Rock Daily

George Harrison’s Resonet Futurama guitar, which the musician played during the early years of the Beatles, sold for $1.27 million last week at a Nashville rock & roll memorabilia auction house in Nashville. Harrison originally purchased the Futurama in 1959 from a music store in Liverpool, and used it during over 324 Beatles live performances, including at the band’s first studio recording sessions at Polydor Records. The $1.27 million selling price tag makes it the most expensive Harrison-owned guitar ever sold at an auction. The two-day auction titled “Played, Worn, & Torn II” began on Wednesday (November 20,) and it featured over 800 pieces of music history from legends like fellow Beatle Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Britney Spears, Dolly Parton, the Rolling Stones, and Nirvana. Prince’s Sadowsky Telecaster style guitar, which he used during his 1986 Parade tour, sold for $381,000. (Rolling Stone)

The top of the Billboard chart has been dominated by pop, country, and hip-hop throughout 2024 and beyond. You have to dig deep on Billboard’s year-end best-selling albums list to find the first rock record, and when you do it's a classic album released 47 years ago. Fleetwood Mac’s 21x-platinum 1977 album, Rumours, is the highest-charting rock record of 2024, coming in at No. 34 on Billboard’s year-end list of the top-selling records of the last 12 months. Only 29 of the Top 200 albums on Billboard's 2024 year-end chart were from rock acts, and none of them were released this year. All but five of those 29 best-selling rock records were greatest hits collections. Besides Rumours, the only non-compilation rock albums to make the chart were Nirvana's Nevermind at No. 93, AC/DC's Back in Black at No. 162, Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory at No. 180, and Sublime's self-titled 1996 album at No. 197. (Ultimate Classic Rock)

A new study conducted by the tattoo shop LLTattoo in Switzerland has found that Pink Floyd has inspired the most rock-band tattoos, followed by Guns ‘N Roses and Rammstein. The study was conducted by examining search volume data from Google Keyword Planner. Pink Floyd came out in first place with over 13,000 monthly searches worldwide, while Guns N’ Roses came in second with 10,600 searches, and German industrial metal band Rammstein were third with 10,500 searches. “It’s very interesting to see which rock bands inspire the most tattoo pieces around the world,” Mentor Dedaj of LLTattoo said of the study. “Rock music and ink are seemingly inseparable, and tats are almost obligatory to big rock heads.” The rest of the Top 10 includes (in order): Metallica, Nirvana, Linkin Park, Slipknot, Twenty One Pilots, Iron Maiden, and Tool. (Consequence of Sound)

Billboard Boxscore revealed its ranking of the Top 10 highest-grossing rock tours of the last 12 months. Veteran acts dominate the entire list, with the origins of all of the groups dating back to the 20th century. The lone exception is Dead & Company, which formed in 2015 but celebrates the music of the Grateful Dead, which formed in 1965. Despite the advanced age of the top artists, rock acts remain the biggest earners in the live music industry. Coldplay’s ongoing Music of the Spheres Tour is the best-selling and highest-grossing tour in music history, so it’s no surprise that the British quartet tops the list in 2024, grossing $400 million while selling 3 million tickets to 51 shows over the year.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band comes in second, grossing $235 million after selling 1.6 million tickets to 39 shows. The Rolling Stones are third, grossing $235 million while selling 848,000 tickets to 18 shows. U2 is fourth, grossing $231 million after selling 630,000 tickets to 38 shows. Metallica comes in fifth, grossing $175 million while selling 1.5 million tickets to 24 shows. The rest of the Top 10 is rounded out by (in order) Eagles, Green Day, Dead & Company, Depeche Mode, and Blink-182. (Billboard)

Sam Goody, the one time giant record store chain that shaped music, video, and entertainment retail in the late-20th century, is set to close its last two remaining stores in early 2025. Sam Goody was once a staple of malls and shopping centers throughout North America, but their business declined rapidly with the advent of the internet and online streaming. The chain’s last two stores are located in the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, Ohio, and the Rogue Valley Mall in Medford, Oregon, with both now set to close early next year. The local Ohio newspaper, The Times Leader, reported that the manager of the Sam Goody at the Ohio Valley Mall (which first opened in 1980) learned about the store closing shortly after Thanksgiving. “It’s changed over the years, and it [stinks],” said manager Rick Polanski. “We were a $2 million store at one point, but times have changed, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” (Rolling Stone)

