Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour (Photo by Tim Hall/Redferns)
Pink Floyd is once again sharing some live footage from their archives.
The band just released video of a performance of The Dark Side of the Moon track “The Great Gig in the Sky,” recorded at their iconic 1989 concert in Venice, Italy.
“Filmed in 1989, this unforgettable concert took place on a floating stage in the heart of Venice,” reads a post on Instagram. “The performance remains renowned not only for the music, but also for its extraordinary setting and ambitious production.”
This isn’t the first archival performance Pink Floyd has shared from the Live in Venice concert, which was a stop on their A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour. Over the past several weeks they’ve posted videos for such tracks as “Time,” “The Dogs of War,” “On the Turning Away” and “Learning to Fly."
The original concert was filmed for Italian TV and broadcast worldwide.
Chrissie Hynde is seen performing on stage at the charity fundraiser "Night For Ukraine" at The Roundhouse on March 9, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Nicky J Sims/Getty Images)
Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan of the hug. In a recent post on social media, she seemed to question why "hugs" suddenly became a go-to salutation in emails.
“Question: When did everyone get so touchy-feely?” she wrote. “It seems like a new thing where people sign their emails: 'Hugs.' Hate to be a spoil sport, but I’m wondering if there’s anyone else out there who isn’t huggy. Surely, it’s not just me.”
"Has this come from the therapy culture? The Grammy culture? Over-sharing?" she questioned.
“I guess we’re like dogs. Some are Lone wolves (me) and others are lap dogs who like a lot of pampering (hugs),” she noted. “( btw …I’m not confusing touchy-feely-huggy people with out-and- out sexy beasts. Two totally different things).”
Hynde also questioned email sign-offs that read “Stay safe,” simply asking “Seriously?" before signing off with, “OK well that’s my thought for the day.”
Hynde later clarified her comments in a second post.
“Suddenly, I seem to be getting a lot of messages signed: ‘Hugs.’ Maybe I was wrong. Maybe everyone really does need a hug,” she wrote. “That was probably mean spirited of me and so I would like to now say, ‘Have a nice day… Hugs.’”
She added, “I’ll write another riveting blog next time I have something unimportant to say In the meantime, Hugs.”
Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman is giving fans a preview of his upcoming album, Return to the Red Planet, with the release of the new song "The Jezero Crater."
Return to the Red Planet, dropping Oct. 16, is the second time Wakeman has released an album inspired by Mars. The first, The Red Planet, was released in 2020.
The new album is described as "a sweeping new progressive work that fuses science, imagination, and musical virtuosity." The description adds that it's inspired by "the remarkable images and research that have transformed our understanding of Mars in recent years."
"Once I started looking at the new data and photographs, I realised there was an entirely new album waiting to be written," Wakeman explained when the album was announced. "There was simply too much more to say about Mars - musically and spiritually - not to return."
On the album, Wakeman is backed by The English Rock Ensemble, made up of bassist Lee Pomeroy, guitarist Dave Colquhoun, drummer Adam Falkner and vocalist Mollie Marriott, daughter of English musician Steve Marriott.
Pope Leo XIV meets with American singer, songwriter, poet, and author Patricia Lee Smith also known as Patti Smith during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on July 31, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Musician, poet and author Patti Smith met with Pope Leo at the Vatican on Friday.
Video posted by Vatican News shows the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer almost speechless as she shakes the Pope’s hand. Later in the clip she sits down with him at his desk, and he asks her first if she speaks English and then if she speaks Italian.
“No, I’m sorry,” she says about speaking Italian. “I’m pure American.”
“The agenda of #PapaLeãoXIV begins to pick up the pace again after the rest period,” read the caption of the post. “On the morning of this Friday, July 31, the Pontiff received, in the Vatican, the American singer, songwriter, and writer #PattiSmith.”
Father Antonio Spadaro, who accompanied Smith, also posted video of the meeting on X.
"There are unforgettable moments in life. Today I lived one of these. With #PattiSmith, with whom for years I have shared a simple and deep friendship, and #PapaLeone, the Holy Father, today an indispensable reference for anyone who still wants to hope in this world," he wrote. "Together. Today. For 40 minutes. When every single word had its own weight and its own lightness."
