Metallica To Headline Dreamfest Benefit Concert In San Francisco

Metallica is set to headline the Dreamfest benefit concert in California. In an announcement, the band said they're honored that they've been asked to play at Dreamfest, the concert benefiting UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco. They added that they look forward to welcoming visitors from around the world to the Bay area for the conference and show. The concert is taking place in conjunction with Salesforce's annual technology conference, Dreamforce. The show is scheduled to take place at Chase Center on October 15th.

THE WHO: Forget Over, The Song Didn't Even Start

Last week, during The Who's soundcheck in Newark, New Jersey for the second show on The Song Is Over -- The North American Farewell Tour, Roger Daltrey said the first show three days earlier in Florida was too long with 24 songs in two hours and 20 minutes. So they decided to cut 15 to 20 minutes, or the equivalent of as many as three songs. For that second show in Newark it amounted to four songs. After postponing two shows last week "due to illness," the tour resumed Tuesday in Boston's Fenway Park. But after doing the final song of the set, "Won't Get Fooled Again," Pete Townshend apologized for having to cut the show short as they were up against the curfew. As a result, they bumped the tour's title track, “The Song Is Over,” from its opening slot in the two-song encore set and went right into their nightly closer “Tea & Theatre.” The tour moves to Wantagh, New York tonight (Thursday) followed by Madison Square Garden in New York City this Saturday.

BON JOVI: Desperate Album Calls for Desperate Measures

For Bon Jovi fans, Forever can come more than once. This past February, guitarist Phil X said the band was working on re-recording their last album, 2024's Forever, with guest vocalists.

And Jon Bon Jovi told Sound On Sound magazine, "This is an album that we're very proud of, and I think it's the best Bon Jovi record since [2007's] Lost Highway or at least [2005's] Have a Nice Day. We love every song on it and it was a joy to make, but I just wasn't ready to go and book shows post-vocal cord surgery recovery. So, I reached out to a number of friends and I said, 'If you guys would sing a verse here and there, it'll give this great album another life'...

"My focus moving forward is on the re-release of Forever, and God willing, getting back out on the road and running that project through its life." Well, his attempt at saving the album, which has not been a big seller, is complete and now features contributions from Bruce Springsteen, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, Marcus King, Robbie Williams, James Bay, Jelly Roll,

Jason Isbell, The War & Treaty, Lainey Wilson, Avril Lavigne and others.

Jon now says, "[It's] more than just a collection of collaborations, it's an album borne out of necessity. My vocal cord rehab was a well-documented journey that played out while releasing 'Forever' in 2024. I was singing well in the studio for recording, but the vocal demands and rigors of touring were still slightly out of reach for me. Without an ability to tour at that time, I continued working in the studio and called on some friends, great singers, artists, musicians and also just great people. "The result is an album with a new viewpoint and new spirit -- a collaboration album that proves we all get by in this world with a little help from our friends. I feel tremendous joy and gratitude releasing this album and I think it shows in the music. I can say with certainty that there is always something bigger than ME, and that's WE."

Now titled Forever (Legendary Edition), it contains one new song, "Red, White & Jersey," which will be out Friday along with the new version of "Hollow Man" featuring Bruce Springsteen. The album will follow on October 24th. When Forever was released in June 2024, it debuted at number-five on the Billboard 200, but then quickly fell off the chart. It was their second consecutive release with disappointing sales, after the album 2020 hung around for just two weeks after debuting at number-19 in 2020.

BLACK SABBATH: Iommi Series Coming to YouTube

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi is the subject of a new documentary series from Gibson TV. Iommi: The Godfather of Heavy Metal will debut this fall on YouTube. The multi-part series will cover his impact on guitarists and hard rock. It features interviews with Brian May of Queen, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Mike Bordin of Faith No More, Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Steve Vai, Scott Ian of Anthrax and Rex Brown of Pantera. Check out a trailer for the project on YouTube.

