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There were flames, fireworks, and an unexpected blast of “Smoko,” as Metallica’s M72 tour stopped by Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night, Nov. 12.
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The Rock Hall-inducted metal giants have been extra sweet to audiences on this trek, their first down under since 2013, by playing a homegrown classic on each tour date.
For their tour opener Nov. 1 at Perth’s Optus Stadium, the Bay Area legends carved out a rendition of John Butler’s “Zebra,” which the Western Australian native responded to with his own cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”
Then, at Adelaide Oval on Nov. 5, the rockers covered INXS’ Billboard Hot 100 leader “Need You Tonight,” and segued into the Angels’ classic from 1976, “Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again,” led by bass player Robert Trujillo at the mic. For their Melbourne show, at Marvel Stadium, Metallica covered “Prisoner of Society” the alternative rock trio the Living End.
The rumor mill was grinding away ahead of Metallica’s lone show in the Sunshine State. Would they cover a Powderfinger song, or the Go-Betweens? Perhaps the Saints? Or maybe a leftfield choice by performing the Bee Gees, the Veronicas or even Keith Urban.
As it turned out, Metallica hit the right note with a cover of the Chats’ “Smoko,” originally released on the Sunshine Coast punk rock act’s 2017 EP, Get This in Ya!!. Trujillo once again took vocal duties, accompanied by lead guitarist Kirk Hammett. “We like to celebrate music from your hood,” Trujillo remarked.
A “smoko” is, for those uninitiated, an Australian expression for a break from work, or more specifically, a pause to smoke.
Eamon Sandwith and Co. were thrilled with the nod. “Stoked to make it to the ‘doodle’ section of the set, thanks Metallica,” reads a social post from the ARIA Award-winning band.
Metallica opened the show with a mainscreen montage of the fan photos, set to “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)” by AC/DC, whose own tour of Australia kicked off at the same time, 1,000 miles south of Brisbane, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. AC/DC will visit Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, twice, in December.
“Thank you, we missed you a lot,” frontman James Hetfield told the audience, gathered on an unusually cool November night. “We’re very grateful to be here. This is love.”
Hetfield also insisted that he had “the best job in the world,” which he well could, before Metallica launched into “Sad But True,” an anvil of a song.
Metallica may have mellowed through the years, but they’re still hard as hammers, which they proved with a set that flew high and never came down. The encore, of “Master Of Puppets,” “One,” and “Enter Sandman” could’ve woken the dead. Maybe the fourpiece was tipped off that the venue was once Paddington Cemetery, a burial ground.
Late in the set, Hetfield welcomed the capacity house as members of the “Metallica family,” some as veterans, others newcomers. “That’s why we’re here. To forget all the bull**** in life.” As good parents, Hetfield, Hammett, Trujillo and drummer Lars Ulrich stayed on stage well after the last chord rung out, to share gifts of drumsticks, guitar picks and take turns in thanking the fans.
Produced by Live Nation Australia, the tour continues at Sydney’s Accor Stadium (Nov. 15) and wraps up Nov. 19 at Auckland’s Eden Park. Evanescence and Suicidal Tendencies are the support on this leg of the M72 World Tour.
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AC/DC came to rock the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday night, Nov. 12 and the city felt it.
The opening date of AC/DC’s Power Up tour of Australia made waves that were detected by earthquake monitoring equipment, and could be felt, and heard, deep into this former Olympic City.
According to Adam Pascale, chief scientist at the Seismology Research Centre, the concert registered in the 2-5 hertz range at their office in Richmond, some 2 miles from the concert at the towering MCG.
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That’s enough force for people to feel the ground move.
“The sound waves that people were experiencing nearby and feeling something through their bodies, that’s the equivalent to what our seismographs feel,” Pascale told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. A resident some 6 miles away told the ABC they could hear the concert.
“We’re picking up the ground motion, we’re not picking up the sound from the air,” Pascale added.
“So, you’ve got speakers on the ground pumping out vibrations and that gets transmitted through the ground, but also the crowd jumping up and down is feeding energy into the ground.”
Although AC/DC came to rock, the largest signals received by the Seismology Research Centre were generated by Taylor Swift’s record-busting three-night stand at the MCG in 2024, Pascale remarked.
Stadium rock can move us, literally. Oasis’s now-completed tour of Live ’25 tour of Australia (via Live Nation) generated a “clear uptick in seismic signal” when fans “started pounding the ground” at Marvel Stadium during a show earlier in the month, the center confirmed earlier.
AC/DC doesn’t do things by halves. These latest round of shows require 300 tons of steel to build the production, with 28 tons of PA and speakers pumping out the sound. A crew of 155 are working each show, which consumes 500kw of power every night.
