Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson is paying tribute to the band’s original guitarist Mick Abrahams, who passed away Dec. 19 at the age of 82.
In a post on the band’s website, Anderson wrote that it was “with great sadness” that he learned of Abraham’s’ passing, noting Abrahams had “endured worsening ill health for the last 15 years leaving him finally unable to perform or interact socially to any degree.”
“Mick was vitally important to the early Tull formation” Anderson wrote, calling Abrahams “a strong vocalist and experienced, powerful and lyrical guitarist.”
Abrahams was a member of Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1968. Regarding their relationship, Anderson wrote that he and Abrahams “had 11 months of mutual benefit and learning experiences before the eventual falling-out – caused primarily by our different preferences as to future musical direction.”
He concluded the message offering condolences to Abrahams’ family and friends, who he noted should “feel justifiably proud of his achievements and musical legacy.”
Abrahams left Jethro Tull after the release of their debut album, This Was. He then formed the band the Blodwyn Pig, which went on to release four albums.
2025 began with the surprise news that the original Black Sabbath lineup — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward — would be reuniting for one final show. It was also announced that the concert would mark Ozzy’s final live performance, a promise that he sadly fulfilled upon his death just over two weeks after the show.
The concert, dubbed Back to the Beginning, was set for July 5 at Villa Park, a stadium in Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham, England. Along with sets by Sabbath and Ozzy, the lineup promised nearly every big-name metal and hard rock band you could think of: Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Gojira, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon.
Additionally, music director Tom Morello put together all-star jams featuring artists including Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Yungblud, Disturbed‘s David Draiman, Sammy Hagar, Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler, Adam Jones and Danny Carey of Tool, blink-182‘s Travis Barker, Ghost‘s Tobias Forge and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Those who wouldn’t be able to attend the massive show in person would be able to watch it streaming online.
As ambitious as all that seemed, the main concern going into Back to the Beginning was Ozzy’s health, which had kept him from performing a full live set for over six years. Ozzy cautioned that he and Sabbath would “only be playing a couple songs each,” telling The Guardian, “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up.”
When the big day finally came, Ozzy did indeed take the stage following hours of performances and tributes courtesy of the aforementioned stacked lineup. While seated, Ozzy was first joined by his solo band for a five-song set featuring classics including “Crazy Train,” “Mr. Crowley” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” He then returned while flanked by his Sabbath bandmates to rock out four more songs: “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” “N.I.B.” and “Paranoid.”
Following the concert, the participating artists flocked to social media to reflect on the special experience. A new Ozzy memoir called Last Rites was announced days later, suggesting that while Ozzy may have played his final concert, he was still planning to be busy.
However, the celebrations soon turned to grief when, on July 22, it was announced that Ozzy had died at age 76.
Tributes poured in from every corner of the music universe and beyond, which remembered him not only for his artistic achievements but also his massive impact on culture in general. A funeral procession was held in Birmingham on July 30.
On Sept. 7, the MTV Video Music Awards staged a tribute to Ozzy featuring a performance by Yungblud alongside Tyler and his Aerosmith bandmate Joe Perry.
Members of the Osbourne family eventually issued their own statements, culminating with a return of The OsbournesPodcast featuring widow Sharon Osbourne, daughter Kelly Osbourne and son Jack Osbourne.
Soren Koch, Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Tom Toomey and Steve Rodford of The Zombies perform at Variety Playhouse on April 03, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by R. Diamond/Getty Images)
The Zombieshave announced the dates for their third annual Begin Here festival. The 2026 event, which takes place in their hometown of St. Albans, U.K., will run from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.
The Begin Here festival, which launched in November 2023, usually features a whole host of Zombies-related events. In the past, that has included record signings, special screenings of their documentary Hung Up On A Dream, a Zombies tour of St. Albans, Q&As and performances.
In the meantime, frontman Colin Blunstone‘s next performance is happening on the high seas. He’s booked to perform on the Flower Power Cruise happening March 28 to April 4. The cruise starts in Ft. Lauderdale and hits St. Thomas, St. Kitts and Nevis, with The Beach Boys, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, Max Weinberg’s Jukebox and Blood, Sweat & Tears among the other acts on the lineup.
It was another big year for Bruce Springsteen, which culminated in the New Jersey rocker’s life being depicted on the big screen.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere premiered at the New York Film Festival in September and opened in theaters in October. The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White starred as The Boss, and did his own singing, while Succession’s Jeremy Strong playing the rocker’s manager, Jon Landau. The film followed Springsteen’s efforts in making his 1982 solo album, Nebraska. White earned a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of the New Jersey rocker.
Springsteen also celebrated a big anniversary in August 2025: the 50th anniversary of his iconic third studio album, Born to Run. To mark the occasion he released “Lonely Night in the Park” for the first time, a track that was recorded during the Born to Run sessions and was considered for the album, but was ultimately left off.
