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Vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher of Florida death metal veterans CANNIBAL CORPSE spoke to the “RRBG Podcast” about what the concert industry might look like post-pandemic. He said (hear audio below): “I just think that people are gonna throw caution to the wind and say, ‘Fuck it.’ I cannot see [if we play] ‘Hammer Smashed Face’ that people are gonna just stand there like zombies. They’re not gonna do it. There’s no way. People are gonna start slamming. They’re not gonna care.

“We’ve gotta get back to the way it was,” he continued. “And who knows if it’s ever gonna be that way? I think maybe people are gonna be more cautious about washing their hands and coughing. Trust me — that’s a pet peeve of mine. Before this [pandemic] ever happened, when people were just sitting on our bus [and coughing], I’m, like, ‘Dude, I don’t want your shit.’ ‘Well, you can’t get it through that.’ Well, you know what? I’m sorry — when you cough, you spit. You don’t even see it. Go look online. There’s [been] experiments. When you cough, you don’t even know it. I probably spit on my [computer] screen about five thousand times while I’m talking to you, and I don’t even know. So I don’t like that anyway. And I’m not like some germaphobe or nothing.

“I just really want it to go back to normal,” Fisher added. “I’m sure I’ve been singing and I spit by accident into the mic and it went over and maybe hit some kid in the head. And I can imagine that people will be thinking about that now.

“I’m not a scientist, I’m not anybody in the know, but I just hope it can come back to normal. I think mentally we’re never gonna be normal again. Everybody’s gonna be thinking about it in some way or another.”

CANNIBAL CORPSE will release its 15th studio album, “Violence Unimagined”, on April 16 via Metal Blade Records. Erik Rutan, one of the death metal’s most acclaimed guitarists who is known for his time as part of MORBID ANGEL throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, as well as handling vocals/guitars for HATE ETERNAL, lent his guitar as well as production skills to the effort, which was recorded at his Mana Recording in St. Petersburg, Florida. Rutan previously produced four CANNIBAL CORPSE albums (in addition to “Violence Unimagined”), alongside the likes of GOATWHORE, SOILENT GREEN and BELPHEGOR. Filling in live on guitar since 2019, in 2020 he became a full member, contributing to the writing process.

TESLA’s Brian Wheat has once again spoken about the departure of original guitarist Tommy Skeoch. The bassist made his comments while talking to Eonmusic about his book “Son Of A Milkman: My Crazy Life With Tesla”, which was released in December.

Skeoch, who was a founding member of the Sacramento five-piece, played on the band’s defining albums, including 1986 debut “Mechanical Resonance” and 1990’s “Five Man Acoustical Jam”, exited the group for the final time in 2006.

Speaking about the departure, Wheat said: “Well, I don’t really like talking about it, to be honest with you, because, quite frankly, he was given many chances, and he chose his path; no one chose it for him.”

He continued: “Because I am the outspoken one, you know, the one who will just go, ‘Hey, there’s a fuckin’ elephant in the room, here,’ I caught a lot of his shit. And that’s just it. Someone asked me the other day if I ever thought I’d be friends with him again, and I said, ‘No.’ And then I thought that maybe that was a bit harsh, but really, when I think about it, I don’t think I ever was his friend.”

The bassist went on to say that he believed that Tommy didn’t really had a close relationship with anyone in TESLA, with the possible exception of vocalist Jeff Keith. “I don’t know if anyone in that band was his friend — maybe Jeff Keith,” he said. “So, it’s not like we went on vacation together or anything. We worked together, and at a certain point, it got hard to work together — for everybody, not just myself.”

Skeoch, who was fired due to substance abuse issues in 1994, rejoined when TESLA reformed more than two decades ago following a brief hiatus. “The sad thing about it is, ironically, when he was in the band from 2000 on, he stayed with me all the time, and I thought we were good friends,” Wheat said. “And then he took some shots at me right after he got out of the band again, and at that point, I was just, like, ‘Fuck you, dude. I didn’t do this to you, man. I tried to help you. And although I was the one that had to bring it up, you were continuing fucking up.”