With Angus Young on lead guitar, vocalist Brian Johnson, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and bass player Chris Chaney, the Rock Hall-inducted legends ripped out the classics at the MCG, including “Back In Black,” “Thunderstruck,” “Hells Bells,” “Riff Raff” and much more.
AC/DC last toured Australia and New Zealand in 2015, the domestic leg of their Rock or Bust world tour. On that visit, Young and Co. shifted more than 520,000 tickets across 11 coast-to-coast dates, including shows in Auckland and Wellington.
Next up, the second of two shows this Sunday (Nov. 16) at the MCG, followed by dates in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane.
TEG Van Egmond, a division of TEG, is producing AC/DC’s nine-date national tour, with special guests Amyl & The Sniffers.
AC/DC 2025 “Power Up” Australia Tour Dates:
Nov. 12 — Melbourne Cricket Ground (completed)
Nov. 16 — Melbourne Cricket Ground
Nov. 21 — Accor Stadium, Sydney
Nov. 25 — Accor Stadium, Sydney
Nov. 30 – Adelaide bp Adelaide Grand Final
Dec. 4 — Optus Stadium, Perth
Dec. 8 — Optus Stadium, Perth
Dec. 14 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Dec. 18 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
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Christopher Cross’ “Sailing” isn’t coming in to dock anytime soon.
The American singer, songwriter and guitar talent released his “yacht rock” masterpiece back in 1979, a classic that sailed all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Sailing” was one of four top 20 hits that appeared on Cross’ self-titled album, which, in 1981 would make history at the Grammy Awards, by sweeping five categories, including the Big Four — album, record and song of the year. Yes, it was unexpected. A shock, even. The only other artists to scoop the Big Four was Billie Eilish, doing so four decades later, in 2020.
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If “Sailing” was a guilty pleasure in the 1990s, today it’s simply a pleasure. The softly-spoken artist stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this week to take us all “Sailing,” the video of which can be seen below.
Cross, a formidable guitarist who was blessed with the voice of an angel, appears to have made a full recovery from his grueling health battle five years ago, during which he contracted Guillaine-Barre Syndrome (GBS) after having COVID-19.
At one stage, he was paralyzed from the waist down. “It really was touch and go, and tough,” he CBS Sunday Morning at the time.
Cross’s late-night spot came ahead of the release this Friday, Nov. 14 of All Right: The Worldwide Singles 1980–1988, the first career-spanning collection of his biggest hits, including “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” from the film Arthur, which also led the Billboard Hot 100 and won an Academy Award for best original song. The set is released through Omnivore Recordings, the label that issued an “expanded edition” of Christopher Cross in June 2025.
Now aged 74, Cross will play many of those hits when he embarks on a South American tour this December, including shows with fellow ‘80s heavyweights Toto. Live shows across the U.K. and Europe follow from May 2026.
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Ninajirachi’s hot streak shows no signs of cooling off.
The DJ, songwriter and electronic music artist adds to her collection the triple j album of the year and Australian music video of the year, two of five awards handed out Wednesday, Nov. 12 by the state-funded youth network.
The 26-year-old musician nabbed the top award, album of the year, for her debut full-length effort I Love My Computer (via NLV Records), which beat out a ten-strong shortlist of LPs by the likes of Tame Impala, Mallrat, Spacey Jane, OneFour and others.
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Ninajirachi also collected the top music video honor, for “F*** My Computer,” directed by Ball Bass John.
It’s all happening for Ninajirachi, known to her friends and family as Nina Wilson. Just last week, she collected the coveted Australian Music Prize (AMP), and its A$50,000 ($32,800) winner’s check, for her studio collection. And there’s a strong chance to add more when the 2025 ARIA Awards roll on next Wednesday, Nov. 19, where she’s competing for a leading eight pointy trophies.
After wrapping up her Australian tour in the early stages of 2026, the rising star will embark on her biggest north American jaunt yet, including a first-ever slot at Coachella.
“I really just had a good time making an album. I hope I can keep making albums that feels as good as this one did,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation following her AMP win. “I’ve been making music for a long time and I could have never predicted what this year would look like. So it’s hard to say (what the future holds). I just hope it keeps feeling as fun as it has been recently.”
Now in its 21st year, the J Awards celebrate the cream of Australia’s crop of recorded musicians, live performers, emerging talent and more, and coincide with triple j’s Ausmusic Month. This year, 26 local artists were nominated for the J Awards.
Other winners announced by the ABC, parent of triple j, included Folk Bitch Trio (Unearthed artist of the year), Grammy and Brit Award-nominated punk rock act Amyl and The Sniffers (Double J Australian artist of the year) and SPEED (Australian live act of the year).
