AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was behaving erratically long before his arrest last week, according to his bandmates.
Speaking with USA Today on November 13th, guitarist Angus Young and bassist Cliff Williams said that Rudd — who initially faced a murder-for-hire charge, which was dropped, but still stands accused of possessing methamphetamine and marijuana — was elusive during the recording of the group’s album, Rock or Bust, due December 2nd.
While the musicians were in the studio “it was tough to get (Rudd) there in the first place,” says Williams.
“It put us in a difficult situation,” says Young. And he says this continued through subsequent video and photo shoots. “It put us in a spot where we couldn’t move forward. Does the guy show up? Is he reliable to do his job in good shape? We’ve always been a solid, reliable unit.”
AC/DC has indeed resolved to move forward; it’s planning to tour next year. Whether Rudd will join his bandmates remains in question.
“Phil created his own situation,” says Young. “It’s a hard thing to say about the guy. He’s a great drummer, and he’s done a lot of stuff for us. But he seems to have let himself go. He’s not the Phil we’ve known from the past.”
Young speculates that drugs could be involved — “when you get into that land, it’s very hard” — but adds, “I don’t know the exact situation. … I can only say, from our perspective, that the guy needs to sort himself out.”
[Ed’s note: Thank you to our very own Harry Taint for sending the link to this story. Thanks Harry.)] 🙂
“I spoke to Robert about the story, which he also confirmed is complete rubbish from his side too. Robert told me he’s very proud of his history and the band’s past, and has always had great respect and love for his work. However, he really believes he must move on with his life and career today. Making up this story is very disrespectful to how wonderful his career with the Sensational Shape Shifters is going.”
The Virgin tycoon says Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones also have “many exciting projects” in their futures, and insists each member of Led Zeppelin should be “respected in their own right.”
He finishes, “As Robert told me: ‘Look, Richard, I just do things because I love them and I want to do more new things that I love.’ I couldn’t agree more.”
In May Plant said he had no interest in returning to be part of the “circus” that Led Zep had become. Page recently appeared to accept there was no chance of a reunion, saying of his former colleague’s career: “It’s his journey, isn’t it?”
Led Zep are midway through the release of their remaster series. Plant launched latest solo album Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar earlier this year, while Page says he’s planning to record and tour in 2015.
While the current sold-out Black Mass tour rolls on, Black Veil Brides have announced another string of dates scheduled for next February 2015. The 18-city Black Mass 2015 tour begins on February 5th in Richmond, VA and wraps up on March 1st in San Diego, CA. The tour will make select stops in the United States before crossing over the border in to Canada for the bands long-awaited return north. The band will be playing 9 shows in Canada making stops Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver to name a few before returning to the United States for the final 4 shows. Opening the Black Mass 2015 shows will be special guests Memphis May Fire and Ghost Town. Tickets for the Black Mass 2015 will be on-sale on Friday November 14th via ticketmaster.com.
Black Veil Brides are currently on The Black Mass 2014 headline tour that runs through mid-December. The 37-date trek is making stops in Kansas City, New York and Orlando and will wrap up on December 15th in Albuquerque, NM. Falling In Reverse, Set It Off and Drama Club have been tapped as the support bands for The Black Mass 2014. Tickets and VIP packages for the tour are currently on sale and links can be found at BlackVeilBrides.net.
Black Veil Brides have announced the release of the first live DVD of their career. The DVD is slated for release in June 2015 and is taken from the band’s sold-out hometown show in Los Angeles at the Wiltern Theater on November 1st. The show was part of the band’s inaugural Halloweekend event as part of The Black Mass Tour. The DVD was directed by Casey Tebo, known for his work on the acclaimed Aerosmith documentary, Rock For The Rising Sun. Pre-order packages for the live DVD will be announced soon.