During a recent appearance on the BBC podcast Sidetracked, The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith said he could relate to Chappell Roan’s recent headline-making complaints about obsessive fans who continue to invade her privacy. While Smith has dealt with passionate fans who occasionally have crossed the lines over his 45-year career, he admits that the music world is completely different – and more dangerous – nowadays. “I think what you’re doing as an artist, you want people to feel like they’re engaging with you,” Smith explained. “But it is a modern-world phenomenon that there’s a sense of entitlement that didn’t used to be there amongst fans.” Smith reflected on his own early music fandom and how much things have changed in the social media era. “It was enough to see Alex Harvey or to see David Bowie," Smith reflects. "I didn’t expect to hang out with them or get to know them, whereas now it seems almost like that is part of the deal.” (Variety)

Ahead of the premiere of the highly-anticipated Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, on December 25th, Levi’s has just unveiled a new collection inspired by Dylan and the film. “Levi’s Vintage Clothing x A Complete Unknown” collection features a jacket and pair of jeans inspired by the costumes that the movie’s star, Timothée Chalamet, wore in the biopic, which were modeled after real items of clothing that Dylan wore early in his career. The $1,200 “Dig Yourself Brown” suede jacket comes in a special package that includes sheet music for “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” a replica cue card from the “Subterranean Homesick Blues” video, and a movie still of Chalamet wearing the jacket. The $495 jeans comes with a limited-edition belt featuring a leather “D” buckle, sheet music for “Girl from the North Country,” and a typed note hidden in the watch pocket quoting an early Dylan lyric, “I’ll let you be in my dreams, if I can be in yours.” (Consequence of Sound)

Prince, the Clash, Frankie Beverely, Taj Mahal, and Frankie Valli will all be honored by the Recording Academy with Lifetime Achievement Awards during a ceremony the day before the 2025 Grammy Awards. The honors will be presented during the Special Merit Awards Ceremony, which will take place at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles on February 1, 2025. Prince previously earned a total of 32 Grammy nominations over the course of his illustrious lifetime, ultimately winning seven Grammys, including Best Rock Performance for “Purple Rain” in 1985. The legendary London punk group the Clash only received only one Grammy nomination during their celebrated career, winning Best Long Form Music Video for the 2000 documentary film, The Clash: Westway to the World. The 2025 Grammy Awards ceremony is set to take place on Sunday, February 2nd at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Consequence of Sound)

To celebrate his 1973 Christmas hit single, “Step Into Christmas,” Sir Elton John enlisted actress/model Cara Delevingne for a playful reworking of the original music video that was released on Wednesday (December 18). Delevingne completely transformed herself into a slick 70s version of Elton for the new video, which even features her singing alongside archival footage of the music legend at one point. Elton was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Delevingne on this project. "I saw Cara at Glastonbury last summer, and we talked about how much we’d love to work together if the right idea came up," John said in a statement. "She’s hilarious to spend time with; we both have quite a self-deprecating sense of humor.” Delevingne says Elton is “an idol of hers,” while adding: "To be asked by him to PLAY him in this recreation was a dream that I didn’t know I had until it happened. Honestly, I wish I could pretend to be Elton every day.” (People)

Dave Grohl’s eldest daughter, Violet Grohl, is planning on releasing her debut album sometime soon. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 18-year-old singer has been “incredibly committed” to working on her music and “to growing as an artist.” Violet has been collaborating with producer Justin Raisen on the project, who previously worked with Kim Gordon on her Grammy-nominated album The Collective, in addition to past projects with Charli XCX, Lil Yachty, and Sky Ferreira. Violet is apparently writing and recording material in the studio space she received as a birthday gift from her father. Back in 2018, a then 12-year-old Violet made her live debut alongside her dad at a benefit concert, and went on to tour as a backing vocalist for the Foo Fighters in recent years. “She’s a true torch singer,” says one source. “Her vocals are tremendous. She’s very talented.” (Consequence of Sound)

