genre rock
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Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher is as sick of the ongoing fiasco relating to tickets to the band’s reunion shows as anyone else.
Since Oasis announced their long-awaited return back in August, high demand has translated into ticket trouble, with a dynamic pricing model and long delays resulting in a litany of frustrated fans attempting to obtain tickets to the band’s shows in the U.K. and Ireland.
In October, it was announced that Ticketmaster would be investigating the matter further, going so far as to cancel roughly 50,000 resale tickets that were deemed to have been purchased using techniques that have been forbidden for the Oasis tour. These included methods often used by scalpers and bots, including purchasing more than four tickets per household, per show, and using multiple identities to buy up tickets.
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On Monday (Feb. 10), Billboard reported that fans had indeed begun to see their tickets being cancelled, with Ticketmaster getting in touch with some ticket holders to inform them that their tickets have been refunded. Ticketmaster’s message to these ticket holders claimed that “it has been identified that bots were used to make this purchase,” meaning they “violate the tour’s terms and conditions.”
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“These terms were specifically established to limit resale of tickets on unauthorised ticketing platforms for profit,” Ticketmaster’s message said. “Fans have been strongly advised by all parties not to purchase tickets from unauthorised resale sites, to protect them from fraud or refunding.”
At least one fan has now attempted to bring the matter to the attention of the band’s outspoken vocalist, Liam Gallagher. With some fans venting their anger on social media, one X user named Karen Kelly reached out to Gallagher, asking “Liam what do you think of the ticket situation? Thinking fans are bots and getting their money returned?”
A punctuation-averse Gallagher responded only six minutes later, writing “I don’t make the rules were trying to do the right thing it is what it is I’m the singer get of my case”.
Kelly soon clarified the question by claiming that no one was getting on Gallagher’s case, but that she was instead wanting to know “if [he’d] seen it”. Gallagher responded by noting, “I see everything I work out”.
In December, Liam’s brother Noel touched on the upcoming gigs, assuring fans that their reunion shows will be less volatile than their history might suggest, while indicating the ticketing hassles may be worth it in the long run.
“No, it won’t be as raucous as back in the day, because we’re on the wrong side of 50 now, so we’re too old,” he claimed. “We’re too old to give a s**t now, so there won’t be any fallouts, there won’t be any fighting. It’s a lap of honour for the band.”
A plane owned by Mötley Crüe vocalist Vince Neil is reportedly at the center of a fatal plane crash in Scottsdale, AZ.
The incident reportedly occurred at 2:45pm on Monday (Feb. 10) when a Bombardier Learjet 35A arriving from Austin, TX veered off the runway after landing at Scottsdale Municipal Airport and crashed into a Gulfstream G-200 business jet parked nearby on private property. One person was reported deceased following the crash, with four others suffering injuries.
A press briefing from Scottsdale Fire Capt. Dave Folio attributed the incident to faulty landing gear.
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Jet Pros Director of Operations Gus Toulatos, who operates the Gulfstream, issued a statement noting that no injuries occurred aboard their plane but confirmed the extensive exterior damage.
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“We are cooperating fully with airport authorities and relevant agencies as they conduct a thorough review of the situation,” Toulatos said. “We appreciate the swift response of airport personnel and will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky also issued a response to the tragedy, confirming the details of the event and noting that the airport remained closed at the time of her statement.
“We are closely monitoring the situation, and we are in touch with airport, police and federal agencies and will update the community as we have further information,” Borowsky said.
“On behalf of the city of Scottsdale, we offer our deepest condolences to those involved in the accident and for those who have been taken to our trauma center for treatment. We will keep all affected by this tragedy in our prayers.”
According to Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 (WTVF), the Bombardier Learjet 35A is registered to the Franklin, Tennessee-based Chromed in Hollywood, with Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil listed as a principal agent.
A report from TMZ stated that Mötley Crüe manager Allen Kovac has confirmed that Neil was not on the plane at the time of the incident, and that the band are working towards a way to aid those affected by the crash.
