Metallica Adds Four More Sphere Shows No, this is not a repeat of Friday's story. Metallica has added even more shows to its Las Vegas residency at the Sphere. Their initial eight show run at the iconic venue has been expanded three times, now totaling 24 shows in all, and which the band insists will put a cap on their Sphere shows. Tickets for all performances are on sale now; for complete show and ticket information, visit the band's website.
ROCK HALL: Fan Vote Recap - Week Two Phil Collins remains stop the leaderboard at the end of the second week in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Fan Vote. With close to 3.3-million votes cast as of Sunday night, he's closing in on 337,000 votes followed in the Top 5 by New Edition who overtook Pink who is now in third, with Luther Vandross and Billy Idol remaining at four and five. Wu-Tang Clan and Lauryn Hill overtook Iron Maiden to move into nine and 10th place, and Shakira skipped by Oasis to move into 13th place. With the votes rounded up, the top 10 list from the nominees includes:
1. Phil Collins - 337,000
2. New Edition - 306,500
3. Pink - 302,500
4. Luther Vandross - 250,500
5. Billy Idol - 226,500
6. INXS - 223,000
7. Sade - 216,500
8. Mariah Carey - 192,000
9. Wu-Tang Clan - 192,000
10. Lauryn Hill - 172,000
You can vote for up to seven artists once a day through April 3rd at RockHall.com. The top five artists selected by the public will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other 1200 ballots to determine the 2026 Inductees. The Class of 2026 will be announced in mid-April with the ceremony set for the fall at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
David Gilmour Releases "On An Island" Performance For 80th Birthday, Album Anniversary
An archival performance from Pink Floyd's David Gilmour is being released to mark two special occasions - his 80th birthday and the anniversary of his solo album "On an Island." The performance features Gilmour singing his song "On an Island" during an AOL Session in New
York in 2006. It also features Pink Floyd's Richard Wright on Keyboards. "On an Island" marked Gilmour's first solo album in 22 years and was his third album, released on his 60th birthday -- March 6th, 2006. But wait, there's more. A post on Gilmour's Instagram page states that he'll be releasing more tracks from that performance "over the next few days."
LED ZEPPELIN: Doc in a Box Led Zeppelin's 2025 documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin, will be released on a 4K Ultra High Definition disc and Blu-ray on April 14th. The "collector's edition box" will contain the discs housed in a steelbook case, four exclusive photo card prints, two limited-edition guitar picks, an iron-on jacket patch, a vinyl guitar case sticker, and a letter to fans from the film’s director
Bernard MacMahon. What the box won't contain is their performance of “Dazed and Confused” in Amsterdam on October 5th, 1969, which was previously announced as being part of the film’s bonus features. According to LedZepNews.com, the Amsterdam footage couldn’t be included on the physical release, meaning a December Dutch television broadcast of part of the unrestored footage remains the most complete version of the footage available.
In other Zep news, a very limited-edition photo book has been published focusing on their July 5th, 1971 performance in Milan, Italy that was cut short due to rioting in the audience. For details on Led Zeppelin Milano 1971 send an E-mail to writer and publisher Alberto Lo Giudice at LedSwan@hotmail.com. And last month, an original 19th century print of the photograph of a thatcher used on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s fourth album sold at auction in Sussex, England for $21,500. It's the largest known original print of that iconic photograph.
The Who To Release "Live At Eden Project" A latter-day live album from The Who is on the way. The band announced that their performance at Cornwall's iconic Eden Project in July 2023 would be released this spring. "Live at Eden Project" will be available as a 2CD digipak, a limited 3LP gatefold edition pressed on recycled vinyl with no plastic shrink wrap and packed in a separate paper wallet, a standard 3LP gatefold, and across all major digital platforms. Along with the album's announcement, the band released their performance of "Pinball Wizard" from the live set. "Live at Eden Project" comes out May 29th. You can hear "Pinball Wizard" from the upcoming album on the band’s Instagram.
Trailer Drops For Red Hot Chili Peppers Doc Netflix has released the first trailer for the upcoming documentary "The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel." The documentary focuses on the early days of the band and specifically late guitarist Hillel Slovak. Despite the participation of Flea, Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante, however, the Chili Peppers recently distanced themselves from the project, saying, “We had nothing to do with it creatively. We have yet to make a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary.” Slovak joined the band shortly after their formation in 1983 and appeared on
their first three albums before dying of a drug overdose in 1988 at the age of 26. "The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel" premieres on Netflix March 20.
R.E.M.: Stipe Sings With Shannon & Narducy
Michael Stipe joined Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy's R.E.M. tribute act to perform two songs Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York. Stipe joined them at the end of their encore to do two songs he hasn't sung in 18 years -- "These Days" from Lifes Rich Pageant and "The Great Beyond" from the Man on the Moon soundtrack. Before singing "These Days" Stipe told the audience, "I chose this song because of the message in the chorus which I think is really appropriate to the times that we are moving through. 'We are young despite the years/We are hope despite the times.'" Watch both performances on YouTube. This is the third time Stipe has sang with Shannon and Narducy's band -- he did "Pretty Persuasion" with them at shows in Athens, Georgia and in Brooklyn in 2025. (Note: Stipe does curse at :46 into the video, so it's not safe for air.)
Can Soccer Bring Van Halen's "Jump" To A Whole New Generation?
