It may not happen in JOURNEY, but NEAL SCHON says he’d still like to work with STEVE PERRY again someday.

A vintage TOM PETTY guitar and one of his top hats will be auctioned off for charity later this month. Get the scoop here.

DEF LEPPARD guitarist PHIL COLLEN has revealed why he had to leave the band’s current tour back in May:  Because his wife almost DIED giving birth. He says, quote, “She actually died and they brought her back to life.  There was internal bleeding and just craziness . . . So I was actually on tour and when this happened I obviously had to go to California [to be with her].” The tour continued with a fill-in for three shows, but Collen was able to rejoin the band a week later.  And soon after that, drummer RICK ALLEN said, quote, “Everything’s fine.  He’s got a beautiful son, so everything went really well.”

This past Saturday night marked the debut of the new RATT line-up, one that is missing guitarist WARREN DEMARTINI. The band now features only two original members, frontman STEPHEN PEARCY and bass player JUAN CROUCIER.

JOHN BONHAM will be celebrated in his hometown of Redditch, just south of Birmingham, England on September 22, which would have been BONZO‘s 70th birthday. “John Bonham: A Celebration”, will feature music and a fundraiser for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Get the details here.

ERIC CLAPTON rocked London’s Hyde Park on Monday night, along with several special guests including CARLOS SANTANA, who joined him for a rendition of “High Time We Went”. Check out a couple videos.