A few days ago a rumour originated in British tabloid Daily Mirror about Whitesnake as a support act on Led Zeppelin’s alledged world tour:

A long-time pal, Whitesnake’s frontman David Coverdale, said yesterday the tour was “very likely” and he was expecting to be the support act.

David said: “I’m expecting a call from Jimmy any day asking my band Whitesnake to support them on their world tour. Am I on board? You bet. Probably worth billions!

Coverdale promptly denied the rumour in his email to Classic Rock’s Geoff Barton:

What fucking world tour, we ask ourselves? We’re already out on our Good To Be Bad world tour, thank you very much!

I have no idea where this started, Geoffers. But, with the wildfire of the internet, my poor ol’ German publicist is fighting them off with her rusty, but trusty, Luger.

I assure you there is no… (of course there fucking isn’t) …any foundation in this.

Why, after all the charming back-and-forths between one Monsieur Plant and oneself through the years, who could imagine such a premise possible? Not me, squire!

Thanks to Nigel Young, Blabbermouth.net and Daniel Bengsson for the info.

Jeff Healey tribute concert was held on May 3. Ian Gillan, Jeff Beck, Randy Bachman, David Wilcox, Colin James, and Alannah Myles were among the musicians who performed at the Sound Academy in Toronto, Canada.

Glen Miller reports:

Well, they saved the best for last as Gillan was the last major artist to come on stage for the Jeff Healey tribute last night before most of the musicians came back on stage for the grand finale to play Healey’s See The Light.

IG played 5 songs: Highway Star, Lazy, When A Blind Man Cries, Sugar Plumb and Smoke On The Water. While the music was very good, it was an exercise in survival for the sold-out crowd of 2,600 as the show lasted from 7 p.m. (beginning with a half hour of video clips of Jeff in concert, to the music beginning at 7:30 p.m. and the show lasting until 1:45 a.m.!!!
I may have set my own personal record of standing at a show as there were no chairs.

Also, it had to be one of the latest times in recent memory that IG had to come on stage — 1 a.m. He was supposed to be on at 12:05 a.m, but things fell behind
schedule-wise.

Anyway, Mr. Healey would have been proud.

Proceeds from the concert went to Daisy’s Eye Cancer Fund and Healey Family Trust.

The show was recorded and will be broadcast by CBC Radio 2 in July.

Thanks to Glen Miller and CBC.ca for the info.

Ian Paice will appear at the Pearl Day which will be held on Sunday, June 1 at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham, UK. Apart from Paicey, guests will include Jerry Brown (Girls Aloud, Will Young), Mark Brzezecki (Big Country, Procul Harum, The Cult, Pete Townshend), Jimmy Degrasso (Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, Suicidal Tendencies), Darrin Mooney (Primal Scream), and Dan Foord (Silth).

Pearl Day, featuring the largest single exhibition of drum products in the UK, also includes percussion workshops by Lea Mullen, specialist in Samba and Latin and a demonstration by the 37th Kingswood Drum Corp. Visitors can try out products in the “sound test area”.

Tickets are £18 (or £9 for under 12 and OAPs). For more information visit http://www.pearldrum.com/.

Pear is running a contest with the following prizes: winner will get a Pearl Snare drum signed by the event guests, a T-Shirt and a pair of tickets to Pearl Day 2008. One runner-up will win a pair of tickets and a T-shirt with the second runner-up winning two tickets.

To enter answer this: How many years has Ian Paice been a member of Deep Purple?
a) 40
b) 35
c) 25

E-mail your answers by 9am on May 23, including your name, full address, mobile number and e-mail address, to: features@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk. Mark your entries Pearl @ EG. You can also post entries to: Pearl @ EG, Features, Evening Post, Castle Wharf House, Nottingham NG1 7EU.

Thanks to Mike Garrett for the info.

Esquires Club, Bedford, May 3, 2008.

Nick Simper and the Good Old Boys:
I’m Ready, Fool, My Way, Shaky Ground, Sleepwalk, 25 Rock, Somebody to Love, Los Lobos, Come On Everybody, Shaking All Over (encores: Hush, The Good old Boys).

Glenn Hughes (with keyboardist Anders Olinder):
Coast to Coast, I Found A Woman, Mistreated, Seafull, This Time Around, When Will our Love End, Nights in White Satin, Dont Let Me Bleed, Holy Man, You Keep On Moving, encore: Stormbringer
(There was also a question and answer session, during the Glenn Hughes performance)

Burn (Doogie White guest vocals on Highway Star and Burn):
Stormbringer, Strange Kind of Woman, Space Truckin, You Keep On Moving, When A Blind Man Cries, Highway Star, Burn, Mandrake Root, Woman from Tokyo, Lady Double Dealer, Hush, Black Night, Smoke on the Water, encore: Bullfrog Blues

Bernie Torme was also present at the event but did not go on stage.

Thanks to Mike Garrett and Jerry Bloom for the info.

The new Blackmore’s Night album is around the corner. It’s called Secret Voyage and will be released via SPV in Germany on June 27, the rest of Europe on June 30, and USA/Canada on July 15. The album will include 12 tracks:

01. God Save The Keg
02. Locked Within The Crystal Ball
03. Gilded Cage
04. Toast To Tomorrow
05. Prince Waldeck’s Galliard
06. Rainbow Eyes
07. The Circle
08. Sister Gypsy
09. Can’t Help Falling In Love
10. Peasant’s Promise
11. Far Far Away
12. Empty Words

The record company has posted a track-by-track commentary from Candice Night and album preview clips.

Correction [May 12]: The North American release date will be July 15 and not June 15 as we reported earlier.

Thanks to Blabbermouth.net, Daniel Bengtsson, Pal17 and Mike Garrett for the info.

From the Yet Another Smoke On The Water Cover department, we present you Smoke On The Water done by funky Elvis and a band called Dread Zeppelin. Their specialty is Zep (and other classic rock covers) inna reggae style.
Continue Reading »

Here’s an update of the Good To Be Bad charts position:

UK

#1 in Top Rock Albums (week ending April 27, the chart wasn’t updated on May 4)
#7 in Top Albums (week ending April 27)
#22 in Top Albums (week ending May 4)

USA

#8 on Billboard Top Independent Albums (peak position as of May 10)
#62 on The Billboard 200 (peak position as of May 10)

Other countries

Norway: #5
Finland: #5
Germany: #6
Sweden: #10
Austria: #11
Switzerland: #15
Denmark: #18
Canada: #23
Czech Republic: #27
Holland: #33
Italy: #57
France: #69

Lay Down Your Love promo video posted on Youtube by SPV.

Thanks to Mike Garrett for additional info.

In advance of his upcoming concert in Liverpool, Glenn Hughes is featured in an online article where he details, among other things, his memories of that fateful concert in 1976 when it all seemed to be over.

Read it at
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-life-features/liverpool-arts/2008/04/25/glenn-hughes-liverpool-is-the-place-for-me-64375-20817724/

Thanks to Keith Thompson for the info

Deep Purple will headline the Monsters of Rock festival on July 11, 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain. Other bands on the bill include Twisted Sister, Ted Nugent, Saxon, Thin Lizzy, Pretty Maids, Candlemass and Rage.

The band is announced to return to Spain on September 13 this year to perform at the Big Twin Espana festival, an international annual biker meeting, convention and show, which is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary.

Thanks to Miquel Fos Camarena for the info.

Mike Garrett and Kevin Dixon have started a new fanzine dedicated to all things Blackmore. No dead trees, no subscription fees, no long waits (as we all hope). Read Cartouche online or download it for printing on their Myspace page.

Thanks to Kevin Dixon for the info.