Smith wrapped a European tour on Wednesday in Milan, Italy. She’ll next play the CBGB Festival in Brooklyn on Sept. 26.
Rod Stewart and Stevie Van Zandt perform in Southhampton, New York. (Photo Credit: Lane Oliveri)
Rod Stewart headlined a special charity event Thursday night in Southhampton, New York.
The rocker performed for more 200 guests at the home of philanthropists Bob and Lauren Day Roberts, with the night raising more than $1.7 million for E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt’s national education non-profit TeachRock.
The performance included a collaboration between Stewart and Van Zandt on "We're Having a Party" and "Stay With Me."
"When I started TeachRock, I hoped we'd build a community of artists who believe music belongs in every classroom,” Van Zandt says. “To see someone I've admired for so long lend his talent to this mission and to watch people come together to support teachers, students, and the next generation through music is incredibly moving.”
He adds, “Rod didn't just give us an unforgettable performance this evening, he gave our mission a tremendous boost. Every dollar raised helps us put free arts education into more classrooms, and that's something worth celebrating."
“Playing alongside the legend that is Stevie Van Zandt for TeachRock — what a night,” adds Stewart. “Music changed my life, and TeachRock is making sure it can change theirs too.”
The TeachRock curriculum aims to bring arts-integrated education into classrooms across the country. More than 80,000 educators across all 50 states have used TeachRock to help bring core subjects to life with the help of music and popular culture.
Stewart is set to kick off a new set of North American tour dates on Friday in Wantagh, New York. A complete list of dates can be found atRodStewart.com.
Billy Idol at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (Disney/Eric McCandless)
Billy Idol will launch a new leg of the It’s A Nice Day To…Tour Again! tour in August. He’s getting fans excited for the trek with a funny new promo video, titled “Everybody’s About To Get Their S*** Rocked.”
“Rock icon Billy announces the next leg of his tour with the signature wit, swagger, and attitude that have defined his career for more than four decades,” reads the video’s description. “Along the way, he dishes out a mix of real history, rock 'n' roll wisdom, and a few tongue-in-cheek 'facts' as he spotlights the cities on his upcoming tour—proving that no one announces tour dates quite like Billy Idol.”
After sharing some not-so-well-known facts about the cities he'll hit on the tour, Idol notes, "While all these cities are so different and unique in their own way, there's one thing that unifies them together. They're all about to get their s*** rocked when I come through.”
Billy Idol launched the It’s A Nice Day To…Tour Again! tour in 2025. The latest leg, featuring special guests Devo and Susanna Hoffs, kicks off Aug. 7 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and runs through Sept. 27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A complete list of dates can be found at BillyIdol.net.
Metallica on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' (ABC/Randy Holmes)
Take a look to the sky just before you start Gears of War: E-Day, it's the last time you will.
The upcoming video game, the latest installment in the long-running Gears of War franchise, will include a weapon skin inspired by Metallica's 1984 album, Ride the Lightning.
The Ride the Lightning song "For Whom the Bell Tolls" also soundtracks a new Gears of War: E-Day trailer previewing its multiplayer modes, which you can watch on YouTube.
Gears of War: E-Day will be released Oct. 6 for Xbox Series X/S and Windows. You can preorder the game for early access to its open beta starting Aug. 6.
Metallica, meanwhile, will go from Sera to Sin City when they launch their much-anticipated residency at the Las Vegas Sphere in October.
Alice in Chains' 'Unplugged' album artwork. (Columbia Records)
Alice in Chains is reissuing the band's 1996 Unplugged live album on vinyl in honor of its 30th anniversary.
The LP is available to preorder now via Alice's webstore. It marks the first time the album has been available on vinyl in the U.S.
Alice in Chains recorded Unplugged as part of the MTV Unplugged series. The set includes stripped-down performances of songs including "Rooster," "Down in a Hole," "Would?" and "Angry Chair."
Alice went on hiatus for months following the Unplugged performance, and vocalist Layne Staley died in 2002. The band reformed in 2006 with new singer William DuVall.
Graham Nash performs onstage during the FIREAID Benefit Concert for California Fire Relief at The Kia Forum on January 30, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for FIREAID)
Graham Nash has always stood up for causes he believes in, and in the latest case it has forced him to cancel an upcoming concert.
