'70s music icons Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen were among the famous artists and celebrities helping to launch the new presidential museum of former Pres. Barack Obama on June 18. The grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago also featured a galaxy of other superstars, including performances and appearances from U2 members Bono and The Edge, Christina Aguilera, Common, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, and The Roots. The $850 million Center was financed through private donations and sits on a 19.3-acre campus in the city's Jackson Park. It officially opens to the public on June 19, "Juneteenth," with a series of celebrations and events planned for the public throughout the weekend. - Billboard, 6/17/26...... 
The Clash bassist Paul Simonon's smashed bass guitar will go on display at a new branch of the London Museum at Smithfield Market on Nov. 28. Simonon's Fender Precision bass was damaged by the musician during a concert at The Palladium in New York City on Sept. 20, 1979, and photographed by legendary rock photog Pennie Smith. According to Simonon, he became frustrated at the venue bouncers who were not allowing the audience to stand for the show. "That frustrated me to the point that I destroyed this bass guitar," he explained in a 2011 interview with Fender. "Unfortunately you always sort of tend to destroy the things you love." The bass went on to feature on one of the genre's most recognizable LP covers for the band's London Calling album, and was housed at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for many years. The London Museum's regeneration of the historic Smithfields Market site has been several years in the making and was announced in 2016, and will house many other notable musical items, including tablas belonging to British Bhangra pioneer Kuljit Bhamra, the genius behind cult favorite album Punjabi Disco. - Billboard, 6/18/26...... Bette Midler and Patti Smith were among the performers at an all-star "Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert For the First Amendment" event at New York's Town Hall on June 14. The gathering organized by the Committee For the First Amendment -- a group originally formed in 1947 during the McCarthy Red-scare era -- featured a fiery speech from actor/activist Jane Fonda took aim at the blockbuster Paramount-WBD mega-merger and what she described as government efforts to silence free speech. "Right now, the government and its cronies [are] routinely violating its First Amendment to silence artists," Fonda said before enumerating a list of actions taken by the Pres. Donald Trump administration and its right-wing supporters. "Shuttering institutions like the Kennedy Center, defunding museums and the National Endowment of the Arts, and banning books, canceling TV, hosts who speak out. It's really bad. And it's being allowed by cowardly corporations. I'm not gonna name names right now. But I am honored now to pass the mic to artists and activists who continue to speak up and sing out so that we might be inspired to rise up." Midler said she was overjoyed to be part of a community that's "so bright, so intelligent, so well-meaning so desperate for justice," before performing a fiddle-flecked cover of Woody Guthrie's "All You Fascists," adding in some of her own topical lyrics. "Hey there all you fascists, let me put you straight/ When you come for the rest of us we'll fight you at the gate/ And you will lose, you fascists bound to lose/ We'll battle ICE together until they cut and run/ Just like in Minneapolis and when the midterms come/ You're bound to lose, you fascists bound to lose," she sang before a performance later by Smith, who sang her 1988 protest classic "People Have the Power." Among the other artists and activists who spoke at the event were Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts, Lily Gladstone, RuPaul's Drag Race's Miss Peppermint, Joy Reid, and others. The full event can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 6/15/26...... Long-lost footage of The Beatles performing on the BBC's Top of the Pops program has reportedly been found and will be restored. The Beatles appeared on the show on Mar. 19, 1964 to record live performances of "Can't Buy Me Love" and "You Can't Do That," the A-side and B-side of a single released the following day which went on to become their fourth UK Number One. However like many early episodes of Top of the Pops, the footage was not preserved by the BBC and it has not been seen for decades. Now, the UK film preservation group Film Is Fabulous have said that they were presented with a 35mm BBC negative of the performance at the recent British Film Collectors' Convention in Surrey. They claim the family of a deceased former industry professional passed the precious film to them, and they will work to restore the footage and return it to the BBC Archives. "Discussions will also be held with other parts of the corporation to ensure the content is made available to a wide audience," Film Is Fabulous wrote on Facebook. Describing the footage, the group said: "Recorded on the 19th March 1964, at the BBC's Television Theatre (since renamed The Shepherd's Bush Empire), in London, the inserts beautifully captured the Fab Four at the height of Beatlemania. Passages of the recording show the studio, the technicians, and the make-up ladies. There were four takes of the first song, 'Can't Buy Me Love', with two being aborted because of technical errors. During breaks, the Beatles openly joked, and could be seen dancing to amuse themselves. The other song, 'You Can't Do That', had two takes. During the second of these recordings John Lennon pulled a funny face when the camera came in for a 'close-up'. It's an amusing piece of Beatle history." Footage of the performance can be streamed on YouTube. - New Musical Express, 6/18/26...... 
A series of events has been organized to celebrate what would have been the 80th birthday of Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett this fall. Barrett -- who passed away in July 2006, aged 60 -- will be celebrated through a spectacular live concert in the UK at Cambridge Corn Exchange on Oct. 10, when Kula Shaker will headline the event, supported by the likes of Soft Machine, Men on the Border, Radhika and the Pink Floyd tribute band Punk Floyd. "Eighty years after his birth, Syd Barrett's influence remains as powerful as ever," said event co-organizer Neil Jones. "His music, creativity and unique vision continue to inspire artists and audiences across generations. It's especially fitting that this celebration takes place in Cambridge, the city at the heart of his story. Bringing together live music, art and a new album on World Mental Health Day is a fitting tribute to one of the city's most extraordinary cultural figures," he added. The anniversary will also be marked with the release of a new tribute album on Oct. 9, called Clowns and Jugglers, celebrating Barrett's creative legacy and his enduring influence in the music business. It will feature brand-new studio recordings, previously unreleased material and standout live performances, alongside new interpretations of some of Syd and Pink Floyd's most iconic songs, while the album sleeve also features one of his most iconic images, created by Mark Wilkinson. A major exhibition exploring Barrett's life, art and cultural impact will also run from Oct. 3-9 at Cambridge Openspace arts venue and will showcase original paintings and sketches by Barrett, alongside prints of larger works. All proceeds will be donated to mental health charities. Barrett grew up in Cambridge and adopted the nickname "Syd" in his teens. He was the principal songwriter and driving creative force in the early days of Pink Floyd. But just when the band's career was taking off, Barrett's drug use and mental health issues resulted in increasingly erratic behaviour. It led to his departure from the band and his eventual return to Cambridge, where he lived a quiet life and was happiest when painting. He died in 2006. - Music-News.com/NME, 6/18/26...... The 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be the newest movie experience coming to the Las Vegas venue the Sphere. As it did with The Wizard of Oz, Sphere Entertainment says it will use its "advanced technologies to enhance" the original 1975 film for the venue. "Since The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in 1975, it redefined audience participation and became a cultural phenomenon. With Sphere, we have the opportunity to take that spirit of immersion to an entirely new level," said Jim Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment, in a statement. In the case of The Wizard of Oz, Sphere used AI to expand the film's visuals to better fit the venue's curved, 160,000-square-foot screen. It also digitally restored them using an AI-powered "super resolution tool" to render the images in "ultra-ultra-high-definition," according to Google, which worked with Sphere on the project. Due to the expanded canvas, "composites" of characters were also added to some scenes in which they were originally absent. - Billboard, 6/16/26...... Interviewed by the UK show Sunday Sitdown, Mick Jagger opened up about the Rolling Stones' new album Foreign Tongues and expressed his enthusiasm once more to hit the road. "I'd love to. I really want to and I'm ready to go," he replied when asked if the band were planning on announcing more tour dates. Jagger also suggested that fans won't have long to wait to see them live, and while a tour may not be planned for 2026, they are talking about plans for 2027. "I don't think we're gonna do shows this year, but hopefully we'll do shows next year," he said. As for the sound of the new record, the frontman said he "hopes" people see it as a "classic Stones album", but is certain it has "got something for everyone" across the 14 tracks. The Stones' 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues hits stores on July 10 and will feature guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood and the band's late drummer Charlie Watts. On June 18, the band announced that the album's second single will be "Jealous Lover," and drop on June 26. Shifting away from the upbeat, driving pop-rock energy of their previous single, "In The Stars," the new track leans heavily into a soulful, deep R&B groove. The song is anchored by a captivating, distinctive falsetto lead vocal performance from Jagger, with Winwood adding a warm, retro texture to the soundscape with his performance on the Rhodes piano and organ. - NME/Music-News.com, 6/16/26...... 
