Bassist Chris Squire was reportedly admitted to the hospital on February 9 with an unspecified medical emergency which required surgery on his leg.

The unlucky group was forced to postpone dates in 2008 after Anderson suffered a severe asthma attack and was subsequently diagnosed with respiratory failure.

The singer has made it clear in recent blog posts he is unhappy with the fact his bandmates are touring without him.

Playing a series of intimate venues, this initial tour is set to launch on May 14th at the El Corazon in Seattle, Washington. The shows will conclude at TLA in Philadelphia, PA on May 29th, with tickets prices throughout averaging $50 per show.

Chickenfoot’s North American dates:

May 14 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
May 15 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
May 17 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
May 19 - The Roxy Theatre - West Hollywood, CA
May 22 - Park West - Chicago, IL
May 24 - The Mod Club Theatre - Toronto, ON
May 26 - Middle East Upstairs - Cambridge, MA
May 28 - The Fillmore NY Irving Plaza - New York, NY
May 29 - TLA - Philadelphia, PA

“We spent a lot of time together in the recording studio working long hours to make Chickenfoot live up to expectations,” said Satriani. “We really feel like we’ve mastered it and recorded a great album but now we’re especially excited to take the show on the road and see how the fans react to it live. I think we are really going to feed off of the fan’s energy. We’re really that type of band.”

“Chickenfoot” will be packaged in heat-sensitive artwork, which means when you put your hand on the CD inlay, photos of the band members will be revealed behind the Chickenfoot band logo.

“Chickenfoot” track listing:

1. Avenida Revolution
2. Soap on a Rope
3. Sexy Little Thing
4. Oh Yeah
5. Runnin’ Out
6. Get It Up
7. Down the Drain
8. My Kinda Girl
9. Learning to Fall
10. Turnin’ Left
11. Future in the Past

A great band is nothing without a great rhythm section, and Chickenfoot has one of the best in the two-man team of bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Chad Smith.

As a founding member (and fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer) of Van Halen, Anthony laid the bedrock for which guitar genius Eddie Van Halen could fly. More than that, he provided a signature style of background vocal that became an intrinsic part of that band. “A total fluke,” the good-natured bassist humbly asserts. “I was just doing what came naturally.”

Hagar sees Anthony’s abilities differently. “Michael keeps the band going,” he says. “Listen, he’s never going to get the kind of credit he deserves — he played next to Eddie Van Halen. Hell, Jack Bruce didn’t get much credit compared to Eric Clapton — that’s just the nature of things. Mikey held down the fort, and he still does.”

Aiding Anthony in holding down the fort is Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who have, since Smith joined the group in the late Eighties, gone from cult faves to a worldwide force. Heretofore thought of as a “funk/alternative” drummer, Smith gets to rock hard with Chickenfoot, and the percussion explosion he creates might come as a surprise to those who only know of his work from tracks like “Under The Bridge.”

The members of Chickenfoot admit that the band came together almost by accident, a result of jams held at Hagar’s club, Cabo Wabo Cantina, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

“We were just having fun,” recalls Michael Anthony. “After Sammy and I left Van Halen, we’d get together with musicians, and certain people seemed to really gel. Chad came down and we got on well with him. Gradually, we started talking about doing something more serious, but we needed a guitarist. Somebody smokin’ — somebody who could take us to the Promised Land.”

Enter Satch, who hooked up with Hagar, Anthony and Smith and felt “an immediate connection unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.” To Satriani, who had almost abandoned his lifelong dream of being a part of a “big-time rock band,” here was his chance, and here were his bandmates. “After just a few songs, it became stunningly obvious that we shared an overall musical agenda,” he says. “The only question was could we make a great album?”

The band answered that question last fall when they hunkered down with the illustrious producer Andy Johns at George Lucas’ Skywalker Studios and knocked out a batch of songs that sets a new standard for rock music in the new millennium.

From the thunderous, ominous opening strains of “Avenida Revolution” (detailing the bloody drug wars in Tijuana, in which Hagar makes his feelings come through his skin) to the album closer, the shimmering rock ballad “Future’s in the Past”, “Chickenfoot” is a firebomb of a record, the likes of which we haven’t heard in ages.

The band kicks and snorts their way through a passel of take-no-prisoners rockers like “Soap on a Rope,” “Sexy Little Thing,” “Oh Yeah” and “My Kind of Girl.”

“These are the kinds of songs I could never do on my own,” says Satriani. “I needed a band like this to make those songs come alive.”

The band explores mature themes on songs such as “Runnin’ Out,” about a world stretched to the breaking point to “Learning to Fall,” perhaps the most poignant love song Hagar has ever written lyrics for. As both a vocalist and songwriter, Hagar’s intensity and forcefulness are on vivid display on “Chickenfoot.”

“I write what comes to mind,” the singer says. “I’m not bound by anything subject-wise. I’m inspired by the music. When I heard the music Joe was going for, it made me reach, it made me stretch. I think it made me sing in a way that I normally wouldn’t have done. We seem to have that kind of effect on each other.”

