, Rolie, Steve Smith and Ross Valory had already stepped forward.

In the next surprise, Perry then heaped praise on Herbert. “Somehow, one of my demo tapes fell into the hands of Herbie Herbert,” he said on stage, while pointing out Journey’s former manager in the crowd. “I would not be here tonight if it was not for Herbie Herbert.” Applause rang out for several moments.

“I guess Steve just needed to fix it,” Rappaport said. “The first thing he says is, ‘I need to tell everybody in this room and anybody who’s listening on radio or on YouTube that guy right there, Herbie Herbert, is the reason that I’m here. Herbie Herbert is the reason that I’m in Journey.’ There is no Steve Perry in Journey without Herbie Herbert – and the world needs to know it. Now I’m paraphrasing what he said, but was that heavy? It hit Herbie right [in] the heart, where it was supposed to.”

Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio ‘Journey: Worlds Apart,’ available here and at all major bookseller websites.

Christopher Cross‘ self-titled debut album, a surprise hit in 1980, is being expanded with 11 rare and previously unreleased tracks.

The album, which won five Grammy Awards for the Texas singer-songwriter, came out of nowhere in early 1980 and perched Cross atop the pop charts for the next year.

A digital version of Christopher Cross (Expanded Edition) is released today, while a CD and double-vinyl versions will be available on June 20.

READ MORE: Top 40 Soft-Rock Songs

Christopher Cross was released during the last week of 1979; by spring, its first single, “Ride Like the Wind” — featuring a vocal assist from Michael McDonald, red-hot after the Doobie Brothers‘ massive success in 1979 — had climbed to No. 2, where it stayed for four weeks.

The album was produced by Michael Omartian and featured an all-star lineup of backing musicians and singers, including Larry Carlton, Don Henley, Nicolette Larson and J.D. Souther.

You can watch a trailer for the expanded version of the album below.

The San Antonio-born singer-songwriter and guitarist was 28 when he recorded his debut LP. He spent the next 12 months as one of music’s most popular artists, as the album reached No. 6 (it’s since gone five times platinum) and three follow-up singles made the Top 20: “Sailing” (No. 1 for one week), “Never Be the Same” and “Say You’ll Be Mine.”

The LP won Album of the Year at the next year’s Grammys, while Cross won Best New Artist and “Sailing” took three awards, including the coveted Record and Song of the Year.

Later in 1981, Cross returned to No. 1 with “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” an Oscar-winning song from the movie Arthur.

What Is on the Expanded Version of Christopher Cross’ Debut Album?

The expanded version of Christopher Cross includes “Mary Ann,” a bonus track found on the 2012 Japanese reissue of the album, demos of album songs such as “Ride Like the Wind” and “Sailing,” and the outtakes “Smiles of Angels” and “Passengers.”

You can hear the demo version of “Ride Like the Wind” below.

You can see the track listing for the expanded reissue below.

‘Christopher Cross (Expanded Edition)’ Track Listing
1. Say You’ll Be Mine
2. I Really Don’t Know Anymore
3. Spinning
4. Never Be The Same
5. Poor Shirley
6. Ride Like The Wind
7. The Light Is On
8. Sailing
9. Minstrel Gigolo
10. Mary Ann
11. Say You’ll Be Mine (Demo)
12. I Really Don’t Know Anymore (Demo)
13. Parade (Demo)
14. Smiles Of Angels (Demo)
15. What Am I Supposed To Believe (Demo)
16. Ride Like The Wind (Demo)
17. The Light Is On (Demo)
18. Passengers (Demo)
19. Say Goodbye To Mary Ann (Demo)
20. Sailing (Demo)

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry hit the stage together on Wednesday night in San Francisco for a benefit concert that included various special guests. It was the first time the two Aerosmith members performed together since 2023.

The guests included Chris Robinson, Robin Zander, Matt Sorum, Nuno Bettencourt, James Lomenzo, Phil Xenidis, Suzie McNeil and Buck Johnson.

According to a set list posted on Aerosmith’s social media, the evening’s show began with performances by Zander, followed by Robinson and, finally, Tyler and Perry. The concert concluded with an all-star encore performance of the classic R&B song “Train Kept a Rollin'” and the Beatles‘ “Come Together.”

You can view fan-filmed footage from the show, plus photos posted to Aerosmith’s Instagram and the set list, below.