The Who frontman Roger Daltrey was presented with the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award at a ceremony in London on June 18. The accolade is reserved for music creators who have made pioneering contributions to the industry, placing Daltrey in the company of previous recipients such as Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. Knighted for his services to music and charity, Daltrey was celebrated for a career spanning electrifying rock operas like Tommy and decades of tireless philanthropic curation for the Teenage Cancer Trust. "Roger's cultural impact is legendary," stated ASCAP Chairman and President Paul Williams. "His extraordinary music career has been defined by his unstoppable energy, passion, authenticity and a voice that has shaped the sound of rock and roll." The invite-only event recognized the British creative minds behind some of the year's biggest global hits in music, film, and television, and during the evening acclaimed actor Idris Elba was presented with the ASCAP Creative Voice Award, an honor celebrating members whose career achievements seamlessly blend creative spirit with community advocacy. - Music-News.com, 6/18/26...... Rod Stewart is in hot water with some fans after attending a World Cup game just hours after abruptly cancelling a concert. On June 13, the 81-year-old rocker was spotted cheering for Scotland in the stands at a World Cup game, just hours after cancelling a concert in California due to health reasons. Just a day before, Stewart's team shared a statement to his Instagram Stories, detailing that "on the advice of his doctors and following a diagnosis of an acute upper respiratory infection that has resulted in laryngitis, he is unable to take the stage this evening." Stewart later followed up with his own statement less than an hour before a California gig was scheduled to start, adding: "Following treatment, I'm feeling much better, but my voice is not. I'm very disappointed and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience to my fans." Then, over the weekend, he shared a video of himself flying to Boston in a private jet alongside his sons. "Here we are flying off to Boston to see Scotland in the World Cup," Stewart said in the Instagram video. "It's been 28 years, so these kids, I've told them about it, but they've never been. I've been to seven World Cups." They ended the video with a high-energy chant of "No Scotland, no party," sparking criticism from some fans in the comment section, given he'd cancelled the aforementioned show in Chula Vista less than an hour before he was set to take the stage. Later that day, Stewart was seen throwing his arms in the air in the stands as he celebrated Scotland's victory. Stewart has over 20 dates remaining in the US this year, and in a recent interview on TalkSport, he looked ahead to next year, hinting that he is considering calling it a day after one last UK run. "Then I'm touring the UK next year, doing The O2, and that'll probably be it, I think," he said. "I'll have to do something new, come on your show more often, maybe." - NME, 6/15/26...... Bob Dylan has given his insight into the positives and negatives of aging, saying you "outlive the clocks that have been chasing you." The iconic singer/songwriter contributed to a piece in the New York Times on the occasion of Pres. Donald Trump's 80th birthday on June 14, with a selection of octogenarians giving their perspective on what it means to hit that milestone. Dylan, 85, opted not to address Trump directly or reference his politics, but instead gave a thoughtful reflection on his own experiences. "The best thing about being 80 is that you outlive the clocks that have been chasing you," he wrote. "It's freedom from that lie that anything was ever under control. You don't chase the parade anymore. You're an old king from some vanished country. You're harder to program." He also pointed to some negatives, adding: "The old fire in your heart still tells you to do this and that, but your body says we already did it. Also, nothing surprises you. It sounds like a luxury but it's not, and also you've run out of illusions." Dylan continued: "The really worst part about being 80 is that you find, at last, you've got an understanding of something that might have altered everything in the past, had it come at a time when something could still be altered. When you're young you think that time moves forward. At 80 you know that it doesn't, it stands still. We're the ones that move." - NME, 6/14/26...... 
Six decades after its initial release, The Kinks have officially broken the historic record for the longest gap between UK number-one singles with a rerelease of their 1966 classic, "Sunny Afternoon." The tune has re-entered the Official UK Charts at Number 1 on the 7" Vinyl Singles Chart, while simultaneously clinching the Number 4 spot on the Official Physical Singles Chart and Number 12 on the Official Singles Sales Chart. Originally written by frontman Ray Davies as the lead single for the band's fourth studio album, Face to Face, the satirical tale of lost wealth famously turned tax-time blues into a baroque pop anthem. The track topped the national chart for two weeks during the summer of 1966, ultimately becoming an era-defining snapshot of wry British songwriting. Pitchfork Media later cemented its legacy by naming it one of the greatest songs of the 1960s. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the track, the band has issued a specialized, limited-edition 7" vinyl package featuring the remastered original mono recording alongside its classic B-side, "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." The exclusive, sunshine-colored physical release features a commemorative written message from legendary English football hero Sir Geoff Hurst, who famously scored a hat-trick during the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley Stadium. The monumental chart achievement adds to a long list of accolades for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, who have earned an Ivor Novello Award, secured four certified Gold albums, and amassed over 50 million record sales worldwide throughout their influential career. - Music-News.com, 6/15/26...... TV personality Gene Shalit, the Today show film critic and arts commentator whose pouf of ebony hair, bushy mustache, funhouse eyeglasses and floppy bow ties -- not to mention his groan-inducing puns -- made him a kooky and welcome presence on morning television for decades, died on June 12. He was 100. "He passed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing life," his family told NBC News in a statement. Born on Mar. 25, 1926, in New York, Mr. Shalit was raised in New Jersey, where his father purchased a drug store. Starting his career as a print journalist, he was the senior film critic for Look and wrote the "What's Happening?" page for Ladies Home Journal for a dozen years. He also authored articles published The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, TV Guide, Seventeen, Glamour and McCall's. He reached national fame as an on-air personality for the Today show, where he interspersed his entertainment coverage with offbeat in-the-field reports and improvisational hijinks on set. He started as a part-time Today show contributor in 1970 before moving to a full-time role three years later. He earned national fame as the program's go-to movie analyst, offering his take on summer blockbusters, awards contenders and other big-screen projects until his retirement in 2010. He stood out from the broadcast television crowd with his colorful bowties and puffy hair. He often studded his reviews in the Today show "Critics Corner" with puns and other cheeky turns of phrase, endearing him to millions of viewers. "The Silence of the Lambs may be all wool and a yard wide, but it makes a terrific yarn," he said in his review of the 1991 horror classic, which won best picture at the Academy Awards the following year. He rarely minced words when a movie left him cold. In panning X-Men, he said the first entry in the hit superhero franchise "should not be taken seriously. In fact, it should be taken with two aspirin." Judd Apatow's Funny People is "passable," he said -- "speaking colonically." In addition to surveying Hollywood releases, Mr. Shalit interviewed some of the biggest stars of the day, from Oprah Winfrey to Harrison Ford. His questions ranged from the serious to the silly, such as when he asked Kermit the Frog whether he planned to marry Miss Piggy. In more recent years, Mr. Shalit largely retreated from the public eye. He was married to Nancy Lewis for 28 years, from 1950 until her death in 1978. - NBC News, 6/12/26...... 
Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Walter Parazaider, a co-founding member of Chicago, died on June 17 after a six-year battle with Alzheimer's. He was 81 years old. His wife, JacLynn, told TMZ.com that she was beside her beloved husband's side when he passed at 2:10 a.m. on June 17. His daughter Felicia Helen Parazaider also confirmed his death in a Facebook post. "My father, my hero, is gone," she wrote in part. "There's no more pain. No more struggle. This was the worst six years. The hardest season of my life. And I'm so grateful that my dad is not suffering anymore. I love you poppy, my Pal." Known for his skills as a saxophonist and ability to play multiple instruments, Mr. Parazaider helped found Chicago in 1967 with his friends Peter Cetera, Terry Kath, Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane, James Pankow and Danny Seraphine in the city after which the band was named -- although the group originally called themselves The Big Thing followed by Chicago Transit Authority before shortening the latter to one word. The lineup would change over the years, but Mr. Parazaider was a constant member of the band up until his retirement in 2018. He and his bandmates scored a multitude of hits with Chicago, including three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s: 1976's "If You Leave Me Now," 1982's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" and 1988's "Look Away." The band also notched five Billboard 200-topping albums, with Chicago V spending nine weeks atop the chart in 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Mr. Parazaider's death comes about six years after the musician was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He was one of the estimated 6.9 million people in the United States who live with the disease, which is the most common cause of dementia and involves a buildup of proteins that causes brain cells to die over time, according to the Mayo Clinic. - Billboard, 6/17/26.