Mötley Crüe themselves took to Facebook late on Monday night to share a post containing a statement from Neil’s representative, Worrick Robinson IV.
“At 2:39 p.m. local time, a Learjet aircraft Model 35A owned by Vince Neil was attempting to land at the Scottsdale Airport,” the statement read. “For reasons unknown at this time, the plane veered from the runway causing it to collide with another parked plane. On board Mr. Neil’s plane were two pilots and two passengers. Mr. Neil was not on the plane.
More specific details regarding the collision are not available as this is a rapidly evolving situation and there is an ongoing investigation. Mr. Neil’s thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and he is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today.”
Don Henley and his longtime manager Irving Azoff are being sued by one of the men who was criminally charged — and later vindicated — for allegedly attempting to sell handwritten lyrics connected to the Eagles‘ 1976 album Hotel California, claiming they and their attorneys engaged in a “malicious prosecution” that harmed his reputation and caused him financial losses and emotional distress.
The complaint, filed in New York state court on Thursday (Feb. 6), was filed against Henley, Azoff and the firms that represented them in their case: Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Loeb & Loeb. In it, Horowitz claims the parties falsely alleged that he and his two co-defendants in the criminal case “knew or had reason to believe” that the lyric sheets “had been unlawfully obtained” and nonetheless attempted to profit off of them via an online auction. However, Horowitz claims the men and their attorneys knew all along that the notes had been acquired through legal means in the first place.
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Horowitz, a rare book dealer, and his co-defendants — Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and memorabilia auctioneer Edward Kosinski — were criminally charged in 2022 over an alleged conspiracy to resell the lyrics that had been handwritten by Henley while working on the Eagles’ iconic Hotel California album. At the time, prosecutors had accused the three men of hiding the fact that the documents had been stolen from Henley’s home by Ed Sanders, a journalist hired by Henley and Azoff to write a never-published book on the Eagles in the late 1970s.
But in a stunning turnaround in March 2024, Manhattan prosecutors dropped the case after Henley produced new evidence previously withheld under attorney-client privilege that cast doubt on his and Azoff’s allegations. The judge in the case subsequently dismissed the charges and chastised Henley, Azoff and their attorneys for “obfuscat[ing] and hid[ing] information that they believed would be damaging to their position that the lyric sheets were stolen.”
According to Horowitz’s attorney Caitlin Robin, the evidence cited by prosecutors and the judge in dropping the charges — a series of emails between Henley, Azoff and their attorneys — proves they were aware that Sanders had legally obtained the lyric sheets in the course of writing the never-published Eagles book. Nonetheless, she alleges they “purposefully withheld any disclosure thereof because they knew it would exculpate Plaintiff GLENN HOROWITZ and essentially destroy the fraudulent allegations they made about him.”
As a result of his “unjust prosecution,” Horowitz claims he “was deprived of his liberty and suffered humiliation, defamation, media harassment, diminished reputation, loss of business and/or loss of wages amounting in more than ten million dollars ($10,000,000.00), in addition to mental anguish, indignity, frustration and financial loss.” The complaint further alleges that Horowitz’s wife Tracey (who is listed as a co-plaintiff) also “suffered humiliation, defamation, media harassment, diminished reputation, and mental and emotional anguish” as a result of her husband’s prosecution.
In a statement sent to Billboard, Henley and Azoff’s attorney Dan Petrocelli said, “Don Henley was a witness and a victim in a criminal trial brought by the Manhattan District Attorney after a formal indictment of Glenn Horowitz by a New York grand jury. The indictment highlighted the dark underbelly of the memorabilia business that exploited the brazen, unauthorized taking and selling of Mr. Henley’s handwritten lyrics. The only malicious prosecution involved here is the filing of this case by Mr. Horowitz.”
The Horowitzes are asking for damages “in excess of the jurisdictional limits of all the lower Courts of the State of New York.”
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Loeb & Loeb did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s requests for comment.
