Billy Joel landed his first #1 album with 52nd Street, his sixth studio album. The record spent eight weeks on top of the charts.
The album, one of the first to be commercially released on CD, featured three top-40 singles: “My Life,” which peaked at #3, “Big Shot,” which hit #14, and the ballad “Honesty,” which went to #24.
It would go on to earn Joel two Grammys, album of the year and best pop vocal performance. “Honesty” was also nominated for song of the year.
Joel would go on to have three more #1 albums: 1980’s Glass Houses, 1989’s Storm Front and 1993’s River of Dreams.
Mötley Crüe The Return of the Carnival of Sins tour admat (courtesy of Live Nation)
Mötley Crüe is hitting the road in 2026 to celebrate some big milestones.
The band has announced dates for The Return of the Carnival of Sins tour, celebrating both the band’s 45th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of their 2005-06 Carnival of Sins tour.
The 33-city North American tour, with special guests Tesla and Extreme, will kick off July 17 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and wrap Sept. 26 in Ridgefield, Washington.
“Bringing back the spirit of Carnival of Sins has been a blast, and we wanted to take it even further for its 20th anniversary,” the band said in a statement. “This new show is for the Crüeheads who’ve been with us through it all and for the new Crüeheads who didn’t get to experience Carnival of Sins last time around. Get ready — we’re coming your way and we can’t wait to see you next summer.”
A Mötley Crüe presale begins Wednesday at 12 p.m. local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. local time. One dollar from every ticket will be donated to ASAP! (After School Arts Program) through the Mötley Crüe Giveback Initiative.
A complete list of dates can be found at Motley.com.
Cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here 50’/ (Sony Music)
Pink Floyd’s iconic album Wish You Were Here begins and ends with the two-part track “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” a tribute to their late bandmate Syd Barrett. Now the two parts have been put together as one complete song.
The band has just released “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (pts. 1-9, New Stereo Mix),” which marks the first time the song has been released as one continuous piece. The 25-minute track, newly mixed in stereo by James Guthrie, is part of Wish You Where Here 50, Pink Floyd’s 50th anniversary reissue of the album, which is dropping Dec. 12.
To coincide with the release, comedian and Great British Baking Show co-host Noel Fieldinghas created a commissioned set of original paintings inspired by Barrett’s iconic image.
“I was pretty young when my affinity with Pink Floyd and Syd started,” Fielding shares. “What’s amazing about Pink Floyd, especially with Wish You Were Here, is that the artwork was as good as the music.” He adds, “It is a masterpiece, that album cover, and that album. It’s a masterpiece. And it’s based on Syd Barrett, who is a walking masterpiece.”
Wish You Were Here 50 will be released in a variety of configurations, including a three-LP or two-CD set, with the original album plus 25 bonus tracks, including six tracks that have never been released before. There will also be a Blu-ray with Dolby Atmos and 5.1 Surround mixes of the album; three concert films from the band’s 1975 tour; and a short film by famed art designer and Hipgnosis co-founder Storm Thorgerson.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Mike Mills, bass player of R.E.M., performs onstage during the Jim Irsay Collection Exhibit and Concert at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on January 11, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
R.E.M. called it quits in 2011, and while fans may be holding out hope for a reunion, Mike Mills doesn’t see that happening.
“R.E.M. broke up because it was time, and we all recognized it and we all had thought about it before we ever mentioned it to each other,” Mills said on the latest installment of the Rolling Stone Music Nowpodcast. “And, you know, it’s fine.”
Although the band did perform “Losing My Religion” together at their Songwriters Hall of Fame induction in 2024, Mills doesn’t see it as that big of a deal.
“We didn’t reform, we got together to play one song one time, because that’s what you do with the Songwriters Hall of Fame,” he says. “It’s churlish to go in there and not do the thing that everyone does when you play there. So we did … and it just completely reinforced our belief that we’d done the right thing.”
The interview had Mills, Hootie & the Blowfish’s Darius Rucker and former The Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman talking about their new band, Howl Owl Howl, which wrapped a U.S. tour Saturday in Atlanta. Their show in Athens, Georgia, on Friday included an appearance by R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry.
Mills reveals in the interview that it was his R.E.M. bandmate Michael Stipe who came up with the name for the new group.
“Stipe said, ‘Howl Owl Howl,’” Mills says. “And I was like, ‘OK, that’s it. That is so weird that I’m gonna send it to ’em and they’re gonna hate it.’ And they did.”
Gorman adds that he changed his mind after a couple of days, noting, “It was just in my brain. I couldn’t get rid of it. I was like, ‘Oh s***. Howl Owl Howl’s great.’”
Picture of Warren Haynes (Photo credit: Shervin Lainez)
Warren Haynes has announced dates for a new 2026 solo tour.
The trek will feature just Haynes and his guitar, and will have him playing stripped down shows that will feature two sets each night. He plans to play songs from his catalog, including solo recordings, and Gov’t Mule and Allman Brothers Band tunes, plus music that has influenced his career.
“Although I have done a few solo dates here and there, I’ve never afforded myself the opportunity to do an actual solo tour so I’m extremely excited about this,” Haynes says. “Anytime I get the chance to do something that I don’t get to do often enough is a rewarding experience for me and hopefully for the audience as well.”
The 11-date tour kicks off Feb. 12 in Grass Valley, California, and wraps Feb. 26 in Pelham, Tennessee.
Haynes will also be hitting the road with the Warren Haynes Band starting March 1 in Birmingham, Alabama, and wrapping March 7 in Ithaca, New York.
A fan club presale for all new shows will begin Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET, with local presales starting Thursday at 12 p.m. ET. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday at 12 p.m. ET. A complete list of dates can be found at WarrenHaynes.net.
