Billy Gibbons and John Fogerty Accidentally Wrote a Song Together

Billy Gibbons has revealed that a recent meeting with John Fogerty about their joint tour quickly turned into an accidental songwriting session.

 

Gibbons went to Fogerty’s Los Angeles home to make arrangements for the road trip with ZZ Top, which runs across the U.S. from May 25 to June 29, and since the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman had a studio in the building, they decided to take advantage.

“We went straight to work,” Gibbons told Rolling Stone in a new interview. “It was an exercise in just absolute joy.” The untitled piece was created from an idea Fogerty had come up with, and they worked on it after they jammed some of their own classic tracks, including “Fortunate Son,” “Bad Moon Rising” and “Tush.”

“I’ve been wanting to kind of hook up with Billy or ZZ for a long time,” Fogerty said. “I think we’ve traded emails. I ran into him down somewhere, and I was playing and Billy was playing the next night. I had him come into my show and we did 'Sharp Dressed Man.' It was a lot of fun. He sent me a couple of emails. I think he even gave me a CD or two that he labeled 'Big Ol' Blues.' There was a whole bunch of great old songs on there. We've been trying for a while and it finally has fallen into place, which I'm delighted about.”

As for who will start each night's show on the upcoming tour, Gibbons joked that it was all decided by a coin toss. “Who is going to start, who is going to stop and do we have to stop? That was the real question," he said. "I think it'll work out nicely. It's a collaboration experience, which I think makes a lot of sense, not only for both bands, but for the fans and followers.”

Fogerty expressed interest in playing ZZ Top’s “La Grange,” “Sleeping Bag” and “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide,” among others, while Gibbons named “Fortunate Son” and “Down on the Corner” as CCR songs he'd like to perform onstage. “I rattled off a half a dozen titles from the heyday of Creedence," Gibbons recalled. "[Fogerty] was grinning. He said, 'You gotta remind me. I gotta re-learn all that stuff I'm supposed to already know.' I said, 'Yeah, that's the way it goes, man. We gotta get to work.'"

Metallica announces North American tour dates for 2018-2019

METALLICA has announced the details of the 2018-2019 North American leg of of its “WorldWired” tour in support of the band’s latest album, “Hardwired… To Self-Destruct”.

The 34-date trek kicks off September 2 in Madison, Wisconsin and runs through March 13 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Tickets go on sale to the public starting March 2 at Live Nation and the Fan Club presale begins February 27. Each ticket purchase will be accompanied by a physical or digital copy of “Hardwired… To Self-Destruct”.

Says the band: “Following last summer’s sold-out 25-date stadium run, this year we’re bringing the in-the-round production currently being seen in European arenas to the U.S. and Canada kicking off on September 2, 2018, in Madison, WI. Along the way we’ll be visiting 34 cities we did not go to last year, including a few we haven’t been to in decades, including Grand Forks, ND (nearly 30 years), Sioux Falls, SD, El Paso, TX, Birmingham, AL (nearly 26 years) and State College, PA (20 years). About time, wouldn’t you say?!”

“The fall/winter tour will mark a few firsts for us as each show will get rolling with the Light It Up pre-show party hosted by our very good friend Jim Breuer. Jim, along with a DJ to get the night rocking with some great tunes, hits the stage before us with comedy, fan interaction, giveaways and much more. And if you love to travel and one show just isn’t enough, then perhaps the Wherever I May Roam Black Ticket is for you! For the first time in ‘TALLICA history, you may purchase one ticket that will allow you floor access to any METALLICA show on the 2018/2019 North American tour. Feel like trucking to Tulsa? Booking to Boise? Motoring to Minneapolis? No problem… you pick the show, call us no less than 48 hours before the gig and you’re in! A limited number of 250 of these Black Tickets* will be available for $598 (yes… we are celebrating the re-issue of the ‘Garage Days Re-Revisited’ EP!).

“Of course, some things don’t change! As we have been doing for most of the ‘WorldWired’ shows, every ticket purchased includes your choice of a standard physical or standard digital copy of ‘Hardwired…To Self-Destruct’. Keep it for yourself or gift it to a friend or family member… you’ll receive info via e-mail after your ticket purchase on how to obtain your copy. The enhanced experience options designed to take your METALLI-night to the next level are also returning as we continue to partner with the team that makes it all happen at CID Entertainment. You’ll have three options of special enhanced experiences, including premium tickets and amenities ranging from early access to the venue and the ‘Memory Remains’ exhibit of memorabilia to meeting some of us (!).

“Finally, we’ll continue to raise funds for our All Within My Hands foundation, which supports a cross-section of national, local and Bay Area charities, music education programs and local food banks. Continuing our collaboration with Crowdrise, we encourage you to make a donation when purchasing tickets to the upcoming shows and each time you donate, you’ll be entered to win tickets, pre-show party passes, meet and greet passes, and one lucky winner will be flown to the last show on the tour. 

Tour dates:

Sep. 02 – Madison, WI @ Kohl Center
Sep. 04 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
Sep. 06 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
Sep. 08 – Grand Forks, ND @ Alerus Center
Sep. 11 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford Premier Center
Sep. 13 – Winnipeg, MB @ Bell MTS Place
Sep. 15 – Saskatoon, SK @ SaskTel Centre
Oct. 16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Wisconsin Entertainment and Sport Center
Oct. 18 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
Oct. 20 – State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center
Oct. 22 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
Oct. 27 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
Oct. 29 – Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
Nov. 26 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
Nov. 28 – Boise, ID @ Taco Bell Arena
Nov. 30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
Dec. 02 – Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena
Dec. 05 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
Dec. 07 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
Dec. 09 – Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
Jan. 18, 2019 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
Jan. 20, 2019 – Little Rock, AR @ Verizon Arena
Jan. 22, 2019 – Birmingham, AL @ Legacy Arena at The BJCC
Jan. 24, 2019 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
Jan. 28, 2019 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
Jan. 30, 2019 – Cincinnati, OH @ U.S. Bank Arena
Feb. 01, 2019 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
Feb. 28, 2019 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
Mar. 02, 2019 – Lubbock, TX @ United Supermarkets Arena
Mar. 04, 2019 – Wichita, KS @ Intrust Bank Arena
Mar. 06, 2019 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
Mar. 09, 2019 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
Mar. 11, 2019 – Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Mar. 13, 2019 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena