2023 RokIsland Festival Lineup Announced

It looks like the next RokIsland Festival will be a good one.

The event is scheduled for January 17 - 21, 2023 in Key West, Florida. Styx, Loverboy, Tesla and another act TBA will headline. Other bands on the bill include Extreme, .38 Special, Quiet Riot, Stephen Pearcy and more. Tickets go on sale to the general public July 6. Clicking the image below will take you to the event website where you can get more information.

I know some of the regular BBG! readers went to the event last year. The reviews were all pretty good - and escaping the cold of January is never a bad idea!

This Made Me Howl

I laughed so hard at this. I don't know why this photo struck me as so funny, but boy it did. "Metal Without Context" indeed!

pic.twitter.com/bH36CfkDoa

— Metal Without Context (@MetalwoContext) June 29, 2022

Applebee's Uses KISS Music In New Campaign

Nothing says rock n' roll like... Applebee's. I guess.

KISS music is used in the restaurant chain's new advertising campaign. "Rock and Roll All Nite" is the song of course. The campaign is because cheap appetizers are back for late night. I remember going to Applebee's for late night apps when I was in grad school. Seemingly being awake all the time and broke - the ad does bring back some memories. Gene Simmons cashes another check!

Def Leppard Launches Cosmetic Collection

You read the headline correctly! Def Leppard just released a cosmetic collection available at Ulta Beauty. There are eye shadows and blushes, lipsticks and more. There is also a cosmetic bag with Hysteria album art. Yes, I'll be getting something from the collection!

In celebration of 45 years of #DefLeppard legacy, the band has announced the release of the Def Leppard limited-edition beauty collection. The collection is available exclusively in Ulta Beauty stores nationwide, & online at https://t.co/ZiVZbL6AK6. #Music pic.twitter.com/T8ik80x0FF

— Music Beat (@MusicBeat5) June 27, 2022

Sunday's Best: Week 25, 2022

It's the last week of Pride, so that seems like a great time to share a playlist for the moment. That's our Sunday's Best for this week.

The playlist below has Madonna, Lady Gaga, Queen, George Michael and so many more rock and pop artists I love and I bet you do, too.

And and a little look back at a piece of uplifting history from 2015:

White House as it looked tonight 2015: pic.twitter.com/DeZeHMCqAv

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) June 26, 2022

A Little Damn Yankees Surprise

Sebastian Bach jumped on stage with Night Ranger a few days ago to perform the Damn Yankees classic "High Enough." Both acts were sharing the bill that night in Toledo, Ohio.

Jack Blades always sounds good. Of course, "High Enough" really needs the power of Tommy Shaw's vocals too. Damn Yankees existed back in the good old days before Ted Nugent was a complete, insurrectionist wacko.

But back to the surprise duet! Bach started a little rough but really picked up as the song went on. The show was June 24. Toledo is probably three hours from my house... I wish I had been there!

And the wonderful original. Those sunglasses are cringe, though! (Yes, all of them!)

Tracii Guns Overcomes His Panic Disorder

Tracii Guns has panic disorder. I know this because he announced it on his Twitter feed. Heat is an anxiety trigger for him and it's been crazy hot in much of the world the past few days. LA Guns has been playing live gigs and to get around the heat issue, Tracii did the set inside an air conditioned bathroom. Since it's 2022, he live-streamed his toilet gig so people could watch.

Folks without anxiety-related disorders have no idea how hard some "normal" things can be for folks with panic problems. So called "easy stuff" like being in the heat, driving on the highway, eating with other people, talking in public, flying on planes - it all can be crippling for folks with panic disorder. Props to Tracii for highlighting the issue and for overcoming with a unique solution. I love it.

Got to watch something pretty remarkable tonight - @TraciiGuns performing the @laguns set from backstage live on IG, for circumstances explained in his post below from FB. Spoiler: HE ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT 🎸 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UoItTOaIfj

— Greg Renoff (@GregRenoff) June 24, 2022

https://t.co/VXpaGV9iBY

— Tracii ⨁ 🇺🇸🇩🇰 (@TraciiGuns) June 24, 2022