The bassist went on to say that although others in the band struggled with their own demons, none of them let it affect their gig. “[Tommy] alludes to the fact that Jeff was doing the same things and Jeff didn’t get treated like that, and, to a degree, maybe he’s right, but Jeff never wasn’t able to perform, or Jeff didn’t miss gigs because he couldn’t get ahold of it, or he wasn’t out trying to score, or do whatever. I mean, I’m sorry man, but the same thing would happen if it was me.”

Finally, he concluded: “That’s just the reality of it, and I keep it real. Don’t deflect, you know, ‘Everyone else did this and that’ — own your shit. To this day, I don’t really think he’s owned it.”

Read the entire interview at Eonmusic.

The organizers of the U.K.’s Download festival have confirmed the cancelation of this year’s event.

The announcement comes just days after U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson said that June 21 is when he hopes to lift all restrictions and allow large events to go ahead.

Earlier today, the Download organizers issued a statement saying that they “never gave up hope of bringing the festival back to Donington this June and had been working so hard behind the scenes to make this happen, but we now know it’s not possible.” They also revealed that the 2022 installment of Download will take place June 10-12, 2022, with KISS, IRON MAIDEN and BIFFY CLYRO headlining.

The full statement reads as follows:

“We can confirm that Download Festival will no longer be taking place this year. But we do have exciting news for 2022.

“We never gave up hope of bringing the festival back to Donington this June and had been working so hard behind the scenes to make this happen, but we now know it’s not possible. We’re heartbroken for everyone in the Download family, from artists to supplier and of course our passionate Download fans.

“We’ll be back on 10th-12th June 2022, as strong as ever, with an amazing set of headliners — KISS, IRON MAIDEN and BIFFY CLYRO.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the NHS for their extraordinary efforts in rolling out the vaccine, as well as thanking all of you for your patience and for keeping the spirit of Download alive until we can be together again.

“You are very welcome to retain your ticket and carry it over to next year. Alternatively, you will be able to receive a refund from your ticket agent. Look out for an email from them very soon and please only contact them if you have not been contacted after 5 days as they are very busy at this time.

“Horns up. We’ll see you in 2022.

“Team Download”.

We’re sorry to announce that Download 2021 will no longer be taking place. Please read the full statement below.
Download will return stronger than ever 10th – 12th June 2022 with headliners @kiss, @IronMaiden and @BiffyClyro. ? pic.twitter.com/eQ3xb0Djke

— Download Festival (@DownloadFest) March 1, 2021

With live music in lockdown and the return of tours still uncertain, rock group QUEEN has come up with a safe alternative — no masks, no social distancing, just the good old fashioned live experience, with “Queen: Rock Tour”, the band’s first ever official game for Android and iOS devices.

The arrival of the play-along rhythm game comes at a significant landmark for QUEEN. With 50 years now having passed since the 1971 recruiting of John Deacon, completing QUEEN’s classic lineup, 2021 marks a QUEEN Golden Jubilee that the band was hoping to celebrate with fans. A massive 29-date European stadium and arena tour planned for this year has been forced to be delayed to 2022.

“Queen: Rock Tour” gives players a chance to experience the majesty and might of the QUEEN (live) experience on their phones supported by extensive attention to detail contributed by the official QUEEN archives and experts. Hit the stage and perform with the entire band as you unleash your music talents to play thrilling guitar riffs, heart-pounding drum solos and much more. All you need to do is tap the tiles in time with the rhythm!

“Be a lockdown rock star! No turning back !!!” enthused QUEEN’s Brian May on the game launch.

The game allows users to fully immerse themselves into the world of QUEEN. Progress and score points by playing along to 20 of their most popular hits, including “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You”, “Radio Ga Ga”, “I Want to Break Free” and “We Are The Champions”, while performing at 10 historic concert venues from around the world.