Van Halen is one of the biggest and most influential bands in rock history, but interestingly, you don't hear too many covers of their music. However, a new version of the band's biggest chart hit is about to introduce the song to a new generation. J Balvin and singer-songwriter
Amber Mark, alongside legendary guitarist Steve Vai and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker
have teamed up for a 2026 version of the song "Jump" for the FIFA World Cup 2026. In a statement, Balvin said, “Music for me has always been about bringing people from different countries and cultures together...and ‘Jump’ is all about that shared energy. From the football stands to watching at home, everyone knows that moment when emotions are high and you’re jumping for greatness...it’s about hype, energy, and creating something that feels real. This song is about celebrating life and living in the moment."
PETE TOWNSHEND: Learn All About Him
When Pete Townshend stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last November to promote Quadrophenia, a Rock Ballet, he took part in "The Colbert Questionert," which has now been posted on YouTube. So, in case you wanted to know more about The Who guitarist, here's what Colbert got out of him:
· Favorite sandwich: pastrami on rye with pickles and mustard
· Out-of-body experience: He had one in 1967 on the way home from the Monterey Pop Festival after taking LSD given to him by Owsley Stanley, the sound engineer for The Grateful Dead who was also a chemist. In his out-of-body experience, he was floating above the plane as it made its way back to England. And while floating he noticed that the cloud contained lots of debris such as pens, pen lids, one sock and buttons.
· First concert he attended: Bill Haley and The Comets in 1958
· Scariest animal: "I don't like to think of any animal being scary, but you know, I'm not keen on octopus... I think it's the tentacles. I don't mind eating them."
· Apples or oranges? "Well, the apple reminds me of that legend of Adam and Eve... But I love apples. I like oranges, too, but I prefer apples."
· Have you ever asked someone for their autograph? "Yes, [British] playwright Steven Berkoff."
· What do you think happens when we die? "I don't think anything happens... I think consciousness probably goes on in some form or other. That's what I think."
· Favorite action movie? "Hulk... I'd like to have a button that turned me into the Hulk, you know, just to get me on the subway in one piece."
· Favorite smell? Garlic
· Least favorite smell? Poo
· Earliest memory? "Being on the beach. I was 13 months old."
· Cats or dogs? "Dogs [but] I do like cats, too." He's allergic to cats.
· You only get one song to listen to for the rest of your life. What is it? "The Tracks of My Tears" by The Miracles
Asked to describe the rest of his life in five words: "Make another record you lazy [bleep]."
Country Joe McDonald, Singer, Dead At 84
Country Joe and the Fish's Joseph McDonald is dead at 84-years-old. According to an official statement on the band's Facebook page, the musician passed away on March 7th in Berkeley, California due to complications from Parkinson's Disease. McDonald co-founded Country Joe and the Fish alongside guitarist Barry "The Fish" Melton. Their debut album, "Electric Music for the Mind and Body," arrived in 1967.
IN OTHER NEWS John Fogerty will announce his Legacy Tour late summer and early fall dates with a "very special guest" this morning (Monday) at 10am ET. Fogerty returns to the road on March 14th and 15th in Mexico City followed by three shows at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on March 18th, 20th and 21st.
Billy Joel has posted on YouTube his performance of “Piano Man” from June 8th, 1984 at London’s Wembley Arena.
38 Special have released a video for “So Much So Right” off their latest and first album in two decades, Milestone. Check it out on YouTube.
Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and his wife Sue recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary, and he posted photos of their ceremony on Instagram. Among the guests were fellow newlyweds Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli.
Queen have posted a video of Brian May unboxing the deluxe reissue of their second album, Queen II, on YouTube. It will be out on March 27th.
Cheap Trick have posted a video for “The Best Thing” off their latest album, All Washed Up. It was filmed last September and October during their final shows in Japan.
David Knopfler, the younger brother of Mark and co-founding member of Dire Straits, is fed up with what he says is “embarrassingly dreadful AI-generated crap on YouTube,” which he adds is “stolen from my various works – the AI voice can’t even pronounce Knopfler. If anyone out there knows how to report copyright theft to YouTube please do it. I’ve tried and the forms have defeated me.”
On This Day ·
in 1964, the first Ford Mustang rolled off the Ford assembly line.
· In 1964 - The Beatles filmed the last day of train scenes for A Hard Day's Night. During their six days of filming aboard a moving train, The Beatles travelled 2,500 miles on the rails.
· In 1970 - Having recently changed their name from Earth to Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward made their concert debut at The Roundhouse, London.
· In 1981 - Robert Plant played a secret gig at Keele University, England with his new band, The Honey Drippers. · in 1981, Dan Rather made his debut as anchorman of "The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.”
· In 1985 - REO Speedwagon started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Can't Fight This Feeling."
· In 1987 - U2 released The Joshua Tree. It would go on to win a Grammy for Album of the Year and achieve Diamond status (sales of 10 million copies). · in 1986, Navy divers found the crew compartment of the space shuttle Challenger along with the remains of the astronauts on the ocean floor. The Challenger disaster occurred on January 28th.
· In 1993 - Lenny Kravitz released his third studio album, Are You Gonna Go My Way.
· In 1996 - Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher walked off stage during a gig at the Vernon Valley Gorge ski resort in New Jersey because his hands were too cold to play. · In 2012, Coke and Pepsi soda changed their formulas to avoid having to place a cancer-warning label on bottles of their products. They now add less 4-MEI, the carcinogen in question.
· In 2020 - American record producer Keith Olsen died at age 74. He worked with many artists including Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Foreigner, Scorpions, Journey, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Joe Walsh, and Eric Burdon & the Animals.