Few songs carry as much built-in concert folklore as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” Beyond being a genuine classic rock staple, the song has become a cultural shorthand — shouted as a joking request at concerts of every genre imaginable — but its origins and original meaning are far more sincere than the running gag it … Read more
The humid night air on Route 42 usually smells like cut hay and damp asphalt, but that night, it smelled like sulfur and ozone. Heat lightning was fracturing the horizon, lighting up the silhouette of a white sedan stranded on the shoulder like a ghost car. Its hazards were dying, blinking out in long, agonized … Read more
Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer,” released on the 1975 album “Zuma” with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse, remains one of the most beloved deep cuts in his catalog — not just for its haunting lyrical content, but for the almost accidental way it was captured on record. The song takes its lyrical inspiration from … Read more
More than four decades after Led Zeppelin’s dissolution, fans continue to hold out hope for a full reunion tour. But Robert Plant has consistently been the band member least interested in making that happen, and his reasoning has remained fairly consistent across years of interviews. Led Zeppelin effectively ended in 1980 following the death of … Read more
Few songs in rock history have inspired as much debate over their meaning as the Eagles’ “Hotel California.” Released in 1976 as the title track of the band’s fifth studio album, the song became an instant hit and has remained a staple of classic rock radio ever since — largely because its lyrics resist any … Read more
On July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan walked onto the stage at the Newport Folk Festival with an electric guitar, backed by a rock band, and forever changed the trajectory of popular music — while igniting one of the most infamous controversies in festival history. Up until that point, Dylan had built his reputation as the … Read more
Before Fleetwood Mac became one of the best-selling bands of all time, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were a struggling duo trying to figure out whether their music career was worth continuing. It was during this uncertain period, while staying in the mountains near Aspen, Colorado, that Nicks wrote “Landslide,” a song that would go … Read more
On July 13, 1985, Queen took the stage at Wembley Stadium for a 20-minute set as part of Live Aid, the global benefit concert organized to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. What followed has since been studied, replayed, and celebrated as arguably the greatest live performance in rock history. Queen wasn’t even the … Read more
Nearly 46 years after his death, John Bonham’s name still comes up first in almost any conversation about the greatest rock drummers of all time. His playing combined raw power with an almost impossible sense of groove, and these five Led Zeppelin tracks capture exactly why. “Moby Dick” remains the definitive showcase of Bonham’s technical … Read more
On November 29, 2002 — exactly one year after George Harrison’s death — the Royal Albert Hall in London became the site of one of the most heartfelt tributes in rock history. The Concert for George brought together an extraordinary lineup of musicians who had shared decades of friendship and collaboration with the quiet Beatle, … Read more