Classic Rock News

ZZ Top‘s Billy F Gibbons has announced a 2026 U.S. tour.

The outing runs from Jan. 20 in Napa, California, to Feb. 28. in Atlanta. For the shows, Gibbons will be joined by his BFG Band, which features Chris “Whipper” Layton of Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble on drums and Mike “The Drifter” Flanigin on Hammond organ, bass and backing vocals.

“I’m joined with Whipper and The Drifter, in our collective Texas collective blues tradition,” Gibbons says. “There’s a bond that speaks volumes about our sonic skew.”

“One might hear a surf tune or some other detour of loudness as what we do is looser than our collective background might suggest,” the “La Grange” rocker continues. “We predict good times as we always say, ‘Ya’ can’t lose with the blues.'”

Presales begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time. 

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit BillyGibbons.com.

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Bob Dylan has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

The distinction recognizes the folk icon’s “lifetime of songwriting that changed the sound and scope of modern music.”

“Thank you, Berklee College of Music, for bestowing on me this prestigious honor. What a pleasant surprise,” Dylan says. “Who knows what path my career might have taken if I’d been fortunate enough to learn from some of the great musicians who taught at Berklee. It’s something to think about.”

“This is an incredible moment for this institution,” adds Berklee President Jim Lucchese. “Bob Dylan’s music has shaped how the world hears itself. He’s an artist who has never stopped evolving, who keeps chasing truth through sound and language. That’s the spirit we try to cultivate here every day. Honoring him feels like a reaffirmation of the creative impulse that built this place.”

Berklee has previously given honorary doctorates to artists including Joni Mitchell, Ringo Starr and Aretha Franklin.

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James Taylor will be hopping across the pond in 2026.

The “Fire and Rain” artist has announced a run of international dates kicking off in July, consisting of four U.K. shows and one in Amsterdam. The outing includes a show at London’s famed O2 Arena on July 23.

Presales begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit JamesTaylor.com.

The tour marks Taylor’s first scheduled live dates for 2026. He concluded a summer U.S. tour in September.

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On This Day, Nov. 4, 1988 …

The U2 music documentary/concert film Rattle and Hum opened in theaters, following the Irish rockers as they recorded the hybrid live/studio album of the same name.

Directed by Phil Joanou, the film included concert footage from their fall 1987 Joshua Tree tour of North America, as well as footage of the band in the studio recording. It also followed them as they visited historical musical sites across the U.S., including Elvis Presley’s Graceland and Memphis’ Sun Studio.

The movie’s companion album of the same name featured future U2 classics “Angel of Harlem,” “Desire” and “When Love Comes To Town,” featuring B.B. King.

It also included live performances of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Pride (In the Name of Love),” “Bullet the Blue Sky” and “All I Want Is You,” as well as covers of The Beatles‘ “Helter Skelter” and Bob Dylan‘s “All Along The Watchtower.”

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A new podcast dedicated to The Doors has been announced.

Really?? The Doors? will be hosted by The New Yorker writer Naomi Fry and aims to “use The Doors’ chaotic legend to ask what happens when myth overtakes meaning, and what that reveals about how we talk about American culture and about ourselves.”

Guests will include Billy Idol and Doors drummer John Densmore.

“I’ve been obsessed with The Doors even since I was a young teen,” says Fry. “Over the years, I’ve come to discover that a lot of people think that this obsession is maybe a little embarrassing, and that [frontman] Jim Morrison and The Doors aren’t a worthwhile object of love and curiosity. I’m interested in mining the gap between these perceptions, partly to understand why I’m still obsessed, partly to look at The Doors through a wider cultural lens.”

“This podcast isn’t a straightforward biographical podcast; it’s the work of enthusiasts rather than historians, or, as Morrison might put it, feelers rather than analysts,” Fry continues. “What it will offer are rich, varied, and funny conversations about a really significant if sometimes misunderstood band.”

Really?? The Doors? is set to premiere Nov. 12. That same day, Fry will host a live episode recording with Densmore in Los Angeles.

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Noah Weiland, son of late Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, has announced a concert commemorating the 10th anniversary of his father’s death.

The show will take place on Dec. 3 at the Garden Amp in Orange County, California. Jakob Nowell, current Sublime frontman and son of the late Bradley Nowell, will also perform.

“10 years has gone by so fast, but his legacy must continue,” Noah writes in an Instagram post. “We will be performing all of the hits & even some deep cuts.”

For ticket info, visit GardenAmp.com.

Scott Weiland passed away on Dec. 3, 2015, at age 48.

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Foreigner is set to rock the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The “Juke Box Hero” outfit will perform upon the event’s Stranger Things float. The Netflix series has previously used the Foreigner songs “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You.”

You can tune in to watch the parade on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, on NBC and Peacock starting at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will premiere a day earlier, on Nov. 26.

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George Thorogood & the Destroyers have announced a 2026 North American leg for their Baddest Show on Earth tour.

The trek launches March 6 in Highland, California, and will conclude up in Canada on April 4 in Ottawa.

“When we decided to call this tour ‘The Baddest Show on Earth,’ we had no doubt we could back it up night after night,” the “Bad to the Bone” rocker says. “We’re playing great venues in some of our favorite markets, and it’s guaranteed we can make you feel like a teenager again. Time to get on the bus, hit the highway and bring the rock party to the people for 2026.”

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit GeorgeThorogood.com.

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Guns N’ Roses, Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit are headlining the 2026 edition of England’s Download Festival.

The bill also includes Bad Omens, Trivium, Architects, Halestorm, Ice Nine Kills, BABYMETAL, The Pretty Reckless, Black Veil Brides, Mastodon, The All-American Rejects and Static-X.

Download 2026 takes place June 10-14. It’s self-described as “the U.K.’s premier rock festival.”

For more info, visit DownloadFestival.co.uk.

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Former Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay has died. She was 78.

“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of Donna Jean Godchaux,” reads a post on the Dead’s Instagram. “Her unmistakable voice and radiant spirit touched the lives of countless fans and immeasurably enriched the Grateful Dead family.”

“Her contributions will forever remain part of the tapestry that continues to be woven,” the post continues. “We send our deepest condolences to her loved ones and ask for privacy for her family during this time.”

Godchaux-MacKay was a member of the Dead from 1971 to 1979, and sang on albums including 1974’s From the Mars Hotel and 1977’s Terrapin Station, as well as the 1972 live album Europe ’72. Her then-husband, Keith Godchaux, played piano in the band during that time.

Upon leaving the Dead, the Godchauxs formed the Heart of Gold Band before Godchaux was killed in a car accident in 1980. Both Godchaux-MacKay and Godchaux were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Grateful Dead in 1994.

Outside of her work with the Dead, Godchaux-MacKay was known for providing backup vocals on hits including Elvis Presley‘s “Suspicious Minds” and Percy Sledge‘s “When a Man Loves a Woman.” She also contributed to albums by artists such as Cher and Boz Scaggs.

In 2007, Godchaux-MacKay formed her namesake Donna Jean Godchaux Band.

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