Sting Sued By Former Police Bandmates

The biggest hit by The Police is reportedly at the center of a lawsuit involving the former members of the trio. Drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers are suing frontman Sting over "millions in lost royalties" for their 1983 smash "Every Breath You Take." Summers said he deserves a co-writing credit due to what he calls a "unique" guitar riff that he contributed to the song. In an interview with Guitar Player last year, Summers said the song reached more than two-billion plays on Spotify, making it "the most-played song of all-time history." He said that makes his guitar riff "one of the most-played riffs in history." According to The Sun, Sting receives nearly three-quarters of a million-dollars in royalties each year. Details of the lawsuit were not made available.

Jeremy Allen White on taking 'a leap of faith' to play Springsteen in 'Deliver Me From Nowhere'

The Bruce Springsteen biopic "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" is set to open in October with Jeremy Allen White portraying The Boss. White, who had never sung before, expressed concerns about taking on the role but was reassured by director Scott Cooper and Springsteen himself. Cooper praised White's embodiment of Springsteen's humility and swagger, stating that he was never concerned about White's ability to portray the iconic musician. The film follows Springsteen's journey to create his 1982 solo album "Nebraska" and also stars Jeremy Strong, Stephen Graham, Paul Walter Hauser, and Gaby Hoffmann.

ANNIE LENNOX: Talking & Signing

Annie Lennox will promote her “visual memoir,” Annie Lennox: Retrospective, with Q&A events and signings in five cities starting in October.

10/11 - Carteret, NJ - Performing Arts & Events Center

·10/14 - New York, NY - Cooper Union

·10/15 - New York, NY - Rizzoli bookstore (signing)

·11/2 - Culver City, CA - Robert Frost Auditorium

·12/9 - West Hollywood, CA - Book Soup (signing)

For tickets and information, go to AnnieLennox.com. All dates are subject to change.

Annie Lennox: Retrospective contains 200 photographs presented in chronological order. Included are photos from her personal archives, as well as album covers and music video stills.

IN OTHER NEWS

Triumph will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at a November 17th ceremony at the Meridian Arts Centre in Toronto.

Geddy Lee has wished his Rush bandmate Alex Lifeson a happy 72nd birthday today (Wednesday) with a post on Instagram of a photo of them from one of the band's tour films. He writes, “The Right Honourable Harry Satchel would like to offer a laurel and hearty Huzzah!! to the ever attractive Mr. Alex Lifeson on the occasion of his new job in the security industry. Finally something suitable to his prodigious talents. But more importantly, congrats on finally getting his teeth fixed in time to celebrate his 110th birthday - Salutations my friend - please chew gingerly.”

Heart dedicated “These Dreams” to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at their show Tuesday in Akron, Ohio. Nancy Wilson said, “There’s a dedication I’d like to make to a very romantic couple in popular culture today, you know Travis and Taylor got engaged. So here’s a romantic dedication to [them].” Heart’s tour moves to Allentown, Pennsylvania tonight (Wednesday), followed by Canandaigua [prn: Cannon-day-gua] and Bethel, New York on Friday and Saturday.

Toto were joined by retired founding member David Paich for the finale of “Africa” on Sunday at The Forum in Los Angeles. They were also joined by Christopher Cross, and Men at Work singer Colin Hay, both of whom they’ve been touring with this summer. The tour is down to the last three shows – tonight (Thursday) in Nampa, Idaho minus Men at Work; Friday in Puyallup, Washington; and the finale on Saturday in Ridgefield, Washington.

Mike Mills of R.E.M., Pat Sansone of Wilco, Andy Partridge from XTC, and Aimee Mann guest on The Salt Collective's new album, A Brief History of Blindness, due out on November 21st. Check out the single "In the Shadow of the Moon" with lead vocals by Mills on YouTube.

The Devil Wears Prada - A New Musical - Original West End Cast Recording of Elton John’s musical on London’s West End will be released on September 19th in various formats. The CD and digital release contains two of Elton’s original demos for the show – “I Mean Business” and “The Devil Wears Prada.”

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