Roadhouse Rock

SUGAR HILL, Ga. - Bret Michaels will take several months off from touring as he continues to recover from complicated kidney stone surgery, according to a statement posted to his social media accounts.Michaels, the lead singer of Poison, performed Friday night at The Bowl in Sugar Hill, Georgia. After the show, doctors and paramedics determined he needed more rest and recovery time.Michaels was hospitalized last month after performing multiple shows in what he described as "intense" pain. Doctors diagnosed him with a complicated obstructing kidney stone that required immediate surgery. He also received a ureteral stent.At the time, Michaels was also dealing with a lower back compression fracture and managing his lifelong Type 1 diabetes. Doctors initially told him to take three to four weeks off to recover.Michaels returned to the stage Friday, but doctors ordered a longer break due to ongoing health concerns. As a result, he will miss his scheduled performance Saturday at the Mountain Music Festival in Tennessee.Dr. Abby Borhan and Dr. Patel, Michaels' physicians, said in a statement, "We will be pulling Bret off the road for the time being. He wanted to attempt this show, but we feel there is a much-needed period of rest and slow recovery ahead, especially considering the heat and humidity during the summer months and the effect it can have on his blood sugar levels."Michaels Entertainment Group apologized for the cancellations and said they look forward to his return once he has fully recovered

ZZ Top returned to the stage Saturday night at ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, for the band's first concert since longtime drummer Frank Beard died Monday.The band did not directly address Beard's death during the show. Singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons, the only remaining member from ZZ Top's classic lineup, introduced new drummer Michael Monahan after the opening song, "Got Me Under Pressure.""I guess some of you probably know there's a new man in town," Gibbons told the audience. "Elwood (Francis, bassist) and I got an unexpected call from our dear Frank Beard, our dear drummer for 50 years. I've never heard him admit, he said, 'My bass drum foot's a little weak. Can you get my man to take over?' I said, 'Oh yeah, yeah, he's been doing pretty good.' Frank said, 'Yeah, that's what worries me.'"Gibbons told the crowd, "We're all here for a celebration," and encouraged fans to enjoy the night. Earlier in the week, he paid tribute to Beard in a statement, calling him a "great friend and collaborator."Throughout the night, ZZ Top played a mix of blues-rock staples and hits, including "Waitin' for the Bus," "Jesus Just Left Chicago," "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Cheap Sunglasses," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs."Francis, who replaced bassist Dusty Hill after his death in 2021, brought energy and humor to the performance. He played a bright yellow, 17-string bass and matched Gibbons with a series of eye-catching instruments, including fur-covered guitars. Gibbons introduced Francis by saying, "This is a special night. He just got out of prison," before launching into "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide."Gibbons also played his solo song "Brown Paper Bag" and briefly mentioned a new album, but quickly returned to ZZ Top classics.The band ended the show with "La Grange." Gibbons, Francis and Monahan took a bow and left the stage. ZZ Top is scheduled to play again at the Moody Theater on Sunday. Their current tour runs through late November.Gibbons and his bandmates have continued touring after the losses of both Hill and Beard, suggesting they plan to perform as long as they are able

Vivian Campbell, guitarist for Def Leppard, said his cancer has returned after a donor transplant did not succeed.Campbell was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013. He underwent bone marrow surgery last year and was declared in remission afterward.In a recent interview with YSKL FM, Campbell said he now needs more treatment."There's only been one time that I felt [cancer] was going to kill me," Campbell said. "In the winter of 2023, I got really scared about what was happening and the pace at which it was happening. I realized at that point I had to do a donor transplant. It was my only hope to survive."I did that in January of '25 - I did a donor transplant. Unfortunately, it didn't stick. So the cancer has returned. And I'm continuing treatments to manage it."Campbell said he may need another transplant in a few years with a different donor. "But in the meantime, I'm not slowing down," he said. "I'm doing as much with my life as possible - not just with Def Leppard and with Last In Line. I'm also rally driving - I always wanted to do that. I love cars and I love driving. As a child I thought, 'If I don't play guitar for a living, I'm going to be a race car driver.' I feel very fortunate that I get to do both."Campbell offered advice to those who receive a cancer diagnosis. He said life changes after hearing the news but believes it is possible to stay positive."I've met people in my life who think, 'Oh, I can't do anything. I need to stay in bed. I can't eat this. I can't do that. I can't go there.' I've never felt that way," he said."I've always felt like I'm going to continue to live my life as much as possible - in fact, even more so. I also consider myself fortunate because I caught my cancer early; it's always been more about managing my cancer."He added, "Life is for the living. I encourage everyone, if you're unfortunate enough to get a cancer diagnosis, to overcome the fear. Fear is inevitable when you're first told those words. But once you get over that, you've got to realize just how to manage it and how to deal with it as best as possible. And just don't give in.

