Bryan Adams speaks at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, November, 2025 (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Bryan Adams released a new album called Roll With the Punches in 2025, and in 2026 he’s going to keep on rolling out new music. Well, sort of.
In a New Year’s Day video on Instagram, Bryan said, “In April, we have a new album coming out called Tough Town.”
But Tough Town isn’t exactly new: It’s a 10-track bonus disc that was included with the deluxe box set version of Roll With the Punches. So the April release Bryan is referring to is likely a stand-alone version of that disc, for those who didn’t buy the box set.
In his message, Bryan also flagged that acoustic versions of many of the songs from Roll With the Punches are now available on all streaming platforms.
Bryan will spend most of 2026 touring the world, starting in Japan at the end of January. His only U.S. shows are three dates in June at the Encore Theatre at Wynn Las Vegas.
Cover of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’/NPG Records/Warner Records
(SPOILER ALERT)Music has always played a huge role in the Netflix series Stranger Things, and the series finale was no exception.
In season 5, episode 8, which debuted on New Year’s Eve, two songs from Prince’s Purple Rain — “When Doves Cry” and the title track — played a pivotal role in the culmination of the series’ final battle, in which a bomb destroys the Upside Down. Show creators Ross Duffer and MattDuffer have shared their thought process behind using the tracks.
“Once we came up with the idea that the record was going to be the trigger for the bomb, we knew we needed an epic needle drop, and so many ideas were thrown around,” Ross tells Tudum. “I think there’s nothing really more epic than Prince.”
Ross says the two songs from the album “lined up perfectly for us,” noting the choice was right “because I think it summed up the emotion of the moment.”
But there was some fear they might not get the clearance to use the songs.
“What is also very exciting about it is it just has not been used,” Ross says. “[Prince’s] estate does not generally allow that song to be licensed outside the Purple Rain movie.”
Matt credits the renewed popularity of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (Deal With God),” which returned to the charts after it was used on the show, with helping them acquire the rights.
“We were told that it was a real long shot, so we just crossed our fingers,” Matt says. “Thank God they agreed.”
Meanwhile, Variety reports that Spotify streams of the two Prince songs have skyrocketed since they were used in the show. “Purple Rain” has seen a 243% increase in global streams, and “When Doves Cry” has seen a 200% increase. Prince’s catalog has shot up 128% since the episode debuted.
Drummer Alex Van Halen of Van Halen performs during the 2015 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Sounds like Alex Van Halen may be getting back to music.
In an interview with Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain on his Metal Sticks podcast, Alex revealed that he is about to work on music with Toto’s Steve Lukather.
“I’m getting ready to do this record with Lukather and a couple of other people,” he said. “It should be exciting.”
While Alex didn’t share any other details about what he and Steve are going to be working on, back in March Steve cleared up speculation that he was going to be recording a possible new Van Halen album with Alex.
That speculation began after the Dutch outlet De Telegraaph claimed Alex had asked Steve to finish some unreleased Van Halen material.
But Steve took to social media to clear up any confusion, writing in a comment to his Jan. 26 birthday tribute to Eddie Van Halen, “I think there is a huge misunderstanding. I will NOT EVER play a guitar note on a VH song ever!”
“Al asked me to help him go thru a ton of unfinished recordings of Al and Ed writing and recording that never saw the light of day. As of now thats [sic] all I got,” he noted. “The fact that ANYONE would think for even a second that I would play anything on this is ridiculous. I have too much love and respect for that and … I play nothing like Ed.. more as a co-producer or something. I am honored Al would ask me though.”
Sammy Hagar at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (Disney/Michael Le Brecht II)/Mick Fleetwood at 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Mick Fleetwood and Sammy Hagar joined forces on New Year’s Eve for a benefit show in Maui.
Both rockers posted footage from the concert on their Instagram accounts. Mick noted that the show raised money for the Maui Health Foundation, an organization providing high-quality health care to those in need.
“HAPPY 2026 TO ALL! We rocked all night,” Mick wrote next to his video. “What a night and cheers to the new year.”
