Dave Mustaine of Megadeth performs in concert at Resurrection Fest Estrella Galicia 2024 on June 29, 2024 in Viveiro, Spain. (Mariano Regidor/Redferns)
The proclamation was made by Mayor Jason Cole “in celebration of the band’s extraordinary contributions to music, their lasting cultural impact, and their continued influence on artists and fans worldwide.” It coincided with Megadeth’s Let There Be Shred event in La Vergne, which included an intimate performance and listening party for the thrash outfit’s upcoming self-titled farewell album.
La Vergne is located just outside of Nashville. Frontman Dave Mustaine has long lived in the Music City area.
Megadeth the album is due out Friday. Mustaine and company also plan to embark on a multiyear farewell tour, which so far includes a North American run with Iron Maiden launching in August.
Violet Grohl performs onstage with Nirvana band members during the FIREAID Benefit Concert for California Fire Relief at The Kia Forum on January 30, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (John Shearer/Getty Images for FIREAID)
Violet Grohl, Dave Grohl‘s eldest daughter, has released a new song called “What’s Heaven Without You.”
The track pays tribute to late filmmaker David Lynch, who would’ve turned 80 on Tuesday. The Mulholland Drive director and Twin Peaks creator died in January 2025 just days before his 79th birthday.
“This song was written in [Lynch’s] memory alongside two of my favorite collaborators in the world, Persia Numan, and Justin Raisen,” Violet writes in an Instagram post. “A few days after the chaos and devastation of the LA fires, we came together in our grief and let it pour out into this song. We hope you can find some resonance in it.”
She adds, “The impact he left on art is truly magical, we miss you David.”
You can listen to “What’s Heaven Without You” via Bandcamp.
Violet, 19, made her debut as a solo artist in December with the songs “THUM” and “Applefish.” She previously sang on a cover of the X song “Nausea” with her dad, which was released in 2021, and has performed live with Foo Fighters and alongside the reunited Nirvana at the 2025 FireAid benefit concert.
As for papa Grohl, he’ll be on tour with the Foos throughout the year, including launching a U.S. stadium run in August.
Mariah Carey is the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year (Ethan James Green/MusiCares)
The performers have been announced for the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala honoring Mariah Carey.
The lineup features Teddy Swims, Charlie Puth, Adam Lambert, Kesha, Laufey, Jennifer Hudson and John Legend. Other performers include Maggie Rogers, Billy Porter, Foo Fighters and Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless. Jermaine Dupri will be opening the event with a DJ set.
“I’m deeply honored to have these extraordinary artists come together for this evening,” Mariah says in a statement. “Their generosity, their presence, and their commitment to this moment mean more to me than I can express. Being part of this celebration in benefit of MusiCares and the support they provide to those in the music community makes this night even more special. I’ve always believed that music heals, and it’s meant to be shared!”
The 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year gala takes place Jan. 30 in Los Angeles, days before the 2026 Grammys are held Feb. 1. The award is given out every year by MusiCares, the charitable arm of the Recording Academy, to honor artists for their career achievements and their philanthropy.
Def Leppard released Pyromania, their third studio album and the first to feature Phil Collen, who replaced the band’s original guitarist Pete Willis.
The album, produced by Mutt Lange, featured future Def Leppard classics “Photograph,” “Foolin’” and “Rock of Ages.” It spent a total of 124 weeks on the Billboard 200, although it only peaked at #2.
Pyromania went on to become Def Leppard’s most successful record, selling over 10 million copies and earning a Diamond certification by the RIAA.
In 2024, in celebration of the album’s 40th anniversary, Def Leppard released a deluxe edition of Pyromania, featuring unheard demos from the band’s archives.
Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys performs as the band headline the Pyramid Stage at Day 3 of Glastonbury Festival 2023 on June 23, 2023 in Somerset, United Kingdom. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
The first fresh material from the English rockers in four years is set to arrive Thursday at 10 a.m. ET. The track will support the organization War Child, which “work[s] with children and families in conflict-affected countries to protect, educate, support mental health, and stand up for their rights when they need us most.”
The track will arrive alongside info about an upcoming project spearheaded by War Child Records.
Artists including Paul McCartney, Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay and Gorillaz have previously released music in support of War Child.
The most recent Arctic Monkeys album is 2022’s The Car.
The 15th studio effort from the Atlanta metallers will be released on May 1. It’s the follow-up to 2023’s Truth Killer.
Along with the album news, Sevendust has announced a U.S. headlining tour, running from April 16 in Carterville, Illinois, to May 20 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The bill will also feature Atreyu, Fire From the Gods, and American Adrenalin.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Sevendust.com.
Sevendust’s upcoming live plans also include dates opening for Alter Bridge.
