As 2023 draws to a close, we are looking back at our top 100 most viewed stories of the year. The list features a diverse range of topics and acts from spicy quotes by outspoken musicians, album / tour announcements, concert setlists / videos, and unfortunate deaths.

Below are stories #39-#20 that holds the likes of Savatage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Journey, Blind Melon / Guns N' Roses, Metallica and more.

39) PAUL STANLEY, OZZY OSBOURNE, JOAN JETT, BILLY IDOL - Full Workday Super Bowl Ad Streaming (full story)

38) DEF LEPPARD Had To Sell 5 Million Copies Of This Album Just To Break Even - "We Tried To Make A Sgt. Pepper For Our Generation"; Video (full story)

37) JON OLIVA Reveals New SAVATAGE Album Working Title, Lineup And More - "This Will Probably Be The Last Record We Ever Make, Ever"; Video (full story)

In an April interview with Rock Hard Greece, Jon Oliva delivered exclusive news about a new Savatage album. Oliva revealed the working title of Curtain Call as well as the lineup involved including Steve Wacholz, Jeff Plate, Johnny Lee Middleton, Al Pitrelli, Chris Caffery, and Zak Stevens. 

Oliva: “I just got home from the studio, where I was working on some Savatage songs. I was sending stuff back to Johnny (Middleton, the bass player) and Caffery. I'll tell you something. This Savatage record is going to fuck it all up! That's how good it is. I made a lot of mistakes like that before and I don't make them now. I'm in no hurry at all. I want to release it next April, so we can all come and play the summer festivals next year. There's no way we're going to rush it. For any reason. Because this will probably be the last record we ever make, ever. I want to make sure it's a 10/10 album. And the fact that Zak Stevens and I are going to be together on some songs and doing a duet makes me even more excited. Deliberately, I wrote six-seven songs specifically for Zak to sing. I worked on some songs with Al Pitrelli, which are definitely for me. There are a couple of epic songs where Zak sings some parts, I sing some parts, and we sing together on some of them. It's the best record I've ever written. Unless I kill myself!”

36) JASON BONHAM Discusses How His And JOHN PAUL JONES’ Sobriety Helped Reunite LED ZEPPELIN; Video (full story)

35) KISS’ Gene Simmons Auctioning Off His Unique Collection (full story)

34) When BLIND MELON Toured With GUNS N’ ROSES – “I Would Sit Next To AXL On The Couch; He Would Turn To Me And Go, ‘Who Is That Guy?’” (full story)

BW’s Greg Prato released a story about Blind Melon’s tour opening up for Guns N’ Roses in the spring of 1993 to promote the book A Devil On One Shoulder And An Angel On The Other: The Story Of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon.

Gilby Clarke: “We used to do an acoustic set. There was a part of I think ‘I Used to Love Her’—every day we would have somebody different come out and play bongos. Normally it would be crew guys—the lighting director, one of the backline guys. We always had a Domino’s Pizza outfit for this person—a Domino’s Pizza shirt and hat—and what they would come out and deliver us a real pizza. Because our set was so long—it was like a three hour set—we always got hungry halfway through! Every day it was someone different, and every day—I would sit next to Axl on the couch—he would turn to me and go, ‘Who is that guy?’ ‘Axl, that’s Phil—that’s been our lighting guy for the last five years.’ And then one day, Shannon came out—naked!”

33) KISS Frontman PAUL STANLEY On California's "LGBTQ+ Pride Month" -  "The Criteria For Being Proud Is Being A Good Person, Not Transgender Or Any Other Gender" (full story)

32) FALLING IN REVERSE Share Music Video For Cover Of PAPA ROACH's "Last Resort" (full story)

31) SKID ROW - "We Have Some Unfortunate News To Share Regarding Our Remaining U.S. Tour Dates" full story)

30) MÖTLEY CRÜE Drummer TOMMY LEE Takes $2.2 Million Loss On Calabasas Compound; Photos (full story)

29) EXODUS / SLAYER Guitarist GARY HOLT Launches GoFundMe Campaign To Get His Brother Back To America After Being Struck By A Taxi In Italy (full story)

28) TWISTED SISTER's DEE SNIDER - "I’m Not Vince Neil... I’m The Guy Who Can Put Together A Sentence, And Express Himself" (full story)

27) How NIGHT RANGER Turned JACK BLADES' Misheard Lyric Into An 80s Classic; PROFESSOR OF ROCK Investigates (Video) (full story)

26) STEVE PERRY Discusses Leaving JOURNEY - "I Could Not Find The Honest Passion For Singing, I Was Stepping Into Some Other Party Behaviours To Augment My Frustrations"; Video (full story)

25) GARY ROSSINGTON's Widow Gives LYNYRD SKYNYRD Her Blessing To Continue - "Gary Would Want Skynyrd To Carry On" (full story)

Following the death of original Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington in March, the band received the blessing to continue from his widow. 

“Gary’s wife really sealed the deal,” lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant outlined to Rock Candy Mag editor Howard Johnson. “Dale has been singing backing vocals with Skynyrd for years and years, ever since the Tribute Tour that brought the band back together in 1987. And when Gary died, Dale said to me, ‘This is what Gary did and he would want you guys to carry on.’ So now more than ever I want to continue. Gary was out there carrying the legacy for the original guys – for Ronnie and Allen, for Billy and Leon – for so many years out of respect for what they did. Now I think he deserves the same kind of respect from us.”

24) ALICE COOPER, RAINBOW, HEART, FAITH NO MORE Classics Featured On Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Soundtrack (full story)

23) TESLA, QUIET RIOT, VIXEN, LYNCH MOB, NIGHT RANGER, GREAT WHITE, FOGHAT, DANGEROUS TOYS And More Confirmed For The Mountain Music Fest 2024 (full story)

22) VAN HALEN Singer DAVID LEE ROTH's 95-Year Old Grandma Left His Miami Concert Halfway Through - "She Thought The Volume Was Gonna Shake Her Bones Apart"; Audio (full story)

21) Four Members Of Rock's Ultimate Supergroup THE TRAVELING WILBURYS Openly Fanboyed Over The 5th Member; PROFESSOR OF ROCK Reports (Video) (full story)

20) METALLICA Premier Official Music Video For 72 Seasons Track "Crown Of Barbed Wire" (full story)

More top stories:
#100-#80
#79-#60
#59-#40