Alice Cooper has thanked a man in his home state of Arizona with a signed copy of his latest album after the man found Cooper's credit card in a gas pump. After Cooper had been golfing in the Payson, Ariz. area, he'd lost his card at a gas station after leaving it at a pump. It was later found by a local named Geoff Guy, who somehow managed to get it back to the veteran shock-rocker, and was rewarded with a signed copy of his latest album, The Revenge Of Alice Cooper. After finding the card, Guy's wife suggested he call Cooper's Phoenix-based charity, the Alice Cooper Solid Rock Teen Center, and, after doing so, he was able to get it back to Cooper on June 8, right before the rocker set off on his European tour. "The guy is a legend for people of my generation, that's for sure, and I'm really glad I could help get it back to him," Guy told a local TV station. Cooper and Guy appeared side by side in a local news segment, with Cooper stopping for pictures and thanking Guy for making "a good call" right before he set off for his tour. The tour kick-off follows Cooper announcing details of a new "definitive autobiography" titled Devil On My Shoulder, and confirming plans for a new Q&A book tour for later in 2026. Guy was interviewed about the incident on the Chaz and AJ podcast, which can be streamed on Instagram. - New Musical Express, 6/14/26...... 
Carly Simon has revealed the first single on her upcoming first album in 20 years will be "Howl," a letter to a friend whose lover has just left them. "'Howl' lives in that space between betrayal and forgiveness, where anger has to be voiced before it can be released," the 82-year-old singer/songwriter said in a press release about the track. "It's about letting the frustration out, so it doesn't sit and simmer. The song begins in anger, but it moves toward forgiveness and speaks to any situation where trust has been broken." The lyrics include the words, "Howl like the wind/Roar like the river/Wail like the rain/Cry, shout, and shiver," before it says, "Call love a liar." Simon wrote and recorded her new album, titled Comes in Waves, at her studio in Martha's Vineyard. It contains nine new songs, plus two songs she had written previously and revisited. Her children, son Ben Taylor, and daughter, Sally Taylor, both feature on the album, and Sally produced the artwork for the album. Simon's label says the theme of Comes in Waves is "resetting oneself." The album "does not attempt to recreate the past," according to a statement, but "continues the conversation Simon has been having with her audience for decades, one grounded in truth, vulnerability, and a refusal to simplify emotion. It is a reminder of an artist still fully engaged with her craft, still asking questions, and still finding new ways to articulate what it means to live, to love, and to let go." Comes In Waves will drop on Aug. 14. - Music-News.com, 6/12/26...... Michael, the box office smash Michael Jackson biopic that premiered on Apr. 24, has surpassed the 2018 Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, crossing $911.9 million worldwide as it continues its global rollout. The Lionsgate and Universal co-production has surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody's total gross with $358.6 million at the domestic box office and $553.3 million internationally -- with Universal generating $540.5 million of the international total after acquiring foreign theatrical and ancillary rights. With the film opening in Japan on June 14, Michael is expected to push past $1 billion worldwide in 2026, joining the company of Universal's Super Mario Galaxy Movie. By comparison, Bohemian Rhapsody grossed $216.6 million domestically and $694.3 million internationally for a $910.9 million global total. Both films were produced by Graham King, meaning King has now broken his own all-time box office record for music biopics. Michael's other records include the largest global opening weekend ever for a music biopic, the highest-grossing domestic biopic of all time, and the most successful biopic ever in France, surpassing La Vie en Rose. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan and with Michael's nephew Jaafar Jackson in the titular role, the film was forced to undertake $50 million in reshoots after the Jackson estate identified a key issue with a plot point in the screenplay concerning one of Jackson's accusers, who was not meant to be dramatised in the film. Meanwhile, MJ child abuse accusers James Safechuck and Wade Robson have been given a new trial date for 2028. The pair, who appeared in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland where they detailed their alleged abuse by Jackson, allege that they were befriended by the singer and abused at his Neverland ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif., between the ages of 7 and 10. They also accused employees of his companies, MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures, of helping enable and conceal the alleged abuse. Robson, a choreographer and director, and Safechuck, a writer, actor, and director, sued MJJ Productions and MJJ Ventures for negligence, breach of duty, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in separate lawsuits in 2013 and 2014, respectively. After consolidating their cases in 2024, the two men and their lawyer, John Carpenter, previously wanted their case heard before the release of the recently released Michael biopic, but the case faced a series of delays and was previously set for trial in October 2027. On June 12, a judge in California agreed to set a new trial date in the sexual abuse case brought by the men. Judge Michael E. Whitaker set the new trial date for Feb. 14, 2028, but he ordered everyone back for another hearing in September to keep the case on track. The Jackson estate has adamantly and repeatedly denied that he abused either of the boys, and has emphasised that Robson testified at Jackson's 2005 criminal trial that he had not been abused, and Safechuck said the same to authorities. - Billboard/NME, 6/14/26...... On June 10 the music publishing and talent management company Primary Wave announced it has entered into a new partnership with the estate of late '70s disco icon Donna Summer. The deal will see Primary Wave work alongside Summer's estate to expand the reach of her song catalog and recordings. It also includes her name, image and likeness (NIL) rights. Through the agreement, the company will work closely with the estate on new marketing, branding digital and sync opportunities, along with film and TV projects. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to a press release, Summer, a primary force in bringing disco to the mainstream, has sold more than 100 million albums globally. Her catalog includes 17 studio albums, three of which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200. That includes 1978's Bad Girls, which spent six weeks atop the tally. She also enjoyed four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, including "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "MacArthur Park" and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)," and placed a total of 14 songs in that chart's top 10. The five-time Grammy winner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2025. She died in 2012 at age 63. - Billboard, 6/10/26...... 
