This Week's Top 10

Here are the top 10 stories from this week's Day in Rock and the top Day in Rock digest stories

Guns N' Roses Announce U.S. Festival Date With Alice in Chains and Daughtry

Wednesday marked the 23rd anniversary of the release of Guns N' Roses debut album, Appetite for Destruction, so it's only fitting that we had a big announcement for U.S. fans (it looks like a road trip may be in the making for some of you!) Guns N' Roses have announced their only 2010 U.S. show and their first U.S. concert appearance in four years at the Rock 'N Rev Festival.

Organizers announced on Tuesday that Guns N' Roses been officially recruited with Daughtry to join the inaugural Rock 'N Rev Festival and cement its assault on the legendary Sturgis Rally's 70th Anniversary celebration in Sturgis, SD, at the newly constructed Rock N' Rev Amphitheater at Monkey Rock USA.

Guns N' Roses will headline the fifth and final night of the festival, as it moves to the Brand New Rock 'N Rev Amphitheaterat Monkey Rock USA in Sturgis, adjacent to its original location. L.A.'s notorious rock 'n' roll bad boys - one of Q magazine's "50 Bands to See Before You Die" – have combined forces with HDlogix and DC3 Global for this rare and very special appearance on home soil to bring the "full-out rock 'n' roll spectacle" (Spin) of their 2010 "Chinese Democracy World Tour" to Sturgis and finish off the hijacking of the world's biggest, baddest biker event, Monday, Aug. 9 through Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 - more on this story

Metallica Enthusiastic About Possible Tour with Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax

Metallica are wrapping up a massive two-and-half year touring cycle later this year but that hasn't kept them from looking ahead to future tour plans and they may involve three words that will make any thrash metal fans salivate: The Big Four!

After this summer's monumental Big Four shows as part of the Sonisphere festival that saw Metallica share the stage with Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, Lars Ulrich has warmed up to the idea of bring the package to fans in the U.S. and the U.K. "The vibe on this thing [the 'Big Four' tour] is so big, we'd be stupid to ignore it," Ulrich tells Classic Rock magazine. "You know on your iPhone, you can move the weather maps up and down? Well, the 'Big Four' is quickly moving up to the top in terms of potential occurrences for the next couple of years."

But don't expect it to happen right away: "We started in May 2008, so we've got to go and lie down pretty soon!" he said. "We've got three runs out in Australia, Japan and New Zealand in the Fall, then we're going to take a little bit of a breather because at that point we will have been two-and-a-half years on the road." He adds, "So I would champion trying to do this [the 'Big Four' tour] in 2011 or 2012, obviously in England and the United States . It's just a matter of logistics. I don't think there's anybody involved who considers there's a sell-by date on this - Read the Classic Rock Feature here

Bret Michaels Pot Bus Bust

Bret Michaels is used to gaining headlines these days, but we can bet that the last one he would want to see is that police found drugs one of his tour buses. Michaels tour buses were pulled over on Wednesday night in DeKalb County, Indiana and the police found marijuana and unidentified controlled substances while searching the vehicles.

SleazeRoxx reports: "According to the DeKalb County Sheriff's Department, around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, deputies pulled over two tour buses near the 137 mile marker on Interstate 69 near the Ashley exit.

"After getting license and registration information from the drivers, trained Narcotics Detection K9s found marijuana on both of the buses, as well as a quantity of Schedule II controlled substances on the first bus. Deputies then learned Bret Michaels was onboard the second bus during the traffic stop. Charges will be forwarded to the DeKalb County Prosecutor's Office for review."

The Toronto Sun reports that Michaels' publicist says, "No arrests were made. Mr. Michaels allowed an open search of the buses and everything was handled in a professional manner. - more on this story

Slash Explains Fan Attack and Velvet Revolver's Future

Slash recently took a break from his busy schedule to talk with Michael Wright of Gibson.com. They cover a lot of ground in the interview but there two hot topics caught out eye. First Michael asks Slash about the recent incident in Milan (where a fan bum-rushed Slash onstage).

Slash: That wasn't that bad. That wasn't that big of a deal. It could have been a lot worse. But the way that it turned out, the guy that got up there, you know, ended up going over the front of the stage with my security guard and I sort of just got tagged along the way. It's not that big of a deal. I mean, come on. It's a rock and roll band. (laughs)

Gibson.com: What is the status of Velvet Revolver right now? Your website says, ominously, "New Velvet Revolver Coming..." Do you have any idea when…or with whom on vocals?

Slash: Well, the main thing is looking for a singer. And everybody has been quietly listening to demos and stuff from singers this whole time. They're just really, really few and far between. There are a lot of good singers, but the right kind of rock and roll singer for a band like Velvet Revolver is very few and far between. So everybody has been doing their own thing in the meantime. We will reconvene sometime next year and sit down and listen to all of the demos that we have and see if we have anything. As soon as we do find the right guy, then we'll focus on making another record. - read the full interview here

Aerosmith Tour Will , Despite Joe Perry's Accident

Aerosmith fans you can now exhale, the band has sent out official word that the show will go on despite Joe Perry's recent motorcycle accident: No wind, no rain, no motorcycle mishaps can stop Aerosmith's "Cocked, Locked and Ready to Rock Tour" which begins their spectacular 18-city Live Nation produced US Summer Tour starting today, Friday, July 23rd at Oakland's Oracle Arena.

Aerosmith, America's Number One rock and roll band, has just finished a run of phenomenally successful dates in Europe and South America but all agree that playing for their American fans is the ultimate. Clearly the Aerosmith army couldn't agree more. The band is scheduled to play their hometown along with the J. Geils Band at a sold out Fenway Park show on August 14th.

