Classic Rock News

Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden and Oasis are among the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, announced Monday during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-themed episode of American Idol.

Also getting into the Rock Hall this year are new wave pioneers Joy Division/New Order, British soul group Sade, the late R&B singer Luther Vandross and rappers Wu-Tang Clan.

This will be Collins’ second induction into the Hall of Fame; he was previously inducted in 2010 as a member of Genesis. Idol is getting in on his second nomination; he was previously nominated in 2025. Maiden and Oasis are getting in on their third nominations.

“Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is music’s highest honor,” says John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “We look forward to celebrating these remarkable artists at this year’s ceremony – it’s going to be an unforgettable night.”

Being inducted as recipients of the Early Influence award this year will be late country-rock star Gram Parsons, rappers Queen Latifah and MC Lyte, the late Cuban singer Celia Cruz and late Afrobeat artist Fela Kuti. Musical Excellence inductees include producers Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin, with the late Ed Sullivan being honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The 2026 nominees who didn’t get in this year are The Black Crowes, INXS, Mariah Carey, Pink, New Edition, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, Shakira and the late Jeff Buckley.

The 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Nov. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and will be taped for broadcast in December on ABC and Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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The classic Police tune “Roxanne” is the latest track to join the Spotify Billions Club.

The news was announced on the band’s Instagram account, with the post noting, “It’s official! Roxanne has reached the fantastic milestone of 1 Billion streams on Spotify!” They then asked fans, “Tell us why you love listening to Roxanne!”

The tune is the second Police song to join the Spotify Billions Club. The first, “Every Breath You Take,” from the 1983 album Synchronicity, joined the Billions Club in October 2021 and has now been streamed over 3.4 billion times.

“Roxanne,” about a man who falls in love with a prostitute, was released April 14, 1978, ahead of The Police’s debut album, Outlandos d’Amour. It wasn’t initially a hit, but after being rereleased in April 1979 it peaked at #12 in the U.K. and #32 in the U.S.

The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.

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John Fogerty has added some Canadian dates to his 2026 The Legacy Tour.

The “Fortunate Son” rocker has added three shows in Ontario to his schedule: Aug. 20 in Windsor, Aug. 21 in Toronto and Aug. 22 in Rama.

The tour has Fogerty celebrating songs from his Creedence Clearwater Revival catalog.

A presale for tickets begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

Fogerty’s next show is May 8 in Temecula, California. He has dates booked in California and Arizona through June.

He’s also set to launch new Legacy Tour dates with fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood on Sept. 3 in Tinley Park, Illinois, outside of Chicago, with the tour wrapping Sept. 20 in Hollywood, Florida.

A complete list of dates can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

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Foreigner is returning to Las Vegas for a very special show.

The band has announced they’ll play a special acoustic concert, Foreigner The Hits Unplugged, on Sept. 16 at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

The concert is a chance for fans to see reinterpretations of the band’s biggest hits, including “I Want To Know What Love Is,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded” and “Juke Box Hero.”

The new show follows the band’s recently wrapped residency at The Venetian Theatre, Foreigner: The Hits Orchestral – Celebrating 50 Years Live in Vegas, which had the band performing their biggest hits alongside a 20-piece orchestra.

A Foreigner fan club presale begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT, followed by Live Nation, Ticketmaster and Venetian Rewards presales that begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. PT.

Foreigner is set to play a series of shows with the band’s original frontman, Lou Gramm, starting April 17 in St. Augustine, Florida. They’ll also hit the road this summer with Lynyrd Skynyrd on the Double Trouble Double Vision Tour, which starts July 23 in Atlanta.

A complete list of dates can be found at Foreigneronline.com.

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No more Mr. Nice Guy, say hello to Mr. Grunge Guy.

Alice Cooper performed a cover of the Nirvana classic “Smells Like Teen Spirit” during his Coopstock benefit concert, which took place Saturday in Mesa, Arizona.

You can watch footage of the rendition via Cooper’s Instagram Story.

Coopstock raises money for Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers, which are located throughout Arizona.

Cooper launches a U.S. tour Tuesday in San Antonio. The trek will feature new guitarist Anna Cara, who is filling in for Nita Strauss while she’s on maternity leave.

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John Mellencamp is ready to give fans some insight into his song lyrics.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is releasing the new lyric book John Mellencamp: The Songbook: 50 Years of Song and Poetry on Sept. 29.