Sammy posted video of the night as well, including a clip of him enlisting Adam Sandler from the audience to join him in singing Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lottta Love.”
Meanwhile, Sammy also posted a separate video where he detailed his New Year’s resolutions, sharing, “I’m just gonna keep doing more of the same, and I mean more of the same, not gonna change anything.”
More of the same for Sammy includes another set of Best of All Worlds Las Vegas residency dates, which kick off March 11 at Dolby Live at Park MGM. He’ll also launch a Best of All Worlds U.K. tour on July 4 in Manchester, marking his first time playing the U.K. since 1996.
Peter Gabriel performs at Little Caesars Arena on September 29, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)
Peter Gabriel is starting the new year with new music.
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has announced he’ll release the new album o/i this year, which is the follow up to 2023’s i/o.
Like i/o, Gabriel plans to release a new song from the album with each full moon of the year. The first track, “Been Undone,” is coming on Saturday to coincide with the Wolf Moon. The entire album will be released by the end of the year, along with Dark-Side and Bright-Side mixes, handled by Tchad Blake and Mark “Spike” Stent, respectively.
“I’m delighted to say that tonight, at the full moon, we will be beginning another year of full moon releases under the name oi,” Gabriel wrote on his website. “The songs are a mix of thoughts and feelings.”
He noted, “These are my lumpy bits –i/o: the inside has a new way out and oi: the outside has a new way in. … Some of these songs are going to form part of the brain project that I’ve been exploring for a number of years, and some just make me feel happy. I hope you like them.”
Similar to i/o, the release of each new song will be accompanied by a piece of art. The “Been Undone” piece, Ciclotrama 156 (Palindrome), is from São Paulo–based artist Janaina Mello Landini.
Cover of ‘Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5’,(Legacy Recordings)
Songs from David Bowie, Michael Jackson and more appear on Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5, which is now available via digital outlets.
The collection features 14 songs, including tracks from Volume 1 and Volume 2 of season 5, as well as newly added songs from the series finale, which premiered on New Year’s Eve. Songs featured on the soundtrack include Jackson’s “Rockin’ Robin,” Tiffany‘s “I Think We’re Alone Now” and ABBA‘s “Fernando.”
One of the new additions to the soundtrack is Bowie’s “Heroes,” which was the series finale’s final song, and played over the final credits. It turns out Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington on the show, was the one who suggested it for the series’ send-off.
“Once Joe said that we immediately knew that was the right song to end the show on because it is, in some ways, an anthem for Stranger Things,” says series co-creator Ross Duffer. “To use the original Bowie version just felt right and fitting for the conclusion.”
Other new additions include Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper,” Pixies’“Here Comes Your Man” and Cowboy Junkies’ cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.”
In addition to the streaming release, Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5 will be released Jan. 30 on CD, vinyl and red cassette. There will also be colored vinyl variants: red smoke, sold exclusively at Amazon; blue smoke, sold exclusively at Target; orange marble, sold exclusively at Walmart; and marble yellow, sold through the Sony Music store.
Here is the track list to Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5: “Rockin’ Robin” – Michael Jackson “I Think We’re Alone Now” – Tiffany “Fernando” – ABBA “Mr. Sandman” – The Chordettes “Pretty In Pink” – The Psychedelic Furs “Heroes” – David Bowie “The Trooper” – Iron Maiden “Here Comes Your Man” – Pixies “Sh-Boom” – The Chords “Oh Yeah” – Yello “Human Cannonball” – Butthole Surfers “Heart and Soul” – Floyd Cramer “Sweet Jane” – Cowboy Junkies “To Each His Own” (Inspired by the Paramount Picture To Each His Own) – Freddy Martin & His Orchestra
Musician Joe Walsh of the Eagles performs onstage during The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The Eagles will return for more residency dates at the Sphere Las Vegas in January, with dates confirmed through March. While they’ve already announced that the March shows will be their final Sphere dates for 2026, guitarist Joe Walsh tells ABC Audio that doesn’t mean it will necessarily be their final shows ever at the venue.