Poison drummer Rikki Rockett held off publishing his memoir while his parents were alive to spare them from embarrassment, he said in a recent interview.Rockett's book, "Ghost Notes," co-written with Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson, will be published Sept. 15 by Rare Bird Books. Speaking with This Day In Metal, Rockett discussed why he waited to release his story."I didn't want to embarrass my parents when they were alive by telling some of these stories," Rockett said. "And then I thought, 'Now I've got kids.' But I'm always going to have kids, and in a normal life, they're going to outlive me. So at some point, I got to do this. And they're old enough now that I can say, 'Let me explain this.' So I feel like that's OK now."Rockett said readers would expect details about "the bad things," mentioning Poison's drama at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards and his own battle with cancer."They're part of the ride," he said. "So I think I went pretty deeply into most of those-enough to give a lot of understanding."He admitted he chose not to include some stories after reconsidering. "There were a lot of things that I later said, 'You know what? I don't feel good about that. Let's reel that back in.'"Rockett said he tried not to throw anyone "under the bus.""If somebody feels that way, it'll be interesting to find out why they feel that way," he said.He wants readers to see him as a person, not just a rock musician."I want people to see me as a person, not just a fixture, and realize that-anybody, any musician or actor, entertainer-there's real feelings back there," Rockett said.Rockett expressed appreciation for his career and the band's fans."I am eternally grateful to be where I am and in the band I'm in and for what the fans have given us," he said.He shared a quote from Poison bandmate Bret Michaels that sums up his outlook: "Fame is what other people give you, and success is what you give yourself.

RICHMOND, Texas - Frank Beard, longtime drummer for ZZ Top, died Aug. 17 at his ranch in Richmond, Texas, according to a statement from the band. He was in hospice care and surrounded by family.Guitarist and singer Billy Gibbons said in a statement, "Today, Elwood [Francis, bassist] and I lost a great friend and collaborator. And the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas. His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top."In March 2025, ZZ Top announced Beard would step away from the band's North American tour to address unspecified health issues.Beard joined Gibbons in ZZ Top about a year after Gibbons formed the group following his work with the Moving Sidewalks. In the 2020 documentary "That Little Ol' Band From Texas," Beard recalled, "I drove down to Houston, I hunted all over the place, found Billy Gibbons, made him go - I mean, just threatened him - made him go to the rehearsal studio. I made him jam for about eight hours till his tongue just fell out."Gibbons said in the same documentary, "It didn't take 30 minutes, didn't take 30 seconds. I knew that Frank Beard had the kind of chops that I was looking for. He played fiercely, he played with determination."Soon after, Beard recruited bassist Dusty Hill from his former band, American Blues. The trio's lineup - Beard, Gibbons and Hill - stayed together for more than 50 years, becoming one of rock's most enduring acts.Beard played on all 15 of ZZ Top's studio albums, from their 1971 debut "ZZ Top's First Album" to 2012's "La Futura." The group's blues-rock sound reflected influences from Texas and Mexico, where "border blasting" radio stations introduced them to the "country Jesus and hillbilly blues" mentioned in their 1975 single "Heard It on the X."As the band's profile grew with hits like "Tush" and "La Grange," ZZ Top took a break in 1977, partly so Beard could address substance abuse. "Frank goes all out on what he does, and that includes the bad things," Hill said in the documentary. Beard added, "The pills thing came about just from the workload." The break lasted nearly two years.Gibbons told CBS Sunday Morning in 2020, "There is no other drummer. There's one guy."Despite his last name, Beard was the only member of the trio without the now-famous chin-length beard sported by Gibbons and Hill.ZZ Top returned with the 1979 album "Deguello," showcasing a more experimental sound. Their 1983 album "Eliminator," with heavy use of synthesizers and drum machines, brought them unexpected mainstream success.The group continued to tour for decades, although their studio output slowed after the release of "XXX" in 1999

