After over 20 years apart, the original members of Triumph (Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore) have announced they will be re-uniting to play a Swedish Rock Festival this summer. Also possible is an appearance at the second annual "Rocklahoma" fest, with a full-scale tour in 2009 being discussed. My long-time friend Rik Emmett will be checking in with me on my show on Thursday, February 7th at 9:30pm to give me the exclusive on the latest developments, including his upcoming solo charity show in Crystal Lake next month. Don't miss it!

(See Triumph's video for "Lay It On The Line" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oJi0liWsst4&feature=related)

(See Triumph perform "Magic Power" live at the US Festival here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=rRDS9AwDF6g)

(See Triumph perform "Never Surrender" live at the US festival here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bYde7a8V2-8&feature=related)

The tally for the second annual "Byrd For Birds" food drive to aid the Greater Chicago Food Depository has just come in... this year over 80,000 lbs. (over 40 tons) of food was donated during the drive! Wow! Many thanks again to all the Loyal Loopers who contributed. Needless to say, a great many less-fortunate families were able to enjoy a holiday meal, that otherwise would not.

With the start of a new year, numerous great Loop concert announcements have been made, including upcoming shows from Queensryche, Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, UFO, and return visits by Rush and Van Halen, among others. For the complete list and info, visit the Loop's Concert Calender at wlup.com/Concerts/Listings.aspx.

Welcome to 2008!

The Loop's New Years Eve Rock 'n' Roll Ball at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare to usher out 2007 was even bigger than last year and a smash hit. This time, we took over a whole hotel with entertainment in every corner and on every level. The hotel sold out of rooms, and the complex was packed with some 5,000 + Loop revelers having the time of their lives. For those who didn't get a chance to partake in the party first hand, ABC-7 TV covered the event, including my countdown to midnight from the ballroom stage. If you didn't go this year, make sure you go next year. It was one hell of a party!

Last week, I was interviewed and my show featured by the fine folks at "Chicago Radio Spotlight." You can check it out here: http://chicagoradiospotlight.blogspot.com/2007/12/byrd.html

And finally this bit of information to look forward to in 2008... Led Zeppelin are indeed considering a full-scale reunion tour! Their show at the O2 arena in London was phenomenal. The audience was delirious, and the band was very pleased and encouraged by the response and their personal performance. Needless to say... the Loop is the place to be as this story unfolds, as tickets will be gone in a flash!

(See Led Zeppelin perform "Kashmir" live at the O2 Arena in London here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QZxukPZ0pjA&feature=related)

Happy Holidays to you and all your loved ones. I hope Santa is good to you (even if you haven't been)!

Ozzy Osbourne rocked the Allstate Arena last weekend in his first arena tour in more than six years in support of his latest CD "Black Rain." I broadcast my show live from the venue and the roar I got when I stepped on-stage instantly told me how pumped up Loyal Loopers were to be at the concert. Ozzy was in excellent form, dishing out all his classics as well as several songs from the new album. Ozzy's band was tight and the opening act, Rob Zombie won over many new fans as well.

(See Ozzy Osbourne perform "Crazy Train" live at the Allstate Arena here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=qrTMWODeD_Q)

2007 isn't even over yet, and the Loop's 2008 concert calender is already filling up! The Loop will be bringing Van Halen back to town by popular demand for a third show in the Chicagoland area, April 3rd at the Allstate Arena. If you missed the two previous shows... do NOT miss this one! Van Halen is firing on all eight cylinders and it is a must-see concert. Tickets can be had (while they last) through www.wlup.com/.

(See Van Halen perform "Runnin' With The Devil" live at the Allstate Arena here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tvt6WSZcHf4

Not only is the Loop bringing Van Halen back to town , but we're also bringing Rush back for another show as well. Keep it locked on the Loop for the official announcement.

Are you ready for the Led Zeppelin reunion tomorrow night in London? Did you ever think we would see the day that Led Zeppelin got back together? JY Young of Styx will be there, and will be calling me on my show as soon as the concert is over for an exclusive review of the most anticipated reunion of them all. Don't miss it!

