The Who announced their farewell tour and their final dates in the United States and Canada. Called "This Song is Over", the tour will happen in North America next August and September. They will play in Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Newark, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver and more. Now the band revealed which will be their opening acts on selected dates. They are: Billy Idol, Billy Bo Thornton and The Boxmasters, The Joe Perry Project, Joe Bonamassa, Tom Cochrane, Booker T. Jones, ZZ Ward, Candlebox and FEIST. The Who North American farewell tour dates and their opening acts August 16 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena – Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters as opening act 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center – Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters as opening act 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center – ZZ Ward as opening act 23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall – Booker T. Jones as opening act 26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park – The Joe Perry Project as opening act 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater – Feist as opening act 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden – Feist as opening act September 2 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage – Tom Cochrane as opening act 4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage – Tom Cochrane as opening act 7 – Chicago, IL – United Center – Joe Bonamassa as opening act 9 – Chicago, IL – United Center – Joe Bonamassa as opening act (new show) 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl – The Joe Perry Project as opening act 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl – The Joe Perry Project as opening act 21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre – Candlebox as opening act 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena – Candlebox as opening act 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena – Candlebox as opening act 28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena – Billy Idol as opening act What Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend said about The Who’s farewell tour Roger Daltrey https://youtu.be/BxUG4KB8EpQ “Every musician’s dream in the early 60’s was to make it big in the US charts. For the Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever. The warmth of the American audiences over the years have been inspirational to me, and reflect the feeling I remember getting after hearing the first rock records coming across the radio. Musical freedom!” “Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion. To me, America has always been great. The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible. It’s not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us and look forward to seeing you one last time,” Roger Daltrey said. Pete Townshend “Well, all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible. The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal. Today, Roger and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle and of course, all of our longtime Who fans.” “I must say that although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy: the best job I could ever have had. I keep coming back. Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy. Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans, and hopefully to new ones who might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. This tour will be about fond memories, love and laughter. Make sure you join in,” Pete Townshend said.The post Billy Idol and Joe Perry will be The Who’s opening act on selected dates appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

The Smashing Pumpkins guitarist, singer and main songwriter Billy Corgan was influenced by many different bands in Rock and Roll. Although his band did a different kind of music, he loves Black Sabbath and The Ramones, for example. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the musician talked about Green Day and explained that they actually became bigger than The Ramones because of their influence and success, being one of the few Punk bands that really reached mainstream success. They sold an estimated amount of more than 75 million records during their career while Ramones sold much less than that. Billy Corgan says Green Day is bigger than The Ramones Smashing Pumpkins recently toured with Green Day and after being asked about the tour, he said: "It was awesome. The crowds were great. Green Day was so gracious. We couldn’t have had a better summer. It was one of my favorite tours of all time. I obviously knew the Green Day guys since we did Lollapalooza together back in ’94. They used to laugh at me when I would play basketball against the monks, and snicker like the punks they are." "But they’ve obviously gone on to such tremendous success, and they were so gracious in being hosts, not only to us, but to Rancid and the Linda Lindas. The vibe on the tour was incredible. It was just the spirit of what it’s supposed to be when you put bands together. It was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had, and we’re forever grateful to them. They were such great ambassadors. "Speaking of Green Day, in a living and beautiful light, I had this feeling the other day, and maybe I’m very late to this party…" "I think it had something to do with the fact that they just got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I’m watching them get their star and they certainly deserve it. I had this moment where I was reminiscing and I was like, Wow, I’ve known these guys for over 30 years, and we just did this tour. Oh my God, they’re bigger