Satriani agrees. “People have this idea of what this band is about, or what Sammy Hagar is about as a lyricist and a vocalist,” he says. “The thing is that we manage to get each guy to up his game in a non-confrontational way. When I play with Chickenfoot, I find myself wanting to give them more all the time. I don’t hold anything back. I think the rest of the guys feel the same way.”

That Satriani unleashes sheets of shred magna is, of course, a given, but what’s interesting is, as individualistic and recognizable as his talents are — and this is true of all the players — they transform in a strange and beautiful way on “Chickenfoot.”

Likewise, Anthony and Smith, channel past heroes. For Anthony it’s Electric Flag bassist Harvey Brooks. For Smith it’s Zeppelin’s John Bonham. Together, they perform something of an astonishing balancing act, dispending performances that meet at the intersection of Heavy and Nimble. This is what a rhythm section does, drives the band in forceful, creative ways. Listen to Chickenfoot and you’ll hear what a true rhythm section sounds like.

“Chickenfoot,” which is already being hailed as the most intense rock ‘n’ roll album since Led Zeppelin’s classic efforts, coincides with a European tour that will consist of outdoor festivals, including Montreaux, Switzerland, and Bospop, Holland, plus various intimate indoor rock shows, including the London O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on June 25th.

Rolling Stone

When Rolling Stone caught up with Joe Perry backstage at last week’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the guitarist said he was pumped about touring with world’s most famously bearded band. “That’s just amazing to be able to play with them because it’s going to be a kickass show,” Perry said, adding that Aerosmith would reinvigorate their set lists this time around. Perry also told RS that Aerosmith’s new album has been delayed, but they’re aiming to finish it after the tour wraps.

While venues for the majority of shows hasn’t been announced — details for just three shows were announced last week — it’s easy to guess what amphitheater or arena the tour might hit by looking at the itinerary. For instance, Wantagh, New York’s show will obviously take place at the Nikon at Jones Beach, the Holmdel, New Jersey show will be at the PNC Bank Arts Centre, Uncasville, Connecticut is Mohegan Sun, etc. Guess the venue in your market by checking out the full tour dates below — and stick with Rolling Stone for the most updated news on the Aerosmith/ZZ Top tour.

Aerosmith & ZZ Top 2009 Summer Tour Dates

June 10 - St. Louis, MO
June 13 - East Troy, WI
June 16 - Boston, MA
June 21 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion

The outing kicks off July 28 in Foxborough, MA and so far runs through September 8.

‘Black Ice’ debuted a Number One on the Billboard chart, selling 780,000 copies in its first week of release via limited online and retail outlets.

Foxborough, MA Gillette Stadium (July 28)
East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium (31)
Auburn Hills, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills (August 16)
Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena (18)
Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome (30)
San Jose, CA HP Pavilion at San Jose (September 2)
Los Angeles, CA Staples Center (4)
San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena (6)
Anaheim, CA Honda Center (8)

Here’s a little behind the scenes AC/DC for you- “The Making of the Black Ice Video”

“British Steel”, the sixth album by JUDAS PRIEST, was released on April 14 1980. The LP was remastered in 2001 and reissued with two bonus tracks. The 2001 reissue bonus track “Red, White, and Blue” was written sometime during the earlier years of PRIEST’s career. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau in July of 1985. The second bonus track, a live performance of “Grinder”, was recorded on May 5, 1984, in Los Angeles during the “Defenders of the Faith” tour.

A new audio interview with JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing can be streamed on Italian news blog Musica Metal at this location. During the chat, which was conducted over the phone in early March, Downing discusses the plan to perform the “Nostradamus” album live in its entirety; the fact that the band’s current “Priest Feast” tour features the same lineup (PRIEST, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT) as the “Painkiller” North American tour in 1991, and he explains his enthusiastic relationship with new technologies like YouTube.

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have announced the following North American dates:

Jul. 01 - The Family Arena - St. Charles, MO
Jul. 02 - Summerfest, Harley Davidson Stage - Milwaukee, WI
Jul. 03 - Taste Of Minnesota at Harriet Island - St. Paul, MN
Jul. 07 - Comcast Center - Mansfield, MA
Jul. 08 - CMAC - Canandaigua, NY
Jul. 09 - Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
Jul. 11 - PNC Banks Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
Jul. 12 - Nikon At Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY
Jul. 14 - Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre - Cleveland, OH
Jul. 15 - DTE Eneryg Music Theater - Clarkston, MI
Jul. 17 - Moondance Jam 18 - Walker, MN
Jul. 18 - Rockfest/Chippewa Valley Music - Cadott, WI
Jul. 21 - PNC Pavilion (Riverbend Music) - Cincinnati, OH
Jul. 29 - California Mid-State Fair - Paso Robles, CA
Jul. 31 - Sleep Train Pavilion - Concord, CA
Aug. 01 - Sleep Train Amphitheatre - Marysville, CA
Aug. 02 - Gibson Amphitheatre - Universal City, CA
Aug. 04 - SDSU OPen Air Theatre - San Diego, CA
Aug. 07 - Dodge Theater - Phoenix, AZ
Aug. 08 - Thomas & Mack Center - Las Vegas, NV
Aug. 10 - Sandia casino - Albuquerque, NM
Aug. 11 - Red Rock Amphitheatre - Morrison, CO

Most of the above-listed shows will also include WHITESNAKE.