“We are disappointed to let you know that the July 31st Graham Nash show at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Henrico, VA has been canceled in solidarity with the workers on strike at the Botanical Garden,” reads a post on Nash's Instagram account. “We truly appreciate the loyalty of our audience and will work on a Richmond-area return to the stage in 2027.”
Ticket holders will receive refunds for purchased tickets.
According to the Henrico Citizen, unionized workers at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge back in April as they attempted to negotiate higher wages. They put on a one-day "unfair labor practice" strike on Wednesday, the workers' eighth this year.
Nash is currently on a summer tour that includes some co-headlining dates with Emmylou Harris. His next scheduled show is Saturday in Wilmington, North Carolina. A complete list of dates can be found at GrahamNash.com.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama stands on stage with daughter Sasha Obama during the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in John Lewis Plaza on June 18, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama is letting folks know what music he’s been into this summer.
Obama just released his 2026 summer playlist, which features such classic tracks as The Police’s “Message in a Bottle,” David Bowie’s “Modern Love,” The Beatles’ “Revolution” and Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold.”
He also included “Song of Good Hope,” by Irish singer Glen Hansard, who died Wednesday in a motorcycle accident in Dublin.
“Here are some of the songs I've been listening to this summer,” Obama writes on social media. “It starts with a song Michelle and I love by Glen Hansard, a great musician who passed tragically this week. Our hearts go out to his family.”
Other songs on the list include: “Can’t Hide Love” by Earth, Wind & Fire; “Anyone Who Had a Heart” by Luther Vandross; “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Khan; “Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye; “Hold On I’m Coming” by Sam & Dave; “The Book” by Sheryl Crow; and “(I Know) I’m Losing You” by The Temptations.
Tony Iommi was hoping his upcoming solo album, From the Dark, would feature a mini Black Sabbath reunion.
The guitarist tells Rolling Stone that he originally wanted Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler to play on the record.
"I wanted [Butler] to play on this album, but he couldn't do it," Iommi says. "He's doing his own album, I think. Or at the time, something happened there, so he couldn't come to England. I wanted to get it done and finally get it out, really."
Instead, Iommi recruited musician Becky Baldwin to play bass on From the Dark.
"Becky lives in Birmingham, and she's a really good player," Iommi says. "And she's certainly a fan of Geezer, and she plays in Geezer's style. And that's what I wanted. She's really good."
From the Dark does feature a guest spot from Queen's Brian May, who plays the solo on a song called "Death Wake."
"He’s a very, very close friend," Iommi says of May.
From the Dark is due out Oct. 23. Lead single "World Alone" is out now.
As for Sabbath, Iommi and Butler performed alongside fellow original band members Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward for the final time at the 2025 Back to the Beginning concert. Ozzy died just over two weeks later.
The Grateful Dead has shared another preview of their upcoming live box set celebrating the summer of 1985.
The band has released a performance of "The Other One," recorded during their June 30, 1985, concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. It is available now via digital outlets.
"Dating back to 1967, 'The Other One' was the most consistently played psychedelic-era song in the Grateful Dead's repertoire, played straight through 1967-1995,” Dead legacy manager and audio archivist David Lemiuex writes in the video description. “This is the song that welcomes everyone, to this day, to get on the bus.”
The Merriweather Post Pavilion show is one of seven previously unreleased full concerts that make up the 20-CD box set Summer Magic 1985, dropping Sept. 18. The set celebrates the band’s 20th anniversary tour and includes their three 20th anniversary shows at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California, June 14-16.
Summer Magic 1985 is limited to just 10,000 numbered copies and is available for preorder now on Dead.net.
In addition to the box set, the Merriweather Post Pavilion show will be released as a standalone three-CD or four-CD set. It is also available for preorder now.
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Billy Corgan performs onstage during the 2026 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at The New York Marriott Marquis on June 11, 2026 in New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)
Here's the story of a lovely Smashing Pumpkins show, which featured two surprise guests, including a member of The Brady Bunch.
Barry Williams, who played the eldest Brady son Greg Brady in the classic '70s sitcom, joined Billy Corgan and company onstage during their pre-Lollapalooza concert in Chicago on Wednesday. They rocked a rendition of the very Brady classic "It's a Sunshine Day" with Williams on lead vocals.