Next up, Haynes will hit the stage in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, for his annual Christmas Jam. The concert, taking place Dec. 13 at ExploreAsheville.com Arena, will be headlined by Warren Haynes & Friends, with the lineup also including Stone Temple Pilots and MJ Lenderman & The Wind.
The show will feature a special Christmas Jam tribute to Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, featuring Haynes, Lesh’s son Grahame Lesh, Widespread Panic‘s Jimmy Herring, John Molo and Jason Crosby, along with special guests.
‘Cheap Trick at Budokan – Live in Las Vegas’ admat/(courtesy of Live Nation)
Cheap Trick is revisiting their iconic live album Cheap Trick at Budukon, but fans won’t have to travel to Japan to experience it.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers announced two shows in Las Vegas where they will play the 1978 live record in its entirety, along with their other hits. Cheap Trick at Budokan – Live in Las Vegas will take place April 17 and 18, 2026, at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
A ticket presale is underway, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
Cheap Trick at Budokan was recorded April 28 and 30, 1978, at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan. It was the band’s first live album, and featured performances of such classic tracks as “Surrender” and “I Want You To Want Me.” It went on to become the band’s bestselling album and has been certified triple Platinum by the RIAA. In 2019 it was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
The Vegas announcement comes just days after Cheap Trick released their 21st studio album, All Washed Up. It’s the band’s first album since 2021’s In Another World.
Lynyrd Skynyrd & Foreigner tour admat (Courtesy of Live Nation)
Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner are teaming up for a 2026 tour.
The Double Trouble Double Vision Tour will consist of 19 co-headlining dates next summer, kicking off July 23 in Atlanta and wrapping Aug 29 in Rogers, Arkansas.
“The energy the band has felt knowing we’ll be touring with Skynyrd this coming summer has been electric!” Foreigner’s Jeff Pilson says. “Two bands with plenty of iconic songs, dueling guitars, double trouble and double vision are gonna set each and every stage on fire! No question this will be THE go-to event of the summer!”
Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant adds, “I’m excited to share the stage with Foreigner and hear all their amazing hits!” He notes, “I’ve always been a fan, and I believe the audience will love this tour. Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner together — it doesn’t get much better than that.”
An artist presale for tickets begins Tuesday at 12 p.m. local time, with tickets going on sale to the general public starting Friday at 10 a.m. local time. A complete list of date can be found at foreigneronline.com or lynyrdskynyrd.com.
Rocker Patti Smith was awarded the National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids.
The book documented Smith’s relationship with late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the late ’60s and early ’70s New York art scene. The book was a New York Times bestseller and won several other awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Patti released her second memoir, Bread of Angels, on Nov. 4. Described as “the most intimate” of Smith’s memoirs, the book follows the musician through her childhood in Philadelphia and South Jersey, her teenage years “when the first glimmers of art and romance take hold,” her marriage to Fred “Sonic” Smith and their family life, and more.
(L-R) Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer of KISS pose as they light the Empire State Building in celebration of the band’s final show at The Empire State Building on November 30, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)
KISS returned to the stage for the first time since their final End of the Road World Tour concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden in December 2023. They performed Friday to Sunday at their KISS Kruise: Landlocked convention in Las Vegas.
The performances were the band’s first since the death of founding member Ace Frehley, who they paid tribute to at their first unmasked performance Friday, fan-shot footage posted to YouTube shows.
“Obviously, before we get going, and we’re going to have an awesome time … we just wanted to take a moment to think about somebody who was at the foundation of this band, and we’re talking about Ace,” Paul Stanley said. “We certainly had differences, but that’s what family is about.”
He then asked fans to take a moment of silence to honor Ace and “think about him looking down on us,” which was followed by chants of “Ace, Ace” from the crowd.
The KISS Kruise featured a reunion of the final KISS lineup: Paul, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.
They played the tracks “Hard Luck Woman” and “Hide Your Heart” at their Friday acoustic performance for the first time since 2019, according to setlist.fm. The set also featured their classic ballad “Beth” and a cover of The Beatles’ “I’ll Be Back.”
The band broke out more KISS classics at their Saturday electric show, including “Detroit Rock City” and “Black Diamond,” as well as “Lick It Up” and “Rock and Roll All Nite” featuring former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.
Artwork for ‘The Beatles Anthology’/ (courtesy of Disney+)
Disney+ is bringing back The Beatles’ Anthology series in November, and now, they are giving fans a look at the project.
The streaming service has released a trailer for The Beatles Anthology, a restored and remastered version of ABC’s 1995 documentary that featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr telling stories of their life and career as The Beatles. The original series was made up of eight parts, but the new version has been expanded to include a ninth installment that features previously unseen footage of McCartney, Harrison and Starr in the ’90s as they created the original Anthology series and albums.
Episodes 1-2 of The Beatles Anthology will debut Nov. 27, with episodes 7-9 debuting Nov. 28.
The Beatles are also revisiting The Beatles Anthology music with the Nov. 21 release of the Anthology Collection, featuring the original three Anthology albums plus a new fourth installment, Anthology 4. It will be released digitally and as a 12-LP or eight-CD collection.
The collection includes “Free as a Bird,” which was part of Anthology 1, and “Real Love,” which was part of Anthology 2. Both tracks, which at the time were the first new songs from The Beatles in 25 years, have been remixed by original producer Jeff Lynne. The new set also includes the band’s 2023 release, “Now and Then.”
Anthology 4 will also be released on its own as a three-LP or two-CD set featuring 36 tracks, including 13 previously unreleased demos and session recordings, and other rare recordings.