Speaking to reporters on the red carpet after attending the 55th annual Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony on June 11, John Fogerty said he thought "whoever that Bob Dylan guy was" would be a great fit to portray him in a planned biopic of the legendary Creedence Clearwater Revival co-founder and frontman. Fogerty, of course, was referring to the hot young actor Timothee Chalamet, who took on the role of the iconic singer-songwriter for the critically acclaimed biopic A Complete Unknown. Earning a BAFTA nod and eight Oscar nominations, the film saw Chalamet perform some of Dylan's biggest hits himself, rather than mime them. Fogerty said he was "really excited" about the biopic of his life which is currently in the works, with the script currently being written. "That's such an honou, to get a movie made about you," he said. "I'm thrilled and happy that this is finally going to come out. I think they're working on it. That's about all I can say." When asked who he'd want to play him in a film about him, Fogerty quipped, "I used to joke, 'Oh, Brad Pitt!'. Speaking to another reporter the same night, the "Centerfield" singer was asked about his dream casting, and said he'd pick: "Whoever that Bob Dylan guy was. That would be great." The musician kept details of the new film largely under wraps, but told The Hollywood Reporter he'd be content with whoever got cast. "Years ago, probably in the middle of all the dark times, I would tell people, 'Someday they're going to make a movie about me, but I'll be too old to play myself,'" he said. "It's kind of like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz singing about someday.... Whoever they find that makes it work, I'll be happy with." - NME, 6/14/26...... Speaking of Bob Dylan, the rock bard has delved into his The Basement Tapes LP once again, this time playing "I Shall Be Released" for the first time in 18 years at a recent concert. During his gig at Oregon's Cuthbert Amphitheatre on June 9, Dylan brought back the song he last played at a 2008 concert in Warsaw. He wrote the track in 1967, and he and the Band recorded it during their "Basement Tapes sessions." The Band also recorded their own version of the song without Dylan, and they used it as the closing track on their 1968 debut Music From Big Pink. It comes after he opened a previous Washington gig on June 6 with anotherBasement Tapes cut, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere." The song, which he hasn't played in concert since 2012, saw him joined on vocals by his guitarists Doug Lancio and Bob Britt, a callback to the Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton era in the late '90s to early '00s, when it was far more common for his bandmates to sing with him. - NME, 6/13/26...... Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his artist friend David Hockney, who passed away peacefully at his home in the UK on June 11 at the age of 88. The Bradford native died after a career that saw him lauded as one of the most influential and celebrated artists of the 20th century. A defining figure in British art, his works included "A Bigger Splash" and "Portrait Of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures)." One of the friends he made over the years was Beatles legend McCartney, who has shared a personal tribute to him on his Instagram page. Alongside a photo of the two arm in arm, McCartney wrote: "David Hockney was a friend and an incredible painter. I knew him during the 1960s and kept a friendship going till he died on Thursday, the 11th of June. He was very clever witty and fun to be with." "His paintings often gave off a feeling of great joy," he added. "Nancy and I enjoyed visiting his studios in California where we took a drive along Mulholland Drive which he made famous all over again in his sensational paintings. Or in his London studio. The rooms were filled with paintings. Often some of the most recent pictures that he had done. He would talk about them and his very particular views on art. He felt that it was important to see correctly. He wasn't a great fan of perspective and was always involved in inventing new ways to view the world. His many paintings, drawings, films and other media like iPad drawing he took readily to and mastered." Meanwhile, Sir Paul has defended the lyrics to "Momma Gets By," the closing track of his acclaimed new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane. The song concerns a put-upon wife who shoulders the burden of family life while her feckless husband shirks his responsibilities. "Momma gets by while papa gets high," McCartney sings, "She makes enough to raise a family." Later, he adds: "Even though he's complicated, she takes it in her stride / What are his silly faults compared to what she feels inside?" Certain corners of the internet and music press have questioned the song's gender politics, with one fan writing on Reddit: "It's a nice melody, lovely string arrangement, but the lyrics and message that it's ok to have a deadbeat drug addict absentee husband / co parent if you love him? Really odd, and so impersonal!" Speaking to UK comedian Rob Brydon onstage at The Roundhouse in north London on June 10, McCartney explained: "Sometimes you write songs about somebody you know, or an experience that you've had. And sometimes you just make 'em up 'cause you're in a more theatrical mood. I imagined this [track] like a play. I don't know the characters, but I'm imagining the woman and then the song is told from the perspective of the kid. So it just kind of unfolded itself. I was imagining the musical Porgy and Bess and that sort of thing. It's like a little theatrical story; a little musical theatre moment about this woman." He continued: "Some people would say, 'Oh, she's a bit of a sucker 'cause the guy's a bit of a waster.' But for me she's a very strong woman and it explains that in the song. I'm very proud of her and women like her." As the crowd cheered, McCartney added: "There's a lot of strong women out there." - NME, 6/13/26...... 
Queen drummer Roger Taylor has announced his seventh solo album, Violence Insane In A Beautiful World, will be arriving Sept.18. Marking his first full-length release since 2021's No. 3 UK LP Outsider, the drummer, songwriter and vocalist has launched the album with its first single, "Come On Summer (It's Party Time)," featuring a vibrant performance from South Africa's Ndlovu Youth Choir, who famously went viral for their Zulu-language rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. The album, recorded largely by Taylor himself with long-time collaborator Joshua J. Macrae and members of his touring band, explores what he calls the tension between the world's beauty and its escalating turmoil. He said: "There is a theme what a beautiful world we live in, don't f--- it up. The violence in the world seems to be as bad as it ever was but kindness is very important. It seems to be forgotten quite a lot." Although not a concept album, the record threads together Taylor's reflections on global conflict, environmental damage and political unrest, while still leaning into optimism and the "eclecticism" that has defined his solo work. The Ndlovu Youth Choir appear on three tracks -- a collaboration Taylor describes as transformative: "They're just wonderful it gives the songs a whole new dimension." The album also includes an emotional cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy," which Taylor calls "one of the greatest ballads ever written." Taylor will embark on a short UK tour behind the new album -- his only UK shows of 2026 - performing with the same band that joined him on the Outsider tour. The run begins Sept. 21 in Newcastle before heading to Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Swansea and London's Roundhouse, where Taylor last appeared as a guest of Foo Fighters in 2011. It wraps on Sept. 29 in Swansea. - Music-News.com, 6/10/26...... Bruce Springsteen has apologized to U2 frontman Bono for refusing to license "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" for a new advertisement for the clothing brand GAP in partnership with Bono's AIDS foundation (RED). While presenting Springsteen with the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award at Tribeca Festival in New York on June 13, the Bono recalled asking the Boss to license the 2007 track after he'd joined forces with the clothing brand for the (PRODUCT) RED campaign, which raised money to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. "That was a big mistake," Springsteen said, drawing laughs. "I should have said yes." He called the song one of his "personal favorites" and one that the "audience doesn't really care" about. "That was just a song that I love," he continued. "Damn it, I still think back: 'Bono asked you to put this thing on a commercial on television.' I should have f---ing done it! People would hear it like a hit, you know? So I have to apologize." At the beginning of the event, Tribeca Festival founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal introduced Bono, who then heaped praise on the New Jersey rocker. "Bruce Springsteen is America," Bono said. "Bruce made poetry from the voices of the people and set that poetry to music. We honor him tonight as a musician and poet and as an activist and a patriot." In conversation, Bono and Springsteen talked about bringing political resistance to the masses with Springsteen's "Land Of Hope And Dreams" tour, throughout which he has used his time on stage to mount criticisms of the Donald Trump regime. It was prompted by the killing of two Minneapolis citizens by ICE agents earlier in the year, with the Boss saying that US citizens are "living through some very dark times" as the "American values that have sustained us for 250 years are being challenged as never before." Fan-shot video of Springsteen wrapping up the event by performing "Land of Hope and Dreams" can be viewed on Instagram. - NME, 6/14/26...... New Wave legends DEVO and The B-52s are set to perform at London's O2 on June 20, 2026, followed the next evening with a show at Manchester's AO Arena. The two UK dates come as an extension to their "Cosmic De-Evolution Tour," which has already seen them take to stages across the US and Canada. The two groups say they will rotate who tops the bill each night. "We keep trying to fight about who gets to be the opening band so we can go out to the restaurant after the show," said DEVO's Mark Mothersbaugh. Joining the two bands at the London and Manchester shows will be Scottish punk legends The Rezillos and fellow New Wave artist Lene Lovich. - NME, 6/13/26...... 