Black Mass 2015 Canada/U.S. tour dates:
Feb 5th Richmond, VA The National
Feb 6th Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
Feb 7th Hartford, CT Webster Theater
Feb 8th Huntington, NY The Paramount
Feb 11th Watertown, NY Exhibition Hall
Feb 12th Quebec City, QC Imperial De Quebec
Feb 13th Montreal, QC Metropolis
Feb 14th London, ON London Music Hall
Feb 15th Toronto, ON Danforth Music Hall
Feb 18th Winnipeg, MB The Garrick Center
Feb 19th Saskatoon, SK O’Brians Event Centre
Feb 20th Calgary, AB Macewan Hall Ballroom
Feb 22nd Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room
Feb 25th Vancouver, BC Vogue Theater
Feb 26th Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre
Feb 27th Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades
Feb 28th Pomona, CA The Fox Theater
Mar 1st San Diego, CA House Of Blues
Black Mass 2014 Remaining U.S. tour dates:
Nov 12th Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater
Nov 14th Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
Nov 15th Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
Nov 16th Cleveland, OH The Agora Theater
Nov 17th Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
Nov 19th Philadelphia, PA The Electric Factory
Nov 21st Stroudsburg, PA Sherman Theater
Nov 22nd Worcester, MA Palladium
Nov 23rd New York, NY Best Buy Theater
Nov 26th Portland, ME State Theatre
Nov 28th Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall
Nov 29th Silver Springs, MD The Fillmore Silver Spring
Dec 2nd Louisville, KY Expo Five
Dec 3rd Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
Dec 4th Orlando, FL House of Blues Orlando
Dec 5th Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte
Dec 6th Norfolk, VA The NorVa
Dec 8th Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Dec 9th St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Dec 11th Houston, TX Bayou Music Center
Dec 12th Dallas, TX South Side Ballroom
Dec 13th San Antonio, TX Backstage Live
Dec 15th Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre
1. Rock or Bust
2. Play Ball (To listen to this song, click the name)
3. Rock The Blues Away
4. Miss Adventure
5. Dogs of War
6. Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder
7. Hard Times
8. Baptism By Fire
9. Rock the House
10. Sweet Candy
11. Emission Control
As previously reported, to celebrate and commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Whitensnake’s multi-platinum Slide It In album, Frontiers Music Srl has released Live In ‘84- Back To The Bone, a complete celebration of the group’s awe inspiring touring lineup during what many feel was the beginning of what Coverdale called his desire to make Whitesnake more “electrifying: on record and on stage.
Released on Deluxe CD/DVD and stand-alone DVD editions, fans can order the release from Amazon.com. Click here to purchase the CD/DVD and here for the DVD.
The Live In 84 CD and DVD release features audio and video recordings, unheard demos and unseen photos from the private collection of Whitesnake leader and vocalist, David Coverdale. This release offers an ultra-rare collection of material, performed by the band’s acclaimed 83-84 line-ups. Featured on the record are the awesome Cozy Powell on drums (ex- Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, MSG and later on Gary Moore and Black Sabbath, among others), unique virtuoso guitarist John Sykes, whom Coverdale credits with inspiring a whole generation of six stringers after his breathtaking work on the Whitesnake ’87 album, and Bassist extraordinaire Neil Murray.
Also includes heart-stopping bonus content featuring legendary keyboardist Jon Lord (Deep Purple) performing his very last show with Whitesnake on video and also on the bonus CD.
“It’s still hard for me to find the words when remembering that half of the incredible band who originally recorded the Slide It In album with me have passed away,” says Coverdale. “It’s incredibly difficult to articulate: Cozy Powell…Mel Galley…Jon Lord…All amazing people and exceptional musicians performing at their best. Their memories live on in our hearts & in the music they made. I miss them beyond words… Wait until you see and hear them playing as only they can and add in the fiery guitar assault of the incredibly gifted John Sykes, plus the relentless melodic bass pounding of Neil Murray…”
To put this together, Coverdale and Co-Producer Michael McIntyre launched a worldwide search for the best quality video footage and audio tracks from the 1984 tour. Among the gems found was a set from: Super-Rock, recorded at the first Japanese rock festival at Seibu Stadium in Tokyo and an invaluable video of Jon Lord’s final appearance with Whitesnake recorded live in Sweden. “All of the features on this package have been treated lovingly & respectfully, with no expense spared, utilizing technology to improve sound & picture quality,” says Coverdale, who personally oversaw all elements of this release.
