Ritchie Blackmore, founding guitarist of Deep Purple, has announced plans to join the band onstage for an encore at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York — his first live appearance with the group since 1993. Blackmore said he reached out to frontman Ian Gillan, who enthusiastically supported the idea. “I said, ‘How would you feel about if I got up just for an encore? Just one of the songs. I don’t want to intrude,'” Blackmore explained. His 1993 exit followed a turbulent European tour incident. The band later skipped performing together at their 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction over similar tensions. Blackmore also suffered a heart attack in 2025. “It’ll be good to see the old guys again,” he told fans on Instagram. (Story URL)
Ozzy Osbourne’s classic rock anthem “Crazy Train” has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, earning a coveted place in the platform’s elite Billions Club. Originally released in 1980 as Osbourne’s debut solo single following his departure from Black Sabbath, the track was co-written by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Bob Daisley. The song became Osbourne’s signature solo recording and appeared on his debut album, Blizzard of Ozz, which has since achieved quintuple platinum certification. “Crazy Train” also gained renewed cultural exposure in the early 2000s when a lounge-style arrangement of the track served as the theme for the MTV reality series The Osbournes. (Story URL)
Queen drummer Roger Taylor has released his new single “I See You Now,” accompanied by an official music video. The track is taken from his upcoming album, Violence Insane In A Beautiful World, due September 18 via Columbia Records. Taylor describes the song as a love letter to his wife. “When you really get to know someone, it’s ‘oh, I see you now, that’s it,'” he said. The black-and-white video was created by his wife Sarina Taylor and collaborator Simon Lupton. The album marks Taylor’s seventh solo record and first since his 2021 Top 3 release, Outsider. A UK tour begins September 21 in Newcastle, wrapping in Swansea on September 29. (Story URL)