In a new interview with Vulture magazine, Paul Stanley says KISS' secret weapon has always been their larger-than-life personas. The rock icon says the face paint-wearing group have spent five decades as "Batman with a guitar and Superman with a Marshall amplifier," a comparison he made while looking back at the moments that turned KISS into one of rock's most enduring acts. Stanley pointed to the release of their raucous 1975 live album Alive! as the moment everything shifted. "Alive! was such a turning point for us," he said. "We wanted you to be in the crowd and have a sense of empowerment to hear the noise of people next to you between songs, because technology doesn't really allow for multisensory overload." The album, he added, finally showcased "the power and commitment of us as a band." He believes the band's visual identity -- the makeup and ageless personas -- has been just as crucial to their longevity as the music itself. Fans who see KISS today, he said, still feel like they're watching the same superhero figures they first encountered in the '70s. He added: "Part of what has been our strength over the years is looking the same onstage. The idea of being omnipotent, of being ageless, is incredibly powerful So in that way, we're timeless superheroes -- Batman with a guitar and Superman with a Marshall amplifier." Another way they are securing their legacy is with their digital avatar show. "There's no reason for us to live within the boundaries of other rock bands," the musician recently said on the Rock of Nations podcast. "They live within those boundaries because that's all they can be. And it's great, but we are not that -- we're KISS." - NME, 6/12/26...... The Rolling Stones have announced they're teaming up with Marvel Studios to launch a special vinyl collector series for their new album Foreign Tongues. For a limited time, a special collector's release of the album will be on offer -- replacing the original artwork with Marvel-inspired designs. There are five variants on offer, one shows the Hulk carrying a truck with the Stones' iconic lips logo on the side, one shows Spider-Man crafting the logo out of webs, and another shows Captain America crashing through a wall covered in the design. Other variations include Thor holding his hammer, with the lips logo being formed by lightning around him, and one of Wolverine standing in front of the design. Each design has been designed by Marvel illustrators especially for this release, and they can be pre-ordered at therollingstonesshop.com. Foreign Tongues is due July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music. Meanwhile, Stones frontman gave a surprise impromptu performance at the Half Moon pub in St Clements in Oxford on June 7, performing as part of the pub's weekly folk session. Jagger was in attendance with his partner, former American ballerina Melanie Hamrick, and they were there as guests of Oriel College. The college confirmed that the couple had drinks and dinner at the college, before heading off to the pub with Stones keyboard player Matt Clifford and Oriel Politics academic Robert Cheah. There, they delivered an impromptu performance of traditional song "Handsome Molly," which Jagger covered on his 1993 solo album Wandering Spirit. Speaking to BBC News about the surprise appearance, an employee at the Half Moon said that they were "delighted" by Jagger taking to the stage, and added that the venue "prides itself on its authentic atmosphere and welcoming community." "Our Sunday folk session has been going for many years and is open to everyone -- whether you're a beginner player or an international rock star," they added. "You never know what to expect at the Half Moon." Footage of the performance has been shared on Instagram. NME, 6/11/26...... As Taylor Swift prepares to wed fiance Travis Kelce in one of the biggest celebrity events of the season, the current reigning pop queen performed a duet with Randy Newman at the world premiere of Toy Story 5 in Los Angeles. Before a screening of the fifth instalment of Pixar's Toy Story film series, the music superstar took to the stage to sing "I Knew It, I Knew You" at a piano. In addition, Swift was joined by the Toy Story franchise's long-running composer Newman for a rendition of his 1995 track, "You've Got a Friend in Me." The theme song has been incorporated into the soundtracks of all of the Toy Story films, starting with the 1995 original. Swift, who recently became the youngest woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, thanked all the artists and animators who worked so hard on creating the feature. Swift's performance can be viewed on YouTube. - Music-News.com, 6/10/26...... 
A dystopian sci-fi movie based on the iconic 1973 Emerson, Lake & Palmer track "Karn Evil 9" is in development. The Radar Pictures-produced movie has secured a director and screenwriter, and reportedly has the cooperation of the band's management and surviving members. As reported by Variety, the film draws its name and thematic core from "Karn Evil 9," the sprawling half-hour track from the band's 1973 album, Brain Salad Surgery. Written by Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and lyricist Peter Sinfield, the piece fused rock, classical motifs, and futuristic dread in a way that had no clear precedent in popular music. Its album cover, designed by H.R. Giger, became an enduring image of the era. The official synopsis hints that the story complements contemporary anxieties. "When Zak, a brilliant but troubled musical prodigy, is invited to perform at a major music festival simulcast in the world's most popular video game, he is shocked to discover the game's mysterious creator may be using him to promote a terrifying new technology. In a harrowing twist, our hero comes to believe that this technology may be of inestimable benefit to humanity. And he is hunted by ruthless, anti-technology mercenaries." Isaac Ezban, the Mexican filmmaker behind the acclaimed thriller The Incident, has signed on to direct, while Tim Hedrick, a veteran writer on Avatar: The Last Airbender, has penned the screenplay. Ezban described the project in vivid terms. "This is, quite literally, a miracle of a movie and just the kind of movie I had always dreamt of directing," he said in a statement. Hedrick argued that "Karn Evil 9" functions as a cultural precursor to landmark sci-fi films. "'Karn Evil 9' predates The Matrix and The Terminator, but it anticipates both of those films, as well as our present moment of technological chaos. I can't wait to explore this world." - ComingSoon.net, 6/12/26.
Paul McCartney's new studio effort 
Speaking of Canadian bands, a newly configured Rush launched its "Fifty Something Tour" at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on June 7, the first time the group's remaining members, singer/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist/vocalist Alex Lifeson, have toured without their late beloved drummer Neil Peart in more than 50 years, since the trio rocket-launched out of Toronto in the mid-70s. As such it was only right to put Peart at the center of the affair, with the tour billed as a celebration of his legacy and of the band's half-century of music. Lee himself said that "Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we f--king miss it So [we're] going to hit the road once again to pay tribute to our past and to Neil by performing a vast selection of Rush songs in a handful of cities. No small task, because as we all know Neil was irreplaceable." The show opened with a six-minute intro video that found a trio of young people entering a gothic castle while searching for Rush, encountering characters from the Rush universe, including the sausage-maker introduced during the band's 2010 "Time Machine Tour," the owl from the cover of Fly By Night and actors Jason Segel and Paul Rudd, who reprised their Rush-loving characters from the 2009 comedy I Love You, Man. Five standout elements from the evening included Peart's replacement Anika Nilles making her tour debut with an incredible performance behind the kit, playing mightily and with tremendous strength and stamina as she powered through the 22-song setlist. Forty percent of the setlist -- which unfolded over two sets broken up by a short intermission -- focused on Rush's hugely influential work from the early '80s. The band played three songs from 1980's Permanent Waves, four from 1981's Moving Pictures and two from 1984's Grace Under Pressure. But the rest of the setlist acknowledged that Rush also did important work in four other decades, taking from 1975's Fly By Night, 1991's Roll The Bones, 2007's Snakes & Arrows and more. They also created a sort of full circle by incorporating two songs from the band's final studio LP, Clockwork Angels, with the show closing with "Working Man" from Rush's 1974 self-titled debut. While Lee advised that the tour would "pay tribute to our past and to Neil," "tribute" seems too small a word for how Peart was thoughtfully and frequently woven into the show. There were two separate instances when his voice came through the speakers, as he first talked about getting into drumming as a kid who was, "smashing pots and pans and my parents got the idea that I liked to hit things with sticks, so for my 13th birthday they gave me drum lessons, this changed everything." The band then played "Bravado" while a photo montage of the later drummer flashed onscreen. - Billboard, 6/8/26...... Sharon Osbourne has responded to accusations of a "cash grab" over an new avatar of her late husband Ozzy Osbourne. News of an AI avatar of the Prince Of Darkness was confirmed