Wake us up when New Years Rev hits theaters. Live Nation announced on Monday (Feb. 10) a new comedy film developed by Lee Kirk alongside Green Day. New Years Rev is a coming-of-age story starring Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman and Ryan Foust, as the trio’s characters head to Los Angeles under the false impression that […]
New York Dolls co-founder and punk icon David Johansen has revealed that he is battling a brain tumor and stage four cancer. The news came via a Sweet Relief Fund in his name seeking to raise money for the singer’s ongoing care in which his daughter, Leah Hennessey, revealed the extent of her 75-year-old father’s health issues.
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“Five years ago at the beginning of the pandemic we discovered that David’s cancer had progressed and he had a brain tumor,” Leah wrote. “There have been complications ever since. He’s never made his diagnosis public, as he and my mother Mara are generally very private people, but we feel compelled to share this now, due to the increasingly severe financial burden our family is facing.” She noted that in a further blow, the singer known for his outrageous, high-energy stage persona, fell down a flight of stairs after Thanksgiving and broke his back in two places.
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Following a week-long hospital stay and a successful surgery, Leah said her dad has been bedridden and incapacitated since then and “due to the trauma, David’s illness has progressed exponentially and my mother is caring for him around the clock.” Given the multiple health crises, Leah said that in order to continue treatment and give her dad the best chance at a full recovery he will need full-time assistance.
“As hilarious and wise as David continues to be, he is physically debilitated and his care exceeds what we are capable of providing without specialized professional help,” she wrote, adding, “David has worked continuously as a singer and actor for the better part of six decades, to the delight of his fans all over the world. However for the past five years, David has been unable to work as a performer. “
The non-profit Sweet Relief Musicians Fund was initially founded by singer Victoria Williams in 1994 to help her pay medical bills after a multiple sclerosis diagnosis and has since grown into a 501 (c)(3) that has helped raise funds for professional musicians in need of health or financial assistance.
In a statement, Johansen said, “We’ve been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends & family, carrying on, but this tumble the day after Thanksgiving really brought us to a whole new level of debilitation. This is the worst pain i’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’ve never been one to ask for help but this is an emergency. Thank you.”
The organization’s executive director, Aric Steinberg, added in a statement, “Our Directed Artist Funds can provide a meaningful solution when the community rallies around the recipient, and we anticipate that David’s community will be eager to help here. His influence on the musical landscape with the New York Dolls is indelible, and his career as an actor and an artist has touched many people around the world. He’s been knocked down but we’re here to help him back up with the help of his family, friends and wider community of supporters.”
The family said that their most immediate needs are for full-time nursing, physical therapy and funding for day-to-day vital living expenses, aimed at helping Johansen regain “some mobility and independence.” Supporters can donate to the David Johansen Fund here, or buy a “luv” shirt benefitting Johansen’s fund here.
Johansen has long been a beloved figure on the New York scene, beginning with his time as the lead singer and provocateur of the gender-bending New York Dolls. That band — which also featured guitarists Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain, bassist Arthur Kane and drummer Jerry Nolan — emerged from the fertile underground New York rock scene in the early 1970s, releasing a pair of albums in 1973 and 1974 that helped set the template for the punk revolution and, later, inspired the lipstick and Aqua Net late 1980s hair metal scene.
After drugs and weak sales pushed the band’s members apart, Johansen went on to start his own solo band and then reinvent himself in the 1980s as the smarmy lounge lizard Buster Poindexter, through which he explored his love of the blues, jazz, swing and Latin music on such radio hits as “Hot Hot Hot.” He later formed the Harry Smiths, a group dedicated to early folk, blues and country music gathered by music historian Harry Everett Smith in the Anthology of American Folk Music.
In addition to the occasional reunion with the Dolls over the years, Johansen also hosted a freewheeling Sirius satellite radio show, David Johansen’s Mansion of Fun and acted in projects including the HBO series Oz and the movies Scrooged, Let It Ride, Freejack, Mr. Nanny and others.
Johansen was the subject of the 2020 Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi-directed Showtime documentary feature Personality Crisis: One Night Only, which told the singer’s life story and chronicled one of his freewheeling shows at New York’s Café Carlyle.
