Metallica announces finalists in For Whom the Band Tolls! marching band competition

ABC/Randy Holmes

Earlier this year, Metallica announced For Whom the Band Tolls! — a competition for college and high school marching bands. Now, the metal legends have unveiled the contest’s finalists.

For the competition, schools across the U.S. submitted videos of their marching bands performing renditions of Metallica songs. A panel of professional judges has selected five finalists in five different categories: Division 1 college, Division 2 and 3 college, and small, medium and large high schools. The Metallica members will pick a winner in each category.

The Division 1 college winner will earn $75,000 in musical instruments and equipment. Metallica will award the Division 2 and 3 college winners with $40,000 in prizing, and $15,000 for the winner of each high school category.

Additionally, you can cast your vote for your favorite college and high school entries. Whichever ensembles get the most votes will win the “fan favorite” prize of $10,000.

For more info, visit MetallicaMarchingBand.com.

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Wolfgang Van Halen & Michael Anthony reunite for first time in 20 years

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Wolfgang Van Halen may have taken Michael Anthony‘s spot in Van Halen 17 years ago, but all’s good between them now.

In an Instagram post, Anthony shared that he recently saw Wolf perform with band Mammoth WVH.

“They threw it down!!” Anthony wrote of Mammoth’s performance. “Love ya Wolf, so great to see ya!! (proud of you brother!!).”

Anthony added in the post’s comment that the show marked the first time he and Wolf had seen each other in 20 years.

Wolf also shared his own post featuring a photo of him and Anthony backstage at the show, along with the caption, “Ran into an old friend at the @mammothwvh show in Vegas tonight. (Love ya, Mikey).”

Anthony played bass in the classic lineup of Van Halen, alongside Eddie and Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth. In 2006, Van Halen parted ways with Anthony, and Wolf, Eddie’s son, was brought in to play bass. Wolf remained in Van Halen until the band ended with Eddie’s death in 2020.

You’ll be able to hear Anthony play Van Halen tunes on tour in 2024 alongside Sammy Hagar, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Joe Satriani.

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Three-day Dusty Hill auction brings in over $3 million

Courtesy Juliens Auctions

Julien’s Auctions wrapped their three-day auction of ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill’s personal items and memorabilia over the weekend, setting records in the process. 

The auction brought in over $3 million, becoming the highest grossing single artist auction at Julien’s this year.

In addition to the already announced sale of Hill’s 1953 Fender Precision bass for $393,700, the second-highest bass ever sold at auction, other big ticket items included: Hill’s 1980s Gibson Custom Shop Explorer style bass, used during the Eliminator tour, which sold for $58,500; a Wayne Charvel, Custom Eliminator Hot Rod shaped bass guitar, for $39,000; and “Old Faithful,” Hill’s 2000s Bolin Fender Clone Precision bass, which sold for $28,575. 

Personal items sold at the auction included Hill’s cowboy boots by Manuel, which sold for $19,500; his commissioned oil derrick gold nugget ring, for $9,100; and more. 

A portion of the auction proceeds will be donated to the Recording Academy’s charitable foundation, MusiCares.

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Foo Fighters add 2024 US headlining dates

ABC/Randy Holmes

Foo Fighters have added a trio of U.S. headlining dates to their 2024 schedule.

The newly announced shows take place May 1 in Dallas, May 7 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and May in Charlotte. Nova Twins will also be on the bill.

Tickets go on sale Thursday, December 14, at 10 a.m. local time. Visit FooFighters.com for all ticket info.

The Foos will be supporting their latest album, But Here We Are, which dropped in June. Their other 2024 U.S. touring plans include headlining the Shaky Knees and Welcome to Rockville festivals, and launching a U.S. stadium trek in July.

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REO Speedwagon announce additional ‘Hi Infidelity’ Vegas shows

courtesy of Live Nation

REO Speedwagon is returning to Las Vegas. The band announced some new dates for An Evening of Hi Infidelity… and More at the Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort.

The band has announced six new shows in 2024: May 8, 10 and 11, and October 2, 4 and 5.

“We had so much fun, the audience response was mind-blowing, and all the love and hard work we put into this production more than paid off,” frontman Kevin Cronin shares. “We are very proud of this special production and look forward to returning to The Venetian Theatre in 2024.”

REO Speedwagon first launched An Evening of Hi Infidelity… and More with two shows in November. The show has them performing their classic album Hi Infidelity in its entirety, as well as other hit songs.

Tickets go on sale Friday, December 15, at 10 a.m. PT. 

Released in November 1980, Hi Infidelity peaked at #1 on the Billboard Album chart and featured the hit songs “Take It On the Run” and “Keep On Loving You.” It was the biggest selling album of 1981 and was certified 10-times platinum by the RIAA.