by his widow and former manager Sharon in May, as well as by their son Jack Osbourne, during a discussion about the future of Ozzy's brand at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Speaking on a recent The Osbournes podcast, Sharon defended the decision to create an Ozzy AI avatar, and rejected claims that she and the family are simply doing it as a way to make money off the late rock legend. "The thing is, it's like when there were propellers and then there were jet planes. [People would question] 'Why go on a jet when there's a propeller? It's a cash grab'." "Well, you know what, technology moves on," she continued. "And I'm sorry for those people. I'm not asking you to come. I don't want your f--king money. I don't need your f--king money. I'm doing very well." She also said that she sees the endeavour as something that "will pass on through our family" and help their grandchildren remember Ozzy, while Jack said that it was only a matter of time before someone else took the idea. "Either we do it or someone else is gonna do it," he said, "And for me, it's not about pretending he's still alive. It's making sure he's never forgotten." - NME, 6/8/26...... Bob Dylan revisited a deep cut from his catalog at his June 6 show at the Chateau Ste Michelle Winery in Woodinville, Washington, performing The Basement Tapes track "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" for the first time in 14 years. The rock bard opened the show with the 1967 song, last played live in 2012, with guitarists Doug Lancio and Bob Britt providing light backing vocals. While the cut itself has long enjoyed a second life through cover versions -- most notably by The Byrds, who took their 1968 rendition to No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- Dylan himself has rarely returned to it onstage. The performances are the latest signs of Dylan continuing to mine his vast back catalog on the "Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour," which has now stretched on for more than five years since its launch in late 2021. Dylan also recently contributed a co-written song to Willie Nelson's new album 
Elvis Costello has told people who accused him of being "woke" for removing the N-word from his 1979 single "Oliver's Army" to "go f--k yourself." In 2022, the legendary British New Wave artist called on radio stations to stop playing the 1979 single, due to its controversial inclusion of the lyric, "Only takes one itchy trigger / One more widow, one less white n-----." Costello's anti-imperialist song was meant as a satirical take on how governments and militaries use working class young people as soldiers in their battles, and Elvis has long argued that the use of the N-word was a reference to how Catholics were historically referred to in Northern Ireland. However, he said in 2022 that he had decided to stop playing it live and called on radio stations to stop giving it airtime. "[Bleeping the word out] is a mistake," he said at the time. "They're making it worse by bleeping it for sure. Because they're highlighting it then. Just don't play the record!" Costello did decide to start playing the song again in 2025, switching the line to "one more widow, another pallbearer," and in a new interview with The London Times, the "Watching the Detectives" singer has once again explained why he has chosen not to use the original lyrics. "I no longer use words that go off like alarm clocks, because indignation about that word stops people hearing what the song is about," he said. "That is my position. People went, 'that's woke'. Well, go f--k yourself." He added further context to his decision to include the N-word in the first place, explaining: "That's what my grandfather was called in the British army -- it's historically a fact -- but people hear that word go off like a bell and accuse me of something that I didn't intend." Costello is currently touring the UK with The Imposters and Charlie Sexton, with dates in Birmingham, London, Portsmouth and Newcastle to come at the end of June and the start of July. They are also set to support Neil Young And The Chrome Hearts during a run of UK and European dates. Those dates kick off on June 19 in Manchester, and continue later in the month with stops in France and Scotland, before heading over to Ireland and Wales the following month. - NME, 6/8/26...... Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Public Enemy, Little Steven Van Zandt, Sheryl Crow, Jackson Browne, David Sancious, and more performed across two nights of the "Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us" concerts at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, this week, with the second night on June 5 featuring a particularly notable return -- Bon Jovi's first public performance in his native New Jersey since 2018. The two-night concert series serves as the cornerstone event for the opening of the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J., which officially opens to the public June 13. Springsteen opened Friday's show with a roaring rendition of Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock," followed by Presley's "Burning Love," backed by the Disciples of Soul under music director Marc Ribler. Bon Jovi then took the stage for Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" -- his first public vocal performance in his home state since 2018, when he stepped back from touring due to vocal cord issues. The performance came as Bon Jovi's full band prepares for a nine-show residency at Madison Square Garden in July. Other highlights including Jackson Browne representing the 1970s singer-songwriter era with his own "For America," while 86-year-old singer/songwriting legend Dion delivering "The Wanderer" alongside a stirring "Abraham, Martin and John." Mavis Staples performed The Band's "The Weight" to represent the activist sounds of the 1960s while younger generations were treated to Public Enemy and "Fight the Power." The night closed with group performances of "Further On Down the Road," "Raise Your Hand" and "I Don't Want to Go Home," before Springsteen ended with a solo rendition of "Land of Hope and Dreams." The 30,000-square-foot Springsteen Center for American Music at Monmouth University is scheduled to open June 13, featuring multiple exhibit spaces, state-of-the-art archives, a 250-seat Dolby soundstage and over a dozen interactive experiences. - Billboard, 6/7/26...... Deep Purple have shared the latest taste of their upcoming new album 
In a new interview with the celebrity outlet Page Six, Peter Frampton says he's been staying positive amid his fight against the rare and progressive muscle disease Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM). Frampton, 76, said he feels like the "luckiest guy alive" despite announcing in 2019 that he was fighting the disease that causes a "slow, painless muscle weakening and inflammation," typically affecting the wrists, fingers and quadriceps, according to the Cleveland Clinic. While there is currently no cure for the disease, Frampton said he's a "very positive person. I know the endgame, but it doesn't bother me," describing how he's learned how to change his life by using a cane and a grabber tool at home, as well as switching up his signature guitar style. "It's a challenge, and I'm always up for a challenge," the guitarist/singer said about learning new ways to strum due to the disease, whose symptoms can be delayed somewhat by physical therapy. "My outlook on it is, 'That's life,'" said Frampton, who released his 19th studio album as a solo artist and first one of all new song in 16 years in May, 
Motörhead have announced the seventh "Lemmy Forever" ceremony taking place at the UK's Download Festival 2026 taking place Donington Park in Leicestershire from June 10 to 14, and will house some of frontman Lemmy Kilmister's ashes permanently in Manchester after the festival. The iconic singer and bassist, who is considered to be one of the most influential figures in metal history, died in Dec. 2015 at age 70, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. For years now, there has been a tribute to him at Download Festival, following from the heavy metal icon playing there in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2013, and also joining Slash on stage in 2013. Set to take place on June 12 at 3:00 pm GMT, the tribute comes as part of the ongoing "Lemmy Forever" initiative and will be held at the onsite Lemmy's Lounge. There, a miniature of Lemmy's custom urn containing a portion of some of his ashes will be enshrined in a classic fruit machine -- something those closest to him say he took on the road with him. After the festival wraps on June 14, those same ashes will be transported to Manchester Apollo, where a further "Lemmy Forever" ceremony will take place and those ashes will remain there permanently. At the Manchester ceremony, fans and friends are encouraged to come together and share stories about the Motörhead icon and remember the huge impact he had with his music. - NME, 6/9/26...... Legendary 94-year-old music executive Clive Davis was released from a New York hospital on June 4 after being admitted on May 29 for an upper respiratory issue. A representative for Davis told TMZ.com that he was admitted to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. The hospitalization came just days after Davis attended the Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction in New York City. A four-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Davis is widely regarded as one of the most influential executives in modern music history. - Billboard, 6/4/26.