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra played two packed shows at the Allstate Arena today. After broadcasting my show live from the event and introducing the band on-stage for their two performances (3pm and 7pm), I had some time afterwards to spend with the the performers and brains behind the phenomenon, Paul O'Neill. Paul graciously donated a contribution to my "Byrd For Birds" food drive during our visit together. Thanks Paul!

(See Trans-Siberian Orchestra's video for "Christmas Eve Sarajevo" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7iY4Tom6-wM)

It is with a heavy heart that I have learned that my friend Kevin DuBrow, lead singer of the band Quiet Riot was discovered dead in his home in Las Vegas this past week at the age of 52. There are no further details at this time, but I will be posting as soon as I know more.

(See Quiet Riot's video for "Cum On Feel The Noize" here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KW2J_UZ8lQU)

The second annual "Byrd For Birds" food drive was another rousing success this year, thanks to your time and generosity. Many Loyal Loopers took the time to drop off donations, including Chris Kennedy (son of the late Robert F. Kennedy). I should have the totals from the drive in the next few weeks, and will be posting them here. In the meantime, many thanks again to my fellow Loop on-air personalities Johnny B., Erin, Pete, Jane and ABC-7 TV for helping me spread the word. Special thanks also go out to April (the 2007 Loop Rock Girl), Bill Klaproth, Tisa LaSorte, Karla Carey, Guy Bauer, Jimi Hendrix, AJ Cox, Tommy King, and the entire Loop promotions staff for assisting me with their time and encouragement yet again this year. Last but not least, thanks to all the wonderful Loyal Loopers... you guys and gals are the best!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a happy and tasty Thanksgiving. Gobble, gobble! Zzzzzzzzzzz...

My second annual "Byrd For Birds" food drive will take place tomorrow from 8am til 4pm in the south lobby of the Merchandise Mart. I will be collecting donations of frozen turkeys, non-perishable food items and (if you prefer) cash and will be donating them to the Greater Chicago Food Depository (www.chicagosfoodbank.org/site/PageServer) so that less fortunate families in the Chicago area will have a holiday meal, too. I look forward to seeing you and thank you in advance for your generosity.

Sebastian Bach (of Skid Row fame) was in town this past week. He has just released his first full-length solo album called "Angel Down" that features no less than three tracks with the reclusive Axl Rose of Guns n' Roses guesting. The CD is terrific, and I recommend it highly. After checking in with me on my show, we went to lunch the following day to catch up some more. As I have previously mentioned on this blog, Baz and I have been close friends for well over 20 years (egads!) now and it was really great to see him during some "down-time."

Anne Wilson of Heart also called me the other night to update me on her debut solo album entitled "Hope & Glory", which has just been released. Her killer cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" from the aforementioned CD has been playing regularly on the Loop for some time now. It's no surprise to long-time Heart fans, since Anne and her sister Nancy are huge Zeppelin fans, covering many of their songs in their formative years. In fact, Anne shared with me how excited she was to be going to London next month to take in the long-awaited Led Zeppelin reunion.

Christmas came early this year for Blackhawks fans. Before a packed house at the United Center tonight, the Hawks beat the best team in the league and hated arch-rivals, the Detroit Red Wings for a third straight time this season, 3-2. The Hawks have now administered 3 of the Red Wings only 4 losses this season. The game was the first televised home game in years, and the coming-out party couldn't have been better scripted.

Prior to the start of the game, I was one of the invited guests to a private, pre-game celebration at the UC by new Hawks chairman Rocky Wirtz. It was small and intimate affair held in a party suite at the arena. Kid Rock also attended wearing his Red Wings jersey (he's from Detroit), which I razzed him about immediately. We both had a good laugh and then proceeded to talk hockey and music for the remainder of the party.

This Friday, join me and "Sweet Baby" Jane as we broadcast live from Hero's West, 1530 Commerce Lane in Joliet from 3pm-7pm for another Coors Light Unwinder. Plenty of Coors specials, Loop prizes and a chance to win Bears tickets!

Led Zeppelin's long awaited reunion will have to wait... but only for a few weeks.