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On This Day, December 11, 1968: The Rolling Stones begin filming ‘Rock and Roll Circus’

On This Day, December 11, 1968…

The Rolling Stones began shooting the concert film Rock and Roll Circus.

The film was shot over two days and featured The Stones, as well as The WhoJethro TullTaj Mahal and Marianne Faithfull, performing on a stage set that looked like a circus. It also featured a one-time-only performance by The Dirty Mac, a group made up of John Lennon and Yoko OnoEric ClaptonKeith Richards and more.

The film was originally supposed to air on the BBC, but, unhappy with their performance, The Stones opted to hold back the broadcast. It took 28 years for them to change their mind and release it. It premiered as part of the New York Film Festival in October 1996. A soundtrack followed two days after the premiere.

A remastered edition of the film in Dolby Atmos received a limited theatrical release in March 2019.

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Pearl Jam announces first shows of 2024

ABC

Pearl Jam is officially returning to the live stage in 2024.

Eddie Vedder and company are set to headline Spain’s Mad Cool and Portugal’s NOS Alive festivals next year, taking place July 10-13 and July 11-13, respectively.

The Mad Cool lineup also includes Bring Me the Horizon, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sum 41 and Greta Van Fleet. The Pumpkins and Sum 41 are playing NOS Alive as well, along with The Breeders.

For more info, visit MadCoolFestival.es and NOSAlive.com.

Mad Cool and NOS Alive mark the first announced Pearl Jam live performances of 2024. The band wrapped a short U.S. tour in September.

A new PJ album is also in the works. Drummer Matt Cameron said in a recent interview that the upcoming record, the follow-up to 2020’s Gigaton, is “in the can.”

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Bruce Springsteen, Robbie Robertson earn Golden Globe nominations

CBS/Dick Clark Productions

Bruce Springsteen and the late Robbie Robertson are among the artists earning nominations for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards.

Springsteen is nominated in the Best Original Song category for his tune “Addicted to Romance,” which he wrote for the movie She Came to Me, starring Peter Dinklage and Marisa Tomei.

Lenny Kravitz is also nominated for his Rustin song “Road to Freedom, as are three tunes from BarbieBillie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” “I’m Just Ken” and “Dance the Night,” and The Super Mario Bros song “Peaches.”

Robertson is nominated for Best Original Score for his work on Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon, where he’ll compete against the scores for OppenheimerPoor ThingsThe Boy and the HeronThe Zone of Interest and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

The 81st annual Golden Globe Awards will air live from the Beverly Hilton on CBS and stream on Paramount+ Sunday, January 7, at 8 p.m. ET.

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Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s career celebrated in new photo book

Genesis Publications

A new photo book is celebrating the legendary career of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

CSN&Y: Love the One You’re With features over 800 photographs, as well as writings from over 20 contributors, recounting the history of the band — David CrosbyStephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young — and their cultural impact.

The book, with introduction by Nash and Stills, features photos from photographer Henry Diltz’s CSN&Y archive, marking the first time his photos have been presented in such a format and in this quantity.

Says Diltz, “I have known these guys my entire life as a photographer, way before they even formed a group and so I have photographed them all separately and together for the past almost 60 years.”

“Henry was a part of whatever was going on at any moment. And we certainly never thought this was history when he was shooting us,” Nash shares. “We thought, ‘There’s our friend Henry with his camera.’ And we trusted him.”

Numbered collectors copies of CSN&Y: Love the One You’re With are available now, all individually signed by Diltz, Nash and Stills. They are expected to ship later this month.

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Tom Petty estate and RR Auction settle dispute over alleged stolen property

Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame

The estate of Tom Petty and RR Auction have reached an agreement over a planned auction the estate argued contained items stolen from the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.

Back in May, the Petty estate threatened to take legal action over the auction, noting the items up for sale, including jackets, hats, vests and autographed memorabilia, were taken from a secure storage archive.

But in a joint statement obtained by ABC Audio, both sides now report that “all concerns regarding the recent offering of personal clothing and items of the rock star have been resolved without litigation.” 

“The Petty family is grateful that RR Auction facilitated the safe return of the items, which have been returned to the Petty family’s secure archives,” the statement explains, “and there is currently no belief RR Auction committed or knew of any wrongdoing regarding the disputed ownership of the items.” 

The statement concludes by sharing that as part of their “gratitude” to RR Auction, the Petty family “has agreed to a select few of the belongings to be offered for auction through RR Auction.” It notes, “The family supports the upcoming sale and verifies the authenticity of the items to be offered.”

Those select items are part of RR Auction’s Marvels of Music auction, and include Petty’s ornate space-themed vest, a plaid flat cap and brown suede chelsea boots, as well as a signed copy of Damn the Torpedoes and a signed portrait taken by Richard E. Aaron.

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