Meanwhile, Alice Cooper has issued a stark warning over his fears of an AI "rock star." Interviewed by Eddie Trunk on the SiriusXM channel Trunk Nation, Cooper explained how he could create a "rock star" on his own. "Well, here's the deal, I could right now create a rock star," said Alice, 78. "I could create a Yungblud, a guy that's really appealing, rock, tough, cool looking. I could create a guy named -- I don't care -- Starboy or whatever, and make him look great. He doesn't actually exist." The legendary shock-rocker went on to describe the kind of AI-generated rock star he could invent. "I could tell the AI, 'I want him to sound like Tom Petty and Freddie Mercury. And here's what the album's about. Write the songs,'" he said. "Okay, now you've got a rock star that doesn't exist, and you've got an album that doesn't exist except in this world." However, Alice -- who was born Vincent Damon Furnier but legally changed his name in 1975 -- pointed out there would be no original artist to claim authorship of the music. "What happens if it sells? Who gets the money? AI wrote the songs!" he said. "That's gonna happen. You watch that happen, because the guy that just suggested what it should be did not write the songs." The Coop also lamented the fact that AI "artists" had no lived experience of human emotion. "If I could tell it to write a song about Eddie Trunk joining The Rolling Stones, they would write you a great song - except for one thing," he declared. "The one thing it can't do - it's never been in love. It's never had its heart broken. It's never been angry. It's never been happy." This, he said, made it next to impossible for audiences to connect with AI-generated music. "It has no emotion," Alice said. "It has no heart, it has no feel, has no soul to it, and that's where it dies right there." - Music-News.com, 6/3/26...... As Taylor Swift prepares to release her own new music in early June, the contemporary pop sensation took to social media on June 2 for an 
On June 1 a special concert event in New York City that supports "standing in unity against the authoritarian shifts threatening our democracy today" was announced for NYC's Town Hall on June 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased now at riseupsingout.com or on Ticketmaster.com. Viewers will also be able to livestream the concert event for free. "Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment" will feature performances by artists including Bette Midler, Patti Smith and Rufus Wainwright, with actresses Julia Roberts and Lily Gladstone also making appearances. Previously announced appearances include Jane Fonda -- who serves as founder of the Committee for the First Amendment -- plus Joy Reid, Sasha Allen and Broadway Inspirational Voices. "We can't sit idly by while our rights are at stake," Fonda said in a statement about the event. "History shows us that when democracy is threatened, song becomes one of our most powerful weapons. Right now, we are at a critical crossroads. It's time for us to rise up, raise our voices, and stand up against a government that refuses to put its people first. We are fighting back the best way we know how to: with our community and in solidarity." To coincide with the event, the No Kings Coalition is launching a nationwide organizing day on June 14 to bring people together at public and private watch parties in support of our First Amendment rights. - Billboard, 6/1/26...... Speaking on BBC Radio 2's Tracks of My Years on June 1, Mick Jagger said he "can't wait" to take The Rolling Stones back on the road, though fans shouldn't expect an imminent announcement. "I'd love to go on tour, I can't wait," the 82-year-old rock star said, before tempering expectations. "I don't think it's going to be this year. But hopefully it's going to be as soon as possible." Jagger's comments come after the band scrapped plans for a U.K. and European stadium tour in 2026 in late 2025, with reports that Keith Richards was unable to "commit" to the run. However Richards, also 82, has since hinted at a potential return to the road in 2027, and Jagger's latest remarks add weight to that possibility. Jagger's interview, with Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood also participating, comes ahead of the band's 25th studio album 
Art Garfunkel was among the special surprise guests during singer Charlie Puth's May 29 concert at Madison Square Garden. The first surprise was an appearance from Garfunkel for a heartfelt duet with Puth on Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer," a Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit in 1969 that was a track on the duo's final studio album, 
Dexter Wansel, a forefather of alternative R&B and the gifted songwriter/producer of hits such as Patti LaBelle's "If Only You Knew," died on May 30 in Philadelphia of undisclosed causes. He was 75. A Philadelphia native born Aug. 22, 1950, keyboardist Wansel was an errand boy for the local Uptown Theater while growing up. Following a stint in the Army, he began working at the city's famed Sigma Sound Studios, where he gained the attention of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the Grammy-winning co-founders of pioneering soul label Philadelphia International Records. As a recording artist for the label -- beginning with his influential 1976 debut album Life on Mars in addition to wearing multiple hats in-house as a writer, arranger, composer, conductor, producer and A&R director into the '80s -- Wansel earned a reputation as one of the vital craftsmen in developing the inimitable "Sound of Philadelphia." In a joint statement, Gamble & Huff commented, "Dexter Wansel brought a new age sound to our record label in the 1970s and '80s, arranging and producing hits for many of our artists such as The Jacksons, The Jones Girls, Jean Carne and MFSB Orchestra, and including hits for himself. Dexter's synthesizer and symphonic keyboard sounds were iconic." A statement from the Wansel family states, "We wish to express our gratitude for the outpouring of condolences we are receiving for our loved one, Grammy winner and one of the architects of the Sound of Philadelphia, Dexter Wansel. He's at peace now." Memorial details will be announced at a later date. - Billboard, 6/2/26...... Marcia Lucas, the Oscar-winning film editor behind 
Peabo Bryson, the Grammy-winning and hitmaking R&B singer/producer of legendary love songs, died on June 2 after suffering a stroke the previous weekend and being placed under medical care. He was 75. "With broken hearts and profound sadness, the family of two-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and balladeer, Peabo Bryson, announces his passing," a statement from Bryson's family reads, adding: "He transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him." Over his decades-long career, Bryson placed 12 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, starting with "Lovers After All," his 1981 duet with Melissa Manchester, and including three top 10 hits. He topped the chart in 1993 thanks to his recording of Disney's "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)" with Regina Belle. Bryson had previously found success with another Disney classic, recording "Beauty and the Beast" with a then-23-year-old Celine Dion and reaching No. 9 on the Hot 100 in 1992. Those two Disney success stories also brought Bryson his two Grammy wins out of eight nominations, with both duets taking home best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal in back-to-back years (1993 and 1994). On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Bryson placed 41 hits spanning 1976-1993, including 10 top 10s -- two of which hit No. 1: "Show & Tell" and "Can You Stop the Rain." He also had 21 entries on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, spanning 1976-2007, seven of which hit the top 10 and one of them, Can You Stop the Rain, hit No. 1. Robert Peapo Bryson -- the nickname "Peabo" came from an early musical mentor, Moses Dillard, who had trouble pronouncing his given middle name -- first entered the Billboard charts in 1976 with "Do It With Feeling," which reached No. 25 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and became his first Billboard Hot 100 placement, with a No. 94 peak. Over the next decade-plus, the Greenville, S.C. native emerged into a constant R&B hitmaker, building a rsum of top 10 appearances. Successes included his own solo material, such as the No. 1 singles "Show & Tell" (1989) and "Can You Stop the Rain" (1991), while "Reaching for the Sky" (No. 6, 1978), "I'm So Into You" (No. 2, 1979) and "If You're Ever in My Arms Again" (No. 6, 1984) earned high positions. In addition, the powerhouse vocalist also teamed with R&B legends for stirring duets. He and Natalie Cole took "Gimme Some Time" to No. 8 in 1980, and he performed multiple hits with Roberta Flack, including their highest charting collaboration, "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," a No. 5 hit in 1983. - Billboard, 6/2/26.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Roger Daltrey claims that The Who "were the first heavy metal band" and paved the way for the genre in the 1960s. "We were just different than everybody else," the singer said, noting that the British quartet demonstrated multiple sounds, live performance tricks and more that would go on to be synonymous with heavy metal. "[Americans] generally "don't really know The Who from the early '60s, if they were to look back, they'd see that their style back then had elements reminiscent of what would later be considered metal. As the drummer of Deep Purple [Ian Paice] said recently: 'The Who started it all.' We were the first heavy metal band," Daltrey said. "Jim Marshall invented the 412 [speaker cabinet], 100-watt stack for [Who guitarist] Pete Townshend... All the guitar smashing that Jimi Hendrix became famous for, in his style, was basically copied from Pete Townshend," Daltrey continued. And the first rock opera, of course, we elevated rock to be maybe up its own ass in a way, you could say it," he added. "We were doing it before anyone, but it's not important in the long run." The rock icon's comments come as he recently announced a solo tour across the US later in 2026. The Who played their final-ever live shows in 2025, however, earlier this year Townshend hinted that there could be more to come from the band. "We are always trying to come up with something special, and God willing will continue to do that, hoping one day we can astound you the way we used to," the guitarist said. It isn't clear what exactly The Who may have planned, although the hopes of more Who news has been circulating since Townshend told fans at the final show of the farewell tour that he was "sure we'll get up to all kinds of mischief" and continue to "do stuff together." - New Musical Express, 5/29/26...... Barry Manilow has given an update on his lung cancer battle in a new interview with Good Morning America, telling interviewer Chris Connelly that he also fought life-threatening pneumonia for a week. "It took longer than I thought it was going to take to get past this lung cancer thing," Manilow said. "I didn't know about pneumonia. I was in [the] ICU for seven days because they couldn't grasp this pneumonia that was just about killing me," he added. Manilow, 82, subsequently pushed back his planned February Las Vegas residency dates, then his February, March and April arena shows on doctor's advice that he needed more time to recover. His Vegas residency at Westgate is scheduled to run through Dec. 2026, and his farewell arena tour -- dubbed "The Last Concerts" -- has rescheduled a number of dates in the wake of his illness. The star also confirmed that he plans to be ready for his June arena shows in the U.K. In March, the singer's new single, "Once Before I Go," became a top 10 hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, making himthe only artist in history to score an A/C hit in six consecutive decades during a run that has stretched from the 1970s through the 2020s. His first new album in 15 years, 