OzzFest will return in 2027, according to an announcement on the festival's official Instagram page. The rock and metal festival will take place at Villa Park in Birmingham. Event dates and a lineup have not been released.Villa Park, a 42,000-seat stadium, hosted Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne's farewell concert, "Back to the Beginning," in July 2025.OzzFest was created in 1996 by Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager, after Lollapalooza declined to book Ozzy for a show. The festival became an annual event, touring the United States and Europe until 2008, and has occurred sporadically since then. The most recent OzzFest took place in 2018 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.OzzFest has featured artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, Tool, Deftones and Slipknot. In 2024, Yungblud launched BludFest in Milton Keynes, England, citing OzzFest and his late mentor's influence.Since Ozzy Osbourne's death in 2025, Sharon Osbourne has spoken about reviving the festival. She told Billboard earlier this year that she was in talks with Live Nation to bring OzzFest back in 2027."It was something Ozzy was very passionate about: giving young talent a stage in front of a lot of people," Sharon Osbourne said. "We really started metal festivals in this country. It was never done with the spirit of what ours was, because ours was a place for new talent. It was like summer camp for kids."The "Back to the Beginning" charity concert at Villa Park marked Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's final performance. The event included tributes from Metallica, Yungblud, Slayer and others. Villa Park, home to Aston Villa F.C., is in Birmingham's Aston area, where Ozzy grew up and co-founded Black Sabbath in 1968 with Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler

LONDON (AP) - Four actors portraying The Beatles in the upcoming biopic series "The Beatles - A Four-Film Cinematic Event" recreated the band's famous Abbey Road album cover walk over the weekend.Fan footage shared online shows Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr crossing Abbey Road in London. The group was seen walking back and forth across the street, apparently filming multiple takes.The original Beatles crossed Abbey Road outside EMI Studios on Aug. 8, 1969, for a photograph that became the cover of their 11th studio album. Although Let It Be was released later, Abbey Road was the last album the band recorded together.Director Sam Mendes is set to release the four-part project in April 2028. Each film will focus on a different member of the band. This will be the first movie series granted rights to the Beatles' full catalog. Mendes has not shared any plot details.The cast includes Leanne Best, niece of original Beatles drummer Pete Best, as John Lennon's aunt Mimi Smith. David Morrissey will play Jim McCartney, Paul's father. James Norton appears as manager Brian Epstein, and Harry Lloyd plays producer George Martin. Bobby Schofield will portray road manager Neil Aspinall, Daniel Hoffman-Gill appears as Mal Evans, Arthur Darvill plays publicist Derek Taylor, and Adam Pally will play music manager Allen Klein.Other cast members include Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono, Aimee Lou Wood as Pattie Boyd, and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Maureen Starkey

Rush's new drummer, Anika Nilles, said a message from Neil Peart's widow helped her settle nerves before her debut with the band.Nilles, a German musician, auditioned for five days before Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson chose her to join Rush on drums for their Fifty Something tour. She told Rolling Stone that learning to fit into the songs was one challenge, but an even bigger task was blocking out thoughts of Peart."In each song part I had to coach myself a little bit... not to fly away," Nilles said of the intense rehearsals after being hired. "That all helped not to think too much about how big that seat is and what role I'm filling in it." Her approach, she said, was to "be in the moment, be present, be focused."Nilles said it took time to understand what was expected. "I wasn't sure if I should prep every little detail, or to have the main parts down, but have some freedom here and there," she said.As she studied Peart's drumming, she realized she needed to adjust her own style. Instead of relying on stick control, she began lifting weights to build muscle for a more direct playing approach. "I have to play more out of muscle power," she said.Nilles said Peart's compositional style influenced her most. "Now, I have a little bit of Neil in me. What I learned for myself the most is the compositional part. He was brilliant in that, really. He constantly builds, and builds, and builds the drum part to a point where you think, 'What the hell is going on?'"Her confidence grew after Peart's widow, Carrie Nuttall, reached out before the first show. "I got a nice message from her, a really lovely message," Nilles said. "It was really nice to hear that she is on board and looking forward to this whole journey."As the Fifty Something tour continues, Nilles said she feels "really energized, and relieved." Asked what she told herself after her first shows, she laughed: "I made it through!