See the full list of 2025 J Awards nominees and winners below.
triple j Album of the Year
• Ninajirachi – I Love My Computer (WINNER)
• Baker Boy – DJANDJAY
• Folk Bitch Trio – Now Would Be A Good Time
• grentperez – Backflips in a Restaurant
• Mallrat – Light hit my face like a straight right
• ONEFOUR – Look At Me Now
• Spacey Jane – If That Makes Sense
• Tame Impala – Deadbeat
• The Rions – Everything Every Single Day
• Thornhill – BODIES
Unearthed Artist of the Year
• Folk Bitch Trio (WINNER)
• Don West
• Darcie Haven
• Sam Alfred
• PLAYLUNCH
Double J Australian Artist of the Year
• Amyl and The Sniffers (WINNER)
• Emily Wurramara
• Gordi
• Meg Washington
• Paul Kelly
rage and triple j Australian Music Video of the Year
• Ninajirachi – “F*** My Computer” (dir. Ball Bass John) (WINNER)
• Drifting Clouds – “Bawuypawuy” (dir. Matt Sav)
• Ecca Vandal – “CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE” (dirs. Ecca Vandal and Richie Buxton)
• PLAYLUNCH – “Keith” (dir. Riley Nimbs)
• RONA. – “Show Me” (dir. Tyson Perkins)
Australian Live Act of the Year
• SPEED (WINNER)
• Amyl and The Sniffers
• Ball Park Music
• Miss Kaninna
• xmunashe
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Dancing With The Stars celebrated its own, 20th Birthday Party on Tuesday night (Oct. 11), and Robert Irwin was handing out the gifts.
Party night featured two unique rounds of dance. The first saw couples complete routines set to the songs of freestyle routines from earlier DWTS seasons. Then, each celebrity performed with a former Mirrorball champion in the relay dance round, which pitted two couples, toe-to-toe.
Irwin, the Australian conservationist, and his dance partner Witney Carson completed the first perfect individual score of the season, nabbing 40 out of a possible 40. They did so to the tune of his elder sister, season 20 champ Bindi Irwin’s freestyle song as a tribute to their father, the late Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin.
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In an embarrassment of riches, Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach; Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy; and Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas also scored perfect rounds.
For his Relay Jive, Irwin teamed up with Xochitl Gomez (season 33 champion), facing off against Alix Earle and Joey Graziadei, swinging their hips to Olly Murs’ “Dance with Me Tonight.” Dressed in baby blue, Irwin looked at home as he does in a lion’s den, as he completed floor slides, leaps and showed off his fancy footwork. Earle and Graziadei, wearing red, had the second use on the ballroom floor. Irwin and Gomez were deemed winners, collecting the two bonus points.
The party ended on a bum note for Andy Richter and Emma Slater, who notched the lowest number of points and were eliminated from the competition.
Next week is Prince Night, which also serve as the semi-finals, while the winner will be crowned Nov. 25 following ABC’s three-hour finale. Watch Irwin’s Relay Jive below.
20th Birthday Party Leaderboard Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas: 42Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach: 42Robert Irwin and Witney Carson: 42Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy: 40Jordan Chiles and Ezra Sosa: 39Elaine Hendrix and Alan Bersten: 36Andy Richter and Emma Slater: 29 (ELIMINATED)
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Cleto Escobedo III, the longtime bandleader and saxophonist for Jimmy Kimmel Live, co-creator of the late-night staple’s theme tune, and best friend of its host, has died at the age of 59.
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Kimmel broke the sad news on his social accounts, and gave a teary farewell to his good friend Tuesday night (Nov. 11) during his regular show. “Early this morning,” he writes on Instagram, “we lost a great friend, father, son, musician and man, my longtime bandleader Cleto Escobedo III. To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement. Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old. The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true. Cherish your friends and please keep Cleto’s wife, children and parents in your prayers.”
The cause of death has not been revealed, though Page 6 reports Escobedo was hospitalized last week, with Kimmel canceling his Thursday episode to be by his side.
Born Aug. 23, 1966 in Las Vegas, NV, Escobedo’s group, Cleto and the Cletones, has been the house band for Jimmy Kimmel Live! since the show’s inception in 2003.
Escobedo and Kimmel, however, go way back. The pair hit it off as kids, when Kimmel’s family moved to Sin City back in 1977, directly across the street, two houses over from a young Escobedo.
Kimmel was unable to hold back the tears, and he told of his best friend’s passing at the very top of Tuesday night’s Live. “We’ve been on the air for almost 23 years and I’ve had to do some hard monologues along the way. But this one’s the hardest,” he remarked.
