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.”
Jordan Davis will welcome 2026 by accomplishing a goal he’s had practically his whole life: playing New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
“This is the thing that you grow up [and] you know that everybody in the country is watching this, including me last year wanting to be a part of this. So here we are now, you know, getting to sing at it, getting to be part of it, so it’s a special night,” he told ABC’s On the Red Carpet during rehearsals for the show.
Appropriately, Jordan is set to perform his two number ones from 2025.
“We’re playing two songs, ‘Bar None’ and ‘I Ain’t Sayin’,’ and they are my two favorite songs to play live,” he says. “So when they asked us what we were playing, I was like, ‘Well, we’re just gonna play the two songs that we have the most fun onstage with.'”
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026 kicks off on ABC Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET, with the show featuring countdowns from New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Puerto Rico and more.
Robby Takac and John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls attend the 39th Annual Carousel Ball, Oct. 11, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Tom Cooper/Getty Images for 39th Annual Carousel Ball)
Goo Goo Dolls are one of more than two dozen artists who’ll be performing on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, airing on ABC Dec. 31. During rehearsals, lead singer John Rzeznik recalled the first time the band performed on the iconic show.
“I think it’s amazing to be part of this because it’s been going on for so long,” he told ABC’s On the Red Carpet. “We actually played it 30 years ago when we had our first hit, and Dick Clark was still hosting it. And it was amazing. We got to meet Dick Clark! We grew up — every Saturday morning you saw him on TV. And it was amazing to actually be there with him.”
Among other songs, Goo Goo Dolls will perform their classic ballad “Iris,” which keeps being discovered by new generations of fans. It was featured in a Saturday Night Live skit in November, and in May John performed it at Demi Lovato‘s wedding.
“Songs are finding their way into people’s lives for the first time,” said the band’s Robby Takac. “They’re not hearing it as an old song, they’re just hearing it as a song. And I think, you know, some of the older music is really resonating with the young kids right now.”
John added that he thinks it’s “interesting” that the theme of “Iris” is still so relatable. “It’s really nice because so many of the younger artists covered it,” he noted. “I think it hit a nerve culturally.”
Goo Goo Dolls have a short Las Vegas residency coming up in the new year, as well as a summer tour. Asked what he’s manifesting for 20206, John said, “A little more positivity, maybe, a little less chaos. A little more peace.”
At the beginning of 2025, Russell Dickerson thought his emotional song “Bones” would be his next big hit. But in February, the release of “Happen to Me” would change all that.
Thanks to a self-described “stupid dance on TikTok” inspired by Usher and Michael Jackson, the song went viral with its interpolation of Cyndi Lauper‘s ’80s anthem “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
Now it finishes the year at #15 on Country Aircheck‘s Top 25 Songs of 2025 after spending two weeks at #1 on the country chart. Heading into 2026, it continues its climb as Russell’s biggest mainstream hit so far, making it into the top 25 on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay tally.
As Russell continued adding rounds to his Russellmania Tour, the trek expanded to amphitheaters and arenas, finally putting Russell in the place he’s long envisioned.
“I’m a big, crazy dreamer and I feel like for the first time in my career, what I’m seeing is matching up to my dreams,” he told Billboard.
It’s worth noting Russell’s already had plenty of success, taking “Yours,” “Blue Tacoma,” “Every Little Thing” and “Love You Like I Used To” to #1, alongside other hits like “God Gave Me a Girl,” “She Likes It” with Jake Scott and “Home Sweet.”
As we head into the new year, Russell’s new radio single, “Worth Your Wild,” is gaining momentum on the country chart, as he prepares to once again crank up Russellmania on April 23, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina.
There were certainly a lot of big things happening in music in 2025. Here’s a roundup of some of the other music stories that made headlines this year:
–Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson surprised fans by announcing they were heading back on tour. Fifty Something, the band’s first tour in 10 years and the first since the death of drummer Neil Peart, will launch in June 2026. Playing drums on the tour will be Anika Nilles, who previously worked with the late Jeff Beck.
-Also announcing a return to the road was Bon Jovi. The Forever Tour, the band’s first trek since Jon Bon Jovi underwent vocal cord surgery in 2022, consists of shows in four cities — New York, London, Edinburgh, and Dublin — kicking off in July 2026 with nine shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
–Grateful Dead celebrated their 60th anniversary and were honored by the Recording Academy as the MusiCares Person of the Year. Anniversary celebrations included the release of the first official Grateful Dead greatest hits compilation, Enjoying The Ride. They ended the year by landing their 66th top-40 album on the Billboard 200 album chart, which earned them a Guinness World Record.
–Dead & Company, which features The Dead members Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart, also helped mark the Grateful Dead anniversary by headlining three shows at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
–Neil Young released the new album Talkin to the Trees, his first with his new band The Chrome Hearts, and hit the road on a world tour that came to the U.S. in August. The tour featured a headlining spot at the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival, although Young initially announced he wouldn’t be playing the festival due to corporate sponsorship.
-Former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth hit the stage for the first time since 2020, headlining the annual M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland. He would go on to perform several dates throughout the U.S.
-Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason, best known for his work with Traffic, announced his retirement from touring after 60 years in the business due to ongoing health issues.
–KISS reunited for their first performances since wrapping their End of the Road World tour in New York in December 2023. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer performed two unmasked shows at the KISS Kruise: Landlocked convention in Las Vegas. KISS, including original member Peter Criss, were also celebrated with the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C.