Style your performances with over 40 official and iconic costumes from the band’s history and help unlock fun trivia facts and exclusive images from the official QUEEN archives, by scoring highly in the game.

QUEEN’s music has been featured in major mobile music games before, but for the first time ever the band will be releasing their own dedicated mobile experience in “Queen: Rock Tour”.

QUEEN remain one of the most popular groups in the world today, transcending multiple generations of fans, a position further buoyed by the phenomenal global success of their Academy Award-winning 2018 biographical film “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which tells the incredible story of the band’s historic career and quickly became the highest grossing music biopic in history.

The film’s title was inspired by their iconic 1975 single “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the world’s most streamed song from the 20th Century and the first pre-1980s song to achieve more than 1 billion video views.

“Queen: Rock Tour” was created in association with Universal Music Group, Hollywood Records and developed by industry-leading mobile gaming developer and producer Gameloft.

Cedric Ratajczak, creative director at Gamesloft, said: “Our ambition was to push the boundaries of music and gaming with a fun and rewarding experience that would put players in QUEEN shoes at pivotal points in their career, and make them perform in real-time QUEEN’s live music unlike ever before. The creative challenge was to modernize the traditional rhythm-game genre with innovative and mobile-friendly twists inheriting from hyper-casual gaming, and with a unique and happy visual style that offers a timeless look to the band, appealing to the new generation of players. We devoted enormous attention to the details of QUEEN’s history, authenticity and artistry to craft a fitting tribute to one of the most significant bands in rock history and aim at setting new standards for how band-focused music games could be executed on mobile today.”

Andrew Kronfeld, executive vice president of marketing at Universal Music Group, said: “Today, QUEEN are globally recognized as one of the most iconic and important bands in history. Decades after their first live shows together and following on from the huge worldwide box office success of the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ biopic, their popularity continues to grow every year. We hope the launch of ‘Rock Tour’ will introduce their inimitable rock legacy and catalogue to a new generation of fans, through this unique new gaming experience.”

Ken Bunt, president of Disney Music Group, said: “We are excited to partner with QUEEN, UMG and Gameloft to let QUEEN fans experience the bands legendary music in a new way.”

“Rock Tour” is certain to appeal to fans old and young alike and is sure to find a place in the hearts of the millions of QUEEN fans around the world.

RATT singer Stephen Pearcy spoke to Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic about his upcoming docuseries, “Backstage Past”, which will arrive later this year on ASY TV (Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV). Regarding how the idea for a show featuring his own “house party”-style sessions came about, Pearcy said (see video below): “Since we’re in this situation with this virus and whatever, and who knows about the live shows, everybody’s experimenting. What I’m doing with my girl here is we’ve created a thing called ‘Backstage Past’, and it incorporates going back to the beginning with myself and through your career and up until… What is your legacy at the end of the day? [There’ll] be interviews, live jamming with special guests. We start filming on [February] 23rd, and it’ll go back to my history in [Stephen’s pre-RATT band] MICKEY RATT, all the way through the RATT years, with live footage going back — stuff nobody has ever seen. And that’s the whole premise of it. We’ve been working on it for quite a while. And it’s gonna be a program that’s gonna show somebody probably every week — once a week, special guest. And it’s way cool… We’re very excited. The first show is gonna be my legacy, and from there, I’ll be interviewing and jamming with guests and ‘Backstage Past’ — the story and lives of as many rock musicians as I can [cover]. And give ’em respect.”

Last week, it was reported by Metal Sludge that Pearcy would film a virtual concert with his solo band over February 26 and February 27, presumably to be released as part of the “Backstage Past” series. The event was reportedly shot at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go on the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California and featured a special guest appearance on “a few tunes” by former RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer.

