Elton John performs at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, November 8, 2025 (Kevin Kane/Getty Images for RRHOF)
Elton John and Brandi Carlile released their Grammy-nominated joint album, Who Believe In Angels?, in 2025, but 2026 may bring us some Elton John solo music — and maybe even more than expected.
In a holiday video message to members of his Rocket Club fan club, Elton said, “I’ll be going to the studio next April to make a record. But I’ve already made one, which is fantastic. So I’m teasing you with that one.”
It’s not clear which projects Elton is referring to. In November, he told Variety, “I just can’t wait to go into the studio now and write some new songs and go from there.” He also mentioned he had “seven new lyrics” from Bernie Taupin to write music for.
Despite his retirement from touring, Elton revealed in his message that he has continued performing. “I’ve done 11 private shows this year,” he said, adding that he’s in “great voice and I enjoy playing with the band and on my own.” He also made a plug for his headlining appearance at the Rock in Rio festival in September. “Who would’ve thought?” he asked.
Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead performs live on stage during the third day of the Sonisphere Rock Festival at Knebworth House on July 10, 2011 in Stevenage, England. (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
Motörhead frontman Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister died on Dec. 28, 2015 — 10 years ago Sunday.
Lemmy formed Motörhead in 1975 alongside guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox after playing in the band Hawkwind. Wallis and Fox were then replaced by guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil“Philthy Animal” Taylor, who, along with Lemmy, made up the classic “Three Amigos” Motörhead lineup.
Early Motörhead albums including 1979’s Overkill and Bomber and 1980’s Ace of Spades, which spawned the iconic title track, helped pave the way for the new wave of British heavy metal movement alongside bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
Lemmy was known for his gravelly voice, muttonchops and prominent moles. His onstage presence contributed to Motörhead’s energetic live shows, which were captured on the celebrated 1981 live album No Sleep ’til Hammersmith.
Following the departures of Clarke and Taylor, Motörhead went through several lineup changes before landing on a trio of Lemmy, guitarist Phil “Wizzö” Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee, which remained in place from 1995. Motörhead continued to put out new albums on a consistent basis, concluding with their 22nd studio effort, 2015’s Bad Magic.
Outside of Motörhead, Lemmy was a cowriter on Ozzy Osbourne‘s 1991 album, No More Tears, including on the songs “Mama, I’m Coming Home” and “Hellraiser.” Motörhead also recorded their own version of “Hellraiser.”
Lemmy, who was known for his hard-partying ways, developed a number of health issues in his later years. On Dec. 26, 2015, two days after his 70th birthday, he was diagnosed with cancer. He died two days later.
Upon Lemmy’s death, Motörhead officially disbanded, though archival recordings continue to be released. Lemmy’s ashes were sent to a number of his close friends, including Metallica‘s James Hetfield.
Steve Harris of Iron Maiden performs at Co-op Live on June 22, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)
Iron Maiden celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2025, and founding bassist/songwriter Steve Harris reflects on the milestone in a statement to Kerrang!
“It’s pretty incredible when you think about it, but we don’t think about it too much,” Harris says. “The band don’t really say, ‘Wow, this is 50 years!’ It’s brought to us by other people like management or whoever is making a bigger fuss about it. We just do what we do.”
“But it is a long, long time,” Harris continues. “It’s an achievement. We won’t harp on about it ourselves, but we’re aware of that. And long may it continue.”
Maiden has certainly accomplished a lot in the last half-century, though there are still one or two things they’d like to check off their bucket list.
“There are a couple of countries here and there we’d still like to get to,” Harris says. “Like, we were once supposed to play Bangkok, but three weeks before there was a military coup and we had to cancel. Maybe one day we’ll drag the Iron Maiden plane out again to go and do them, because that makes those shows a lot easier!”
As for how many years past 50 Maiden will continue, Harris says, “I’m not thinking about retirement, but we all know that it’s coming at some point when you’ll be forced into it by one thing or another.”
“I still stay fit, playing football and tennis and things, but you never know what’s coming round the corner,” Harris says. “That’s why you’ve got to make the most of this while you can, going out enjoy every gig for the sake of it. I’ve been saying that for the last 10 years, but it’s truer now than ever.”