“My mother’s favorite acronym for God is ‘Grace Over Drama,’” Leah Hennessey wrote. “Together we have endured crisis after crisis, but with the support of our community we hope to carry on laughing and loving our way through this most trying of times. Thank you for embracing our family, and for your love and generosity.”
Check out some of Johansen’s most beloved moments below.
Morrissey has announced tour dates for the U.K. and Ireland, his first since 2023. The former Smiths singer shared the news of the upcoming shows on his official social media accounts.
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The post said that these were the only concerts he would “perform in Ireland, Scotland and England in 2025,” and will see him play in Dublin, Glasgow and Manchester in May and June.
Morrissey has played a number of shows in North America in recent years, and will tour the region again in 2025. He last played in the U.K. in 2023 with shows in London, Aylesbury, Liverpool and more.
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In November 2024, the “Suedehead” singer claimed that his unreleased album Bonfire of Teenagers has been shelved because of his various controversies. “As you know, nobody will release my music anymore,” Morrissey told a crowd in New Jersey. “As you know because I’m a chief exponent of free speech. In England at least, it’s now criminalized.”
“You cannot speak freely in England. If you don’t believe me, go there,” he continued. “Express an opinion, you’ll be sent to prison. It’s very, very difficult.”
In 2019, Morrissey expressed support for the far-right Britain First political party, and has not released an album since 2020’s I Am Not a Dog on a Chain. His Bonfire of Teenagers LP was scheduled to be released in February 2023, but it was pulled months before its release date, with Morrissey claiming its “fate is exclusively in the hands of Capitol Records (Los Angeles.).”
The album was reportedly made in 2021 and featured contributions from Iggy Pop, Miley Cyrus and producer Andrew Watt. News followed that Cyrus had requested her vocals to be removed from the record. Its title track references the Manchester Arena bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in 2017, which killed 22 attendees and injured hundreds more. One song from the record “Rebels Without Applause” has been issued as a single, with others performed live.
In February 2023, Morrissey issued another statement claiming he was “too diverse” for Universal Music Group. He has since stated that he has recorded an additional album titled Without Music the World Dies, which remains unreleased. He has offered the album to “any record label or private investor [that] has interest in releasing this project,” following his split from Capitol.
See Morrissey’s U.K. & Ireland 2025 tour dates below:
May 31 – Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena
June 4, 5 – Glasgow, Scotland @ O2 Academy Glasgow
June 7 – Manchester, England @ Co-Op Live
Ozzy Osbourne is facing a copyright lawsuit over alleged social media posts featuring unlicensed photos of a famous rock star: Ozzy Osbourne.
The case, filed Monday in Los Angeles federal court, claims the Black Sabbath frontman illegally posted multiple images — of himself – that were snapped by prolific rock photographer Neil Zlozower.
The photographer’s attorneys say Ozzy posted the images to his massive followings on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) without seeking permission or paying Zlozower a licensing fee.
“The accounts are key components of defendant’s popular and lucrative commercial enterprise,” the lawsuit says. “Defendant has over 12 million followers on [Facebook], and over 6 million followers on [Instagram], and over 5 million followers on [X] — all of which are monetized and provide significant financial benefits to defendant.”
A rep for Ozzy did not immediately return a request for comment on the allegations.
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While it might sound unfair to a celebrity, the copyrights to a photo are almost always retained by the person who took it. Simply appearing in an image does not give a celebrity co-ownership of it, nor does it give them a right to repost it for free. To understand why, read Billboard‘s explainer here.
Ozzy is hardly the first celebrity to get sued over that legal reality. Over the last few years, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Emily Ratajkowski, LeBron James, Katy Perry and others have faced copyright cases after they re-used photos of themselves snapped by someone else.
And in allegedly using photographs snapped by Zlozower, Ozzy picked the wrong guy to test. Since 2016, court records show the litigious photographer has filed nearly 60 copyright cases against a range of defendants over images of Elvis Costello, Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe and more.
