Big Rig ROCK Report 2.11

AC/DC, SPRINGSTEEN & ZEPPELIN: Super Bowl "Appearances"

Iconic songs by AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin and nine others were heard in ads and promos during Sunday's Super Bowl.

AC/DC - "Thunderstruck": Starbucks

Bruce Springsteen - "Born to Run": Dove

Led Zeppelin - "Whole Lotta Love": Nike

Van Halen - "Panama": RAM Trucks

Huey Lewis & The News - "Power of Love": Bud Light

The Animals - "Good Times": YouTube TV

Scorpions - "Rock You Like a Hurricane": NFL Flag 50

Steppenwolf - "Born to Be Wild": WeatherTech

Bellamy Brothers - "Let Your Love Flow": Budweiser

The Mamas & The Papas - "Monday Monday": Coors Light

Smokey Robinson - "Cruisin'": Häagen-Dazs

The Who - "Baba O'Riley": FOX promos for the Daytona 500

LED ZEPPELIN: Documentary Sets Record

Becoming Led Zeppelin, the band's officially sanctioned documentary, set a box office record this past weekend for an IMAX exclusive music release. It took in $2.6 million in the U.S. with a $7,000+ per-theater-average, enough to place it at number seven on the list of top box office receipts. The film also opened in 16 other countries and territories, bringing the weekend total to $3 million. Becoming Led Zeppelin, which tells the story of the band's beginnings through their second album, Led Zeppelin II, opens nationwide this Friday.

DON HENLEY: Now He's the Defendant

Don Henley has had the scales of justice turned on him as he been sued by one of the three men he filed a suit against over what he claimed were stolen handwritten lyrics to songs on the Eagles Hotel California album. Glenn Horowitz -- a rare-books dealer who had the charges against him dropped last year after prosecutors discovered information and stated that their “confidence in the merits of this case [was] not enough” to continue the trial -- has filed suit against Henley and Eagles manager Irving Azoff. He claims Henley knew the lyrics weren't stolen and intentionally hid this knowledge from authorities.

Dan Petrocelli, a lawyer for Henley and Azoff, says, “Don Henley was a witness and a victim in a criminal trial brought by the Manhattan District Attorney after a formal indictment of Glenn Horowitz by a New York grand jury. The indictment highlighted the dark underbelly of the memorabilia business that exploited the brazen, unauthorized taking and selling of Mr. Henley’s handwritten lyrics. The only malicious prosecution involved here is the filing of this case by Mr. Horowitz.” Horowitz accuses Henley, Azoff and their attorneys of malicious prosecution, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and more. He's seeking punitive damages to be determined at trial.

Following last year's dismissal of the case, Henley filed a civil suit to get the lyrics back. They remain in the custody of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. At the center of last year's trial was a notebook of lyrics allegedly stolen by Eagles biographer Ed Sanders in the late ’70s who sold it to Horowitz, a dealer of high-end rare books and private archives of writers, including Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe. Horowitz then sold it to Craig Inciardi, curator and director of acquisitions at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Edward Kosinski who owns Gotta Have Rock and Roll, a memorabilia business in New Jersey. They in turn tried to sell it back to Henley, as well as to Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses, claiming they received the manuscript from the late Glenn Frey.

Ozzy Osbourne Hit With Copyright Suit Over Photos...Of Himself

Ozzy Osbourne is facing a new copyright lawsuit…over photos of himself posted to social media. The case alleges that Ozzy has posted multiple photos of himself that were taken by rock photographer Neil Zlozower. The suit says that the rocker posted Zlozower’s photos to his millions of followers without permission or paying a licensing fee. The thing is…this type of thing is apparently not that out of left field. Copyright to a photo is usually held by the person who took it, not whoever appears in the photo. Zlozower in particular has filed over 60 copyright cases over the years against artists including Elvis Costello, Guns N’ Roses, and Mötley Crüe.

Doobie Brothers Set North American Tour Dates

The Doobie Brothers are kicking off a North American tour this August. The tour kicks off August 4th in Detroit, Michigan. They'll hit cities including Boston, St. Louis, and Cincinnati before wrapping up on September 18th in Toronto, Canada. "We're so looking forward to the 2025 summer tour. We'll be celebrating the release of our new album, 'Walk This Road,' and we're excited to be performing new songs from the record,” Patrick Simmons shares in a statement. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday at 10AM local time. Check out the first ten North American tour dates below, and more info at theDoobieBrothers.com website.