Rush frontman Geddy Lee says the band is not considering new material at this time, as he and guitarist Alex Lifeson focus on their current tour after an 11-year hiatus.Lee and Lifeson recently returned to performing, joined by drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold. Both musicians said preparing for the tour was the hardest they have ever worked."We had a schedule," Lifeson told Radio Futuro in a recent interview. "We laid out what our rehearsal schedule was going to be, with an end date being in May 2026, that we had to get everything done by then.""At the beginning we thought, 'Oh, that's plenty of time. We'll get it done!' The last couple of weeks were, like, 'Oh my God, we gotta really focus on this and really put it together!'"Lee said rehearsals were especially demanding for Nilles, who replaced the late Neil Peart."She had to learn something like 43 songs in the course of a year, and those are not easy drum parts to learn," Lee said. "She would work really hard on her own, then she would come to Toronto sporadically and we would work really hard together. I think she found it much easier to work with us in person, because there's a chemistry that we have. We can reassure her, 'This part is right, this part is this long, and no, you have to play this part this way.'"Lee added, "The last month, as Alex alluded to, we played a full show 24 nights out of 27 days. We've never worked that hard in our entire lives. I'm thankful for it, because opening night, we were all a bit of a nervous wreck. And all that rehearsal paid off."Lee also tried to help Nilles and Gold adapt to the challenge. "I said, 'Look, these are complicated songs. You are going to make a mistake. It's not about the mistake - it's about how you recover from the mistake. So just play; just keep playing and don't worry.'"He said this approach helped them relax. "When you write a part, it's automatically in your DNA; you understand it inside out. But when you're coming to learn it as an outsider, you try to break it down into the laws of music, and our songs don't adhere to the laws of music."Lee said he feels grateful for the current lineup's chemistry. "I'm ecstatic that we're playing so well and that the musicians we've chosen to join us on stage have jelled the way they have. I'm not pretending when you see me smiling up there."He noted that he wants to enjoy every show. "It's a joyous moment for me, and I know there are only so many gigs left in my body, so I'm going to enjoy them while I can."Asked about the possibility of new music, Lee said, "No. We have enough to do. We're still trying to remember the old songs and play them.

Rod Stewart is taking a break from touring after undergoing a routine coronary stent procedure, according to a statement shared on his official Instagram account."Following further medical evaluation, Sir Rod Stewart has successfully undergone a routine coronary stent procedure," the statement read. "Doctors are pleased with his recovery, and Rod is doing very well and has returned to his normal daily activities. On the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage. Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to continue his current tour dates."In a separate message, Stewart said he is already feeling better and thanked his medical team."I'm already feeling better and very much on the mend," Stewart said. "I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone who has taken such wonderful care of me. I'm deeply disappointed to miss these shows and sorry to let my fans down, but I look forward to getting back on stage and having a good time with you all again soon."The statements did not specify how many concerts Stewart will miss. He had 15 shows scheduled through mid-September, including stops in Cleveland, Kansas City and an extended run in Las Vegas. With a four-week recovery period, it appears all these dates will be postponed or canceled. Stewart's representatives said, "Information regarding affected performances will be communicated by the respective promoters and venues."This health concern adds to a series of medical setbacks for Stewart this year. In May, the 81-year-old canceled several Las Vegas residency shows and was placed on vocal rest following a sinus infection. He also canceled a performance in San Diego due to laryngitis and another sinus infection. In June, Stewart required an oxygen tank after nearly fainting onstage in Utah. Most recently, he canceled a scheduled show in Cincinnati on Aug. 9, citing an "unforeseen but minor medical procedure that required prompt attention.