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March 9, 2010
Foreigner, Jethro Tull, Kansas and Styx Prep For Summer Tours
As the Sun begins to banish the bitter winter chill and eat away at the snow here in the northeast, the newswire continues to deliver word of more classic rock groups who are set to offer their U.S. fans another opportunity to catch them live.
Three classic rock powerhouses – Foreigner, Kansas, and Styx have teamed up for something they are calling the “United We Rock” tour. All three groups are well-known for their fair share of hit singles that blared from countless car stereos during the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Today, classic rock radio stations continue to pump out those same hits, keeping those classic favorites alive, and bringing a new generation of fans into the classic rock fold. Although the crowds at these up-coming shows will likely feature a good number of graying heads (for those of us who still have hair!), there are sure to be many fans who were not yet born when these groups were at the top of their game, and packing stadium-sized venues full of screaming fans.
Although only a handful of dates have been announced so far, the summer tour dubbed “United We Rock” is set to open on June 3rd in Kansas City. This one should be one of the top classic rock tickets of the summer. The tour heads west after the debut show to finish out the month of June, and more dates will be announced soon, including stops in Boston and Chicago.
A press release from the tour quotes Styx guitarist James “JY” Young as saying “These three bands represent the more rocking side of the classic rock genre. With the countless great rock songs each band will be performing, this is going to be a guitars-a-blazin’ good time had by all.”
British rock veterans Jethro Tull are said to be planning a new album in addition to a summer U.S. tour. Starting on June 11th in Miami, the tour will then take the group north to Boston, Chicago and Toronto, among others.
Tull’s plans for a new album will end an 11-year drought for the group, one that is remembered for iconic hits such as “Aqualung,” “Locomotive Breath,” and “Living In The Past.”
Regarding the new album, enduring frontman Ian Anderson says, “I have sent material over to America where the band are working on it. That’s kind of how it works these days but they seem to like what I am doing.”
No release date for the new material has yet been announced, but it is probably a bit too early in the process. Perhaps there’s a chance they will showcase a taste of their new work while on tour.
So far it looks like the summer of 2010 is looking pretty good for classic rock fans. It is probably reasonable to assume that more tour news is on the way. The market is obviously still hungry for the genre, and other recent reunion plans are bound to translate into more live shows for classic rock fans across North America.
More on these tours is available at Live Daily.
August 25, 2008
Jason Bonham Leaving Foreigner At The End of August
Jason Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drumming legend John Bonham, has revealed his intent to leave Foreigner, who he has been with since 2004.
In a recent interview with Detroit classic rock radio station WCSX, Bonham broke the news that he will be leaving Foreigner at the end of the month. The interview took place on the morning of August 22 with WCSX’s JJ & Lynne, while the group was in town for a performance at the Renaissance Center.
Although the interviewers asked about the possibility of further developments on the Led Zeppelin front and whether Bonham’s departure from Foreigner has anything to do that subject, Bonham indicated that it was "too early to tell" whether or not he will be working with them again, although he admitted that he had been over to the U.K. a few times to work with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, and play around with some new material.
Bonham said that his primary reason for leaving Foreigner at this time has more to do with spending time with his family than anything else.
He does still talk about his participation with the other three original members of Led Zeppelin at the O2 show, as well as every other opportunity he has had to play with them as "magical," and is hopeful that he will be working with them at some time in the future.
You can listen to and download the entire audio interview on the WCSX website.