AHMET ERTEGUN TRIBUTE CONCERT POSTPONED UNTIL DECEMBER 10th

Led Zeppelin Guitarist Jimmy Page Fractures Finger The Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, originally scheduled for Monday, November 26th and featuring Led Zeppelin, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Paul Rogers, Paolo Nutini, and Foreigner has been postponed until December 10th due to Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page fracturing his finger.

The injury to Page's finger, which was sustained this past weekend, will not allow him to play guitar for 3 weeks. The specialist treating Mr. Page said, "I have examined the fracture to Mr.Page's finger, and it is my opinion that with proper rest and treatment, he will be ready to resume rehearsing in three weeks time, and thus able to perform on December 10."
Jimmy Page added, "I am disappointed that we are forced to postpone the concert by two weeks. However, Led Zeppelin have always set very high standards for ourselves, and we feel that this postponement will enable my injury to properly heal, and permit us to perform at the level that both the band and our fans have always been accustomed to."

TICKET HOLDERS PLEASE NOTE ALL Tickets for the November 26th show will be valid for the rescheduled date. Any customers who are unable to attend the rescheduled concert on the 10th December will be able to obtain a full refund of the ticket purchase up
until midday (UK time) on November 14th 2007. Any tickets made available as a result of refunds will be offered to ballot winners selected at random from original registrations after the 15th November 2007.

Please refer to www.ahmettribute.com <http://www.ahmettribute.com/> for information on how to obtain a refund and for further information.

"Byrd For Birds" will be held this year on Tuesday, November 20th from 8am-3pm at the Merchandise Mart. As I did last year, I will once again be collecting frozen turkeys and non-perishable food items to donate to the less fortunate this holiday season. Please stop by and make a donation.

Van Halen proved to the skeptics that 22 years apart did nothing to dim the chemistry between Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth. The two sold-out Loop shows this past week were some of the best shows I have ever seen. It was as if time had stood still. The deliriously happy and drained Loopers will be talking about these shows for years to come.

Despite the continuing medical challenges Aerosmith has faced lately, it once again did not deter them from delivering another stellar show at the Allstate Arena recently. Rescheduled due to an eye injury suffered by Steven Tyler, the guys hit the stage with vigor and rocked the house as they always do. Joan Jett was a terrific opening act who told me how excited she was to be back in Chicago.

Playboy threw a bash in Wrigleyville the other night which they asked me to MC. A fun-filled night was had by everyone. Many Playboy models past and present attended the soiree.

Many thanks to all the Loyal Loopers who packed my recent "Friday Night Live" broadcasts around the area. It was great fun and I will definitely be doing another series of them soon, perhaps in your neighborhood! Looking forward to seeing you then.

The most recent Heaven & Hell show at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates with Queensryche and Alice Cooper in tow was one of the best values for the ticket price in quite some time. The sound and performances from all three acts were note-perfect renderings of their most popular works. Queensryche surprised the audience with an inspired version of Pink Floyd's "Welcome To The Machine" which will be included on their new CD entitled "Take Cover" hitting stores next month. The sound and amenities at the Sears Center are above average for an arena, and I highly recommend seeing a show there.

The next stop in the "Friday Night Live" series will be this Friday (October 5th) at Shark City (www.sharkcity.com), 2240 Bloomingdale Road in Glendale Heights. Join me as I perform my show live 7pm - 12midnight from there, and as always, I will be packing cool Loop prizes, concert tickets, etc. to giveaway. Drink specials courtesy of Bud Light (always worth it)... see you there!

Also, all this week on the show, I will have coveted tickets to Van Halen and Velvet Revolver to give away. Don't miss out!

Aerosmith has rescheduled their concert at the Allstate Arena for this Monday night. Same time, same lineup, same venue, just a new day. Tickets for the previously scheduled show will be honored then. Some good seats were just released, so if you were hoping to go, now you can!Starting at 5pm, I will be reporting live from the scene and then doing my show live 7pm - 12midnight from there. We'll be playing plenty of Aerosmith tunes before AND after the concert to help get you in the mood and then get you home with the "Aerosmith Post-Concert Rock Block." If you are headed to the show, come by and say hello. If you can't make it, you'll feel like you were there.