They weren’t just friends. They were 24/7 besties, enjoying countless sleepovers, crank calls, backyard ballgames, and “we definitely gave each other many concussions,” he recounted.
Across 22 minutes, Kimmel told hilarious tales of youthful pranks, parties, bad advice, and much more, the lived stuff that occurs only when two people live out of each other’s pockets.
“We loved all the same things. Baseball, fishing, boxing, [Muhammad] Ali, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Woody Allen, Michael McDonald, Huey Lewis, Stevie Wonder, and most of all, we loved David Letterman,” he admitted. “We never missed David Letterman. And the first time I was on the [Late Show with David Letterman] was 1999. It was a really big deal for both of us. That afternoon before the show, I was so nervous. I was walking in New York City, just walking fast, trying to burn off the nervous energy, and I called him just so we could be amazed together that this was happening and it was an amazing thing.”
As a saxophone player, he was nothing short of “phenomenal,” Kimmel enthused. “He was a child prodigy who would get standing ovations in junior high school, if you can imagine that.” Escobedo was a chip off the old block; his dad, too was a sax player in a band, but he called time on touring to spend more time with his family. “When Cleto junior became a professional musician, Cleto senior was thrilled, he got to live vicariously through his son,” Kimmel said. They’d become bandmates, too.
Junior enjoyed an early breakthrough with Paula Abdul, initially performing with the pop star then joining her label’s roster. Later, Kimmel pitched the late-night show to ABC, with Escobedo and his father auditioning together for the gig. It was a winning formula.
“I’ve often said that the single best thing about doing this show was getting the opportunity to allow Cleto senior to pick up where he left off in 1966 and become a musician again with his son,” he remarked.
Cleto’s parents, who were watching on, were, for 47 years, like his own folks. Only they never yelled at Kimmel, he quipped.
“Cherish your friends, we’re not here forever,” Kimmel explained, through tears. Live will take a break for several days to allow its leader and team time to grieve. Watch Kimmel’s eulogy below.
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Mashd N Kutcher’s next tune is a banger for a good cause.
The APRA Award-winning electronic music act dishes up the official tune for 2025 McHappy Day this Saturday (Nov. 15), the biggest annual fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in Australia.
The bouncing cut captures the voices of children and their families staying at Ronald McDonald House in South Brisbane, and works in the iconic “ba da ba ba ba” jingle over keys, drums, funky electric guitar and a soaring synth line.
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“This song means a lot to me. Visiting the team and families at Ronald McDonald House was truly inspiring – their positivity, resilience and the way they support each other is incredible,” comments Mashd N Kutcher lead Matt James.
“Seeing the kids light up while playing instruments, sharing laughs and even singing the Macca’s jingle was magic,” he adds. “It was a privilege to bring a little fun into their day, and I think that magic shines through in the track. I hope it makes people smile and inspires them to get involved and donate to McHappy Day this Saturday.”
The track is live on Mashd N Kutcher and McDonald’s Australia’s social channels and will play in the burger chain’s 1,000-plus restaurants nationwide on the big day. Stream it, and watch footage of MNK’s visit to Ronald McDonald House below.
James knows more than most about the healing powers of music. The classically-trained Brisbane artist was diagnosed in 2023 with cancer, Multiple Myeloma, which forms in blood cells inside the bone marrow. A year later, in 2024, James and MNK made a roaring musical return with the full-length album Legacy.
It’s not the first MNK tie-in with Maccas. The lads sizzled with 2022’s “Ultimate Mix,” the music treat to accompany McDonald’s McFlurry with Cadbury’s, celebrating what was the chocolate specialist’s 100th year as an Australian favorite.
Since launching in 1991, McHappy Day has raised over A$79 million ($51 million), helping more than 69,000 families every year through RMHC, by funding various programs.
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SYDNEY, Australia — After a 17-year partnership, TEG makes it official by bringing Twenty3 Live into the fold.
TEG, the Sydney-based live entertainment, data and tech giant, snaps up Twenty3 Live, a leading marketing, media, sponsorship and activation agency.
The so-called “strategic acquisition” further enhances TEG’s in-house marketing and digital capability in its global touring portfolio, and is announced on the eve of AC/DC’s Australian POWER UP tour opener Wednesday night (Nov. 12) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, produced by TEG Van Egmond.
Through the new agreement, Twenty3 Live’s team of six music marketing professionals move across, led by long-standing marketing director Edwina Tarrant, who joined TEG’s Melbourne office in early October.