·8/4 - Detroit, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre

·8/6 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake

·8/7 Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

·8/9 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live

·8/10 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell at Jones Beach

·8/12 – Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre

·8/13 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion

·8/15 - Boston, MA - Xfinity Center

·8/17 - Gilford, NH - Bank NH Pavilion

·8/18 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC

Alice Cooper Announces Spring And Summer 2025 Tour Dates

Alice Cooper is adding more U.S. dates to his ongoing Too Close for Comfort Tour. The new shows will keep him on the road throughout May and August. The trek will begin on May 2nd in Huntsville, Alabama and wraps up on August 30th in Memphis, Tennessee. In a statement, the singer said "you can never be too close ... right? That's why we've added more dates." Tickets for Cooper's spring and summer shows go on sale this Friday. 

GREEN DAY: Producing New Film Inspired by Them

Green Day are producers on a new film inspired in part by them. New Years Rev is about a trio of musicians who mistakenly think they're opening for Green Day on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles. Variety reports that the three musicians are played by Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman

and Ryan Foust, and that the rest of the cast includes The Office stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. The film, written and directed by Lee Kirk, is under production in Oklahoma. Billie Joe Armstrong issued a statement about the film, saying, "Van days rule. You will drive all night on no sleep then play a show for 10 kids in a basement of a friend of a friend’s house 50 miles east of anywhere you’ve ever heard of. But you’ll do it again the next day, and the one after that. Because you’re doing it with your bandmates who become your family and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever known. It’s electric. Let the music and mischief ensue.”

BRYAN ADAMS: Didn't Cut Like a Knife

Here's a new one...Bryan Adams was forced to postpone his show Sunday night in Perth, Australia due to a sewer fatberg, which translates to a large blockage of fat, grease and rags, which caused wastewater to overflow at nearby properties. The venue was a little more discreet in their statement, saying it was "postponed due to an external Water Corporation water supply issue which could not be resolved." Adams also issued a statement saying, "I’m really sorry we couldn’t make this happen tonight—I was so looking forward to seeing you all. I appreciate your patience and support and can’t wait to be back and play for you as soon as we can reschedule." Adams, who released a new song Friday titled "Roll With the Punches," takes his Australian tour to Sydney on Wednesday.

ELTON JOHN: Crossroads at the Oscars

While last year's Elton John's collaboration with Brandi Carlile, "Never Too Late," the title track to his 2024 documentary, has been nominated for an Academy Award for Music (Original Song), it and the four other nominated songs will not be performed during the ceremony, which is upsetting to Brandi. She made the admission during a Songwriters Hall of Fame roundtable discussion with other songwriters, which you can watch on the Hall's website.

She said, “On one hand, I feel really sad because I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to perform on the Oscars again. I can’t fathom it, especially with Elton John.

“When I first found Elton John, it was in the '90s, and he was winning an Oscar for The Lion King, and I couldn’t believe it. I thought, ‘One day when I grow up, if I could get the right clothes, I could go to his Oscar [viewing] party.’ So to have the opportunity to perform with Elton John on the Oscars is a hard thing to not have manifest.” But she went onto say that she feels "a lot of relief from getting to … come in on Elton’s arm and to get the lay of the land and not have a lot of pressure on me because it’s already just almost unimaginable to be nominated for one. So I could go either way … I just can’t believe I’m in the conversation.”

"Never Too Late" is also one of 10 songs on Brandi and Elton's first album, Who Believes in Angels? which will be released on April 4th.

Jack White Responds To Fans Hoping For Lengthy Sets

Jack White is responding to fans who want artists to perform lengthy sets. Taking to Instagram, the singer said he's been hearing a lot of "chatter" when it comes to how long a set should be on stage. He said we're living in an era where people like to brag about how long an artist performed but he has no intention of impressing fans in that context. In his caption, White said "there's no setlist and it's not a Marvel movie, or a Las Vegas residency, it's Rock n' Roll."The musician is currently on a global tour in support of his latest solo album "No Name." 

Kid Rock Drops F-Bomb, Storms Offstage at Bon Jovi's Nashville Bar Because Crowd Didn't Clap Enough: 'I'm Gone'

Kid Rock abruptly left the stage at Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan's birthday event after fans failed to clap to the beat during his performance of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Proud Mary'. The singer cursed the crowd and declared that if they weren't going to clap, he wouldn't sing. He eventually stormed off stage, shouting expletives at the audience. In other news, Kid Rock revealed that Donald Trump personally called him to inquire about whether the Secret Service had banned him from having strippers in his inauguration performance.

OASIS: Ticket Cancellations Not My Department

Oasis fans are upset with Ticketmaster, and Liam Gallagher said that it's not his place to take care of those complaints. Over the weekend Ticketmaster U.K. started canceling thousands of tickets sold last year, claiming that they were purchased by bots or purchased or an unauthorized resale sites. But NME reported that numerous fans took to social media over the weekend to claim that they have had their tickets wrongfully cancelled after they bought them legitimately. An Oasis fan asked Gallagher about the controversy and he responded, "I don’t make the rules. We’re trying to do the right thing. It is what it is, I’m the singer. Get off my case.” Oasis start their reunion tour on July 4th in Cardiff, Wales with the North American leg set for August 24th in Toronto followed by the first American date on the 28th in Chicago.

