Classic Hits

Billy Joel is going to be the focus of New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf’s annual Music Of concert series, and the lineup of artists celebrating Joel has just been announced.

This year’s concert is March 12 at Carnegie Hall, with a lineup that includes Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel, Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, Train’s Pat Monahan, Gavin DeGraw, OAR’s Marc Roberge, Matt Nathanson, country star Tanya Tucker, Americana artists The War and Treaty and Mary Chapin Carpenter and singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, with more artists to be announced.

Joel’s eight-piece touring band will also be on hand for the celebration, serving as the evening’s house band.

For the first time ever, the show completely sold out before the lineup of artists was announced. Tickets remain for a live rehearsal show at City Winery on March 11.

The Joel concert will be the 21st Music Of tribute put on by Dorf. Since the series launched in 2004, the concerts have raised over $2 million for charity.

This year’s honoree was Patti Smith, with previous concerts celebrating the music of Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, Prince, R.E.M., Crosby, Stills & Nash and more.

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Items from The Beatles, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan and more are part of a new Marvels of Modern Music auction being put on by RR Auctions.

Among the highlights of the auction is an extremely rare EMI mono acetate pressing of The Beatles’ track “Please Please Me,” which was cut at Abbey Road Studios. There’s also an acetate of an unreleased version of “She’s a Woman,” which, according to the description, “offers a rare window into The Beatles’ studio experimentation at the height of Beatlemania.”

Other items in the auction include Ringo’s 1964 Gold record for A Hard Day’s Night; a vintage pressing of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, signed by Ringo, Paul McCartney and George Harrison; a Bob Dylan mixed media painting, Side Tracks; and a signed 1968 document by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

More info on the auction, which closes on Thursday, can be found at rrauction.com.

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If all you want for Christmas is an item used by Mariah Carey, luck may be on your side. The singer, who is the MusiCares Person of the Year, has launched a charity auction in partnership with the nonprofit and Julien’s Auctions.

Up for auction on Feb. 1, 2026, will be a pink 1950s-style Thunderbird convertible used as a prop during Mariah’s performance of “Dreamlover” at her Number 1 to Infinity Las Vegas residency. The car is estimated to sell for anywhere between $6,000 and $8,000.

Also used during the same Vegas run is the gold jet ski Mariah entered in to perform her 1997 song “Honey.” It’s projected to go for up to $2,000.

The residency at The Colosseum at Caesars in Las Vegas ran from May 2015 to May 2017. Other items up for sale will be announced at a later date.

The Julien’s MusiCares Charity Relief Auction will take place Feb. 1, 2026, two days after MusiCares’ 35th annual Person of the Year benefit gala, where Mariah will be honored as the Person of the Year. The auction will run from 11 a.m. PT to 1 p.m. PT via juliensauctions.com and the Recording Academy in Santa Monica, California. 

Proceeds will “help industry professionals recover from emergencies, including hardships brought on by the wildfires earlier this year,” as well as “disaster relief, mental health services, addiction recovery programs, and essential living expenses for music people and their families,” according to a press release.

Fans must register for access to participate; registration is available online via the Julien’s Auctions website and in person on the day of the event.

Bids can be placed online, over the phone, in person or via an absentee bid.

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Styx has announced a string of tour dates with special guest Cheap Trick.

The two bands will team up for five shows, starting May 16 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and wrapping May 24 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

Styx already has a busy 2026 ahead of them. Their next show is Jan. 7 in Tucson, Arizona. They are also set to return to Las Vegas for a five-show residency starting Jan. 23 at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, where they’ll play their 1978 album, Pieces of Eight, in its entirety, along with other classic hits.

Then this summer they’ll hit the road with Chicago on The Windy Cities Tour – All The Hits … Your Kind of Tour, which starts July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

A complete list of dates can be found at StyxWorld.com.

As for Cheap Trick, they’ll launch their All Washed Up Tour Jan. 24 in Madison, Wisconsin. For a list of shows, go to CheapTrick.com.

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David Bowie’s longtime pianist Mike Garson is set to celebrate his music with a trio of special shows, where he’ll be joined by an A-list lineup of rockers.

Bowie’s Piano Man: A Decade in the Stars will take place at the Sun Rose West Hollywood in Los Angeles Jan. 8-10. It will not only celebrate Bowie’s birthday, but also mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

Garson, who was Bowie’s longest-serving band member, will be joined by a lineup that includes Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, The Struts’ lead singer Luke Spiller and Bowie touring bassist Carmine Rojas.

