Key Events: February 2023
2/1 The White Stripes, Iron Maiden, Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden, Sheryl Crow, and Warren Zevon are among the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2/1 Ozzy Osbourne‘s European tour with guests Judas Priest, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times due to COVID-19 and other factors, is officially canceled. Ozzy’s health issues are the reason.
2/4 Nirvana and Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson receive Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards during a Special Merit Awards ceremony at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in L.A. Wilson (above right) says, “We followed our muse through the decades (and) we blazed a few trails and broke a few glass ceilings along the way for both men and women.”
2/5 Ozzy Osbourne’s “Patient Number 9” earns the Best Rock Album trophy at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in L.A. “Degradation Rules,” a track from “Patient Number 9,” nails the Best Metal Performance Grammy.
Brandi Carlile’s “Broken Horses” wins Best Rock Performance. The track also receives the Best Rock Song honor.
Finally, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood perform the late Christine McVie’s “Songbird” as a tribute to her during the In Memoriam segment. Fleetwood Mac’s McVie passed away the previous November.
2/7 U2’s Bono is among the guests President Joe Biden invites to the State of the Union address in Washington D.C. Featured guests sit alongside first lady Jill Biden during the speech. Bono, one of two dozen guests, is known for his advocacy and philanthropic support for global health and AIDS relief initiatives.
2/8 Scorpions’ music video for “Wind Of Change” surpasses one billion views on YouTube.
The song, composed lead singer Klaus Meine following the band’s visit to the Soviet Union during the country’s large-scale socioeconomic reforms, was uploaded to the platform in ‘09.
2/10 Mötley Crüe play its first concert with guitarist John 5 (middle left) in Atlantic City at the Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena. John 5 replaces the retired Mick Mars.
The show also marks the first date of the band’s 2023 “The World Tour” with Def Leppard.
2/12 Paul Stanley (KISS), Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Paul Stanley, Joan Jett and Gary Clark Jr. appear in a Super Bowl commercial for Workday, a human resources company famous for creating “Rock stars” in the workplace. The musicians use humor to admonish the company for tossing around the term “Rock star.” Also, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl recognizes Canada for all the innovations that originated in that country including Crown Royal whisky.
2/15 Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain” video is the first ’90s Rock video to surpass 2-billion views on YouTube.
The song/video from “Use Your Illusion I” reached the 1-billion views mark in July 2018. The video was uploaded to YouTube in 2009.
2/17 Linkin Park’s “Lost” debuts at #1 on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.
2/17 Linkin Park’s “Lost” debuts at #1 on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.
It’s a previously unreleased “Meteroa” era track.
2/19 The Guns N’ Roses sponsored #43 race car driven by Erik Jones crashes on Lap 121 ending the car’s run early at NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Jones walks away from the accident.
The race is won by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Cottenelle #47).
2/21 Paramore’s “This Is Why” (pictured above), featuring the title track, debuts at #1 on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Album Sales charts. The set holds the #2 spot on the Billboard 200.
2/21 Milo Silvestro (on the right) is announced as Fear Factory’s lead vocalist. “I’ve been a fan of the band for many years and it feels very surreal but I’m excited to be part of it,” states Silvestro.
2/22 Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz (pictured) is featured as a mermaid in a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) ad campaign.
White-Gluz, a longtime vegan, encourages people to go vegan and stop eating fish and shellfish by illustrating commercial fishing’s environmental impact.