When Was the Last Time Steven Tyler and Joe Perry Performed Together?

It’s been over a year since the last time Tyler and Perry performed together. The last time it happened was back in September of 2023 when Aerosmith launched their farewell tour but only managed to perform a handful of shows until the trek was postponed.

Ultimately, the entire tour was called off due to Tyler’s vocal injury and the band announced their retirement from touring. Tyler did perform a charity event in February of this year at the Hollywood Palladium in California, and although Perry was originally slated to participate in it as well, the reunion did not transpire.

Watch Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Matt Sorum and Nuno Bittencourt Perform ‘Dream On’

Watch Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and More Perform ‘Come Together’

Janie’s Fund Benefit Concert, 4/30/25, San Francisco, California, Set List:
1. “I Want You to Want Me” — Robin Zander
2. “Hello There” / “Surrender” — Robin Zander
3. “Ain’t That a Shame” — Robin Zander
4. “Dream Police” — Robin Zander
5. “Kickin’ My Heart Around” — Chris Robinson
6. “Twice as Hard” — Chris Robinson
7. “Jealous Again”— Chris Robinson
8. “Hard to Handle” – Chris Robinson
9. “Remedy” — Chris Robinson
10. “Toys in the Attic” – Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
11. “Same Old Song and Dance” — Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
12. “Sweet Emotion” — Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
13. “Dream On” – Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
14. “Walk This Way” – Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
Encore — All
15. “Train Kept a Rollin'”
16. “Come Together”

Aerosmith Albums Ranked

Any worst-to-best ranking of Aerosmith must deal with two distinct eras: their sleazy ’70s work and the slicker, more successful ’80s comeback. But which one was better?

Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff

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Deftones singer Chino Moreno has remixed The Cure’s track Warsong.

The reimagination comes from Remixes Of A Lost World, a project featuring new takes on songs from the pioneering UK goth band’s 2024 album Songs Of A Lost World. Listen to Moreno’s Warsong below.

As well as the Deftones frontman, Remixes… will feature contributions from Mogwai, 65daysofstatic, Shanti Celeste, Orbital, Daniel Avery and many others. A version of I Can Never Say Goodbye by Paul Oakenfold and Simon Finley was previously released as a single, as was a remix of Alone by Four Tet.

Moreno is a known Cure fan. Deftones covered If Only Tonight We Could Sleep for the MTV special Icon: The Cure in 2004 and frontman/founder Robert Smith appeared on the song Girls Float † Boys Cry by Moreno’s side-project Crosses in 2023.

The Cure released Songs…, their first studio album since 2008’s 4:13 Dream, on November 1 to critical acclaim. Classic Rock gave it a near-perfect four-and-a-half-star review.

Journalist Alex Burrows wrote: “A sombre treatise on disaffection and alienation grown old, Songs From A Lost World starkly expresses the post-punk generation’s hallmark traits of malaise and anxiety. Art reflects its era and that’s exactly what this album conveys.”

According to Robert Smith, Songs… is one of a trilogy of albums The Cure are primed to release.

He explained in October (via NME): “We recorded about 25 or 26 songs in 2019. We recorded three albums in 2019; that’s always been the problem. I’ve tried to get three albums completed. After waiting this long, I was like, ‘Let’s just throw out Cure albums every few months!’ Everything with hindsight, you think, ‘Really? I could have done that a lot better.’

“It will work out this time. Having finished this one, the second one is virtually finished as well. The third one is a bit more difficult because, well if we get that far… Talking about the third album, you see what I mean? I just can’t help myself.”

The Cure played a release show for Songs… at the intimate Troxy club in East London. Louder attended the show and awarded it a flawless five stars.

“The Cure aren’t calling it a day – at least if their leader is to be believed about what’s on the horizon,” the site wrote. “But if they were, this would have been the perfect bow out: an inventive reminder of both their gloomiest and happiest highlights, played to the loyalest of loyalists, just up the road from where the band formed in West Sussex.”

Moreno will tour extensively with Deftones this year. The nu metal band will play across Europe during the summer, including a headliner at Crystal Palace Park in London, before playing several North American shows and festivals from August to October. The dates include two stadium co-headliners with System Of A Down.

See all of Deftones’ upcoming live plans via their website.

As well as touring, the band have a new album in the works. Moreno told Billboard Español in February that new music is “getting very close to being ready”.