Warrant Box Set Is In The Works, Featuring Unreleased Music

In a new interview with Mark Strigl, Warrant bassist Jerry Dixon reveals that there are plans for a box set featuring unreleased material with late frontman Jani Lane, alongside music from all eras of the band. “We're kind of thinking and probably implementing kind of like a box set…We have maybe a song from a demo. We've got, like, nine records that [the rights] have come back to us over the years,” he shares. He clarified that there are very few unreleased Jani Lane tracks, saying, "You pretty much have 99-point-nine percent of everything out that we've done." The box set could feature behind-the-scenes content as well.

DAVID JOHANSEN: Personality Life Crisis

Our prayers go out to David Johansen who has stage four cancer and a brain tumor. The last living member of the original New York Dolls, he says, "We've been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends and family, carrying on, but this tumble the day after Thanksgiving really brought us to a whole new level of debilitation. This is the worst pain I've ever experienced in my entire life. I've never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency. Thank you."

The "tumble" he's referring to was a fall in which he broke his back in two places. While the surgery was a success, he is bedridden and requires round-the-clock care. Sweet Relief has stepped in and formed the David Johansen Fund. Aric Steinberg, executive director at Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, says. "Sweet Relief is honored to help David and his family during this difficult time in their lives. Our Directed Artist Funds can provide a meaningful solution when the community rallies around the recipient, and we anticipate that David's community will be eager to help here. His influence on the musical landscape with the New York Dolls is indelible, and his career as an actor and an artist has touched many people around the world. He's been knocked down but we're here to help him back up with the help of his family, friends and wider community of supporters." You can help at SweetRelief.org/DavidJohansenFund.

Johansen, who was recently the subject of Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi's documentary,

Personality Crisis: One Night Only, and who, in the '80s reinvented himself as Buster Poindexter, is 75.

Tommy Shaw Insists Styx 'Didn’t Hate 'Mr. Roboto''

Tommy Shaw of Styx recently discussed the band's relationship with their hit song "Mr. Roboto," revealing that the band didn't hate the song but disliked the recorded version. The song marked a turning point in Styx's history, with creative differences leading to singer Dennis DeYoung's departure. Shaw found renewed interest in performing the song after hearing a cover that presented it as a rock song. Lawrence Gowan, who joined Styx later, supported the decision to include "Mr. Roboto" in their setlist due to its cultural relevance. Styx recently completed a residency in Las Vegas and will head out on the Brotherhood of Rock tour in May.

Ian Anderson Slams Fans Who Shout At Concerts

Ian Anderson is slamming fans who shout at concerts. In a recent conversation with Classic Album Review, the singer explained that he doesn't want to feel like he has to comply with other people's wishes and demands when he's performing, adding the more demanding an audience is the less he enjoys it. Anderson said he finds it "incredibly rude" when fans shout, boo, and whistle as he doesn't want to be interrupted when he's playing. He suggested there should be relative silence until a song is over.

IN OTHER NEWS

ZZ Top singer, guitarist and hot rod enthusiast Billy Gibbons is the Grand Marshal for the Ambetter Health 400 NASCAR race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23rd. As part of his duties, he will say the most famous words in motorsports, compelling the starting field to life when he says, “Drivers, start your engines.”

Metallica Pearl Jam, Duran Duran, and Slash are raffling off autographed items, VIP experiences, meet-and-greets and all-expense-paid fly-aways though FanAid L.A. to raise money for wildfire relief. Head to Fandiem.com to enter.

Slash joined Tom Morello for three songs at the Rage Against the Machine guitarist's L.A. wildfire relief show at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood Friday. They did a song they co-wrote -- "Interstate 80" -- plus two covers, the MC5's "Kick out the Jams" and AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)."

The Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald have announced their U.S. tour in support of their new album, Walk This Road, which will be out on June 6th. It gets underway on August 4th in the Detroit suburb of Clarkston, Michigan with 18 amphitheater shows through September 17th just outside Cleveland in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio followed by one Canadian date on the 18th in Toronto. Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band will open the tour.  

Peter Buck of R.E.M. joins his long-time friend and collaborator Scott McCaughey on the new Minus 5 album, Oar On, Penelope, which is due out May 30th. The album also includes guest vocals by Debbi Peterson of The Bangles.

Mad Season's 1995 album, Above, will be reissued in three different vinyl variants in mid-March. The Seattle supergroup featured the late Lanye Staley of Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready.

Neil Young played songs for people at the Red Cross shelter in Pasadena, California on Saturday. In other Young news, the vinyl and digital release of his next archival album release, Oceanside Countryside, has been moved from this Friday, February 14th, to March 7th. The CD version will follow on April 25th.