“We’re in residence at the Sphere. From time to time, we’ll come back,” he says. “Other than that, all I know is we’re not done yet. We love playing together.”
And fans certainly love seeing them play together — and it’s not just those who’ve been with them from the beginning. In fact, Walsh says their audiences are made up of all generations of music fans.
“I guess that’s a secret to longevity,” says Walsh. “Kids know about us because their parents played our music, so they had to hear it. They had no choice. And now they have kids.”
He adds, “And everybody comes, you know? We have one, at least one of everything in our audience. Everybody gets along great. Everybody goes home happy.”
The Eagles’ first Sphere show of 2026 is Jan. 23, with dates confirmed through March 28. They are also set to headline New Orleans Jazz Fest on May 2. A complete list of dates can be found at Eagles.com.
Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash in Sheffield, England.
After trying to pass a driver who had been taunting him on the road, Allen lost control of his vehicle and hit a wall. His arm got caught in the seat belt and was severed.
While doctors initially reattached the arm, it was later amputated due to infection.
Allen’s career as a drummer looked in doubt, but he eventually learned to play again on a specially designed electronic drum kit.
Allen and Def Leppard returned to the stage for his first concert following the accident on Aug. 16, 1986, at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Castle Donington, England.
He continues to perform with Def Leppard to this day. The band is set to launch a new Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, starting on Feb. 3.
The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson performs at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
The Black Crowes released their latest album, Happiness Bastards, in 2024, marking their first album of new material in 15 years. Fortunately for fans, it sounds like they won’t have to wait nearly as long for the band to release some more new music.
In a holiday message posted to social media and YouTube, The Crowes’ frontman Chris Robinson gave fans an update on what to expect in 2026, and that includes music.
“Big news in the new year from The Black Crowes,” Chris says in the clip. “We have some new music to share with you in January, coming pretty soon really, and we have big big big tour news for you as well. So happy holidays hope you had a great one.”
He ended the clip with the message, “A pound of feathers or a pound of lead. Look out below and mind your head. We’ll see ya soon.”
When it comes to touring, The Black Crowes have already announced several dates for 2026. They’ll kick off a tour in Australia on April 2 in Melbourne, followed by two nights in Japan on April 14 and 15. The band also has dates booked across the U.K. and Europe in June and July, and will open four shows on Guns N’ Roses’ North American tour, starting Aug. 22 in Las Vegas.
Bad Company’s Simon Kirke performs with Heart’s Nancy Wilson, The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
ABC will air The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, featuring performance highlights and standout moments of November’s ceremony, on New Year’s Day at 8 p.m. ET.
Bad Company was one of this year’s inductees, and drummer Simon Kirke says one of the secrets to their success was that they went out of their way to be different.
On the red carpet for this year’s induction, Kirke told ABC Audio that when the band was formed in late 1973 glam rock was huge, thanks to artists like David Bowie, T-Rex and others. He noted, “We wanted to be like the antithesis of that, and I think we just, we succeeded.”
Also inducted this year was Joe Cocker, whose music was celebrated during the ceremony by several artists, including Tedeschi Trucks‘ Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.
Tedeschi told ABC Audio she was a big fan of how Cocker interpreted songs, sharing, “Honestly that guy, he has so much soul and everything he’s saying, you might not understand all the words, but you felt the words.”
Trucks felt bad Cocker, who passed away in 2014, couldn’t be there to enjoy the induction.
“I mean, it’s a shame he’s not here for it,” he said. “I know it meant a lot to him. He really wanted this to happen.”
This year’s other inductees included Soundgarden, Salt-N-Pepa, The White Stripes, Outkast and Cyndi Lauper.
Lauperbelieved November’s ceremony was “a great opportunity to bring people together.”
She told KABC-TV, “I grew up believing that rock and roll can save the world and to be part of the community, which I always was, but to remind people who we are and what we have done and what we can do together is kind of why I came.”