The collaboration comes after Williams guested on an episode of Corgan's podcast, The Magnificent Others. And that's the way they became the Smashing Bunch-kins.
As for the concert's other guest, that would be former Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, who reunited with the band to play "The Everlasting Gaze," a track off their 2000 album, Machina/The Machines of God.
Auf der Maur played in the Pumpkins from 1999 to 2000 following the departure of original bassist D'arcy Wretzky. She previously reunited with Corgan during his 2025 Machines of God tour.
The Smashing Pumpkins will perform a headlining set at Lollapalooza on Friday night, marking the first time they've played the festival since it moved permanently to the band's hometown of Chicago in 2005. You can watch their performance via the Lollapalooza livestream on Hulu and Disney+.
Disney is the parent company of Hulu and ABC News.
Paul McCartney's 'The Boys of Dungeon Lane' (MPL/Capitol Records)
Paul McCartney’s latest album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, has been nominated for the 2026 Mercury Prize, which recognizes the best albums from a British or Irish artist.
“What a brilliant and exciting surprise to be part of such an incredible list @mercuryprize,” McCartney writes on Instagram. “To have ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ recognised alongside so many brilliant artists and albums is a huge honour for me.”
“Thank you to everyone who continues to support and enjoy the album,” he adds. “We have been having so much fun along the way. From making it with @thisiswatt to getting it out there for people to hear. I must say the reaction has been really special. So this news has just totally blown me away.”
The Boys of Dungeon Lane is one of 12 records shortlisted for the 2026 Mercury Prize. Also nominated is Florence + The Machine’s Everybody Scream and the charity compilation HELP(2), as well as albums by RAYE, Olivia Dean, Suede and more.
The 2026 Mercury Prize will be presented Oct. 22 at a ceremony held at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, U.K. The winner receives a trophy and a cash prize of about $33,000.
Billy Corgan attends the Songwriters Hall of Fame 55th Annual Induction and Awards Gala at Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 11, 2026 in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
It took a couple decades, but The Smashing Pumpkins are finally headlining Lollapalooza in their hometown of Chicago.
While the "1979" outfit previously performed at Lolla back in 1994 when it was a touring festival, they have never played it since it permanently moved to Chicago in 2005. Not only that, but the Pumpkins have never performed at the festival's site, Grant Park, either.
"We were banned by the mayor of Chicago at the time, Richie Daley, who basically banned us from playing the park, ever," frontman Billy Corgan tells ABC Audio.
That will finally change when the Pumpkins take the stage at Grant Park during Lolla 2026 as a Friday night headliner.
"For us, it's very meaningful," Corgan says of the set. "We've had a lot of ups and downs and it's gonna be really a beautiful night in our incredible, crazy, up-and-down history."
Lollapalooza 2026 takes place Thursday through Sunday. You can watch the Pumpkins' set and many others streaming live via Hulu and Disney+.
Disney is the parent company of Hulu and ABC News.
Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury, Brian May and John Deacon of Queen (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)
Queen has had another video reach 1 billion views on YouTube.
The latest is the performance video for the track “Don’t Stop Me Now,” from their 1978 album Jazz. The song, written by frontman Freddie Mercury, also appeared on the band’s 1981 Greatest Hits compilation.
The clip is Queen’s second video to join the Billion Views Club. The first was 1975's “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which went on to reach 2 billion views back in December 2025, making it the oldest song to ever reach such a milestone.
In other Queen news … The new Freddy Mercury book A Life in Lyrics: The Official Creative Legacy of Freddy Mercury is now available for preorder. The book is described as “the definitive creative record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.”
A Life in Lyrics features material from Mercury's notebooks, some of which has never been published before. It will be released Sept. 1, four days ahead of what would have been the late Queen frontman's 80th birthday.
Ozzy Osbourne performs during the Sunset Strip Music Festival at Sunset Boulevard on September 12, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
Ozzy Osbourne will be haunting Universal Studios this spooky season.
The theme park has announced an attraction inspired by the late Prince of Darkness as part of the 2026 edition of its annual Halloween Horror Nights program.
"It's not just Ozzy's heavy metal hits that will haunt you," a description reads. "Bow at the throne of the Prince of Darkness in this haunted house inspired by the twisted mind of one of rock 'n' roll's greatest legends."