He also made a surprise appearance at the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music’s Born to Run 50th anniversary celebration in New Jersey, performing two songs from the album — the title track and “Thunder Road” — joined by current and former members of the E Street Band.
But those were only some of the many Springsteen-related highlights this year. Among the others:
– Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a Patti Smith tribute concert, People Have the Power – A Celebration of Patti Smith, at New York’s Carnegie Hall. He performed “Because the Night,” the song he wrote that became a hit for Patti.
– In May, Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off a European tour, and he stirred up controversy by criticizing President Donald Trump. He saidAmerica was “in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.” That prompted a response from Trump, who called Springsteen “highly overrated.”
– The tour also featured a surprise appearance by Paul McCartney at The Boss’ show in Liverpool. They teamed up for two songs: The Beatles‘ classic “Can’t Buy Me Love” and a cover of the Leiber & Stoller tune “Kansas City,” which The Beatles recorded in 1964.
– Springsteen’s tour, which launched in 2023 and wrapped in 2025, became the highest-grossing tour of his career, bringing in $729.7 million to surpass his previous highest-grossing tour, the 2012-13 Wrecking Ball World Tour, which brought in $347 million. It also sold 4.9 million tickets, more tickets than any previous Springsteen tour.
– Springsteen released the long-awaited follow-up to 1998’s box set Tracks. Tracks II: The Lost Albums featured seven previously unheard Springsteen records.
– The Boss was honored by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with the inaugural Legacy Award, which “honors an artist whose body of work has inspired generations of storytellers and deeply influenced our culture.”
– To coincide with the release of Deliver Me From Nowhere, Bruce released Nebraska: Expanded Edition, a box set featuring previously unreleased material. It included the long-rumored Electric Nebraska, a present-day recording of Springsteen performing Nebraska in its entirety at New Jersey’s Count Basie Theatre.
Artwork for Elton John’s ‘Step Into Christmas’ (Mercury Records)
Elton John is feeling grateful at the continued success of his holiday track “Step Into Christmas.”
It was recently announced that the song, originally released way back in 1973, had been certified platinum in the U.S. and four-times platinum in the U.K. and now Elton has shared his thoughts on the feat in a new post on Instagram.
Posing next to a picture of his platinum plaques, Elton wrote, “A special Christmas present to me! Step Into Christmas has gone platinum in the US and 4× platinum in the UK.”
“To think a song released over 50 years ago is still part of so many people’s festivities (and even sat in the UK Top 10 again this year!) is very special,” he added. “Thank you to everyone who keeps stepping into Christmas, year after year!”
“Step Into Christmas” has re-entered Billboard‘s Holiday Airplay chart every year over the past decade and has returned to the U.K. singles chart every year since 2011. Last year, a new video was created for the song, starring Cara Delevingne as Elton.
Soundgarden at 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Soundgarden has shared a tribute to late director Rob Reiner while reflecting on their connection to his film This Is Spinal Tap.
The beloved mockumentary was about a fictional band called Spinal Tap, which went on tour for real in 1984 after the film came out earlier that year. The tour concluded in Soundgarden’s hometown of Seattle, where the Tap left behind a giant skull that they’d been traveling with.
“Pearl Jam‘s Jeff Ament accessed the prop, repaired it, and provided it to Soundgarden for their show at the Seattle Bumbershoot Festival of 1990!” Soundgarden shares in an Instagram post.
The post also includes an excerpt from Reiner’s book A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap, in which actor Michael McKean, who plays Tap frontman David St. Hubbins, claims that “Spinal Tap invented grunge” by leaving the skull behind in Seattle.
“Did Spinal Tap invent grunge?” Soundgarden writes. “Well, Rob Reiner did warm our hearts and make us laugh with his stories and characters. Their charm, wit and insight certainly gave inspiration to the genre and to generations that followed.”
Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested for murder.
Sir Paul McCartney performs at The O2 Arena during his ‘Got Back’ world tour on December 18, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
Paul McCartney has landed on top the Billboard Boxscore for November thanks to his Got Back tour.
The Beatles legend tops the chart after bringing in $51.7 million from sales of 150,000 tickets for 11 shows. The latest leg of the tour kicked off Sept. 29 in Palm Desert, California, and wrapped Nov. 25 in Chicago.
This is the second time McCartney’s Got Back tour earned him the #1 spot on the list. The tour previously topped the Billboard Boxscore in May of 2022.
McCartney’s Got Back tour, which initially launched in April of 2022 and has included shows in 2023, 2024 and 2025, has brought $410.7 million overall, with 2.4 million tickets sold.
In other news … The Beatles are helping fans get in the Christmas spirit with the YouTube release of The Beatles Holiday Yule Log (Merry Crimble) featuring classic Beatles tracks. The video features an image of roaring fire, with Christmas stockings hung on the mantel for McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr. There’s also a turntable with pictures of the band members and presents wrapped in Beatles wrapping paper.
According to the description, “this video is made to be left on all holiday long, whether you are relaxing, seeing friends and family, or simply letting it play in the background while you do nothing at all.”