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Financial terms weren’t disclosed on the deal, which formalizes a relationship between TEG and Twenty3 Live, which, over nearly two decades, delivered marketing, media, and digital campaigns for many of Australia’s biggest concert tours, including TEG Dainty-produced treks for Bon Jovi, Eminem, George Michael, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and more.
TEG Dainty Entertainment Company president and CEO Paul Dainty, whose business was acquired by TEG in 2016, is a major shareholder and long-serving director in Twenty3.
Meanwhile, TEG launches Ovation amp, a full-service, data-led creative agency that is said to unite expertise across media, digital, strategy, and storytelling within the group.
The new agency is led by Larissa Best, general manager, live entertainment and head of Ovation amp, whose team is “dedicated to amplifying the connection between artists, fans, and partners,” a statement reads.
As it expands commercially, Ovation amp will be expected to collaborate with promoters, artists, and brands to deliver creative strategy, data-led marketing, and more.
“This milestone represents an exciting evolution for our agency,” comments Michael Leeds, managing director of Twenty3 Group. “We’re excited to see our colleagues continue their journey within one of Australia’s leading entertainment businesses, and the outstanding work of the Twenty3 Live team has been recognised by TEG as integral to their future growth.”
According to TEG, all current client campaigns and major tours managed by Twenty3 Live will continue throughout the transition, with existing leadership and relationships maintained.
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SYDNEY, Australia — Secretly Distribution has its sights set on APAC, with the launch of a new regional office.
Based in Sydney, Australia, the independent music group’s APAC activities are led by Max Thomas, who rises to head of APAC, after leading Secretly Group’s APAC marketing and strategy for the past four years.
In that time, Thomas led album campaigns for the likes of Mitski, Bon Iver, Bright Eyes, Faye Webster, Folk Bitch Trio, Khruangbin, Japanese Breakfast, Mustafa, Sharon Van Etten, Toro y Moi, Wednesday and more throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
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With Thomas at the helm, Secretly Distribution will focus “on supporting artists and labels throughout the Asia-Pacific region,” reads a statement.
As the company expands its global footprint (Secretly has existing offices in New York, Los Angeles and London), Secretly Distribution promotes Chris Cannon to VP of international strategy, reward for guiding the business to 30% revenue growth overseas, across both digital and physical formats, in the past year.
“I am thrilled to be leading the charge as Secretly Distribution continues expanding our global footprint to incorporate our new APAC office,” says Cannon in a statement. “As our distributed label roster expands not only in size, but in genre, geography and customer profile, SD continues to adapt accordingly.”
The new structure, led by Thomas, means the business can “localize our service whilst adopting a proactive approach in response to the organic growth we can see in fast developing markets such as the Philippines, Indonesia and China.”
The opportunities for collaboration in these markets are “vast, and we have only begun to scratch the surface,” Cannon continues.
Based in London, England, Cannon has overseen the development of Secretly’s Latin American strategy, and launched Cargo Independent Distribution, which Cargo Records, Secretly Distribution and Beggars Group created as a means to maintain and promote an independent path to market for physical music in the U.K.
A new marketing and campaigns manager in Southeast Asia will be recruited shortly, and between them the APAC team will oversee priority releases across the SD roster, including those on Australia-based labels such as Chapter Music and Spinning Top, and New Zealand labels Lil’ Chief Records and Flying Nun.
The new team will also guide relationships with long-time APAC distribution partners such as Leaplay (Korea), Rocket (Australia), Rhythm Method (New Zealand), Southbound (New Zealand) and Ultra-Vybe (Japan), plus key local retail partners with which Secretly Distribution works closely.
Formed more than 25 years ago, Secretly Distribution is part of the Secretly Group, which is headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana and which is parent to the likes of Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans, and Merge Records, through a 50% stake acquired earlier this year.
The distribution specialist recently struck a global partnership with high-quality vinyl leader Org Music; renewed its deal with Asthmatic Kitty Records; signed a global deal with Geoff Barrow and Redg Weeks’ Invada Records; scored a nomination for Distributor of The Year at the 2025 Libera Awards; and announced a global deal with Third Man Records.
The latest ARIA Albums Chart features, for the first time, an entry from Frankston, Victoria indie rock band the Belair Lip Bombs, the first Australian act signed to Third Man Records. The Belair Lip Bombs’ sophomore set Again opened at No. 25 on the national tally.
Trending on Billboard “Weird Al” Yankovic, actor and SNL alum Will Forte, and Ted Lasso stars Cristo Fernández and Brendan Hunt helped Jason Sudeikis raise $1.1 million at the ninth annual THUNDERGONG! charity concert by performing two monster Billboard Hot 100 hits. And we’ve got videos. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Sudeikis and […]