than the Ramones. What I mean by that is that in the world I grew up in, the Ramones were number one." "In a way, they always will be number one because they were first. But then I realized, Oh my God, Green Day has actually done it. They are bigger than the Ramones. Their influence is greater, their reach is greater, and certainly their success is greater. And that’s all power to them. I’m late to that party at 58 years old, and I’ve known them and watched them and listened to them and been a competitor, right? But even I have to go, Wow, they’ve done it," Billy Corgan said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUTGr5t3MoY&pp=ygUJZ3JlZW4gZGF50gcJCY0JAYcqIYzv The Smashing Pumpkins sold an estimated amount of more than 30 million records worldwide. Their two most famous albums are “Siamese Dream” (1993) and “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” (1995).The post Billy Corgan says Green Day is bigger than The Ramones appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

Iron Maiden will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2025 with an extensive tour across Europe, which are the only shows revealed so far. In an official statement, the band's longtime manager Rod Smallwood said the band is asking for fans to limit the use of smartphones during the tour so that it can be enjoyable for the musicians and for the fans, who would be more "present" during the show. The band will welcome during the tour their new drummer Simon Dawson. Iron Maiden asks fans to limit the use of phones during next tour "We really want fans to enjoy the shows first hand, rather than on their small screens. The amount of phone use nowadays diminishes enjoyment, particularly for the band who are on stage looking out at rows of phones, but also for other concertgoers. We feel that the passion and involvement of our fans at shows really makes them special, but the phone obsession has now got so out of hand that it has become unnecessarily distracting, especially to the band. I hope fans understand this and will be sensible in severely limiting the use of their phone cameras out of respect for the band and their fellow fans." "We would very much like you to be 'in the moment' instead and be fully actively involved to enjoy each and every one of these classic songs in the spirit and manner they were first played. This show isn't just a celebration of our music; it is, as you will see, also about our years of art, of Eddie (Mascot) and of the many, many worlds of Maiden we have created for you. So please respect the band, respect the other fans and have the time of your lives as you join your Maiden family by singing your heart out rather than getting your phone out!! It's really not a lot to ask, is it?" Rod Smallwood said. Next shows May 27 Budapest, HUNGARY – Budapest Aréna 31 Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC – Letnany Airport June 1 – Bratislava, SLOVAKIA – TIPOS Arena 5 – Trondheim, NORWAY – Trondheim Rocks (Festival) 7 – Stavanger, NORWAY – SR-Bank Arena 9 – Copenhagen, DENMARK – Royal Arena 12 – Stockholm, SWEDEN – 3Arena 13 – Stockholm, SWEDEN – 3Arena 16 – Helsinki, FINLAND – Olympic Stadium 21 – Birmingham, ENGLAND – Utilita Arena 22 – Manchester, ENGLAND – Co-op Live 25 – Dublin, IRELAND – Malahide Castle 28 – London, ENGLAND – London Stadium 30 – Glasgow, SCOTLAND – OVO Hydro July 3 – Belfort, FRANCE – Eurockéennes Festival 5 – Madrid, SPAIN – Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano 6 – Lisbon, PORTUGAL – MEO Arena 9 – Zurich, SWITZERLAND – Hallenstadion 11 – Gelsenkirchen, GERMANY – Veltins-Arena 13 – Padova, ITALY – Stadio Euganeo 15 – Bremen, GERMANY – Bürgerweide 17 – Vienna, AUSTRIA – Ernst Happel Stadium 19 – Paris, FRANCE – Paris La Défense Arena 23 – Arnhem, NETHERLANDS – GelreDome 25 – Frankfurt, GERMANY – Deutsche Bank Park 26 – Stuttgart, GERMANY – Cannstatter Wasen 29 – Berlin, GERMANY – Waldbühne August 2 – Warsaw – POLAND – PGE Narodowy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrm5KavmvyUThe post Iron Maiden asks fans to limit the use of phones during next tour appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

One of the most important American rock and roll artists of all time, Kiss co-founder, bassist, and singer Gene Simmons has influenced countless generations of musicians with the music he wrote in the hard rock band. Although he is a rock and roll icon, he has a broad musical taste and is always paying attention to what’s happening in the music business. While he’s not a huge fan of current pop music, he has mentioned three artists from the genre that he likes. 3 Pop artists that Gene Simmons said he likes Lady Gaga https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBynw9Isr28&pp=ygUVbGFkeSBnYWdhIGFicmFjYWRhYnJh The first one is Lady Gaga, who Gene said is "more talented than all the others". He said multiple times during the past years that Rock and Roll is dead and that Pop music is really what is in the spotlight at the moment. Because according to him, Pop stars like Gaga are the only artists nowadays that can really build a faithful fanbase. Like Kiss has the Kiss Army, Gaga has her Little Monsters. “It is in your favor if you have a fanbase that feels like they’re connected and they have the flag, like in soccer. That is tribalism. It doesn’t have to be mean-spirited. It’s an identity. (...) Gaga, I think, is more talented than all the others. Because her songs and her are, ‘I was born this way.’ So the music is not just — and I don’t mean ‘fluff’ in a bad way, because there’s some wonderful fluff stuff. A lot of the British Invasion was all these great songs that you sang meant nothing. But when a song is saying (singing) ‘you want a revolution’, the song is about something." “And so if you have a body of work that’s about something, you get the beginnings of tribalism. And if you’re the embodiment of that tribe, now you’ve got something. Yes, Gaga’s fanbase is about that. And of course, she’s widened her thing by doing pop, Tony Bennett, and all this stuff. She’s the real deal. She’s got the musical chops. She can play, sing; (she is a) chanteuse,” Simmons told the Greatest Music Of All Time channel. Gene Simmons said she is the only Rock star from the last 20 years She is a fan of Kiss' music and even had the chance to go see them playing live and meet them backstage. Although she is viewed as a Pop star, Simmons once said that she was actually a Rock Star. He told Star Advertiser (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage), that Gaga was the only real Rock Star he had seen during the past 20 years. "The only real Rock star I’ve seen in the last 20, 25 years is Lady Gaga who just arrived on the scene. That’s a star. She’s actually got the musical (talent), she can play the piano, she can write songs, she can really sing." "I’m not a fan of that kind of music but she’s got the goods. I appreciate all the Pop divas but if you don’t play your own instrument and write your own songs you can’t have my admiration which is not as valid as your fans’ admiration. If they’re buying your albums and especially if they’re going to see you live that is as much validation as you should ever have. Whether I get or not, Gene Simmons told Star Advertiser (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). She almost recorded with Kiss Curiously, she almost sang on Kiss' final studio album "Monster" which was released in 2012. The band invited her to record the vocals of the song "Freak" and she liked the lyrics but eventually Paul Stanley ended up being the vocalist in that one. Like Kiss, Gaga is also from New York City but she was born in 1986, when Kiss already was in the music business for 13 years. Her first album "The Fame" was released only in 2008 and since then four more solo albums were made. She also became an actress, being part of movies like "Joker: Folie à Deux" and "A Star is Born". Billie Eilish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9PVRfjEBTI&pp=ygUNQmlsbGllIEVpbGlzaA%3D%3D The second one is Billie Eilish, who is the youngest one on the list and Simmons praised multiple times. She was born in 2001, when Kiss already had almost 40 years. “The most unique new artist and I hope she moves on, she’s still really young, is Billie Eilish. She’s called Billie Eilish but it’s really her brother that creates those sonics, the lyrics and all that. But the imagery is Billie, because her brother (Finneas) doesn’t look like Billie. I believe that’s gonna be an exciting journey and there’s an awful lot of good music out there,” he said in an interview with US Weekly (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). As the Kiss bassist and singer explained, all the records are written by the brothers and the first two ones were produced by Finneas. Simmons not only praised her once, he really was interested in the music she was doing with her brother. He even recommended her documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry” (2021). He praised her movie on his social media, saying: “Have to say I was blown away by the @billieeilish Docu. A unique and original artist. Her brother @finneas is a major talent, multi instrumentalist and producer. Catch the Docu #TheWorldsALittleBlurry. You will love Billie Eilish.” She is one of the most successful artists in the world right now and already won two Academy Awards, being also the first person born in the 21st century to win one. She also won 9 Grammy Awards and two Golden Globes. Her most recent album is "Hit Me Hard and Soft" in 2024. Taylor Swift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ORhEE9VVg&pp=ygUMVGF5bG9yIFN3aWZ0 "The third one is Taylor Swift, who is certainly the most successful pop star of the past few decades. She has a huge army of fans, called Swifties, who are extremely connected to everything she does. Many famous older artists have even compared the Taylor Swift phenomenon to what Beatlemania was like back in the 1960s. Gene praised her and even said she is really the only big artist in the world these days as he told Page Six (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). “No (there are no current amazing Rock bands), neither you can think of anybody. When we were growing up in the 60s. The 60s had Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Beatles, Elvis, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd.” Gene Simmons continued: “Later on you had Madonna, Motown, Prince, David Bowie, all that happening at the same time. What’s happening now? There’s no question Taylor Swift has taken over and she’s great. I’m a fan and I know her. She’s really a solid person. Other than that (Taylor), I’m not sure what’s cool other than this (He shows a Kiss photo).” He really admires artists who write their own songs, unlike many pop stars who are basically interpreters of songs written by other people. “(Her success is) well deserved. She’s young. She paid her dues. She started off in her early teens as a country singer and decided for herself to broaden her thing. Because she decided, not because there were any rules that she was going to follow. I’ve met her a few times. She’s a very impressive young lady,” he told Forbes. She currently has the highest-grossing tour of all time. From 2023 to 2024 (60 shows), The Eras Tour made more than 1 billion dollars. She has sold an estimated amount of more than 200 million records worldwide.The post 3 Pop artists that Gene Simmons said he likes appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.