Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready at 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Disney/Cristian Lopez)
Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready reunited with drummer Matt Cameron, who announced in July that he’d left the band, on Saturday when Soundgarden was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Speaking with ABC Audio on the show’s red carpet, McCready shared whether Pearl Jam is actively looking for a new drummer to replace Cameron.
“We’re kinda looking around right now,” McCready said. “That’s about it.”
McCready joked that the Rock Hall induction was the perfect place to start auditioning possible new drummers.
“I think tonight I’m gonna be trying, getting some numbers and auditioning with pencils, I’ll give some people some pencils,” he quipped. “So we’ll see.”
Cameron had joined Pearl Jam in 1998 after Soundgarden first broke up in 1997. He’s now been inducted into the Rock Hall with both bands.
Highlights from the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air during an ABC primetime special on Jan. 1.
Not only is Jackson Dean celebrating his second #1 as “Heaven’s to Betsy” tops the chart, he’s also preparing to turn the page, musically.
On his third record, the loner from “Don’t Come Lookin'” and the tortured soul from “Betsy” are both in the rearview mirror, thanks to how Jackson’s life has changed.
“This record is about my country boy dreams being realized and livin’ ’em,” he reveals. “I’ve got a woman and a dog and a cabin now, and they’ve been my muse of late. And it’s really a love record, honestly.”
“It’s a lot more laid back than On the Back of My Dreams and Greenbroke, so it’s a little bit different,” he adds. “And this record’s for anybody that has ever been in or is still in love and all the goodness and all the other things that it brings as well.”
So far, Jackson’s released the tracks “Be Your Man,” “Make a Liar” and “Over and Over” from his recent sessions.
He expects his “whole new chapter of music” to arrive “hopefully this spring.”
Neil Young performs on Day 7 of 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on May 04, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
Happy Birthday goes out to Neil Young who turns 80 on Wednesday (Nov. 12).
Young’s musical career took off in the 1960s after moving from Canada to Los Angeles and forming Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Bruce Palmer, Dewey Martin and Richie Furay.
After the band’s breakup in 1968, Young launched a solo career, releasing his self-titled debut that same year. But it was his sophomore album, 1969’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, his first with backing band Crazy Horse, that became his first top-40 hit, thanks songs like “Cinnamon Girl” and “Down by the River.”
Not long after, Young joined Stills in his band Crosby, Stills & Nash, and in 1970 they released, Déjà Vu, which was a #1 hit. He would go on to join them for two more records.
Young has released 49 solo albums over the course of his career, including 1970’s After the Gold Rush, and 1972’s Harvest. His most recent album, Talkin to the Trees, with his new band Chrome Hearts, came out in June. Iconic Young tracks include his only #1 single “Heart of Gold,” “Old Man,” “The Needle and the Damage Done,” and “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
Never one to shy away from making a political statement, Young has spoken out against corporate sponsorship in music, removed his songs from Spotify over misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine and has directly called out President Donald Trump, releasing the new song “Big Crime,” which was aimed at the president.
Young’s also spent his career supporting causes he believes in, including launching Farm Aid in 1985 with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp,to help the plight of the American farmer.
Young’s career has earned him induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a solo artist in 1995 and as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997.
Questlove on the red carpet at the 2025 Rock & Roll of Hame (Disney/Cristian Lopez)
Questlove has “just wrapped” his documentary on Earth, Wind & Fire. While on the red carpet for the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday, he talked about what fans can expect from the film.
“It’s a beautiful film about metaphysics. It’s about metaphysics,” he tells ABC Audio of the documentary. “And that’s a message I think we need in 2025, like how to have hope, positivity, a belief in yourself.”
He shares that message was one Earth, Wind & Fire were “successfully” able to get across to fans through their catalog of music.
“This is what Earth, Wind, Fire has done. They’ve successfully tricked their audience into positivity by singing affirmations, by seeking a better tomorrow, so that’s what [the documentary is] about,” Questlove shares.
According to a press release, Quest’s EWF documentary will “examine the band’s legacy, cultural impact, and body of work” and feature archival visual, audio and written material of the band. It’s set to air on HBO in 2026.
“I’m honored to tell the story of Earth, Wind & Fire and the deep meaning behind their message and music,” Questlove said in a statement. “To grow up listening to the music is one thing but to be handed the keys to the kingdom of preserving history is another, I can’t imagine a better platform on which to share this documentary with U.S. audiences than HBO.”
The EWF film is Quest’s latest documentary; he’s previously worked on documentaries about Sly Stone, Saturday Night Live and a Harlem music festival.
Quest also appears to be working on a posthumous D’Angelo album, as teased in a red carpet interview with entertainment reporter Courtney Tezeno. When asked about his thoughts on what D’Angelo’s unreleased music may sound like, he responded, “You’ll see soon. It’s always the sound of yesterday, but for the future. This record is no different.”
Jack White at 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Disney/Cristian Lopez)
Jack White is launching a new pedal with Third Man Hardware, the gear offshoot of his Third Man Records label.
Called the Troika Delay, the pedal is described as a “multi-purpose, pro-audio, studio-grade delay device designed to work with microphones, guitars, or any instrument.” It was created in collaboration with the company JHS Pedals.