Here’s the One track list: “One” “Unbreakable” “Is This the Real You” “Threshold” “We Won” “Construct” “Bright Side” “The Drop” “Blood Price” “Misdirection”
Rush’s ‘Grace Under Pressure’/(UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records)
Rush is set to revisit their 10th studio album, 1984’s Grace Under Pressure.
The band will release Grace Under Pressure: Super Deluxe Edition on March 13 in five different formats, including a limited-edition four-CD + Blu-ray set with a 52-page hardcover book.
The set features a newly remastered version of the original album and a new stereo mix taken from the original analog recordings. It also includes a two-CD recording of the band’s complete Sept. 21, 1984, concert at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. Portions of that show previously appeared on the band’s 1986 Grace Under Pressure Tour home video and CD; the new version, titled Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984, adds 37 minutes of previously unreleased footage.
The Blu-ray includes the Toronto concert on video with upgraded audio, along with new mixes of the album, including a Dolby Atmos mix. It also features remastered videos for songs like “Distant Early Warning,” “Afterimage,” “The Enemy Within” and “The Body Electric.”
Additional highlights include new liner notes from Rush’s Geddy Lee, reimagined cover art and bonus collectibles, like a replica tour book, concert ticket, backstage pass, a poster from the show and more.
Grace Under Pressure:Super Deluxe Edition will also be available digitally and as a five-LP + Blu-ray set. The original eight-track album will be released digitally on Dolby Atmos, and a remastered Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984 video will be released to digital outlets.
Rob Hirst from Midnight Oil perform on November 4, 2017 in Hanging Rock, Australia. (Sam Tabone/Getty Images)
Rob Hirst, founding member and drummer of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died at age 70.
“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain – ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,'” Midnight Oil writes in an Instagram post published Tuesday. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”
Hirst had revealed in 2025 that he’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer following the conclusion of Midnight Oil’s farewell tour in 2022.
“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” the Oils add in a separate post. “For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”
Hirst cofounded Midnight Oil in 1976. The band became beloved in their native Australia and broke out worldwide with their 1987 album, Diesel and Dust, which spawned the singles “Beds Are Burning” and “The Dead Heart.”
The Oils were also known for singles including “Blue Sky Mine,” “Forgotten Years,” “King of the Mountain” and “Truganini.”
Thomas Rhett & Jordan Davis’ “Ain’t a Bad Life” (Big Machine)
Jordan Davis has joked that his “Ain’t a Bad Life” collaborator Thomas Rhett is also his therapist.
“We try to go get breakfast whenever we can,” he reveals. “So it’s a good way for us to kinda not talk about music, just talk about life, talk about family. It’s been a cool friendship.”
Seriously, Jordan says Thomas has helped him balance the demands of a music career and a large family with lots of little kids.
“I think the best thing with TR is he’s kind of been where I’m at with the family,” Jordan tells ABC Audio. “You know, [when] things are rocking and rolling, you want to play shows and you want to kinda feed the business side of it. And sometimes when you do that — you know, you can’t have both of them. One of ’em’s gotta rise, the other one’s gotta sink.”
“And Thomas is always a good one in that he always reminds me, like, ‘Man, hey, first and foremost, we’re dads and husbands. And then after that, we write songs and we go out and we sing them.’ He’s always the guy that can kind of bring me back to level ground on that,” he says.
Jordan has four kids, ages 6 and under, while TR has four that are 10 and under, with another on the way.
Steve Stevens, Billy Idol and The Warning Rock Band with Alejandra Villarreal, Daniela Villarreal and Paulina Villarreal perform during the GRAMMY celebration of Latin Music on October 19, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by John Parra/Getty Images)
Billy Idol‘s longtime guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens has worked with him since the early ’80s and has a good idea as to why Idol’s popularity has lasted as long as it has.
“I think it’s always been cool to like Billy Idol, and our records were never something you could pigeonhole,” he says in a new interview with Guitar World.
“I came from the rock side with guitar heroes like Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix, a little prog, some new wave and New York punk,” he says. “Then you have Billy with the punk-rock/Elvis thing, and our early producer Keith Forsey came from working with [Italian composer] Giorgio Moroder on dance records like Donna Summer. So, because we’ve always had this gumbo of different styles, we were never pigeonholed when it came to writing music.”
Stevens notes that while Idol’s biggest hits, like “Rebel Yell,” “White Wedding” and “Eyes Without a Face,” came in the ’80s, “Billy’s roots go back to 1977 London.”
“I think that’s served us really well. He’s got a timeless image and people appreciate that,” Stevens adds. “He’s a real-deal rock ’n’ roll star. Honestly, we sound better now than we did back then.”
Idol released his last album, Dream Into It, in 2025. A documentary on his life, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, was recently acquired by Evan Saxon Productions and is expected to have a theatrical release in early 2026.