The news of Blotzer’s reunion with Pearcy came a month after Stephen confirmed to SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that he was back on speaking terms with the drummer, who led his own version of RATT for a couple of years beginning in late 2015 before becoming embroiled in a legal battle with the singer, guitarist Warren DeMartini and bassist Juan Croucier over the rights to the band’s name.

“I do talk to Bobby,” Pearcy told “Trunk Nation”. “Bobby and I are — it’s love-hate, brother kind of a gig. We keep in touch and talk about positive things. He still has interest, so there are some things to talk about. And Warren is the same.”

“Look, life goes on,” he explained. “Life’s short. Hate’s not a good thing. There’s communication. But I can’t say anything.”

During the same chat, Pearcy said that he was open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band’s classic lineup.

“I wouldn’t wanna put a RATT record out there without the original guys,” he said. “I mean, it just wouldn’t make sense. We’ve tried it.

“Look, I accepted it a long time ago when Robbin [Crosby, late RATT guitarist] left the band, we lost a big element of direction. He was my right-hand man creating this monster. And I knew it — I knew once he was out, we would be going through motions. It’s all cool, and it’s great, but how many replacements can you have in a band and still consider it legit? So if we’re gonna have something on plastic, so to speak, forever, I’d rather have the original band do a record and just not do a RATT record until that day comes — if it ever happens.”

Stephen also stressed the importance of not letting personal differences get in the way of making music and touring while he and his bandmates are still physically able to perfom the classic RATT songs live.

“Look, we’re not the most dysfunctional band on the planet,” he said. “I’ve said it before, there are bands much more dysfunctional — MÖTLEY [CRÜE], GN’R [GUNS N’ ROSES], you name ’em — but the smart ones make an effort to take care of business. MÖTLEY — I don’t know if they even talk to each other, but they’re getting the business done. And that’s where I’m at. What are you — punishing somebody? You’re getting back at somebody? You’re holding a grudge, vendetta… It’s all bullshit. We’re all gonna die anyway. Go figure it out.”

Pearcy and Croucier are the sole remaining original members in RATT’s current lineup, which made its live debut in July 2018 in Mulvane, Kansas. Joining them in the band are drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK ‘N BLUE, RATT’S JUAN CROUCIER) and guitarist Jordan Ziff (RAZER).

RATT hasn’t released any new music since 2010’s “Infestation” album.

RATT — featuring Pearcy, Croucier and DeMartini — played a number of shows in 2017 after reforming a year earlier in the midst of a highly publicized legal battle with Blotzer over the rights to the RATT name. They were joined at the gigs by ex-QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who played on “Infestation”, and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, who previously played with Y&T, WHITE LION and MEGADETH, among others.

DJ Ashba spoke to Richard Allan, host of “Action Figures” on Amazon Prime, about his exit from GUNS N’ ROSES in 2015 after a six-year stint with the legendary rock group.

The guitarist, who joined GUNS N’ ROSES in March 2009 following the departure of Robin Finck, issued a statement in July 2015 saying that he was leaving GUNS N’ ROSES “to dedicate myself to my band SIXX:A.M., my adoring wife and family, and to the many new adventures that the future holds for me.” He later claimed that he was approached about being part of GN’R’s “Not In This Lifetime” tour, but that he declined, citing his desire to pursue SIXX:A.M. full time.

Asked if all the people close to him were telling him he was “crazy” for leaving GUNS N’ ROSES just before the launch of the band’s reunion tour, Ashba said (see video below): “My thing is, it was realy cool to get that call [about staying with GUNS for the ‘Not In This Lifetime’ tour], but on the other hand, I knew in my heart where I wanna go.

“I’ve never fooled myself,” he continued. “When I was in GUNS, people would be, like, ‘Oh, you’re in GUNS N’ ROSES.’ I’ve never been that guy that’s ‘formerly of’ and try to cling on to an old band name that, really, I shouldn’t be taking credit for — I’ve never been like that. If you go to any of my socials, you don’t even see ‘guitarist of SIXX:A.M.’, because I never wanna live in the past. I’m so focused on where I’m going. There’s a lot of people that do that, and there’s nothing wrong with it — it’s a legit credit I’ll die with, but at the same time, I don’t wanna live off of it. I wanna keep building. And I’m just getting started.