In Monday’s lawsuit, Zlozower’s attorneys say Ozzy used several different photos. Five are staged portraits of the rocker standing alongside Zakk Wylde, the lead guitarist for Osbourne’s backing band since 1987; another features Osbourne onstage embracing Randy Rhoads, who served as guitarist on Osbourne’s first two solo albums before dying suddenly in a 1982 plane crash.
Zlozower says his team reached out to Ozzy about the allegedly infringing social posts in June – and then again in August and September. But he says the star “failed to respond,” meaning he was “forced to seek judicial intervention for defendant’s infringing activity.”
Ticketmaster has begun cancelling thousands of tickets for Oasis’ upcoming reunion tour in a crackdown on bots.
Passes for the shows in the U.K. and Ireland went on sale in August 2024, but the on-sale process was marred by long delays and the use of dynamic pricing model, which meant that ticket prices were higher for some fans than expected.
Reports said that over 50,000 tickets ended up on resale sites, despite efforts to restrict touts re-selling tickets at inflated prices.
A statement issued by promoters Live Nation and SJM Concerts at the time read: “Ticket resale is permitted at no more than the price you paid (face value + booking fees). Please only use the official resale partners Twickets and Ticketmaster. Selling tickets through unauthorised resale platforms will breach these T&Cs and those tickets may be cancelled”.
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Now, Ticketmaster have been contacting some ticket holders to inform them that their tickets have been refunded as “it has been identified that bots were used to make this purchase,” meaning they “violate the tour’s terms and conditions.”
“These terms were specifically established to limit resale of tickets on unauthorised ticketing platforms for profit,” the message says. “Fans have been strongly advised by all parties not to purchase tickets from unauthorised resale sites, to protect them from fraud or refunding.”
However some Oasis fans have reported on social media that their tickets have been wrongly cancelled in the efforts, despite abiding the rules of the on-sale process. “If 2025 could actually get any worse – now I don’t even have this to look forward to any more,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday (February 7) showing a message from Ticketmaster saying that their tickets had been cancelled.
Another wrote: “So what’s this complete sh-tshow? Sat on my laptop for hours on general sale day to secure just TWO tickets for ONE gig and you’re telling me I’m a bot and a tout!” The post is accompanied by pictures of his ticket buying set-up which includes one device but with multiple tabs.
Reports in the BBC and The Guardian have identified fans who have also had their tickets cancelled, with one telling the former that “it just feels like my dreams have been completely crushed.”
Billboard UK has approached Ticketmaster for comment. On the Oasis Refunds FAQ page, a message reads: “For ticket purchasers who believe they have had tickets refunded in error, refer to the email sent by the relevant agent when informed.”
Following the original on sale, the band responded to the news that tickets had been on-sale on resale sites for upwards of £10,000 ($12,412)
“We have noticed people attempting to sell tickets on the secondary market since the start of the pre-sale. Please note, tickets can ONLY be resold, at face value, via Ticketmaster and Twickets.
“Tickets sold in breach of the terms and conditions will be cancelled by the promoters.” Twickets shared Oasis’s statement and added their own: “Don’t buy tickets over face value. Official resale will be available on our website/app at face value only.”
Oasis’ reunion tour will kick off at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on July 4, before heading to Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin across the 19 dates. The tour will then head to North America, Latin America, Australia and Asia later this year.
If you’re planning to see Jack White and hoping for a marathon effort from the musician, it might be time to temper your expectations.
White took to Instagram on Saturday (Feb. 8) to reflect on the attitudes he’s noticed regarding the lengths of the sets he has performed. According to sites such as Setlist.fm, White has an average performance time of 90 minutes, with recent sets ranging from 16 to 22 songs.
“Been hearing a lot of chatter throughout the year of this glorious electric touring about how long our sets are ‘supposed to be’ on stage,” he began. “As if the length of a show determines how ‘good’ it is. I know that we’re living in a current era where people like to say ‘so and so played for 3 hours last night!’, and brag about it the next day hahaha, I’ll let our fans know now that my mind has no intention of ‘impressing’ y’all in that context.
