Roger Waters responds to criticism over Ozzy Osbourne comments

January 19, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Roger Waters has responded to criticism of his comments regarding the late Ozzy Osbourne.

As previously reported, the Pink Floyd founder commented on the Black Sabbath frontman’s death in an interview with The Independent Ink, saying, “[Ozzy] was all over the TV for hundreds of years with his idiocy and nonsense.”

“I don’t care about Black Sabbath, I never did,” Waters said. “I have no interest in biting the heads off chickens or whatever they do.”

Waters’ comments were roundly excoriated by the Osbourne family. Son Jack Osbourne called him “pathetic and out of touch,” while Sharon Osbourne deemed him “insignificant.” Meanwhile, the Ozzy Osbourne web store sold a limited-edition t-shirt featuring the phrase “another p**** in the wall,” a reference to Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”

Waters later defended his comments in an interview with Piers Morgan, saying, “Do I have to like every rock group there ever was in the world?”

When asked whether he’d like to apologize to the Osbourne family, Waters first said, “Yeah, of course I will,” before adding, “Not that I have any time for Sharon Osbourne,” noting their disagreement over Israel.

“If [Jack] wants to have a chat, I’ll have a chat with him,” Waters said. “I’m sorry you lost your dad, Jack.”

Waters did, however, learn that Ozzy had bitten the head off a bat, not a chicken.

“I don’t like people who bite the heads off bats,” Waters said. “I think it’s disgusting.”

Bruce Springsteen dedicates ‘The Promised Land’ to Renee Good at surprise Light of Day concert appearance

January 19, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance Saturday at the Light of Day Winterfest concert in Red Bank, New Jersey. There, he dedicated his song “The Promised Land” to Renee Good, the Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent in Minnesota.

In fan-shot video of Springsteen’s performance, Bruce tells the audience that the “ideals and the values” of the U.S. are “being tested as it has never been in modern times” and that they have “never been as endangered as they are right now.”

“If you believe in democracy, in liberty, if you believe that truth still matters, and that it’s worth speaking out, and it’s worth fighting for, if you believe in the power of the law and that no one stands above it, if you stand against heavily armed masked federal troops invading an American city, and using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens, if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, then send a message to this President,” he told the crowd. “And as the Mayor of that city has said, ICE should get the f*** out of Minneapolis.”

Before breaking into the song, he added, “So this one is for you, and the memory of the mother of three and American citizen Renee Good.”

Springsteen was Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers‘ special guest at the Light of Day Winterfest show. According to setlist.fm, The Boss also performed “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Atlantic City,” “Light of Day,” “Thunder Road” and more.

The concert was one of several Light of Day shows that took place over the weekend. The shows helped raise money toward the fight against Parkinson’s disease and other related neurodegenerative diseases.

Green Day to perform at Super Bowl 60 opening ceremony

January 19, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Green Day will be performing at an opening ceremony ahead of Super Bowl 60.

The “American Idiot” rockers will take the stage Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, at 6 p.m. ET, ahead of the game’s kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET. With their performance, Green Day will be “ushering generations of Super Bowl MVPs onto the field with a dynamic performance of their most iconic rock anthems,” according to a press release.

Levi’s Stadium is the home of the San Francisco 49ers, and Green Day is famously from the Bay Area.

“We are super hyped to open Super Bowl 60 right in our backyard!” says frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. “We are honored to welcome the MVPs who’ve shaped the game and open the night for fans all over the world. Let’s have fun! Let’s get loud!”

Super Bowl 60 and its opening ceremony will air on NBC and stream on Peacock.

‘Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII’ to be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

January 19, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Pink Floyd is giving fans a chance to enjoy their 1972 concert film, Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII, from the comfort of their home. The band is set to release the film on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on Feb. 27.

Digitally remastered with enhanced audio newly mixed by Steven Wilson, Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII released in theaters in April 2025 to critical acclaim. The film captures the band’s October 1971 performance at the ancient Roman amphitheater in Italy, marking the first live concert ever to take place at the site.

The film, directed by Adrian Maben, also featured behind-the-scenes footage of Pink Floyd at Abbey Road Studios as they began work on what would become their iconic album The Dark Side of the Moon.

Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray includes both the movie and the concert audio, and it’s available for preorder now.

The first official soundtrack to the movie was released in May and debuted at #1 in the U.K., becoming the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s seventh U.K. #1 album.

San Francisco hosts celebration for Bob Weir, featuring Mickey Hart, John Mayer & more

January 17, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, whose death was announced Jan. 10, was remembered with a celebration of life in San Francisco on Saturday.

The public event took place at Civic Center Plaza, and featured speeches by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and Dead & Company’s John Mayer. Also sharing their memories of Weir were Joan Baez, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, as well as Weir’s family, wife Natascha Weir and daughters Monet Weir and Chloe Weir.

“There was nothing like Bob Weir. … He was singular. He was not a copy of anything that came before. He was a true original,” Hart said, “I could sit here and tell you so many stories about our lives together. But at the heart of it all is that this was never just a band. It was a family.”

Hart also addressed the fans gathered, saying, “The songs of our lives are yours now, and it’s up to all of us to keep the refrain building. Love is real, not fade away.”

Mayer talked of all he learned from Weir over the decade they performed together, noting the rocker “changed my life.”

“Bob took a chance on me, he staked his entire reputation on my joining a band with him. He gave me musical community, he gave me this community,” Mayer said. “He invited me into the worlds he’d constructed, and he taught me what the songs meant and what it meant to perform them.”