For what seemed like the first time in his career, Dave Grohl‘s “nicest guy in rock” status took a major hit when he revealed in 2024 he’d fathered a child outside his marriage. After retreating from the public eye and canceling shows, Dave Grohl eventually returned in 2025 to rev up the Foo Fighters machine again, with a few surprises along the way.
One such surprise was the reunion of Dave Grohl and his Nirvana bandmates, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, for a performance at the FireAid benefit concert in support of those affected by the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires in January. They were joined by guest vocalists St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Joan Jett in place of the late Kurt Cobain, as well as Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet Grohl.
The reconstituted Nirvana then played a second show in February during Saturday Night Live‘s 50th anniversary Homecoming Concert special, this time with Post Malone on vocals for a rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Dave Grohl continued to pop up at shows here and there, including a surprise Coachella appearance, before Foo Fighters officially announced their first concert post-scandal: a performance in Singapore set for October. Days after that news broke came another big surprise: the firing of drummer Josh Freese.
Freese, who joined the Foos in 2023 following the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins, shared in a May 16 Instagram post that he was informed the band “decided ‘to go in a different direction with their drummer'” and that “no reason was given.”
While the Foos camp mostly stayed quiet amid the Freese dismissal, the band continued to hint at a full-on comeback, announcing more shows in Asia and teasing a return to the studio. In late June they released a cover of the Minor Threat song “I Don’t Wanna Hear It,” followed by the premiere of an original single called “Today’s Song” in early July.
Later in July, it was reported that the Foos had recruited Ilan Rubin of Nine Inch Nails to be their new drummer. In a twist, Freese announced that he was rejoining NIN after previously playing with Trent Reznor and company between 2005 and 2008.
Foo Fighters made Rubin’s joining official when they played a last-minute surprise concert in September in San Luis Obispo, California. They followed that show with a few more pop-up underplay performances across the U.S., which were recorded for a new live EP.
In October, the Foos put out another new single, “Asking for a Friend,” and announced a U.S. stadium tour with Queens of the Stone Age for 2026.
While it may have been a bumpy road back, Dave Grohl has officially returned to fighting Foo.
Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson during Willie Nelson and Friends: “Outlaws & Angels” – Show and Backstage at Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage for NBC Universal Photo Department)
Legendary musician Willie Nelson is the subject of a New Yorker profile, but what has everyone talking is BobDylan‘scontribution to the piece, where he had quite a few things to say about the 92-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.
Dylan has spent the last two summers on Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, and when asked by the New Yorker journalist to describe Nelson, Dylan replied with, “It’s hard to talk about Willie without saying something stupid or irrelevant, he is so much of everything.”
But apparently he somehow found the words.
“How can you make sense of him? How would you define the indefinable or the unfathomable?” Dylan shared. “What is there to say? Ancient Viking Soul? Master Builder of the Impossible? Patron poet of people who never quite fit in and don’t much care to? Moonshine Philosopher? Tumbleweed singer with a PhD? Red Bandana troubadour, braids like twin ropes lassoing eternity?”
He added, “What do you say about a guy who plays an old, battered guitar that he treats like it’s the last loyal dog in the universe? Cowboy apparition, writes songs with holes that you can crawl through to escape from something. Voice like a warm porch light left on for wanderers who kissed goodbye too soon or stayed too long,” noting, “I guess you can say all that. But it really doesn’t tell you a lot or explain anything about Willie.”
Getting personal, Dylan explained, “I’ve always known him to be kind, generous, tolerant and understanding of human feebleness, a benefactor, a father and a friend,” adding, “He’s like the invisible air. He’s high and low. He’s in harmony with nature. And that’s what makes him Willie.”
Sean Ono Lennon accepts the Best Rock Performance award on behalf of The Beatles for “Now and Then” onstage during the 67th GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at Peacock Theater on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Sean Ono Lennon is clarifying comments he made during a CBS Sunday Morning interview in which he suggested he was worried that younger generations would forget about The Beatles and his parents, John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
In the interview, Sean talked about being the keeper of his dad’s legacy, noting, “I’m just doing my best to help make sure that the younger generation doesn’t forget about The Beatles and John and Yoko. That’s how I look at it.”
Asked whether he really thought it was “even possible” to forget them, he responded, “I do, actually, and I never did before.”
In a post on X, however, Sean is suggesting outlets that picked up the story “tried to twist my words.”
“I am not immediately worried about anyone forgetting the Beatles,” he says. “I was speaking more broadly about culture in general, and how we do forget about things when we don’t actively work to preserve them.”
“For example everyone used to know Don Giovani but now Opera Houses having been closing all over the world en masse,” he adds. “Everyone used to be able to quote Shakespeare and now not so much.”
Finally, he notes, “The Beatles music is timeless and immortal in my view. But nothing is guaranteed and we have to choose what aspects of our culture to keep thriving for future generations.”
In a separate post, he wrote, “Too many people think they are deducing when they are inferring.”