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“The Beatles and Ramones played 30 minute (ish) sets, and If I could, I would do the same at this moment in my performing life,” he added. “That’s actually the kind of show I’d like to put on right now. But there becomes this chatter that the cost of a ticket ‘entitles’ people to some kind of extra long show…uh…ok (hahaha) so I’m bridging the gap. I’m not sure y’all are knowing (or maybe remembering?) what a real rock or punk show is like though if you’re thinking that way, I think you’re talking about an arena laser light show with pyro, huge screens with premade videos, singers flying over the crowd, t shirt cannons, etc, that’s not the kind of shows we’re performing.”
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White’s own history as a touring musician has been peppered with shows of varying lengths. Famously, on July 16, 2007, as a member of The White Stripes, Jack and Meg White performed the shortest show of their career so as to fulfill their goal of playing every province and territory of Canada. The one-note show in St. Johns, Newfoundland was denied inclusion into the Guinness Book of Records, sadly.
However, this short concert is in line with White’s own critique of expectations from audiences. While artists such as Bruce Springsteen may average three-hour sets, and Phish and Dead & Company might be creeping towards four hours on average, White explains it’s all about what best suits the audience gathered before him.
“I’ve seen a plethora of rock and roll gigs that lasted 45 minutes and blew my mind and inspired me beyond belief,” he explained. “Read the room, leave everyone exhausted and inspired (hopefully) and most of all wanting more, without needing 3 hours to do it. That’s like saying a film is supposed to be better cause they spent 300 trillion making it, well I’ve never seen that movie.
“Love to all of our fans, I see your faces every night and you can be assured I’ve never phoned it in in my life, whether its 20 minutes or 2 hours, I’m giving the room what the room is prompting me to do and share and that doesn’t mean if people cheer louder it’s going to be longer either! haha. There’s no setlist, and it’s not a Marvel movie, or a Vegas residency, it’s rock and roll and it’s a living breathing organism.”
White is currently in the midst of a lengthy global tour that began in 2024 in support of his latest solo album, No Name. Much like the length of his live sets, White had initially planned for the majority of his touring plans to be relatively impromptu, though a more concrete run of dates was detailed in November.
Primus has found a new drummer.
About four months after the abrupt departure of longtime percussionist Tim “Herb” Alexander, the veteran band revealed their new timekeeper following a global open call for auditions.
“Hoffington!!! Welcome aboard! @johnhoffmandrums,” Primus singer and bassist Les Claypool wrote on Instagram Friday (Feb. 7), alongside a photo featuring Claypool with new drummer Hoffman and guitarist Larry LaLonde.
Primus announced on Oct. 29 that Alexander had resigned suddenly on Oct. 17 via email, citing a “loss of passion for playing” — a reason that Claypool and LaLonde admitted “came as a complete shock.”
Following Alexander’s departure, Primus announced they would be holding auditions for a new drummer. “Taking submissions from all points in the universe for the position of Primus drummer/percussionist,” the band wrote, adding, “Flashy chops are wonderful, but groove, pocket, and the ability to listen, react, and contribute to the musical conversation is a must.”
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Primus took to social media again in late December to warn applicants of scammers who had begun contacting hopefuls ahead of in-person auditions.
Hoffman, a drummer from Shreveport, La., documented his preparation for the audition on YouTube.
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” the drummer wrote on Instagram in late January. “I came and did my thing the way I do it. It went as well as I could have hoped. Maynard James Keenan was sitting directly in front of me and watched my entire audition. He gave me this towel. It’s been one of the most incredible days of my life. I love you all. We did this.”
Primus’ first show since Alexander’s final appearance in August took place as part of the band’s New Year’s Eve celebration at the Fox Theater in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 30. The night began with sets from Claypool’s other projects, Holy Mackerel and Frog Brigade, and concluded with a six-song performance by Primus, featuring Bryan “Brain” Mantia on drums.
Check out Primus’ new drummer announcement on Instagram here.