Classic Rock News

Imagine playing in a tribute band, and the artist whose music you’re paying tribute to joins you onstage. That’s what happened to the Billy Joel tribute band Turnstiles Friday.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Billy, who owns a home in the Palm Beach area, attended a Turnstiles concert at an amphitheater in Wellington, Florida, and ended up joining them for two songs. He took the stage wearing a jacket and a black knit cap, walking with the help of a cane.

As he sat at the piano, he laughed, “I wasn’t planning on working tonight,” before playing “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Big Shot.” His two youngest daughters — Della, 10, and Remy, 8 — sang and danced alongside him onstage.

The show marked the Piano Man’s first live appearance since he’d announced in May that he’d been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a brain condition that can cause balance, vision and hearing problems. At the time, a statement noted that he was receiving “specific physical therapy.” 

As a result of the diagnosis, Billy was forced to cancel all his scheduled performances, as well as a planned appearance at the New York City premiere of the HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes.

In a statement to People in July, Billy reassured fans, “I know a lot of people are worried about me and my health, but I’m okay. What I have is something very few people know about, including me, no matter how much you try to research it. I’m doing my best to work with it and to recover from it.”

He added, “I just wanted to let people know, don’t worry about me being deathly ill or anything.”

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Bryan Adams released a new album called Roll With the Punches in 2025, and in 2026 he’s going to keep on rolling out new music. Well, sort of.

In a New Year’s Day video on Instagram, Bryan said, “In April, we have a new album coming out called Tough Town.” 

But Tough Town isn’t exactly new: It’s a 10-track bonus disc that was included with the deluxe box set version of Roll With the Punches. So the April release Bryan is referring to is likely a stand-alone version of that disc, for those who didn’t buy the box set.

In his message, Bryan also flagged that acoustic versions of many of the songs from Roll With the Punches are now available on all streaming platforms.  

Bryan will spend most of 2026 touring the world, starting in Japan at the end of January. His only U.S. shows are three dates in June at the Encore Theatre at Wynn Las Vegas.

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Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi has given fans an update on his next solo project.

In a New Year’s message, Iommi discussed the highlights of his 2025, including his reunion with his Black Sabbath bandmates Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler for the Back to the Beginning show in July. He also referenced the band getting the Freedom of the City honor from their hometown of Birmingham, England, where the concert took place.

Of course 2025 wasn’t all happy, with Tony noting the “unfortunate” and “sad” passing of Ozzy a couple of weeks after the concert.

Tony detailed what fans can expect in the coming year, offering, “Of course in 2026 I shall have definitely, definitely my solo album out and I’m really looking forward to that.” He added, “I’m enjoying doing it and it’s been great fun and I really hope you enjoy it.”

In other Sabbath-related news, Geezer recently revealed how artificial intelligence is helping him with his music.

Video posted from a Q&A at the 2025 Steel City Con in December shows Geezer responding to an inquiry about whether he has any more albums “in the tank.” He says he’s got “tons of stuff,” noting AI has been helping him update music he wrote in the ’80s and beyond.

“And what held me back before, I didn’t have a singer when I’m at home, but AI came along. So all my songs now, I’ve updated them all and I’m using an AI singer to bring all the lyrics out,” Geezer said. “So now I can take it to singers that I’m gonna be working with and go, ‘This is what I want on the album,’ so they’ve got a better idea. It’s really helped me. A lot of people think it’s cheating.”

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Sounds like Alex Van Halen may be getting back to music.

In an interview with Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain on his Metal Sticks podcast, Alex revealed that he is about to work on music with Toto’s Steve Lukather.

“I’m getting ready to do this record with Lukather and a couple of other people,” he said. “It should be exciting.”

While Alex didn’t share any other details about what he and Steve are going to be working on, back in March Steve cleared up speculation that he was going to be recording a possible new Van Halen album with Alex.

That speculation began after the Dutch outlet De Telegraaph claimed Alex had asked Steve to finish some unreleased Van Halen material.

But Steve took to social media to clear up any confusion, writing in a comment to his Jan. 26 birthday tribute to Eddie Van Halen, “I think there is a huge misunderstanding. I will NOT EVER play a guitar note on a VH song ever!”

“Al asked me to help him go thru a ton of unfinished recordings of Al and Ed writing and recording that never saw the light of day. As of now thats [sic] all I got,” he noted. “The fact that ANYONE would think for even a second that I would play anything on this is ridiculous. I have too much love and respect for that and … I play nothing like Ed.. more as a co-producer or something. I am honored Al would ask me though.”

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Mick Fleetwood and Sammy Hagar joined forces on New Year’s Eve for a benefit show in Maui.

Both rockers posted footage from the concert on their Instagram accounts. Mick noted that the show raised money for the Maui Health Foundation, an organization providing high-quality health care to those in need.

“HAPPY 2026 TO ALL! We rocked all night,” Mick wrote next to his video. “What a night and cheers to the new year.”

Sammy posted video of the night as well, including a clip of him enlisting Adam Sandler from the audience to join him in singing Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lottta Love.”

Meanwhile, Sammy also posted a separate video where he detailed his New Year’s resolutions, sharing, “I’m just gonna keep doing more of the same, and I mean more of the same, not gonna change anything.”