“That was a chapter in my life, and I’m starting a new chapter,” DJ added. “So, to me, it’s one of those things where I just wanna focus on where I’m going, and that makes me excited.”

Ashba previously discussed his departure from GUNS N’ ROSES in a November 2016 interview with SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. He stated at the time: “Well, there [were] multiple reasons [why I left GN’R] — a couple that I won’t go into — but the biggest reason was I needed to get back to my roots, back to what I really truly believed in, and that was playing songs I helped write with [SIXX:A.M. bandmates] James [Michael] and Nikki [Sixx]. We [SIXX:A.M.] have five albums out [and] we have a ten-year career together. So we did a tour, ‘Modern Vintage’ tour, where it was, like, nineteen shows, and that tour really changed my life and put my career back into perspective — you know, being out on the stage and connecting with the fanbase.”

Ashba also once again claimed that he was asked to stay in GN’R for the “Not In This Lifetime” tour, but that he decided against it, preferring instead to pursue his own career path.

“Axl called me and he really wanted me a part of the reunion, and I turned it down,” Ashba said. “I felt if Slash is coming back, that’s great — that’s what the fans want, and I can go off and do what I really wanna do now… And we left [off on good terms]; everything is good. And I couldn’t be happier for the fans out there. I’m a fan. Half of the band reunited, which excites me, but at the same time, it’s the best of both worlds — I get to do what I really love to do, and that’s play in SIXX:A.M.”

Only Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan from GN’R’s “Appetite For Destruction”-era lineup are taking part in the band’s current reunion. They are being joined by keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer. Also appearing with them is second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Four years ago, former GUNS N’ ROSES bassist Tommy Stinson said that he found it “funny” that Ashba “made such a big deal about” quitting the band at a time when “there wasn’t really anything going on” with the group. Stinson, who was in GUNS N’ ROSES from 1998 until 2014, told HardrockHaven.net: “[DJ] called me up on the phone and told me that he was gonna quit, you know, and this that and the other thing… [It] seemed like it was kind of inevitable that there was going to be a reunion happening, so I think he… I don’t know if he [laughs] tried to get in front of the curve to, you know, drum up some extra fucking press for himself. I don’t really know what the deal was, but I thought it odd. I thought it an odd time to make a big stink about quitting, you know?”

Last fall, Ashba released a couple of singles from his ASHBA project, which mixes his rock guitar with electronic music in what he previously described as the “perfect blend of rock and EDM.”

Rick Nielsen spoke to Terrie Carr of the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA about CHEAP TRICK’s upcoming 20th studio album, “In Another World”, which is due on April 9 via BMG. Asked how long it took for him and his bandmates to complete the effort, the guitarist said: “It was supposed to have been out a year ago. We finished it, but then, of course, all the crap happened, so [everything] got delayed — our tours got delayed, the record got delayed. So we did it probably a year and a half ago — something like that. I don’t think we really put the final touches on it until about a month ago, actually. ‘Cause in the meantime, we recorded this, that and the other. We’d done [a cover of David Bowie’s] ‘Rebel Rebel’ with [producer] Jack Douglas. We did [a cover of THE BEATLES’] ‘She Said She Said’ for Howard Stern [referring to Howard’s tribute to the 50th anniversary of THE BEATLES’ ‘Revolver’ album]. We had Joe Perry [of AEROSMITH guesting on it]. We were at Johnny Depp’s studio doing that. And then we did a [Harry Nilsson] song for another kind of tribute record. So it just seemed like we just kept recording. So now it’s time for this. I mean, we only finished the cover and all that stuff, really, about a month and a half ago.”