Barry Gibb is alive and well, despite a recent viral social media post claiming that The Bee Gees legend had passed away. Rumours of the "How Deep Is Your Love" singer's death gained traction on May 24 when a Facebook page titled "R.I.P. Barry Gibb" racked up nearly one million likes. The page, which now appears to have been taken down, featured a detailed false account claiming that the 79-year-old British hitmaker had died earlier that day. Although the page was deleted, the rumours had already spread across social media and online message boards, with multiple Facebook posts reporting the false news alongside AI-created images of Gibb. However, family sources have confirmed to TMZ.com that Barry "is healthy, happy, and living life at his Miami-area home" despite the false death reports. He is the last surviving member of the iconic singing trio, with Maurice Gibb dying in 2003 at the age of 53 and Robin Gibb passing away in 2012 at the age of 62. Gibb is the latest celebrity to be subjected to an online viral death hoax, following in the footsteps of stars including Justin Bieber, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks and Michael J. Fox. - Music-News.com, 5/28/26...... Bruce Springsteen is continuing to call out his longtime nemesis Pres. Donald J. Trump on stage, this time declaring Trump's recently announced "anti-weaponization fund" an "American outrage." Performing at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on May 27, the Boss tore into the Trump DOJ's new plan to set aside nearly $1.8 billion for those who have "suffered weaponization and lawfare," language that detractors have speculated refers to people who faced legal repercussions for their involvement in the riots that followed shortly after Trump's loss in the 2020 election. "We have a president who wants to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate and reward people who attacked our nation's capitol," Springsteen lamented between songs. "Attacked our democracy. Assaulted our police officers on Jan. 6. This is an American outrage, and this is happening now. This American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people. There is no one coming to save us. We've got to do it ourselves. Let them hear you at the f-king White House!," he added. The DOJ first published its intention to establish a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" on May 18. It comes as part of the settlement agreement in Trump's now-dismissed lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leak of his tax returns in 2019, and it will offer monetary relief to applicants who feel they've been mistreated by law enforcement, potentially including those convicted of assaulting Capitol Police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot. Springsteen's "Land of Hope & Dreams Tour" is scheduled to wrap on May 30 in Philadelphia. Elsewhere, Springsteen's current tour partner Tom Morello has announced plans to rage against the machine later in 2026 with a special, all-star festival. On May 28, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and activist announced that a "Power to the People Festival" will be a one-day event featuring Springsteen and Foo Fighters, among many others. Set for Oct. 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion In Columbia, MD, Power to the People is conceived as "a celebration of peace, justice, solidarity, music, and community action." Other artists confirmed include Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Brittany Howard, Dropkick Murphys and a band fronted by Jack Black featuring Roman Morello, Revel Ian, Yoyoka Soma and Hugo Weiss. Additional special guests will be announced in the weeks ahead. A poster for the show can be viewed on 
Carlos Santana and rising singer Becky G have released a new collaboration, "Mi Gran Amor," to benefit families impacted by the US Dept. of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement program (ICE). The pan-Latin rock track -- written and produced by Edgar Barrera -- was released on May 28 and pairs an urgent narrative with Santana's searing guitar work and Becky's emotionally grounded vocal. The song brings together three Mexican and Mexican-American artists from different generations and corners of Latin music. It also marks Santana's third single tied to his forthcoming album, following recent team-ups with Grupo Frontera ("Me Retiro") and Carn Len ("Velas"). For Santana, "Mi Gran Amor" was an opportunity to make his playing communicate something bigger than the lyrics alone. "As always, I want my guitar, the melodies, to sound and feel like a universal hug," the guitarist told Billboard in Detroit before heading on stage. "Now more than ever in this planet, we need unity, harmony and oneness. That's a universal hug." On the track, Becky sings, "Migra, mi gran amor se fue por culpa de la migra" ("Migra, my great love is gone because of la migra") using the colloquial Spanish term often used to refer to U.S. immigration authorities such as ICE. "As someone who was born here in the States, I will never truly understand what it is to walk those steps," Becky added. Instead, she says, she approached the song by "allowing myself to be just a vessel for those voices that can't speak up right now." Santana, who is set to carry that same spirit onto the road with his ongoing "Oneness Tour" with the Doobie Brothers, returns to the message he hears inside the song itself: connection over division. Later this year, he'll also bring it to Las Vegas for his An Intimate Evening With Santana: Greatest Hits Live run. "Anybody who comes to a concert, they're going to be validated and celebrated," says the legendary guitarist. "Santana is a force that speaks way beyond politics or religion. It's a unifying frequency." A teaser of "Mi Gran Amor" can be heard on 
Former Sex Pistols member Glen Matlock has responded to the band's former frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) describing the current iteration of Sex Pistols as a "tribute act." Lydon has criticized the recent Pistols reunion multiple times in the past, describing it as "karaoke" and "almost malicious in its intent," and Matlock has said if Lydon ever wanted to rejoin the band, "it's just not gonna happen." The discussion from the bassist comes as he is the subject of a new documentary called I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol. Directed by Andre Relis (Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon) and Nick Mead (Who Do I Think I Am?), the film is out now on Apple TV and Prime Video, and is based on his 1996 memoir of the same title. Featuring guest appearances from Matlock alongside his close friends and peers -- including Billy Idol and members of Blondie -- the film explores Matlock's place in the punk scene and the impact he had on Sex Pistols. The bassist co-wrote 10 of the 12 songs on their 1977 album 
Speaking of great saxophonists, legendary tenor sax player Sonny Rollins, whose combination of technical mastery, melodic invention and raw improvisational power made him one of the most consequential figures in jazz history, died on May 25 at his home in Woodstock, N.Y., after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He was 95. Mr. Rollins' passing marks the end of a direct line to jazz's post-war golden age, with him coming of age alongside Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker -- and outlived them all, spending the decades after their deaths as a living link to that era's creative revolution. Born in New York City on Sept. 7, 1930, to parents who had emigrated from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mr. Rollins grew up in Harlem and came to the saxophone in his early teens -- first the alto, then the tenor, which he adopted in his mid-teens and never abandoned. By the time he finished high school at Benjamin Franklin, he was already recording. His earliest sessions in 1949 included work alongside singer Babs Gonzalez and pianist Bud Powell, and he was performing with Monk before the age of 20. The decade that followed established him as one of the instrument's pre-eminent voices. His 1956 album Saxophone Colossus -- recorded for Prestige in a single session -- is considered one of the essential documents in all of jazz, and the track "St. Thomas," a calypso-inflected original, became one of the music's most enduring standards. In 1959, feeling he had reached a plateau, Mr. Rollins stepped away from performing -- seeking a place to practice alone, he found one on New York's Williamsburg Bridge, where he played through the night without fear of disturbing anyone. His 1962 return was marked by the album The Bridge, which announced not just a comeback but an artist who had been quietly, privately working to push further. In 1995, New York City Hall named a day in his honour. In 2011, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2017, he donated his personal archives to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. His wife Lucille, his partner of nearly 40 years, died in 2004. - Billboard, 5/25/26...... John McClain, co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate and a longtime music executive, died on May 27 at the age of 71. Jackson co-executor John Branca confirmed the death of McClain, who had helped lead the King of Pop's estate since the star's death in 2009, to Billboard, saying he was "profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and 'brother.'" "He brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends," Branca said. "It is difficult to imagine a world without him." McClain was a longtime executive at A&M Records, where he helped launch Janet Jackson's career and executive produced her breakthrough 1986 album Control. He later did stints at Interscope Records and DreamWorks Records. When Michael died in 2009, McClain and Branca, a veteran music attorney, were named in his will as co-executors of his estate. Though the estate was reported to be nearly $500 million in debt at the time of his death and dogged by abuse allegations, it has since become a multi-billion business, including a $600 million deal to sell half his catalog to Sony Music and a smash hit biopic Michael earlier this year. A cause of death has not been given publicly for McClain. But TMZ, which first reported the news of his passing, reported that he had been "sick for several years" before his death. - Billboard, 5/27/26.