Mayer added, “In return, I gave him everything I had night after night, year after year.”

The celebration also included recorded messages from musicians including Weir’s Grateful Dead bandmate Bill Kreutzmann, as well as Dave Matthews, Gov’t Mule‘s Warren Haynes, Willie Nelson, Phish‘s Trey Anastasio, Sammy Hagar and more.

The celebration ended with Mayer on guitar and vocals leading the fans in the Grateful Dead classic “Ripple.”

Ringo Starr to release new country album in 2026

January 16, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Ringo Starr is planning to release a new album this year.

The Beatles drummer posted a January 2026 update video, recapping all the highlights of 2025, including the release of his country album, Look Up. He then gave fans a heads-up about what’s in store for the new year.

“Just so that you know, I do have another country album ready that will be out sometime this year,” he says in the video.

He also noted that he’ll be going back out on tour. While he said he’d be hitting the road in June, his already announced dates with his All-Starr Band actually kick off May 28 in Temecula, California.

“Anyway, I just want to say peace and love to everybody who supported me,” he ended the clip, adding, “if you’re feeling down, look up.”

Ringo released Look Up, produced by T Bone Burnett, in January 2025. It featured 11 songs, with special guest appearances by Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, Lucius, Larkin Poe and Alison Krauss. The Eagles‘ Joe Walsh, Ringo’s brother-in-law, also played on the album.

John Mellencamp jukebox musical to get world premiere in October

January 16, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

A new jukebox musical featuring the music of John Mellencamp is set to make its world premiere in Maine this fall.

Small Town, directed by three-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall, will stage its first performances at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine, from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1.

The musical, with a book by Naomi Wallace, follows star-crossed lovers Jack and Diane. It features iconic songs from Mellencamp’s catalog, including “Jack and Diane,” “Hurts So Good,” “Lonely Ol’ Night” and “Small Town.”

So far casting on the musical has not been announced.

“Ogunquit Playhouse has a storied legacy of debuting world and American premieres, and we take immense pride in fostering new works alongside world-class artists,” said Executive Artistic Director Bradford Kenney in a statement. “We cannot wait for our audiences to experience the story of Jack and Diane this October, and to hear Mellencamp’s iconic hits reimagined for the stage by this incredible creative team.”

Tickets go on sale March 17.

Small Town has been in the works for a long time. Mellencamp hinted about the project in interviews as far back as 2018, with an official announcement in 2019 that the musical was in development.

The news comes just days after Mellencamp announced dates for the Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits, which kicks off July 10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and wraps Aug. 12 in Mountain View, California. A complete list of dates can be found at JohnMellencamp.com.

James Taylor, Duran Duran to play 2026 Beachlife Festival

January 16, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

James Taylor, Duran Duran and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are set to play the 2026 Beachlife Festival, happening May 1-3 in Redondo Beach, California.

Duran Duran and Taylor, with his All-Star Band, and are set to headline the fest. Duran Duran will take the stage May 1, followed by Jett on May 2, with Taylor closing out the event on May 3.

Some of the other artists on the bill include The Offspring, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Sugar Ray, Sheryl Crow, and My Morning Jacket.

Information on the complete lineup and tickets can be found at BeachlifeFestival.com.

Beachlife Festival launched in 2019. The 2025 lineup included Lenny Kravitz, Pretenders, Alanis Morissette, Jackson Browne and The Beach Boys.

Queen’s Brian May reveals his worries about the upcoming Beatles films

January 16, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

While many fans are excited about Sam Mendes’ upcoming films about The Beatles, Queen guitarist Brian May seems concerned.

The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event will be four movies each told from the perspective of a different Beatle, and May thinks that may cause some problems.

Asked whether he’d have wanted the same approach taken for his band, he told the Daily Mail, “No, I would dread it if that happened to Queen.”

“I love the Beatles, the Beatles are like the Bible,” he said. “But four films, I feel like it’s a horrible kind of thing where it’s a competition between them, that can be pretty invidious.”

Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was the subject of the 2018 movie Bohemian Rhapsody, and May says, “I’m happy with the film we made about Freddie, for now, I don’t need any more than that.”

He adds, “I feel very proud that we did it for Freddie, not for us, it made it right for us, it was the right thing for us.”

In the same interview, May explains why he and Queen will not be playing England’s Glastonbury Festival, which is set to return in 2027.

May, the co-founder of the animal welfare organization Save Me, has said in the past that the band never played the festival because its founder, Michael Eavis, supports badger hunting, something May’s opposed to; May tells Daily Mail that hasn’t changed.

“I wouldn’t do Glastonbury next year because of the politics of the people who run it,” he says. “Unless that changes, I won’t do it.”

May notes the band has never really been asked to play.

“I don’t think the conversation of us doing has ever taken place because they know how I feel,” he says.

Eddie Vedder’s ’Matter of Time’ documentary to stream on Netflix

January 16, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Eddie Vedder‘s documentary Matter of Time is coming to Netflix.

The film will premiere on the streaming platform on Feb. 9.

Matter of Time follows the Pearl Jam frontman’s work with his wife, Jill Vedder, to help find a cure for the rare skin disease epidermolysis bullosa through their organization EB Research Partnership. It also features footage from a 2023 Eddie solo concert in Seattle that raised money for the cause.

“This film captures all angles of the EB Community experience,” Eddie says. “From families and researchers, to volunteers and donors all coming together for an event that includes a big dose of music for good measure. Please join in and meet these incredible people. Their stories will remain with you.”

Matter of Time previously premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival.

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