Dave Lifton

The town of Port Chester, N.Y., located 35 miles north of New York City, may seem like an unusual place for a famous rock venue, but the Capitol Theatre boasts a history few stadiums can match. The long-dormant theater re-opened last night (Sept. 4) with a performance by Bob Dylan.

Here at Ultimate Classic Rock we always root for the underdog, and we love it when artists who have gone under-appreciated for years finally get their due, especially when it occurs in their lifetime. Today we learned of one such case when we saw the news that the French government has awarded the Legion of Honor to a little-known singer from Liverpool, England, Sir Paul McCartney.

It’s known that before he was Eddie Money, Rock Star, he was Eddie Mahoney, New York Police Officer. Apparently things have gotten so bad in his singing career that he’s had to go back to a day job, running his own travel agency — and he’s loving it.

The life of a rock n’ roller may be grueling, what with all the constant travel, long hours in the studio and non-stop partying, but, as Duff McKagan found out, it’s nothing compared to mountain climbing. The former Guns N’ Roses bassist recently risked his life attempting to scale Mt. Ranier, which has an elevation of 14,409 feet, and wrote about the experience in his column at Seattle Weekly. R

Last year, the Rolling Stones offered the first official release of ‘The Brussels Affair,’ a much-bootlegged performance from their 1973 European tour, as a digital download. Yesterday (Aug. 29), the band announced that they are issuing the concert on vinyl in the form of three limited-edition box sets.

Long a vegetarian and supporter of animal rights, Queen guitarist Brian May has taken to the British press in an attempt to prevent an upcoming mass slaughter of badgers by the British government. In the Daily Mail on Sunday (Aug. 26), he penned an editorial against the plan, which is being carried out to stem an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis in Somerset and Gloucester.

Drummers are the Rodney Dangerfield of rock. From jokes like, “What did the drummer get on his IQ test?” (answer: drool) to the mock tragedies that befell Spinal Tap’s myriad timekeepers, drummers get no respect. However, a new list shows that many of them are laughing all the way to the bank.

Fifty years into his career, every new Bob Dylan album is still greeted with a mixture of anticipation and expectation that few can match. What’s he going to say about life? How’s he going to say it? Did he change religions again? Is there anything salvageable in his voice? ‘Duquesne Whistle,’ the first single from his upcoming album, ‘Tempest,’ has been released and, while it doesn’t answer all t

Could Journey be calling it quits? Maybe not, according to guitarist Neal Schon, but he’s definitely had thoughts about how he wants to go out on a sustained high note. In a new interview, he reveals that he’s open to having former lead singer Steve Perry join them band for one last go-round.

A classic concert by the Who previously available only on bootleg will soon get an official release. ‘The Who Live in Texas ’75,’ a document of their Nov. 20, 1975 concert at the Summit in Houston, will be out on DVD and digital video on Oct. 9 — which, coincidentally, would have been bassist John Entwistle’s 68th birthday.

Artists are rarely the best judges of their own material. How many times have we cringed when a classic group we love releases a new album they claim is among their best ever? And how often are we privileged to hear outtakes that cause us to smack our heads, in disbelief that they were left off the original record?

‘Magical Mystery Tour,’ the Beatles‘ 1967 made-for-TV film, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray worldwide on Oct. 8 and in North America on Oct. 9, which, coincidentally, would have been John Lennon’s 72nd birthday. The movie will also have a limited theatrical release on Sept. 27.