Three Historic Shows. Two Rock Legends. A Collaboration Forty Years in the Making.

Includes iconic performances of Blind Faith, Eric Clapton, and Steve Winwood’s greatest hits. (Tracklisting for both the DVDs and CDs are below)

Steve Miller is gearing up to tour on his “yet to be named” new release. The tour kicks off in May…check the dates below.

Check the video on the bottom of the page for a sweet “unplugged” version of The Joker from 2006.

May 2009
1 - Memphis, TN - Tom Lee Park
3 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sunfest

July 2009
8 - Calgary, Alberta - Fort Calgary Historic Park
10 - Merritt, British Columbia - Merritt Mountain Music Festival Grounds
11 - Woodinville, WA - Chateau St Michelle Winery
12 - Troutdale, OR - Edgefield Winery
16 - Cadott, WI - Chippewa Valley Festival Grounds
17 - Highland Park, IL - Ravinia Pavilion
18 - Morristown, OH - Festival Grounds
20 - Interlochen, MI - Kresge Auditorium
21 - Kettering, OH - Frazee Pavilion
24 - Moticelo, LA - Jones County Fairgrounds
25 - West Bend, WI - Washington County Fair Park
29 - Livermore, CA - The Concerts at Wente Vineyards
30, 31 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery

August 2009
1 - Costa Mesa, CA - Pacific Amphitheater
7 - Elizabeth, IN - Horseshoe Southern Indiana
8 - Washington, MO - Town & Country Fair
9 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
11 - Odessa, TX - Ector County Arena
14 - Portsmouth, VA - Harbor Center Pavilion
19 - Hamburg, NY - The Fairgrounds
20 - Vienna, VA - Filene Center at Wolf Trap
21 - Solomons, MD - Calvert Marine Museum
22 - Mashantucket, CT - MGM Grand Theater
25 - Rama, Ontario - Casino Rama Entertainment Centre
28 - Hyannis, MA - Cape Cod Melody Tent
29 - Cohasset, MA - South Shore Music Circus

October 2009
1 - Thackerville, OK - Winston Casino
3 - Mobile, AL - Bayfest

via Rock God Cred.

Alice Cooper, Ace Frehley, Chad Smith To Perform At ‘Supergroup’ Benefit Concert Alice Cooper will headline the second annual “Supergroup” benefit concert on April 26 at Berklee Performance Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Joining for the 7:00 p.m. show will be guitarist Ace Frehley (ex-KISS), guitarist Ricky Byrd (ex-Joan Jett and the), drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), drummer Simon Kirke (ex- Bad Company), guitarist Barry Goudreau (ex-BOSTON), Teddy “Zig Zag” Andreadis (ex-Guns n Roses, Alice Cooper), bassist Will Lee (”Late Show with David Letterman”), singer-harmonica player James Montgomery, singer Kate Taylor, bagpipe and tin whistle player Scruffy Wallace (Dropkick Murphys) and guitarist Damon Johnson (Alice Cooper).

The event, which will benefit the Arlington-based recovery center for artists and entertainers, will be hosted by Lynn Hoffman of A&E’s “Private Sessions” and comedian Chris Zito.

Tickets go on sale March 21 via Ticketmaster or Berklee Performance Center Box Office.

Tickets: 100, 75 and 40 US dollars.

Classic Rock Magazine is reporting that The Woodstock Festival is due to return this year to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Woodstock is going to hit both New York and Berlin in August 2009. According to promoter Michael Lang, the New York festival will take place exactly on the 40th anniversary, August 15-16th, while the Berlin event will be from August 22-23rd at an abandoned airport. The exact location for the U.S. festival has not been determined as of yet and neither have the acts set to fit the bill.

Hailed as the ultimate “peace and love” festival in 1969, this reputation was turned on its head after the violence and riots that were supposedly incited by bands such as Limp Bizkit, Insane Clown Posse and Kid Rock when the festival returned for its 30th anniversary show in 1999.

Regardless, the organizers have claimed they wish to recruit more of the headliners from the original 1969 line-up, namely The Grateful Dead, The Who and Santana.

Chickenfoot’s self-titled debut CD will be released in either APRIL or MAY. The first single might be either “Oh, Yeah!” or “Bitten By The Wolf.” The tour will kick off in MAY, warming up in smaller venues (possibly clubs) in the USA followed by a few weeks in Europe during the summer.

via Van Halen News Desk.