White, meanwhile, was just inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Saturday as a member of The White Stripes. His ex-bandmate, Meg White, was not in attendance, but Jack was and delivered a speech while wearing a red suit with a black shirt and white tie, a nod to the now-defunct duo’s standard red, white and black color scheme.
“Was nice to be able to wear red again, even if just for a day,” Jack posted on Instagram following the ceremony.
Musician Benmont Tench performs at A Celebration Of Patti Smith: People Have The Power Rehearsal Show at City Winery on March 25, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench has announced his first tour dates for 2026.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will launch an eight-city tour on Jan. 15 in New Orleans, with stops in Nashville, Atlanta, Austin, Orlando and more, before wrapping Feb. 18 in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida. The trek includes two nights in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, as part of the 30A Songwriters Festival.
A ticket presale begins Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of dates can be found at BenmontTench.com.
Tench is touring in support of his most recent solo album, The Melancholy Season, which was released in March. The album was his first solo release since his debut solo album, You Should Be So Lucky, which came out in 2014.
KATSEYE has teamed with Riot Games to reimagine their song “M.I.A.” for this year’s VALORANT Game Changers Championship. Taking place Nov. 28-30 in Seoul, South Korea, the event features 10 elite teams of gamers from around the world. Megan of KATSEYE, a gamer herself, says, “That song has always been about confidence and showing up as your best self, and that message aligns so much with what Game Changers stands for. We wanted this version to celebrate every player who’s out there pushing limits and owning their power.”
Katy Perry has gotten some ink to commemorate her Lifetimes tour, as she’s done with all her previous tours. On Instagram, Katy posted photos of herself and her tour crew getting tatted up with butterfly wings on the inside of their wrists. “Can’t believe it’s already time for The Lifetimes Tour tattoos,” Katy wrote, adding that there are only “8 shows left” on her schedule. The tour wraps up in December in Abu Dhabi.
Mariah Carey announced on Nov. 1 that “It’s time,” and like clockwork, her holiday hit has re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 after experiencing a 302% sales increase from the previous week. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” debuts at #31, along with another timeless holiday hit, “Last Christmas” by Wham!, in at #43. Mariah’s song has reached #1 every year since 2019.
Vanessa Carlton is back. The “A Thousand Miles” singer has released a new song, “Animal,” from her upcoming album Veil, due out in early 2026. In a statement, Vanessa says the song is about a woman who “is being hunted and she accepts the reality of what is happening. The acceptance allows her to truly see the animal.”
Chris Young will drop two new Christmas tunes this Friday, ahead of his upcoming It Must Be Christmas Acoustic Tour: his cover of “Silver Bells” and the original “Christmas Ain’t Christmas.”
Dylan Scott‘s “Two Christmas Trees” also arrives on Friday. The Louisiana native finished writing the original tune, which his dad started in the ’80s.
Jon Pardi and Scotty McCreery are booked to play Boots in the Park in Bakersfield, California, on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Tickets go on sale Friday.
(L-R) Rick Savage and Joe Elliott of Def Leppard perform onstage during the 2025 Backyard Concert supporting Teen Cancer America and the UCLA Health Center at a private residence on October 03, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BC)
Back in October, Def Leppard joined The Who, Peter Frampton, John Fogerty, The Doobie Brothers and others to play a benefit concert in the backyard of a California home, and now they are giving fans a peek at what went down.
The band has released a new video featuring behind-the-scenes footage of Backyard Concert ’25 benefitting Teenage Cancer America and UCLA Health Center, and the clip shows them hanging out backstage with The Who’s Roger Daltrey, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, members of Cheap Trick and more.
The clip opens with director Judd Apatow introducing the band, and while Def Leppard actually played after The Who, frontman Joe Elliott jokes to the crowd, “come out to California they said, open for The Who they said,” before adding, “thanks Roger and Pete (Townshend) for putting us on after you guys.”
The video also shows snippets of their performance. Def Leppard treated those in attendance to an acoustic set made up of five songs, including “Armageddon It,” “Hysteria,” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”
“We’re really excited to be here,” drummer Rick Allen says in the video. “And we’re just thankful to The Who for asking us to do this.”
Next up, Def Leppard is set to launch a Las Vegas residency, Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency, on Feb. 3. They will then hit the U.K. and Europe for a new tour that starts June 13 in Rättvik, Sweden. A complete list of Def Leppard dates can be found at DefLeppard.com.
Queens! 4 Legends. 1 Stage. tour poster (Black Promoters Collective)
Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Stephanie Mills are returning to the road after adding dates to their Queens! 4 Legends. 1 Stage. tour.
They’ve set six new dates for shows in February 2026, kicking off with a stop in Jacksonville, FL, on Feb. 12. The ladies will then make their way to Charlotte, St. Louis, New Orleans and Houston, before wrapping things up Feb. 22 in Fort Worth, TX.
The Queens! 4 Legends. 1 Stage. tour, which celebrates legacy, sisterhood and the discography of all four women, first began in May 2025, with a second leg that started in September.
A presale for the new dates starts Thursday at 10 a.m. local time via BlackPromotersCollective.com. Tickets then go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
“Just when we thought the curtain had fallen on The Queens Tour, your amazing energy brought us back!” Gladys wrote on Instagram. We’ve added a few more cities, and I’m beyond thrilled to hit the road again with my sisters @chakakhan, @mspattilabelle, and @stephaniemills.”