This Friday will be the next "Friday Night Live" stop, this time at Q Billiards sports bar (www.qbilliard.com) at 8109 S. Cass (I-55 & S. Cass) in Darien. I'll be doing my show live from there 7pm - 12midnight, packing lots of cool Loop prizes, and of course, Bud Light (Always Worth It) specials. Hope to see you there!

The next "Friday Night Live!" stop will be this Friday night (September 21st) from 7pm - 12midnight at Tom Kelley's Chophouse and Pub (www.tomkellys.com) at 495 DeGroate Road in New Lenox. Join me as I broadcast my show live with lots of cool Loop prizes to give away, a preview demonstration of the killer new video game "Rock Band" (www.rockband.com), and of course Bud Light (Always Worth It) specials. Come join the party!

Led Zeppelin has indeed confirmed that they will be reuniting for an Ahmet Ertegun tribute show in November.

Led Zeppelin will reunite for a charity concert in honor of the late Atlantic Records founder and chairman Ahmet Etergun on November 26th at the O-2 Arena in London. Robert Plant tells the B-B-C they decided to reunite because of their love for Ertegun, who signed the band. "We wanted to pay tribute to the effect that he had on our careers. We said, 'Let's see if we can do it.'" Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones will be joined by Jason Bonham, son of late Zep drummer John Bonham. This will be Led Zep's first public performance since Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary party in 1988 and their first performance of any kind since they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Ertegun died last year at the age of 83 after falling backstage at a Rolling Stones concert in New York.Promoter Harvey Goldsmith asked the band to do a 30- or 40-minute set, but they didn't make a final decision until rehearsing for a week. They were comfortable with the sound and came back to say they would play at least two hours.The show will also feature Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Foreigner (also with Jason Bonham on drums) and Paolo Nutini. Additional guests will be announced. Profits from the show will go to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which gives scholarships to universities in the U-K, U-S and Turkey.Tickets will be sold through a lottery system, but within minutes of the announcement, an estimated 20-million fans around the world rushed to register at AhmetTribute-dot-com, which crashed the site. According to service provider Pipex, around 80-thousand fans a minute have attempted to register at the site. All successful applicants will be entered into a random drawing for tickets.

And this update just in...

The deadline to register for tickets to Led Zeppelin's reunion concert on November 26th at the O-2 Arena in London has been extended to 7:00 a-m [ET] on Wednesday, September 19th. Upwards of 80-thousand people per minute (five-million per hour) have been attempting to register for tickets at www.AhmetTribute.com. In a 12-hour period yesterday (Thursday), there were 89-point-five million attempts to register at the site. The website has now been moved to its own server and is running smoothly. You should only register your name once, as the system is designed to pick out names at random and remove multiple entries. Successful applicants will be limited to a pair of tickets per household.

Beginning Friday (and for the next 3 successive Friday's after that), I will be bringing my show live out on the road to a neighborhood near you. Dubbed "Friday Night Live!" (get it?), my first stop will be this Friday (September 14th) at Cullinan's Stadium Club at 116th & S. Western (11610 S. Western) on the south side from 7pm - 12midnight. I will have Steve Vai concert tickets, Blackhawks tickets, premiere movie passes and lots of Loop gear to give away. The folks at Budweiser (who are sponsoring the tour) will have lots of drink specials, and you can of course then make your requests live from the bar! Come on out, bring your friends and join the party. Hope to see you there!

Took in some more great Loop shows lately. Cheap Trick played Naperville's Last Fling celebration, and it was a blast. Some 10,000 Loop listeners packed the hill near the riverfront on a beautiful evening for an energetic headline set from Robin, Rick, Tom and Bun E. Somewhat miraculously, Robin Zander's voice has survived years of road work perfectly intact as he tackled their new songs as well as their classics with equal aplomb. After I brought them on stage and checked out the show, a cocktail party-like atmosphere ensued afterwards. Tom Petersson and I shared some laughs about dating the same girl (not at the same time, though!) and I had a chance to catch up with the rest of the guys as well in the casual atmosphere. Great fun, contagious show. Cheap Trick is still a rush.

