U2 frontman Bono surprised Dolly Parton on her 80th birthday on Monday (January 19) by arranging for Dublin-born bagpiper Patrick D’Arcy to serenade her in Nashville. D’Arcy performed “Happy Birthday” on bagpipes and presented Parton with a cake reading “Love… Bono” in icing. “Wow, this is from Bono!” Parton exclaimed before blowing out the candles. She told D’Arcy “he must have sent you as a present to me,” before joking “Are you calling me an old bag?” D’Arcy replied “It’s an absolute delight to be here on behalf of the whole band.” Parton shared a video of the memorable experience on Instagram, writing “Now that’s what you call a surprise! This old bag sure feels the love! Thank you, Bono and @u2 for making my birthday extra special.” In addition to Bono’s unique gift, Tennessee declared January 19th “Dolly Parton Day” in honor of the country legend’s milestone birthday.

 

Rush will release “Grace Under Pressure: Super Deluxe Edition” on March 13 in 5 formats, including a limited-edition 4-CD + Blu-ray set with a 52-page hardcover book. The expanded edition of the 1984 record features a remastered version and a new stereo mix, plus the band’s complete Sept. 21, 1984, concert at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. The Blu-ray includes the Toronto concert on video.

Noel Gallagher says he has returned to work after the festive break, and hinted that new music is in the pipeline. The Oasis Live ’25 tour wrapped in November, and although the group has nothing official planned for this year, they’ve recently been rumored to be in the running to record the theme song for the next ‘James Bond’ movie.

MusiCares revealed on Tuesday (January 20) that Foo Fighters, Jennifer Hudson, and John Legend will lead the lineup of performers that will honor Mariah Carey at the organization’s Person of the Year gala on January 30th. The tribute concert at L.A. Convention Center also features Teddy Swims, Adam Lambert, Laufey, Maggie Rogers, Charlie Puth, Kesha, Taylor Momsen, and Billy Porter. Jermaine Dupri will provide a special DJ set, with Daniel Moore II serving as musical director. “I’m deeply honored to have these extraordinary artists come together for this evening,” Carey said in a statement. “Their generosity, their presence, and their commitment to this moment mean more to me than I can express.” The gala takes place two nights before the Grammy Awards and includes a live auction, cocktail reception, and dinner before the musical tribute. The event also serves as a fundraiser supporting MusiCares’ mission of providing assistance to the music community in times of need. 

75-year-old former frontman Lou Gramm has decided that 2026 will mark the end of his touring career. Quote: “I’ve been doing this for over 54 years (and) I just feel like there’s some other things that I want to do.” Those include spending time with his kids and “playing with my cars while I’m still capable of driving.”

Sebastian Bach is thrilled about the upcoming reunion tours for Rush and Triumph. In a new interview he was asked why the classic lineup of his former band isn’t doing the same thing. He responded that he has the same question for Skid Row founding members Dave “Snake” Sabo and Rachel Bolan. They’ve made it clear they have no interest in reuniting with Bach.

John Densmore and Robby Krieger have released a reimagined version ‘Riders on the Storm’. It’s for Playing For Change’s Song Around The World project. They were joined by Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson, Foo Fighters’ keyboardist Rami Jaffee, and more than 20 international artists across 8 countries. Densmore quote: “Vocally, Lukas…filled Jim Morrison’s leather pants quite well!”  

 

 

LINK: https://tinyurl.com/57yb35e8

Gunnar and Matthew Nelson promise to tell the real story behind their family’s entertainment dynasty in their new memoir “What Happened To Your Hair?”, which came out December 16. It’s the first and only time the twins directly address decades of rumors, including the truth surrounding their father Ricky Nelson’s fatal plane crash.

David Lee Roth has announced a 29-date tour of the US, plus a lone Canadian stop April 1 in Niagara Falls ON. DLR’s dates begin on April 16 in Airway Heights WA, and are scheduled to wrap on Aug. 7 in Sturgis SD. He ended a 5-year hiatus from the stage in May 2025, debuting a new 8-piece band featuring a four-man group of backing vocalists, at the M3 festival in Maryland. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y5c8j357

 

Studio equipment once owned by John Paul Jones is up for auction. It comes from his private studio, and includes amps, samplers, equalizers, processors and more. Soundgas wrote on its website that Jones no longer uses the equipment, and “feels it should be in the hands of people who will put it to good use…to be used as intended.”

 

LINK: https://tinyurl.com/4np2kmjj

Bryan Adams released a new album called “Roll With the Punches” in 2025, and has another coming in 2026…sort of. In a New Year’s Day video on IG, he said: “In April, we have a new album coming out called Tough Town.” That was the name of the 10-song bonus disc that was included with the deluxe box set version of Roll With the Punches. The April release is likely a stand-alone version of that disc. LINK: https://tinyurl.com/mrxsbx9b