–U2 was honored with the Woody Guthrie Prize, and were also the first Irish artists to be honored as Academy Fellow of The Ivors Academy, the U.K. organization that presents The Ivor Novello Awards to celebrate excellence in British and Irish songwriting. Bono was also the subject of the Apple TV documentary Bono: Stories of Surrender, a “reimagining” of his one-man stage show, Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief.
–Rod Stewart played the Glastonbury Festival in the Legends spot, where he was joined by The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood — his former Faces bandmate — as well as Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall and Scottish singer Lulu.
–BillyIdol released the new album Dream Into It, his first full-length release since 2014’s Kings & Queens of the Underground. He was also the subject of a documentary, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, which had its premiere at New York’s Tribeca Festival.
Soundgarden performs at 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Highlights from the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air during an ABC special premiering Thursday, New Year’s Day, at 8 p.m. ET. Soundgarden was among the inductees, and the band’s three surviving members — guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron — performed during the event, alongside guest vocalists Taylor Momsen and Brandi Carlile in place of the late Chris Cornell.
“We have a nice, strong history with Taylor, we trust her, she’s an amazing performer,” Thayil told ABC Audio on the ceremony’s red carpet. “Brandi’s an incredible performer, she’s on another stratosphere.”
Momsen sang lead vocals on “Rusty Cage,” and then Carlile joined in for “Black Hole Sun.” The set also featured Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, who, along with Carlile, paid tribute to their and Soundgarden’s shared hometown of Seattle.
“[Carlile is] a nice local sister that made good,” Thayil said. “So it’s really part of the vibe for us and the sense of community that we’ve built over the years there.”
Soundgarden’s performance also included one more guest: original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who joined them onstage for the “Black Hole Sun” rendition.
“For me, it’s amazing,” Yamamoto said. “I’m actually playing a song that I never even worked on, so it’s a tribute, but to make it feel like Soundgarden and it sounds like Soundgarden, that’s the brotherhood that we’re still doing.”
With Yamamoto playing alongside Shepherd, the Rock Hall ceremony marked the debut of a double-bass Soundgarden lineup.
“It’s fun to get to play with Hiro,” Shepherd said. “[I] play the high end on the bass, he gets to do the low end.”
The other 2025 inductees included The White Stripes, Bad Company, Outkast, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper and Chubby Checker.
Yungblud on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ (Disney/Randy Holmes)
If you stop by the famed Whisky a Go Go club in Los Angeles, you’ll see billboards celebrating Yungblud‘s Grammy nominations.
“Yungblud, a British artist, has been nominated for three Grammys in the rock category at the Grammy Awards,” the billboards read.
Said nominations include Idols for best rock album, “Zombie” for best rock song and Yungblud’s cover of Black Sabbath‘s “Changes” from the Back to the Beginning concert for best rock performance.
Yungblud posted photos of the billboards to his Facebook along with the caption, “Wild.”
The 2026 Grammys will air live from Los Angeles Feb. 1 on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
In addition to possibly becoming a triple-Grammy winner, Yungblud’s 2026 plans include a U.S. tour launching in May.
Dave Mustaine of Megadeth performs in concert at Resurrection Fest Estrella Galicia 2024 on June 29, 2024 in Viveiro, Spain. (Mariano Regidor/Redferns)
Megadeth will release their final album on Jan. 23 and will officially call it quits after a multiyear farewell tour. But frontman Dave Mustaine is still keeping the door cracked open for another type of Megadeth release.
“Look, it all depends on how the statements are crafted,” Mustaine tells Metal Hammer. “So, we’re doing no more studio albums. Does that mean there might be a live album at the end of all of this? Yeah, it certainly looks that way.”
However, Mustaine maintains that once the final Megadeth show is over, that will indeed mark the end of the band.
“I don’t think so,” Mustaine says regarding a possible post-farewell tour reunion. “You see the scuttlebutt that is associated with bands like that. You know they never follow through with it and stick to their word.”
Megadeth’s farewell tour so far includes North American dates with Iron Maiden kicking off in August.
Marty Supreme is now in theaters, and cast member Tyler, The Creator believes that’s exactly where it should be experienced. The rapper, who plays Wally in the film, said that he had “a blast” stepping into something new. “i love jumping head first into something new. not being good not being bad just raw newness,” he wrote in an Instagram post. He encouraged fans to see the film on the big screen rather than watching it at home. “dont save this watch for a couch and phone distractions, go outside,” he added. And when you do, he advises, “GLUE YOUR EYES OPEN.”
Kehlani‘s song “Folded” has made its way into Janet Jackson‘s set list. A clip from a recent show shows Janet mashing up the track with her hit “Any Time, Any Place.” Kehlani shared the moment on Instagram, captioning it, “THE ONE AND ONLY @janetjackson … #Folded my taurus legend!”
Ja Rule is stepping into a new chapter as he prepares to become a grandfather. Speaking with People, he said he’s “very happy and excited” about the news. His daughter, Brittney Atkins, is expecting her first child — a baby girl. “It’s a blessing. I’m very, very happy and excited,” Ja shared. “I can’t wait to see her.” He added, “It’s weird, you get older, and then you get back into little people mode. You want a little person around again in the house. All my kids are grown, so it’s been a long time, so it’s going to be a lot of fun for me and the missus.”
