Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir performing with the Grateful Dead at the Greek Theater in Berkeley on September 13, 1981. Bob Weir plays an Ibanez guitar. (Photo by Clayton Call/Redferns)
Grateful Dead has announced details of the next release in their Dave’s Picks bootleg series.
Dave’s Picks Vol. 56, the fourth and final Dave’s Pick of 2025, will feature two nearly complete shows recorded March 20, 1981, and March, 21, 1981, at the Rainbow Theatre in London. The shows were the opening two nights of a four-night stand at the venue.
The concerts, which were the first time The Dead returned to Europe in seven years, feature performances of such Dead classics as “Friend of the Devil,” “Scarlet Begonias,” “Fire on the Mountain,” “Althea,” “Truckin’” and “Alabama Getaway.”
“These London shows are right up there with the best,” Dead archivist David Lemieux says in a video shot in front of Big Ben. “Some really, really wonderful, wonderful music to end the year.”
Only 25,000 numbered copies of Dave’s Picks Vol. 56 will be available and are available for preorder now.
Bono on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’/(Disney/Randy Holmes)
Documentaries about Led Zeppelin, Billy Joel and U2 frontman Bono are among the films recognized with nominations for the 10th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
The theatrical release Becoming Led Zeppelin, HBO’s Billy Joel: And So It Goes and Apple TV’s Bono: Stories of Surrender all received nods in the best music documentary category. The Jeff Buckley doc It’s Never Over Jeff Buckley and two films directed by Questlove, Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music and Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), about the late Sly Stone, were also nominated.
A documentary about John Lennon and Yoko Ono was also recognized with a nomination. The film, One to One: John & Yoko, is nominated in the best archival documentary category.
Winners of the 10th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards will be revealed on Nov. 9 at a gala in New York City.
James Norton attends the “King & Conqueror” Global Premiere at the BFI Southbank on August 14, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
British actor James Norton has reportedly landed a role in Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles films.
Deadline reports that Norton, who currently appears in the new Netflix series House of Guinness, will play Beatles manager Brian Epstein in The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which is scheduled to hit theaters in April 2028.
Epstein, known as The Fifth Beatle, managed the band from 1962 to his death. He met them in December 1961 when they performed at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. He died in 1967 at the age of 32.
In addition to House of Guinness, Norton appeared in Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaption of Little Women, and played Island Records founder Chris Blackwell in the biopic Bob Marley: One Love. He also has a role in the third season of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.
Mendes’ four Beatles films will star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. Each film will be told from the point of view of each band member.
Cover of Duff McKagan’s ‘Lighthouse: Live From London’/(Photo Credit: Luke Shadrick Earmusic)
Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan has released another track from his upcoming live album and concert film, Lighthouse: Live From London.
The latest is actually a medley of two songs, his track “Holy Water” with The Stooges’ classic “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” The release is available now via digital outlets. A performance video is also on YouTube.
Lighthouse: Live From London captures McKagan’s Oct. 25, 2024, concert at London’s Islington Assembly Hall. The tour was in support of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s third solo album, 2023’s Lighthouse.
The album and film feature 19 tracks, with a guest appearance by Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones on covers of David Bowie’s “Heroes” and Johnny Thunder’s “Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory.”
Lighthouse: Live From London will be released Oct. 31 digitally, on CD and as a CD + Blu-ray set that includes the complete Live From London concert film. It will also be released as a two-LP black vinyl set that comes with a replica concert ticket signed by McKagan.
Billy Joel performs at Allegiant Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Billy Joel will be celebrated with an upcoming tribute concert in New York City.
The Piano Man is the latest focus of New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf’s annual “Music Of” concert series, with the Joel tribute set for March 21 at Carnegie Hall.
The Music of Billy Joel will feature 20 artists performing songs from Joel’s legendary catalog, with 100% of the net proceeds going to music education for underserved youth programs.
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.
Last year’s honoree was Patti Smith, with previous concerts celebrating the music of Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, R.E.M., Crosby, Stills & Nash and more.
A lineup for the concert has yet to be announced. VIP tickets are on sale at musicof.org.
Cover of the Doors’ Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance/(Analogue Productions/Acoustic Sounds))
A classic live album from TheDoors is getting a new vinyl reissue.
Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance is being released on Nov. 21 as a 180-gram three-LP vinyl set, which includes the 2016 mix of the album by Doors engineer Bruce Botnick, taken from the original eight-track analog masters, resulting in a new high-fidelity experience.
The album, originally released in 2006, captures the band’s July 21, 1969, concert at the intimate Aquarius Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. It features performances of such Doors classics as “Break on Through,” “Light My Fire” and more.
In addition to the album, the set includes sound check recordings, liner notes and more.
“The new mix is a revelation,” Botnick says. “The resulting clarity gives this concert new life – and as a bonus, side six features material from the soundcheck that preceded the show.”
Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance is limited to 2,000 numbered copies and is available for preorder now.
Iron Maiden has announced a 40th anniversary vinyl reissue of their 1985 live album, Live After Death.
The two-LP set will be released on Dec. 12. It features the 2015 remaster of the original album, which was recorded during Maiden’s World Slavery Tour in support of their 1984 album, Powerslave.
“We were touring our a**** off,” says bassist Steve Harris. “It was literally just, ‘record, tour, record, tour’ – we didn’t stop. [Manager] Rod [Smallwood] was cracking the old whip, and that was the right thing to do.”
“I mean, we were totally up for it, it’s not like we were doing stuff that we didn’t want to do,” Harris continues. “You think you’re invincible – ‘Yeah, we’ll take that on, no problem.’ That’s the way to crack it. It’s the only way for a band like us because we had no radio play whatsoever back then.”
The reissue also includes a replica 24-page tour program and tour pass, as well as an accompanying essay featuring interviews with Harris, Smallwood and drummer Nicko McBrain.
In other Maiden-related news, frontman Bruce Dickinson has shared a video of him performing the U.S. national anthem during a hockey game between the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche.
Dickinson previously sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at an NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Slash on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ (Disney/Randy Holmes)
Welcome to Santa Carla, we have vampires and also Slash.
The Guns N’ Roses guitarist lends his shredding skills to a new song called “Have to Have You,” recorded for the new Broadway musical adaptation of the ’80s cult classic The Lost Boys.
The video for “Have to Have You,” which features footage of Slash recording the track’s solo, is available on YouTube.
Speaking with Billboard, musical cast member Ali Louis Bourzgui recalls what it was like to record with the GN’R legend.
“Slash is sitting down, so chill in his chair and he pulls out his guitar and plays this absolutely insane solo, as he does, in one or two takes and is like, ‘Is that good?'” Bourzgui says. “This incredible, mathematical, insane solo.”
The Lost Boys: A New Musical is set to open at New York City’s Palace Theatre on March 27.
Somehow, The Lost Boys isn’t the only ’80s property getting a revival with some help from Slash. He’s also featured on the theme song for the new movie Deathstalker, a remake of the 1983 fantasy film of the same name.
Jeremy Allen White appears on ‘Good Morning America,’ Oct. 14, 2025. (ABC News)
Jeremy Allen White is opening up about playing “The Boss” in front of The Boss.
White joined Good Morning America Tuesday to discuss his upcoming role in the Bruce Springsteen biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, his relationship with his co-star Jeremy Strong, playing the guitar and more.
White said that at first, seeing Springsteen on set made it difficult to portray him.
“I think at first, like any job, you get to set, you’re feeling a little insecure, you’re trying to figure things out,” White recalled. “It was hard when I’m looking at the man across the way, and I know I’m not him, because I’m looking at him.”
The actor added that Springsteen’s presence on set soon became a benefit.
“He kept showing up, and it became more and more normal. And then I feel like it was necessary,” White said. “His presence was giving us all a lot of permission and making sure that we were staying on the honest path.”
White also discussed his relationship with Strong, who plays Springsteen’s manager and friend Jon Landau.
“I love Jeremy Strong so much. I’ve been an admirer of his for a very long time,” White said, adding that he had long desired to work alongside the Succession star. “He is so thorough in his approach. I just trusted him so quickly and immediately.”
White said Strong understood and empathized with the task White was taking on.
“I think he also saw that I was trying to portray Bruce Springsteen, and that was a difficult thing to do. There was a lot of pressure. I think Jeremy became this sort of protector, and caregiver for me during the process of making the movie,” White said, likening the relationship to the real-life Landau and Springsteen.
White also discussed learning guitar for the film, sharing that he had never picked up a guitar prior to preparing for the movie. He said he learned to play on an instrument Springsteen gave him personally.
White also recalled sharing his excitement for learning guitar with his instructor, who he said responded, “We don’t have time to learn how to play the guitar. I’m going to teach you how to play these five Bruce Springsteen songs and that’s it.”
“So I feel still very ill-equipped,” he added.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere hits theaters Oct. 24.
The Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers documentary, Runnin’ Down a Dream, debuted at the New York Film Festival.
The four-hour documentary, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, gave insight into the history of the band from its early days as Mudcrutch, to its 30th anniversary concert at the University of Gainesville in Petty’s Florida hometown. It also touched upon Petty’s solo career and his work with the Traveling Wilburys.
The film featured archival footage, as well as interviews with fellow musicians such as George Harrison, Stevie Nicks, Jeff Lynne, Jackson Browne, Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl.
The doc was originally released as a four-disc box set that included not only the movie, but a disc featuring the 30th anniversary concert and a disc of rare tracks.