"[Ozzy's] music throughout every room is at the heart of it all," Sharon Osbourne tells EW of the attraction. "Fans will also see scenes inspired by Ozzy's journey, from his early days as a little boy growing up in Birmingham, England, riding the train to and from London, to the iconic imagery and characters from across his career."
Halloween Horror Nights will be open Aug. 28 to Nov. 1 at Universal's Orlando location and Sept. 3 to Nov. 1 at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles.
Bono and Bruce Springsteen are among the artists paying tribute to Oscar-winning Irish singer Glen Hansard, who died Wednesday in a motorcycle accident in Dublin. He was 56.
Bono would often take part in Hansard’s Christmas Eve Busk in Dublin, which raised money for the homeless community. He shared his thoughts on Instagram Wednesday, alongside a video of him performing “Invisible” with Hansard.
“Sometimes I would wonder if Glen Hansard really existed,” Bono wrote. “Seriously, he was such an angelic presence… not otherworldly…in fact, very present this presence… A smiling rascal if you needed him to be… this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun… no airs, plenty of graces.”
Bono ended his lengthy post with, "[A]nd I’m telling myself this morning that if he never existed, then he can never cease to exist. For me, he will always be everywhere I see a coin spinning into an open guitar case. May you rest in the peace you gave to so many.”
“Here on E Street, we are heartbroken over the death of Glen Hansard,” Springsteen wrote in his tribute on Instagram. “We met in Ireland many years ago and he was always nothing but a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man. Always positive, smiling and ready to sing. God bless him and his loved ones.”
The day before his death, Hansard’s social media posted a video of him performing “Drive All Night” with Springsteen in Ireland.
“This week in 2013 Glen had the honor of joining Bruce @springsteen & the E Street Band on stage in Kilkenny for 'Drive All Night', which Glen released his own version of later that year,” the post read. “Were you there?”
Hansard’s version, which featured backing vocals by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and saxophone from The E Street Band’s Jake Clemons, appeared on Hansard's 2013 EP, also titled Drive All Night.
Bon Jovi performs onstage at the Forever Tour Kick Off - New York at Madison Square Garden on July 07, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Bon Jovi)
Bon Jovi wrapped their nine-show Forever Tour stint at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, and frontman Jon Bon Jovi is reflecting on what he calls the “imperfectly perfect” experience.
The shows were the band’s first since 2022 and the first since Jon underwent vocal cord surgery that same year.
“First, I can not thank you all enough for your friendship, your kindness and your support,” Jon writes on Instagram. “We all shared in a very special experience, something unique to this moment but that’s been building for a decade.”
“Second, I woke up thinking these two words, IMPERFECTLY PERFECT. 9 nights, it was beautiful. It was real, it was human,” he continues. “I looked at each of my bandmates and at as many of you as I could see and I felt that resonance. That connection that can’t be described or felt unless it was experienced in person – to be written about or viewed. I know what happened. If you were there, so do you. It was special.”
“I’ll sleep tonight knowing that a decade of our journey, the highs and the lows, led me to these 9 nights,” he adds. “My reward is that I know I get to shine a light on so many people. All human in their existence, all just looking to find something in common, some connection… I know what it is. It’s light, it’s love. Imperfectly perfect… And I have figured out that somehow I’m lucky enough to still work here.”
Jon ends the post, “I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Bon Jovi next brings their Forever Tour to Edinburgh, Scotland, on Aug. 28. After a show in Dublin on Aug. 30, the tour wraps with three nights at London’s Wembley Stadium Sept. 4-9.
Peter Gabriel performs at Madison Square Garden on September 18, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Peter Gabriel has released yet another track from his upcoming album, o/i.
The latest is the song “One by One,” which Gabriel says is part of a side project he's talked about in the past, a show “with the brain as the central core.”
The song features a character called Mozo, which Gabriel says he introduced several years ago. He notes, "I thought, well, let’s give him another blast here. He’s been brought back from the dead."
As he did with his 2023 album i/o, Gabriel is releasing a new song from o/i with each full moon of the year. The entire album will be released by the end of 2026, along with Dark-Side and Bright-Side mixes handled by Tchad Blake and Mark "Spike" Stent, respectively.
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