Road Rage Tour Featuring the New Cars with Todd Rundgren, and Blondie

The long-awaited reunion of The Cars, sans former lead singer Rick Ocasek, is reality, and a musical icon of the 1970s, Todd Rundgren, has stepped in to front the band.

The North American release date for The New Cars' new live CD, "It's Alive," is June 6. An advance single, "Not Tonight," is receiving a modicum of airplay on classic rock and alternative radio stations.

Joining the current Road Rage tour is Blondie, featuring Deborah Harry, another reunited New Wave act from the late 1970s. They kicked off the first leg of an anticipated two-leg North American tour on May 12 in Robinsonville, Mississippi, and will wrap up in Clarkston, Michigan on June 30. Highlights of the current tour include Denver's Coors Amphitheatre (May 30), Boston's Bank of American Pavilion (June 7), Orlando's Hard Rock Live (June 13), Atlanta's Chastain Park Amphitheatre (June 17), Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre (June 21) and Montreal's Bell Centre (June 23).

Two original members of The Cars, guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes, form the core of The New Cars. With Rundgren contributing vocals, guitars, songwriting and production, the band is rounded out by former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince and former Utopia bassist Kasim Sulton. Easton had toured with another reunion band, Creedence Clearwater Revisisted, prior to the formation of The New Cars.

Hawkes told The Rolling Stone that the band's reunion has the blessing of Ocasek, who declined to participate. Ocasek, like Rundgren, has developed a career as a music industry producer and solo artist since leaving The Cars, and recently released a new CD.

Disco-era diva Deborah Harry, recently inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame along with her fellow Blondie band members, says this will be the last hurrah for Blondie, at least in terms of touring. Future Blondie recordings remain a possibility, Harry said via satellite during the Los Angeles announcement of the current tour.