According to the description, the book, featuring a foreword by Stephen King, has Mellencamp “opening his archives and tracing his evolution as both a songwriter and poet—spanning every era of his storied career.” It pairs the lyrics to his iconic songs with previously unseen personal photographs, handwritten drafts, notes and more.

John Mellencamp: The Songbook: 50 Years of Song and Poetry is available for preorder now. The rocker and his publisher, Rizzoli New York, plan to donate a portion of the proceeds from presales during the month of April to support Farm Aid. April preorders will also be entered into a raffle for a signed copy of the book.

Next up for Mellencamp, the rocker will launch his Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits on July 10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The tour will have him playing a set filled with biggest hits, as well as tracks he hasn’t performed live in nearly a decade, like “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute To 60’s Rock),” “I Need a Lover,” “Wild Night” and “Ain’t Even Done With the Night.”

A complete list of dates can be found at JohnMellencamp.com.

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On This Day, April 13, 1974 …

Paul McCartney and his band Wings hit #1 with their third studio album, Band on the Run.

The album included two hit singles, the title track and “Jet.” It went to #1 in the U.S. and the U.K. and remains McCartney’s most successful non-Beatles album.

The cover featured McCartney, his wife, Linda McCartney, and guitarist Denny Laine posing as escaped convicts alongside actors James Coburn and Christopher Lee, British boxer John Conteh, U.K. broadcasters Michael Parkinson and Clement Freud, and English entertainer Kenny Lynch.

McCartney celebrated the 50th anniversary of the album by reissuing it in February 2024.

A documentary about McCartney’s post-Beatles career, including the formation of Wings, debuted on Prime Video in February. He also looked back at his time in Wings in the book Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, which came out in November.

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The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde is giving fans an update on the band’s next album.

In a new letter posted on social media, Hynde tells fans that she’s been enjoying spring, but also keeping busy, revealing that she and Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne “have been meeting up daily and putting songs together for the next Pretenders album.”

“This is the fun part… well apart from recording and touring,” she writes.

In a previous post in March, Hynde said the album was “provisionally called Outlaw,” and that the band had planned to start recording it “in the next couple of months.”

Pretenders’ last tour wrapped in May 2025, and Hynde notes in the letter that she is “starting to miss” getting to play live.

“We are thinking of doing some shows next year,” she writes. “I miss seeing you regulars.. even though I may have unwittingly offended you by asking you to move a couple rows back so I could see the locals,” a reference to an October 2025 post in which she seemed to suggest she was sick of seeing the same fans in the front row time and time again.

“I hope you’ve gotten over it and forgiven me.. no offence was intended.. but when we travel for months on end, it’s necessary to keep things fresh by seeing new faces upfront.”

She then tells longtime fans, “you know I love you, and can always find you in the audience, and I’m always looking for you.”

So far there’s no word on when the new Pretenders album will be released. They released their last album, Relentless, in 2023.

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A woman who has allegedly been stalking former Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham and is believed to have thrown an unknown substance on the singer-guitarist has been arrested, according to police.

Michelle Dick, 55, was arrested without incident in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Saturday and is currently being held at the Allen County jail pending extradition to California, police said.

She is facing six felony charges and one misdemeanor charge for alleged stalking, battery and assault of Buckingham on March 25 in Santa Monica, California.

Dick is accused of throwing an unknown substance on him and damaging his vehicle before fleeing the area.

Sources told ABC News at the time that the woman is known to law enforcement from previous incidents.

Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac with his then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks in 1975, and the couple became part of Fleetwood’s best-known lineup, along with drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie and singer-keyboardist Christine McVie.

Buckingham was a member of the group from 1975 to 1987 and from 1996 to 2018.

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Billy Corgan made his Coachella debut Saturday, joining alt-pop artist sombr onstage for a rendition of the classic Smashing Pumpkins song “1979.”

In introducing Corgan, sombr asked the crowd, “Coachella, is it cool if I bring some f****** rock royalty on the stage right now?”

“Coachella, I want you to make the most noise for this person,” sombr continued. “It’s their first time ever appearing at Coachella.”

Corgan then took the stage to the opening riff of “1979” while giving double metal horns. While his mic was having issues at the beginning of the song, the problem was eventually fixed and he sung along with sombr while strumming his guitar.

Corgan will be headlining a festival when The Smashing Pumpkins play Lollapalooza 2026, taking place July 30 to Aug. 2 in his hometown of Chicago.

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