"After last summer, we've been looking forward to getting back out there with a vengeance. I can't wait to feel the roar of the American audiences again and give this summer what it needs – a double dose of Aerosmith!" commented Steven Tyler. - more on this story

Bill Ward Addresses Black Sabbath Reunion Rumors

Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has gone on the record about the rumors that the members of Black Sabbath may be plotting a reunion with Ozzy Osbourne following the death of Ronnie James Dio.

When Sonic Express asked Ward about the rumors of a Sabbath reunion, he responded, "The only thing I know, and I have talked with Tony.... well, the only person I haven't spoken with is Geezer, but that is because he prefers e-mail to the telephone, and Ozzy (Osbourne) called me yesterday. I think the statements have been made into a little bit of a cake. I saw the statements only last night online, when I got home from the studio. Where Ozzy's at, with wanting to tour with Black Sabbath is that Ozzy has been in his place for a long time and says, 'I'm never going to say never'. I have the same attitude. My quotes would be, 'I never want to say never, I'm in the same place'. Tony has a completely open mind to the possibility of touring with Sabbath again.

"I think what's happening is that some people have hooked into that and written a story out of it. I think realistically, right now, I can't see where it would be a possibility, with Ozzy on tour for the next 18 months and having a new record out that's great. I've got a new record, and I know that Tony has other things he wants to do musically, and Geezer also. We might all agree to it, but when it would happen, I just don't know. Other than those few comments, I just don't know about a Sabbath tour anywhere near in the future. Tony has already stated that he doesn't want to talk about it until he finishes that concert for Ronnie in London. It would be great, but I don't know where any of it sits right now. It's like the press has gotten it and is kindling the fire before anything has been said. I talk to Ozzy all the time, and he hasn't mentioned sh*t to me about Sabbath." - Read the full interview here

AC/DC Rule The World

Long ago AC/DC's Bon Scott sang "it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll." Bon would be proud because not only has AC/DC reached the top, they continue to stay well ahead of every other band. Michael Wright of Gibson.com has the details: Gross has sorted and ranked the world's biggest tours over the last six months (compiled by Boxscores) and the results show the final leg of AC/DC's nigh interminable Black Ice Tour more than doubling the closest competition in dollars and total attendance.

In the period from November 28, 2009 through June 19, 2010, AC/DC grossed more than $118 million and played to nearly 1.1 million fans. Bon Jovi came in second, grossing just less than $52 million. Metal symphony sensation Trans-Siberian Orchestra ranked third, with more than $47 million.

Metallica and Taylor Swift finished out the top five, each hovering at just less than $40 million. Other rock acts include The Eagles at #8, Nickelback at #11, Depeche Mode at #12, John Mayer at #16, Guns N' Roses at #17, Elton John and Billy Joel at #20, KISS at #21 and Muse at #23. - more on this story

Iron Maiden Slams Bands for 'Raping' Fans

Iron Maiden won't be joining other veteran bands in "raping" their fans with excessive ticket prices. Frontman Bruce Dickinson has very strong feelings about this practice according to this report from our friends at Rock Radio:

Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson says you won't catch his band trying to use the 'heritage' tag – because all it means is a tired old outfit is trying to fleece you. Dickinson points out that on the US and Canada leg of their world tour the top ticket price is $90 and as a result they're still an important act with a committed and young audience – unlike certain bands who 'milk' their own crowd.

And he singles out Eagles shows for being an example of the worst kind of prices and the worst kind of attendees. "We don't do $250. That's bulls*** – what is it with these 'heritage' acts? That's what they've branded themselves," He tells Noisecreep. "Basically you're seeing a bunch of bands who have been around for a while doing the same old s***. They come out of the woodwork after 10 years and go, 'You're going to pay through the nose, so we're going to rape you.' - He's just getting warmed up!

Sex, Drugs and Bon Jovi

Steven Adler's new autobiography apparently isn't the only rock tell-all that will be released next week. We received an announcement that Bon Jovi's former tour manager Richard Bozzett will release Sex, Drugs and Bon Jovi on July 26th. Here is the info that we were sent about the release:

Bon Jovi has sold more than 130 million records worldwide and performed in front of more than 34 million fans but little is known about how Bon Jovi rose to superstardom as he doesn't often talk about the early years.

For the first time, take an all-access backstage ride into the early years (1983-89) through tour manager Richard Bozzett's eyes in Sex, Drugs and Bon Jovi. This book visually takes you from the group's first performances in front of a few hundred fans through being an opening act to touring on their own and becoming Rock Legends. - more on this story

Guitar Hero: Rush 2112 Details

We told you about this in Wednesday's digest but here is more details about Rush's inclusion in the upcoming Guitar Hero: Rush have joined together with Activision Publishing, Inc.'s Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock to bring their seven-part suite from their classic 2112 album to the game's all-new, story-based Quest Mode this September.

For the first time ever, Guitar Hero fans will embark on an epic voyage playing as eight Guitar Hero characters that transform into rock warriors who must join together to use their unique, game-changing powers to help the Demi-God of Rock take down "The Beast" to save rock.

"The music, the story and the journey of 2112 lends itself perfectly to the quest in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock," said Geddy Lee of Rush. "In our story, the caves of 2112 are where our hero finds the lost guitar and this rediscovery of music is much like the Guitar Hero warriors' journey to find the Demi-God of Rock's Legendary guitar, which has been trapped in a cavern." - more on this story