On Wednesday (December 18), Julian Lennon – the son of John Lennon and his ex-wife Cynthia Lennon – gave an update on his health in a lengthy post on X, which disclosed that his cancer had recently returned. Nearly five years after Julian had a cancerous mole removed from his head, he revealed that he recently underwent emergency surgery to remove another cancerous mole. The 61-year-old was doing promotion around his new photography book when his dermatologist shared the news with him that his cancer returned, and “should be operated on ASAP." Julian immediately put his holiday plans on hold to have the operation. "So instead of going home to put my Christmas tree up and happily finish the year off, relaxing at home,” Julian wrote, “I flew directly back to Los Angeles and went directly from LAX airport, to surgery." While Julian most likely won’t get the details of his biopsy until after the holidays, he did share that "the operation was a success." (E News)

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin opened up about how his band has come to grips with their haters, while also acknowledging the privilege that allows them to tour the world. “It would be terrible if we lived in a society where everyone had to [like the same thing],” Martin admits. “We’re a very, very easy, safe target. We’re not going to bite back. We are four white, middle-class men from England. We deserve to take some s**t for what our people have done. There’s a reason we get to play all around the world, and part of it is not necessarily very healthy.” Coldplay’s ongoing Music Of The Spheres Tour is already the biggest-selling rock tour of all-time, and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down. Every 2025 date on their upcoming world tour has sold-out, including all of their North American shows in the summer. Coldplay also have their largest shows of their entire career coming up in Ahmedabad, India on January 25-26, where they will be playing to 132,000 fans each night at Narendra Modi Stadium. (Consequence of Sound)    

Nirvana’s Nevermind continues to set records, 33 years after its initial release. The trailblazing 1991 album has just become only the ninth release in music history to spend 700 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Five of those nine records are Greatest Hits compilations, which makes Nevermind one of only four studio albums to reach that prestigious milestone, joining Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (990 weeks), Metallica’s “Black Album” (767 weeks), and Bruno Mars’ Doo-Wops & Hooligans (706 weeks). The Greatest Hits collections that have reached the milestone are from Bob Marley and the Wailers (865 weeks), Journey (835 weeks), Creedence Clearwater Revival (724 weeks), Eminem (714 weeks), and Guns N’ Roses (704 weeks). Nirvana’s sophomore release currently sits at No. 120 on the current Billboard 200, which marks its historic 700th non-consecutive overall week on the albums chart. In addition to this achievement, Nevermind also just received 13x-platinum certification from the RIAA, recognizing 13 million equivalent sales of the record in the US. (Consequence of Sound) 

Saturday Night Live is currently celebrating its 50th season and has some special events scheduled in early 2025 in recognition of the big anniversary. NBC announced on Thursday (December 19) that Questlove is directing an upcoming three-hour documentary highlighting the musical guests and song-filled sketches featured on the show over the years titled, Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music. It will premiere on NBC on January 27 at 8 p.m. ET, and stream the next day on Peacock. According to the network, the special will “feature untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking and newsmaking musical performances, sketches and cameos of the past 50 years.”

“Everyone knows the most famous SNL appearances, whether it’s Elvis Costello, Prince or the Beastie Boys, but they’re the tip of a huge iceberg,” Questlove said in a statement. “The process of going back through the incredible archival footage was like being in a time machine. I’m so happy I went on the trip and now get to share it with everyone.” (Billboard) 

A host of A-list music stars will pay tribute to legendary singer Joan Baez with a benefit concert at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco on February 8. In addition to a performance by Baez herself, confirmed participants for the show include Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, Hozier, Tom Morello, Joe Henry, Lucinda Williams, and Taj Mahal, with additional artists set to be announced soon. The concert will serve as a benefit for The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which provides financial assistance for musicians in heath crisis. Henry will serve as the musical director of the concert, and says “Joan Baez is a mountain on our landscape, and has been for the entirety of my lifetime. As much as any artist I know, she has dismantled the wall between public artistry and personal conviction.” While Harris is looking forward to taking part in the tribute, “So happy to be a part of celebrating my dear friend Joan Baez!” (Variety)