Concludes Coverdale, “These are memories I treasure and delight in sharing with you as we continue our celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Whitesnake’s multi-platinum album Slide It In.”
Live In ‘84 – Back To The Bone:
CD (only available in combo edition):
1. Gambler
2. Guilty Of Love
3. Love Ain’t No Stranger
4. Slow An’ Easy
5. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues
6. Ready An’ Willing
7. Guitar Solo
8. Crying In The Rain
9. Soldier Of Fortune
10. Love Ain’t No Stranger
11. Ready An’ Willing
12. Slow An’ Easy
Bonus Tracks – Jon Lord’s Final Performance with Whitesnake (Medley)
13. Gambler (featuring Jon Lord)
14. Guilty of Love (featuring Jon Lord)
15. Love Ain’t No Stranger (featuring Jon Lord)
16. Ready an’ Willing (featuring Jon Lord)
DVD:
1. Gambler
2. Guilty of Love
3. Love Ain’t No Stranger
4. Ready an’ Willing
5. Slow an’ Easy
6. Crying in the Rain
7. Guitar Solo
8. Soldier of Fortune
9. Drum Solo
10. Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City
11. Don’t Break My Heart Again
Bonus Tracks – Jon Lord’s Final Performance with Whitesnake (Medley)
12. Gambler (featuring Jon Lord)
13. Guilty of Love (featuring Jon Lord)
14. Love Ain’t No Stranger (featuring Jon Lord)
15. Ready an’ Willing (featuring Jon Lord)
DVD Bonus Gallery – Slide It In Slide Show with Rare Unseen Photos – The music bed contains snippets of private demos from David’s personal archives.
Robert Plant and the other living founding members of legendary hard-rock band Led Zeppelin were about to ink an $800 million contract with Virgin Atlantic billionaire Richard Branson to play a reunion tour, but the iconic band’s singer ripped the contract to shreds in the final moments, a report said.
Founding members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones signed on immediately when the flamboyant investor offered the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the staggering amount to perform just 35 tour dates in three locations including London, Berlin and New Jersey, according to the UK’s Mirror.
But Branson was left stunned when the 66-year-old Plant tore the agreement to pieces right in front of the concert promoters, the newspaper said.
“There was an enormous sense of shock,” a source told the Mirror. “He said no and ripped up the paperwork he had been given.”
Guitarist Page and bassist Jones were all set to perform along with drummer Jason Bonham, who has filled in for his late father, John Bonham, in the past.
They gave their cranky frontman two days to think about the historic reunion, and he turned into a real heartbreaker for fans who have dreamed of another reunion tour.
“It was a no-brainer for them, but Robert asked for 48 hours to think about it,” the source said. “They have tried to talk him ’round, but there is no chance. His mind is made up and that’s that.”
And it’s not likely that the band can hire a replacement for Plant’s unique voice.
“There is no way they can go ahead without him,” the source said.
Branson, a tremendous fan of the ’70s rock band, reportedly pulled out all the stops to get the “The Song Remains the Same” rockers back on stage together.
The founder of Virgin Group was planning on renaming one of his jumbo jets “The Starship” and having the craft ferry the stars around to their gigs.
He was even going to have the staircase of the jet renamed the Stairway to Heaven after the band’s landmark hit.
“Even his money was not enough to get Plant to sign up,” the source said, adding that the tycoon was very upset by the singer’s diss.
The band last played together, with Jason Bonham filling in on drums, during a tribute concert at London’s O2 arena in 2007.
The band has been notoriously cranky about whether it would ever reunite, with Plant even calling one reporter a “schmuck” during a press conference in 2012.
