Paul Rodgers Talks Bad Company Live Album, Tour

Bad Company is readying the release of Bad Company Live in Concert 1977 & 1979, their first official live album, which is due this spring. Singer-songwriter Paul Rodgers spoke with Billboard about the album and the band's One Hell Of a Night tour plans co-headlining with Joe Walsh.

The two-disc album features Bad Company's original lineup and comprises shows in Houston and London. According to the Amazon pre-order track listing, there is also a song from a 1979 Washington, D.C. concert housed on the second disc.

In the interview with Billboard, Rodgers said he wouldn't have put this album together himself and he was skeptical of the record company, Rhino, doing it. "But when I listened I was quite surprised," he said. "There's a couple things on there, like 'Leaving You,' which I didn't even know we'd actually played live, ever. And it's got a great feel, better than on the record.

"There's some things that have turned up that have actually surprised all of us, and I thought, 'Well, if it's interesting to me, perhaps it's interesting to the fans."

When Bad Company hit the road later this spring, Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson will be filling in for Mick Ralphs on tour. "We'd announced the tour and Mick looked at it and went, 'I can't do this,' which was not great news at all," Rodgers told Billboard. "I wanted to slightly berate him, 'What the heck!,' but he sounded so sad. He really wasn't up to it."

Rodgers had met Robinson during a Jimmy Page tribute in Seattle at Experience Music Project. "I think he'll give a shot of new energy into the band and I'm looking forward to getting together with everybody and doing that," Rodgers said. "I think it's important we give value here."

Bad Company Live in Concert 1977 & 1979 will be released on April 29th. Their 25-date tour kicks off on May 12th in Dallas, TX, at Gexa Energy Pavilion and wraps on July 3rd in Nashville, TN, at Carl Black Chevy Woods Amphitheatre.

Hear the live album cut "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy' from March 9, 1979 at Empire Pool, Wembley, London, which Billboard premiered, above.