More of the same for Sammy includes another set of Best of All Worlds Las Vegas residency dates, which kick off March 11 at Dolby Live at Park MGM. He’ll also launch a Best of All Worlds U.K. tour on July 4 in Manchester, marking his first time playing the U.K. since 1996.  

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After getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025, Soundgarden is teasing more activity in the coming year.

“2025 was super busy!” the “Black Hole Sun” outfit writes in an Instagram Story. “There’s more to come in 2026!”

We’ll see if that means the release of the final Soundgarden album, which the band had been working on prior to the death of frontman Chris Cornell in 2017. The material has long been in limbo due to a dispute between Soundgarden and the late Cornell’s estate, handled by his widow, Vicky Cornell.

In 2023, Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell announced they’d reached an agreement to allow the release of new music, however, drummer Matt Cameron shared in an interview later that year that plans for the record were still on hold.

The surviving Soundgarden members — Cameron, guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Ben Shepherd — reunited at the Rock Hall induction ceremony in November to perform alongside Alice in Chains‘ Jerry Cantrell and Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready, as well as guest vocalists Taylor Momsen and Brandi Carlile. They also reunited with original bassist Hiro Yamamoto. 

“Thank you for your continued love and support,” Soundgarden’s post continues. “Thank you for guiding us into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We felt your affection during the induction ceremony and it made us proud.”

Highlights from the ceremony aired during an ABC special Thursday, which is now available to stream on Hulu.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Hulu. 

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Peter Gabriel is starting the new year with new music.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has announced he’ll release the new album o/i this year, which is the follow up to 2023’s i/o.

Like i/o, Gabriel plans to release a new song from the album with each full moon of the year. The first track, “Been Undone,” is coming on Saturday to coincide with the Wolf Moon. The entire album will be released by the end of the year, along with Dark-Side and Bright-Side mixes, handled by Tchad Blake and Mark “Spike” Stent, respectively.

“I’m delighted to say that tonight, at the full moon, we will be beginning another year of full moon releases under the name oi,” Gabriel wrote on his website. “The songs are a mix of thoughts and feelings.”

He noted, “These are my lumpy bits –i/o: the inside has a new way out and oi: the outside has a new way in. … Some of these songs are going to form part of the brain project that I’ve been exploring for a number of years, and some just make me feel happy. I hope you like them.”

Similar to i/o, the release of each new song will be accompanied by a piece of art. The “Been Undone” piece, Ciclotrama 156 (Palindrome), is from São Paulo–based artist Janaina Mello Landini.

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Songs from David Bowie, Iron Maiden, and the Pixies appear on Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5, which is now available via digital outlets.

The collection features 14 songs, including tracks from Volume 1 and Volume 2 of season 5, as well as newly added songs from the series finale, which premiered on New Year’s Eve. New additions include Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper,” Pixies’” Here Comes Your Man” and Cowboy Junkies’ cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.”

One of the new additions to the soundtrack is Bowie’s “Heroes,” which was the series finale’s final song, and played over the final credits. It turns out Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington on the show, was the one who suggested it for the series’ send-off.

“Once Joe said that we immediately knew that was the right song to end the show on because it is, in some ways, an anthem for Stranger Things,” series co-creator Ross Duffer says in a statement. “To use the original Bowie version just felt right and fitting for the conclusion.”

In addition to the streaming release, Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5 will be released Jan. 30 on CD, vinyl and red cassette. There will also be colored vinyl variants: red smoke, sold exclusively at Amazon; blue smoke, sold exclusively at Target; orange marble, sold exclusively at Walmart; and marble yellow, sold through the Sony Music store.

Here is the track list to Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 5:
“Rockin’ Robin” – Michael Jackson
“I Think We’re Alone Now” – Tiffany
“Fernando” – ABBA
“Mr. Sandman” – The Chordettes
“Pretty In Pink” – The Psychedelic Furs
“Heroes” – David Bowie
“The Trooper” – Iron Maiden
“Here Comes Your Man” – Pixies
“Sh-Boom” – The Chords
“Oh Yeah” – Yello
“Human Cannonball” – Butthole Surfers
“Heart and Soul” – Floyd Cramer
“Sweet Jane” – Cowboy Junkies
“To Each His Own” (Inspired by the Paramount Picture To Each His Own) – Freddy Martin & His Orchestra

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The Eagles will return for more residency dates at the Sphere Las Vegas in January, with dates confirmed through March. While they’ve already announced that the March shows will be their final Sphere dates for 2026, guitarist Joe Walsh tells ABC Audio that doesn’t mean it will necessarily be their final shows ever at the venue.

“We’re in residence at the Sphere. From time to time, we’ll come back,” he says. “Other than that, all I know is we’re not done yet. We love playing together.” 

And fans certainly love seeing them play together — and it’s not just those who’ve been with them from the beginning. In fact, Walsh says their audiences are made up of all generations of music fans.

“I guess that’s a secret to longevity,” says Walsh. “Kids know about us because their parents played our music, so they had to hear it. They had no choice. And now they have kids.”

He adds, “And everybody comes, you know? We have one, at least one of everything in our audience. Everybody gets along great. Everybody goes home happy.” 

The Eagles’ first Sphere show of 2026 is Jan. 23, with dates confirmed through March 28. They are also set to headline New Orleans Jazz Fest on May 2. A complete list of dates can be found at Eagles.com.

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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.

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