“David Bowie was one of the closest people in my life,” says Garson. “Nothing brings me more joy than honoring 10 years since his passing and his birthday by collaborating with this all-star lineup to carry his legacy forward.”

Information on tickets can be found at thesunrosehotel.com.

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Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” may be the #1 song in the U.S. right now, but the #1 song in the world is a different Christmas tune.

For the first time ever, “Last Christmas” by Wham! has topped the Billboard Global 200. The 1984 hit by the British duo is only the second Christmas song to top the Global 200 since the chart began in 2020. The first was, of course, Mariah’s song.

Meanwhile, on the Hot 100 “Last Christmas” has reached a new peak of #2. It’s also #1 in the U.K.

The estate of the late George Michael, who died on Christmas Day 2016, wrote on Instagram about the song’s continued success, “George adored Christmas, and he would have truly loved seeing WHAM! back at Number 1 this year.

“It fills our hearts that this brilliant, timeless song continues to resonate with audiences while captivating new listeners around the world.”

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George Harrison’s classic tune “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” is getting an official video.

Harrison’s official Instagram page gave fans a preview of the animated clip, which has been directed by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. 

The video is being released on Tuesday at 9 a.m. PT.

“Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” was the opening track and lead single off Harrison’s 1973 album, Living in the Material World, which went to #1. The song topped the chart as well, becoming Harrison’s second #1 after “My Sweet Lord.” The tune actually knocked his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney and Wings’ “My Love” out of the top spot.

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There was just one thing Mariah Carey needed for Christmas, and now she has it: an all-time Billboard chart record.

Her 1994 holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has just racked up its 20th overall week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a new mark for longest domination of the top spot on that chart. The previous record of 19 weeks was jointly held by Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Lil Nas X‘s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.

Of course, Mariah didn’t rack up those 20 weeks in the same year. The first time “All I Want for Christmas Is You” topped the chart was in 2019, when it ruled for three weeks. Since then, it’s returned to #1 every year for multiple weeks; it finally added up to 20 this week.

This is actually the second time Mariah has set this record. Back in 1996, she and Boyz II Men did it when their collaboration “One Sweet Day” spent a 16th week at #1 on the Hot 100. That record stood until 2017, when it was tied by “Despacito,” then broken in 2019 by “Old Town Road,” then tied again in 2024 by “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”

On Instagram, Mariah reacted to the news by posting a photo of herself in a Christmas-themed jumpsuit, holding a fake torch. “Humbly taking back the torch!! 20 weeks at #1… I’m so grateful,” she captioned the pic.

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While some people have been criticizing KISS for accepting the Kennedy Center Honors from President Donald Trump, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has their back.

“There are a lot of people sh** talking @kiss for accepting their Kennedy Center Honor Medals from the current president,” he wrote on X. “You either think they are worthy or not (I think they are). An artist can’t wait for a president of their liking to be in office to receive it.”

He then pointed to the fact that the band’s founding guitarist, Ace Frehley, died before they received the honor.

“Most of the recipients are not young, Poor Ace Frehley – who was very excited to receive the award – died before the day came,” he noted. “You accept the honor when it is offered.”

Snider then congratulated Frehley and his bandmates, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss, adding, “You are worthy!”

KISS’ Kennedy Center Honors tribute featured performances by Garth Brooks, Marcus King and Cheap Trick. The ceremony will air Dec. 23 on CBS.

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Paul McCartney and Elton John have paid tribute to director Rob Reiner following the news that Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday.

Both musicians had cameos in Reiner’s last film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, which came out in September.

“What a tragedy the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, is,” McCartney wrote on Instagram next to a photo with Rob. “It is so shocking in many ways but for me especially so, because over the last year I had been working with him. He directed me in ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. He was such an upbeat, lovable man.”

McCartney added, “Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it. His father, Carl Reiner, was a great humourist before him and Rob followed in his dad’s footsteps doing a terrific job making many great films. I will always have fond memories of Rob and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking.”

Elton shared a message about Rob and his wife on his Instagram Story, writing that he was in “disbelief” over the news of their deaths.

“They were two of the most beautiful people I’d ever met and they deserved better,” he added. “My thoughts are with them and their loved ones.”

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