Get Well, Vince!

Vince Neil is on the mend today. Vince got sick with kidney stones during Sunday night's Motley Crue show in Sydney, Australia. The show was shortened when Vince was rushed to the hospital.

When Vince got to the hospital, he was admitted for surgery. Nikki Sixx tweeted about the whole ordeal and mentioned that Vince is now doing fine and recovering. Before the show, Nikki noted that Vince was doubled over in pain, but the singer didn't want to cancel.

After his surgery, Vince took to his own Twitter account to post these tweets:

Huge thank you to all the paramedics at the All Phones Arena, the ambulance paramedics, the nurses, doctors and Staff.

— Vince Neil (@TheVinceNeil) March 11, 2013

Doc says I should have a full recovery and be back onstage for the Brisbane show tomorrow. Thanks to my bandmates and crew for your support!

— Vince Neil (@TheVinceNeil) March 11, 2013

Motley is scheduled to play Brisbane on Tuesday.

Another Great Halestorm Cover

Halestorm recently covered DIO's "Straight Through the Heart." A studio version of the song will be featured on a new covers album due later this year. Check out a live version below. I've been listening to Halestorm a lot lately and I'm looking forward to this new covers album.

KISS Live on Australia's 'The Footy Show'

Earlier this week, KISS visited The Footy Show in Australia. The band perform "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "Hell Or Hallelujah." The Footy Show looks like a hoot. Check it out.

Lynch Mob, 'River of Love' Unplugged -- Official Video

Lynch Mob Unplugged is coming and the band just released the video for "River of Love" to celebrate.

The new Lynch Mob album features George Lynch (guitars), Oni Logan (vocals), Robbie Crane (bass), Brian Tichy (guitars) and Tyson Sheth (drums). These tracks are on the album:

River Of Love
Where Do You Sleep At Night
All I Want
Wicked Sensation

Lynch Mob Unplugged is due March 26 via Rat Pak Records. It's available for pre-order now.

Is Rock USA The Best Festival Lineup This Summer?

Rock USA has a banging lineup! The festival, set for July 17 - 20 in Oshkosh, Wis., has some big names on the lineup, including the mighty Van Halen.
Here's the lineup so far:

Wednesday, July 17 –
Avenged Sevenfold
Buckcherry
Saliva
TBA (2)

Thursday, July 18 –
Queensryche
Great White
Slaughter
TBA

Friday, July 19 -
Godsmack
Chevelle
Sevendust
TBA (2)

Saturday, July 20 –
Van Halen
Ratt
Jackyl
Dokken
TBA

Rock USA is running a discount sale on tickets March 11-13. During that window only, you can get a four-day pass for $49.

In my opinion, this is just a fantastic lineup. Great classic rock. Glam. Modern metal. This festival looks like a ton of fun. The drawback is that Oshkosh is so remote, the town is kind of hard to get to and there aren't a lot of lodging options. Most music fans camp, which isn't my thing. Will you attend this event?

 

Tommy Lee Draws A Line In the Sand: Meet and Greet Version

Welp, someone in the big leagues finally did it: Tommy Lee is done with fan paid meet and greets. Tommy made the announcement yesterday via the Motley Crue Facebook.

“For those of you that are asking why I am not doing anymore meet and greets!! It’s got nothing to do with me not wanting to meet the fans, I just don’t agree with doing it under the certain given circumstances. I love u all and I’ll gladly high five y’all if I see u out n about – and u won’t have to pay me for that.”

Motley is currently on tour in Australia.

Tommy didn't really explain the situation, but I have my theories. Most of you already know how I feel about paid meet and greets: I think they are bogus cash grabs. I will never pay to meet anyone. Period. Granted, I probably have an unfair advantage when it comes to meeting bands, but still. Even if I didn't write about bands, I'd never pay to meet anyone. It just seems insane to me.

It's not uncommon for Live Nation-backed meet and greets to cost a $1,000 bucks. I can renovate an entire bedroom and bathroom for a thousand bucks and have money left over for dinner, thank you very much.

The Motley Crue packages start at $295 and top out at $900. The high end includes the chance to meet and whole band with a photo.

Now, you can do whatever you like with your money. You've earned it, and you should spend it however you choose. But I'm definitely in Tommy's camp on this one. I suppose his line in the sand puts the other members of Motley in an awkward position regarding the meet and greets. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

Queensryche Has A New Label Home

So Queensryche has a new record label... and will release a record in June. Queensryche (featuring Todd La Torre on vocals) is now on Century Media. Ironically enough, former Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate is on Century Records, too. Well, distantly anyway. (To be clear, Century Media is the parent of InsideOut Music, and that's where Geoff currently lives label-wise. But still). I think someone at that label has a sense of humor. Oh, and to add one more label to the mix, remember that Geoff's version of Queensryche is now on Cleopatra Records. The Century Media release:

(March 4, 2013 - New York, NY) - Legendary Seattle rockers QUEENSRYCHE are poised to regain their place as hard rock/heavy metal royalty in 2013. The band has just signed a new label deal with Century Media for the release of their latest studio album. The album is slated for release on June 11 and marks the debut album from the lineup comprised of Todd La Torre (Vocals), Michael Wilton (Guitars), Parker Lundgren (Guitars), Eddie Jackson (Bass) and Scott Rockenfield (Drums).

"QUEENSRYCHE is excited to begin writing this next chapter of our career with Century Media. Their passion and love for music has been apparent since early discussions and we are pleased to call them partners on this journey," states bassist Eddie Jackson. "We are also thankful for all of the fans who have supported us from day one and helped us get to where we are today. Todd, Scott, Parker, Michael and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for each and every one of you."

QUEENSRYCHE will also be heading out on their "Return To History World Tour" this March and April. The tour kicks off on March 5th in Dubuque, IA and makes stops in 9 different countries wrapping up on April 26th in the Netherlands. The band will also be taking to the high seas on this year's "Monsters Of Rock Cruise" and "Sweden Rock Cruise." The 23 date trek will make stops in New York, Tennessee and Florida as well as in Canada, United Kingdom and Germany amongst others. Tickets for all shows are currently on sale.