Maiden will launch a North American tour in August.
Billy Joel’s 2025 didn’t start out so hot. In January, the Piano Man postponed a show in order to have a medical procedure. He did perform two shows in February and continued to announce more concerts for 2025, including co-headlining dates with Sting, Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks. But issues with his health halted his touring plans.
-Joel announced in March he was postponing shows for four months to allow himself time to recover from recent surgery and to undergo physical therapy under the supervision of his doctors.
-Then in May, Joel canceled all scheduled concert dates after revealing he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a disorder in which fluid builds up in the brain. According to a statement, Joel’s brain condition, “exacerbated by recent concert performances,” led to issues with his hearing, vision and balance.
-In an interview on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast in July, Joel gave fans a health update, saying his condition was “not fixed” and “still being worked on,” but assured fans, “I feel fine.”
-And it wasn’t all bad news for Billy in 2025. In May, a new two-part documentary on the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, debuted at the Tribeca Festival.
-The documentary, directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, debuted on HBO Max in July to critical acclaim and earned a nomination for best music documentary at the 10th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards.
-Joel released a digital 100-track album, also called Billy Joel: And So It Goes, describing it as a “companion” piece to the documentary. It included eight never-before-heard songs. He also launched a yearlong YouTube series, dropping archival performances on the video-sharing platform.
In other Billy Joel news …
-Joel’s signature tune, “Piano Man,” hit 1 billion streams on Spotify. It was his second song to reach such a milestone, following “Uptown Girl.”
-20th Century Cycles, the motorcycle shop Joel opened in 2010 that housed his collection of more than 75 vintage motorcycles, closed. Joel auctioned off the bike collection.
-Joel was announced as the subject of New York City entrepreneur Michael Dorf’s annual Music Of charity concert series, with the tribute set for March 12, 2026, at Carnegie Hall.
Flea at 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Disney/Ser Baffo)
Flea is here to help jazz up your holiday season.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist has shared a trumpet performance of what sounds like the song “Christmas Time Is Here” from the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas special.
“‘Twas the night before…,” the video caption reads. You can watch Flea’s performance now via RHCP’s Facebook.
You’ll be hearing even more of Flea on trumpet on his upcoming solo album, due out in 2026. The first single, “A Plea,” is out now.
The Pearl Jam camp is celebrating their own fuzzy Christmas miracle.
The three kittens that the grunge rockers have been fostering at their Seattle headquarters have now been officially adopted.
As previously reported, the cats were found in the PJHQ parking lot over the summer and dubbed the Purrl Jam Kittens. With help from a local organization called the Alley Cat Project, the kittens were safely rescued and remained at PJHQ until their adoption, which has now happened just in time for the holidays.
“Thanks to Alley Cat Project, these rockstar-personality kittens have found their forever homes for the holidays!” Pearl Jam shares in a Facebook post. “Bugs and Dark Matter, the undeniable duo of the litter, were adopted together. Gremmie, the true embodiment of the song he was named after, found a home with a PJ HQ staff member and is settling in beautifully with the help of his new big sister, Winnie.”
Bugs and Dark Matter are named after the 1994 Vitalogy cut and the title track off Pearl Jam’s 2024 album, respectively. Gremmie is named after the song “Gremmie Out of Control,” which is included on the 2003 Lost Dogs compilation.
‘The Löst Tapes, Vol. 7 (Lemmy’s 50th Birthday, Live in West Hollywood, 1995)’ album artwork. (BMG)
Late Motörhead frontman Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister would’ve turned 80 on Wednesday, and the band is celebrating the occasion with a throwback to another milestone birthday.
The Motörhead YouTube channel has uploaded the band’s full 1995 performance at the famed Whisky A Go Go club in Los Angeles, which celebrated Lemmy’s 50th birthday.
The set included renditions of classics including “Ace of Spades,” “Bomber,” “Iron Fist,” “Stay Clean,” “Metropolis” and “Killed By Death.” Before Motörhead took the stage, Metallica played a surprise opening set billed as The Lemmys.
The Whisky concert is also available as a live album as part of Motörhead’s The Löst Tapes series.
Lemmy died on Dec. 28, 2015, four days after his 70th birthday. The 10th anniversary of his death is Sunday.
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.
