Saturday, December 28, 2019

2019's Biggest Rock Stories

We all know that every day there is some big story in the world of music. 2019 seems to have hit the high water mark for history. 2020 however is strongly competing with it. Reunion tours, massive tours, releases of autobiographies/biographies of musicians? 2020 is turning out to be a great year to be a fan of music and it's not even 2020 yet! To finish off the year right, here are some of 2019's biggest stories in rock and metal

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees include Soundgarden, Doobie Brothers
-Until the 202 nomination list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame came out, the Doobie Brothers and Soundgarden were never on the list. They are next year. But, in addition to them, some of the other notables for induction include Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Pat Benatar, all of whom have been nominated but never inducted.
Kiss kick off their "End of the Road" tour
-First off, me and my sister saw their show at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH and it was amazing. Not only was it amazing because we were seeing them live, but it was amazing because it was my sister's first time seeing Kiss live. They played two of her favorite songs- "Beth" and I Was Made for Loving You" in addition to all her other favorites. These guys are known for having "farewell" tours. This is not shocking. But considering their ages, this might be it, who knows. Their "supposed" last show is said to be on July 17, 2020 in New York City
More farewell tours
-Obviously the musicians we love are not spring chickens anymore. Some are doing farewell concerts and tours because they are not getting any younger and can't handle the tour-album-tour cycle anymore. Elton John kicked off a farewell tour in 2018. He dubbed it the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour. It will continue on through 2018, 2019 and into 2020. Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd are currently doing their Last of the Street Survivors tour. This one started in 2019 and will most likely carry on until 2020. Deep Purple is on tour, dubbing it The Long Goodbye. Peter Frampton is embarking on his own farewell tour after learning of his diagnosis of a rare degenerative disease that weakens his muscles, leaving him unable to play guitar, piano or anything. Other bands include Slayer on their The Final Campaign tour, UFO on their Last Orders tour and Krokus on their The Final Tour.
Cream drummer Ginger Baker dies at age 80
-This guy was an inspiration to a lot of aspiring drummers. Cream was one of the first successful trios that showed that sometimes a successful band only needs three members. He was the drummer of Cream and Blind Faith. He passed away on Oct. 6 and will be terribly missed
Rick Ocasek of The Cars passed away at 75
-On Sept. 15, the world lost Ric Ocasek, who had passed away in his sleep. His estranged wife Paulina Porizkova had discovered the body only a few weeks after going in for some light surgery. Although later on, the cause of death was said to be hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. What I think may have been more shocking, especially to his estranged wife, was that she was cut completely out of the will Ocasek had drawn up. When he died, she got nothing. So obviously the divorce did not end well.
Eddie Money passes away at 70
-The legendary singer behind hits like "Baby, Hold On", "Take Me Home Tonite", "Two Tickets to Paradise", has passed away from stage four throat cancer. He died on Sept. 13. His cancer was so severe that he simply did not catch it in time. When he did catch it, it was already at stage 4 and had metastasized to his stomach and liver.
Other musicians who departed
-In addition to the vast array of musicians who have left us, let's give some love to others who have died. Peter Tork of The Monkees died in February at age 77. Talk Talk front man Mark Hollis died the same month at 64. March also had some losses. Scott Walker died at age 76. Dick Dale died at age 81. Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter died in September at age 78. .38 Special bassist and Lynyrd Skynyrd co-founder Larry Junstrom died in October at age 70. Little Feat guitarist Paul Barrere died in October at 71
Doobie Brothers reunite with Michael McDonald
-Doobie Brothers fans: you are about to hear GREAT NEWS!! The Doobie Brothers, that is right, you are reading this right, are reuniting with Michael McDonald. A 2020 world tour is in the works. So if you are a fan, start doing major research to see if they are coming to a town near you. This will be the first album with McDonald since the mid 1990s, when they were first nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. From June 9-Oct. 17 of 2020 is when their tour is said to last
Bohemian Rhapsody wins big at the Oscars
-The movie revolves around how legendary rockers Queen got their start. The movie had mixed reviews. Out of the five categories it was nominated in, it won four. So it was a big night for the surviving members of Queen and the actors and actresses who appeared in the movie. Rami Malek took home the statue for Best Actor for his role of Freddie Mercury. The movie also took home awards for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing. It lost Best Picture to Green Book
 
Motley Crue back on tour
-So much for retirement. That certainly took a flying leap out the window. They had only been retired for five years but now there is a video showing all four original members destroying their contracts. They announced they would be doing a stadium tour with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett in 2020. They all stated that the reason they want to take up touring again is because of the release of the Netflix biopic The Dirt and a serious rise in popularity of their music, being both bought on CDs and downloaded from music sites.
The film Yesterday sees a world with out The Beatles
-The premise of the film Yesterday is about an Anglo-Indian musician (Himesh Patel) who is able to remember and know everything about The Beatles. But trying to convince everyone else is a whole other story. He manages to pass off the music as his own and becomes an overnight celebrity. Ed Sheeran appears in the movie, as himself and ends up becoming the aspiring musician's friend. But, of course, the lie he carries and the newfound fame take a toll on himself and his relationships with his close friend and manager, he has to decide what is more important. The movie managed to rake in $151 million at the box office. Most likely, a good percentage of those sales were from Beatles fans
The Dirt appears on Netflix
-The title of the movie stems from a biopic book about how Motley Crue got started. The film included 14 songs from Crue's varied career, including a cover of Madonna's "Like a Virgin". In the film, rapper Machine Gun Kelly plays Tommy Lee.

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