Nielsen also talked about CHEAP TRICK’s longevity and enduring influence, saying: “I don’t mean to be extra humble, ‘Oh, gee,’ but we do what we like, and we’re lucky that we had any success, and we’re lucky that we had any fans, but we’ve got a lot of fans, and we like what we do. We’re too dumb to quit, and our mistakes are real. And we’re just a good band. I don’t think we’ve ever progressed — really. I mean, we never tried to be something that we weren’t. We never tried to be, ‘All right, now we’re gonna do this.’ It’s just, like, no, that’s phony.”

“In Another World” was produced by CHEAP TRICK’s longtime associate Julian Raymond. The LP marks CHEAP TRICK’s first new LP since 2017’s double-header of “We’re All Alright!” and “Christmas Christmas”.

CHEAP TRICK’s current lineup includes three of its original members: Nielsen, singer Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson. Drummer Bun E. Carlos stopped touring with the band in 2010 and was replaced by Nielsen’s son Daxx.

Founded in 1974, CHEAP TRICK is an indisputable American institution, beloved around the globe for its instantly identifiable, hugely influential, brand of pop rock ‘n’ roll. The bandmembers are true pioneers with an unparalleled streak of certifiably classic tunes, from “He’s A Whore”, “California Man” and “Dream Police” to “Surrender”, “I Want You To Want Me” and the worldwide #1 hit single “The Flame”. 2016 saw CHEAP TRICK inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, a long-overdue acknowledgement of a nearly five-decade career that has earned them more than 40 international gold and platinum certifications, myriad awards and industry honors, featured appearances on over 20 movie soundtracks, and total record sales well in excess of 20 million.

Last September, CHEAP TRICK released the aforementioned cover version of “Rebel Rebel”. Back in 2018, CHEAP TRICK recorded a single called “The Summer Looks Good On You” and followed it up with 2019 updates of Harry Nilsson’s “Ambush” and John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth”.

Lead guitarist and co-founder of the legendary AC/DC, Angus Young spoke with Matt Pinfield for the latest installment of 95.5 KLOS’s “New & Approved” series. Virtually connecting from his Australian studio, Angus took some time to speak on the newest AC/DC offering, “Power Up”, the 45th anniversary of “High Voltage”, the impact Malcolm Young left on the legacy of AC/DC, and much more. He also recalled how late AC/DC singer Bon Scott first met Brian Johnson in the early 1970s.

“Bon had been in a band that had toured in Britain, and they were opening for the band Brian was in, which was a band called GEORDIE,” Angus said (see video below). “Anyhow, they were gigging away, and as Bon told the story, he was saying he was listening to GEORDIE performing and listening to Brian, and then he heard this screaming. He said it sounded great — he said it sounded like Little Richard was on the stage. He said this guy [was] howling and yelling. And then he said then he saw the guy on the floor. Bon thought it was great — it was the best act he had seen, and a singer, in a long time. But what he didn’t know, afterwards he found out, Brian had an attack of appendicitis. But Bon thought it was part of the act. He thought, ‘This guy is incredible.’ ‘And he was still hittin’ these high notes.'”

Brian previously spoke about crossing paths with Bon in a 2011 interview with New York Post. He said: “I met Bon in 1973 or 1974. His band was supporting my band, GEORDIE. I had a terrible case of appendicitis and I went down on my side, kicking and going, ‘Ooh!’ But I kept on singing. Apparently, he told the boys when he joined AC/DC, ‘I saw this guy Brian Johnson sing, and he was great. He was on the floor, kicking and screaming — what an act!’ Of course, it wasn’t an act. I was really ill.”

Scott was invited to join AC/DC by Malcolm and Angus Young in 1974, and achieved international stardom before his death at the age of 33 from alcohol poisoning.

He sang on AC/DC’s first six studio albums, including “High Voltage”, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”, “Let There Be Rock” and “Highway To Hell”.

Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking at a club in London, just days after attending a session with Malcolm and Angus Young where they began working on music for what became the “Back In Black” album.

According to the AC/DC FAQ web site, Bon and the friend, a musician named Alisdair Kinnear, had been drinking the evening of February 19, 1980 and Bon apparently fell asleep during the ride home. Kinnear could not wake Bon, so he left him in the car to sleep. Kinnear awoke early in the evening on February 20, checked on Bon, and found him unconscious in the car. Bon could not be revived, and was pronounced dead.

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia has explained the band’s decision to take part in an initiative dubbed “L’Ultimo Concerto?” (Last Concert) to highlight the increasingly uncertain future of music venues. Instead of delivering live performances as part of a scheduled free virtual stream on Saturday, February 27, each of around 130 Italian artists was filmed taking the stage at a different venue and then standing there in silence as a way of commemorating the one-year mark since the first Italian venues closed.

Earlier today (Sunday, February 28), LACUNA COIL’s social media was updated with a video message from Cristina, in which she said: “I know that a lot of you guys have been connecting to the web site ultimoconcerto.it expecting a live concert that never happened. What you saw was a video of us entering the venue Alcatraz in Milano and standing still on the stage, looking at an empty club. What we did was taking part in an Italian strike, and I’m here explaining it in English because a lot of you guys probably couldn’t read what was written on the web site and couldn’t figure out that this event was already really strange from the beginning, because more than 120 Italian bands playing from different clubs at the same time was already something very unusual — let alone the fact that we never really promoted it, we never really talked about it, we never reposted some of your posts, and if you think about [LACUNA COIL’s September 2020] ‘Live From The Apocalypse’ [virtual concert], we always did that.

“Of course, we couldn’t say anything, because the purpose was to make noise,” she continued. “So I absolutely understand your frustration, I absolutely understand your anger, and believe me, all of us [in] LACUNA COIL wanted to be on that stage to play a real concert for you. What you have to understand, though, [is] it is not easy to organize a concert, and there are costs behind [it] that you cannot imagine. So the point of the Italian strike that happened yesterday was to bring attention to the fact that clubs have been closed for a year because of the pandemic, and we don’t know when they are gonna be reopening again. So I want to thank you guys, because even with your angry messages, even with your disappointment, you helped us to scream even louder.

“Some of you guys wrote, it is useless to ‘attack’ or ‘use the fans,’ which is something that we never did intentionally. Well, think about the fact that the band is followed by a lot of journalists as well, so your angry comments are even more helping the music scene, because people will see this and will see that music without live clubs is missing a huge part.

“So I’m here to thank you guys and to tell you that we’re really hurt by some of the comments, but we know that this will be worth it,” Scabbia added. “So we want to thank you.

“[We’ll] hopefully see you in a real club, in a real show very, very soon. And thank you for the understanding. We] love you guys.”

Organized by KeepOn Live, Arci, Assomusica and Live DMA, the “L’Ultimo Concerto?” campaign was announced last month when the venues shared images on social media of their year of foundation and the year 2021 with a question mark, suggesting that their closures due to the coronavirus pandemic could be permanent.

Between March and June 2020, the Italian government imposed a national lockdown by restricting people’s movements to contain the pandemic. Thus, museums and cinemas closed and all cultural events were either canceled or rescheduled.

Around 300,000 people working in theaters, music venues, cinemas and cultural spaces in Italy have been rendered jobless since they shut their doors due to the coronavirus crisis.

Earlier on Saturday, Italy announced it was tightening restrictions in five of the country’s 20 regions in an effort curb the spread of the coronavirus.

There have been more than 2.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 97,500 deaths in Italy since the pandemic began. It is the second-highest death toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world.

‼️ Important message from us ‼️

Please watch.
Thank you

L’Ultimo Concerto Alcatraz – Milano

Posted by Lacuna Coil on Sunday, February 28, 2021