On Tuesday night (December 17), the surviving members of the Pogues got together for a special one-off performance in Dublin to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album, Red Roses For Me. The evening featured an appearance by Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten, who led the group in an inspired take on the classic, “Streams of Whiskey.” Fontaines D.C. drummer Tom Coll was also a part of the house band for the night. Other special guests included Nadine Shah, members of Lankum, rapper Kojaque, and John Francis Flynn. Chatten spoke of the impact that the Pogues’ late frontman Shane MacGowan had on him during an interview with Billboard earlier this year. “We were in the middle of recording the album [Romance] when Shane died,” he said. “And I had to f–king take a break. I was really, deeply affected by it. Partly because he enhanced my relationship with my family! You know, he connected me to my Irishness maybe in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to do without him.” (Billboard)

Elvis Costello and the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs celebrated Keith Richards’ 81st birthday on Wednesday (December 18) by releasing a new cover of the Rolling Stones Between the Buttons classic from 1967, “Connection.” Hoffs joked that she and Costello “both wanted to do the Keith part, but I won!” After playing with Costello a few times, Hoffs was thrilled to finally make a studio track with the rock legend.  “I had the great honor of singing with Elvis at a couple of his shows, and it was a dream to record a song together,” says Hoffs. Costello added, “What a gas to sing with Sue again. I’d be the ‘Keith’ to her ‘Mick’ any day.” In a press release for the new cover tune, Hoffs praised Richards for “his smile, his swagger, his songwriting — the way he moves on stage, as if his guitar is a part of his body and together they meld with the music and the emotion of the song.” (Rolling Stone)

Blondie co-founder and guitarist Chris Stein shared an exciting update on Bluesky on Tuesday (December 17) about the progress the band is making on their new album. Stein shared a black-and-white photo of lead singer Debbie Harry in the recording studio with Grammy-winning producer John Congleton, who worked with the band on their last record, 2017’s Pollinator. He captioned the post, “With John Congleton. New Blondie record next year.” Stein has been teasing a forthcoming new Blondie record on social media for a while now, posting a photo of Harry in the studio on Instagram back on October 25, and captioning that post, “New Blondie album next year.” Stein also confirmed in a BBC Radio 6 appearance a few months back that they were in the process of mixing a new record. Congleton won a Grammy in 2015 for Best Alternative Music Album as a producer of St. Vincent's self-titled album, and he has also worked with Tegan and Sara, Death Cab for Cutie, and Angel Olsen. (Consequence of Sound)

Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton’s new band Close Enemies have signed a record deal with TLG|ROCK, and announced a 2025 US tour that kicks off in January. Hamilton previously announced the formation of Close Enemies in September, featuring a lineup that includes drummer Tony Brock (The Babys, Rod Stewart), guitarists Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow, Don Henley) and Trace Foster, and singer Chasen Hampton. The band will release its debut single, “Sound of a Train,” on January 17th, with a full-length album on the way. Close Enemies’ tour is set to hit a variety of City Winery venues throughout the US, starting with a show on January 8th at Philadelphia City Winery, and finishing up on January 29th at St. Louis City Winery. “We’re really excited to be working with TLG/Virgin on the release of the Close Enemies record!” Hamilton said in a press release. “They’re genuinely as excited about putting it out as we are! Can’t wait to see what happens!” (Consequence of Sound)

According to a new report from Business Insider, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Alice in Chains, Marshmello, and other artists apparently spent massive amounts of COVID relief grant money on luxury items, travel, and themselves. Senator Gary Peters called it “an abuse of federal resources.” Brown’s CBE Touring company received $10 million from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program, with nearly $5 million going directly to Brown, which he used to pay for a lavish birthday party and a trip to Mexico. Lil Wayne received an $8.9 million grant, spending $1.4 million on private jets and nearly $500,000 on luxury clothing.

DJ/producer Marshmello collected the entire $9.9 million grant his touring company received. While Alice in Chains touring company, AIC Entertainment, received a $4.1 million grant. Frontman Jerry Cantrell received $1.4 million of SVOG funds, while drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez each received $682,000. None of that money went towards staff health insurance, forcing AIC’s guitar tech/photographer Scott Dachroeden to start a GoFundMe to pay for his cancer treatment in 2022. Dachroeden died earlier this year. (Rolling Stone)