(See Cheap Trick perform "Surrender" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pD8ymBR2Ufo)

(See Cheap Trick perform "Ain't That A Shame" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_E5L4MwMzzM)

Speaking of which, Rush stepped on stage after an introduction from me to a deafening roar from the 20,000 + Loop listeners at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre this past Saturday night. Another crown jewel in the Loop's 30th Anniversary Concert Series, Rush was welcomed in a near delirious fashion. The band played many rarely-heard-in-concert gems like "Circumstances" as well as a healthy dose of numbers from their latest effort "Snakes & Arrows", just as Geddy Lee had promised they would on my show the previous week. The guys were uber excited to be playing Chicago again, and it showed. Geddy filmed some shots of the audience from the stage with his personal camcorder "for the folks back home", and Alex Lifeson was bouncing around like a pogo-stick on caffeine. Even the usually all-business Neil Peart was pulling faces and grinning from ear-to-ear as he furiously pounded out the best licks heard on drums since John Bonham and Buddy Rich. As they have on recent tours, the visual gags were in ample evidence this time around too, with big-screen song introductions from SCTV's "Bob & Doug"and "South Park" and three chicken rotisserie's (complete with attending chef) where Geddy's bass amps usually would be. All-in-all, it was a brilliantly delivered "evening with Rush" (no opening act needed), with great sound AND fun sights. Give 'er! Beauty, eh!

(See Geddy Lee of Rush clown around here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=gwpGXfHmY-A)

(See a fan's terrific home-made video for Rush's latest "Far Cry" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=G-6SZZv91_w)

Led Zeppelin reunion rumors are heating up again with a press conference scheduled for Wednesday September 12th. Expect the surviving members of Led Zeppelin to announce a reunion gig in honor of the man who signed them to a record deal (Ahmet Ertegun) at London's new O2 arena on November 26th with Jason Bonham sitting in for his late father on drums. Whether this one-off gig will translate into a possible tour remains to be seen. Led Zeppelin has reunited only sporadically in the ensuing years since Bonzo's death. In 1985 they played at Live Aid, played together at their Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 1995, at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary celebrations and jammed at Jason Bonham's wedding reception. Unfortunately, none of these resulted in a full-scale reunion or tour, so the pattern doesn't look good for anything more at this point. In the meantime, several "new" Led Zeppelin releases are planned for November. A new 24 track "best of" entitled "Mothership" November 13th, and the re-release (remastered with bonus tracks) of "The Song Remains The Same" concert on CD and DVD November 20th.

(See Led Zeppelin perform "Kashmir" with an introduction from Ahmet Ertegun here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5pLEXy71Fxs)

Lead singer/bassist Geddy Lee of Rush checked in with me on the show this week. I've been friends with the band since their early days, so it was great to catch up and have a few laughs. Geddy told me the band is particularly looking forward to playing Chicago, because of the rabid following the band has in this area. He indicated to me that they would be playing more obscure tracks from their catalogue than in recent tours and several from the new disc "Snakes & Arrows." Rush fans are familiar with their very dry/silly, non-sequitor type of humor, which Geddy assured me would be on full display again this time around. I took Geddy by surprise when I asked him if they would perchance be performing the song "Liquor & Whores" (a comedy side-project they have recently been involved in back home in Canada) as an encore, sending him into fits of laughter. Upon containing himself, he replied that unfortunately they would not, but perhaps on a future tour. If you have not seen Rush before, do yourself a favor and take this opportunity to see a one-of-a-kind band.

(See Rush perform their classic "Finding My Way" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=D0DfWlgLByg)

Mattias Jabs, lead guitarist of the Scorpions also made an appearance on my show this past week. We chatted about their phenomenal new album "Humanity Hour 1" and the anticipation they also feel at getting to play in Chicago again. Mattias said to expect a fall or early next year stop here in town. Keep it locked on the Loop for the latest info and a chance to win tickets when the show date is officially announced.

(See the Scorpions new video for "Humanity" here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1w9AukcojEc)