The Classic Rock Roll Of Honour 2015

The date: November 11, 2015. The place: The Roundhouse, London. The event: The 11th Classic Rock Roll Of Honour, starring Queen, Jimmy Page, Bruce Dickinson, Lemmy, Noddy Holder, a poet, several drunken revellers and a Canadian wrestler. Step this way for the Greatest Show On Earth…

It all happens in something of a blur. A deep breath. A few steps up on to a stage that will shortly be graced by true rock’n’roll royalty, I say a few words of welcome and the 11th annual Classic Rock Roll Of Honour is officially underway – MC-ed by Fozzy frontman/WWE wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

There’s a grand piano front and centre, and it’s currently unoccupied. TeamRock Executive Director Alexander Milas heads to the stage. No, he’s not going to play, rather he says this: “In 2016 the Classic Rock Awards will be Live From Tokyo.”

Yep, last year Hollywood, this year London, next year Tokyo… Classic Rock truly is a global concern. And, fittingly, there’s a bona fide global superstar in the room to launch it: Yoshiki Hayashi, frontman with multimillion-selling Japanese band X-Japan. With a string quartet in support, Yoshiki plays an intimate piano performance of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and his own band’s Without You. Dom arigato, Yoshiki, we’ll see you next year!

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Rick Wakeman, Alice Cooper, Steve Hogarth and Brian May

Classic Rock 218: News & Regulars

Classic Rock editor Siân has worked on the magazine for longer than she cares to discuss, and prior to that was deputy editor of Total Guitar. During that time, she’s had the chance to interview artists such as Brian May, Slash, Jeff Beck, James Hetfield, Sammy Hagar, Alice Cooper, Manic Street Preachers and countless more. She has hosted The Classic Rock Magazine Show on both TotalRock and TeamRock radio, contributed to CR’s The 20 Million Club podcast and has also had bylines in Metal Hammer, Guitarist, Total Film, Cult TV and more. When not listening to, playing, thinking or writing about music, she can be found getting increasingly more depressed about the state of the Welsh national rugby team and her beloved Pittsburgh Steelers.