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Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump upended the global alliance in support of Ukraine’s war against invader Russia, Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong had a few thoughts on the shocking spectacle. At the kick-off the veteran punk provocateurs’ Australian tour on Saturday (March 1) at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, Armstrong once again switched up the lyrics to one of the band’s songs to send a unequivocal, harsh message to the current American administration.
As the band continues its year-long anniversary celebration of the 20th anniversary of their career-peak punk rock opera American Idiot, Armstrong slipped some not-at-all-subtle commentary into the lyrics of “Jesus of Suburbia.” The move came a day after Trump and Vice President JD Vance attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office during a meeting meant to announce a deal on minerals aimed at ending the three-year war launched by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
“Am I retarded or am I just JD Vance,” Armstrong sang in a tweak to the original, politically incorrect-on-purpose line, “Am I retarded or am I just overjoyed?” Offered without any additional commentary, the diss of the Hillbilly Elegy author who repeatedly lashed out at the war-time Ukrainian leader for not being solicitous and thankful enough for U.S. aid during the shocking Oval Office ambush was in keeping with Armstrong’s unabashed disdain for the MAGA universe.
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Earlier in the song, Armstrong doubled-down on the band’s support for Ukraine, tweaking another line in the song from “We are the kids of war and peace/ From Anaheim to the Middle East” to “We are the kids of war and peace/ From Ukraine to the Middle East.”
In January, Armstrong took a swipe at another member of the MAGA-verse, unelected DOGE boss Elon Musk, whose slash-and-burn march through the federal government has sparked widespread criticism and fear among longtime civil servants whose jobs have been eliminated by the tens of thousands over the past month. Performing in the Tesla boss’ home country of South Africa, during a show in Cape Town Armstrong switched a favorite “American Idiot” lyric from “I’m not part of the redneck agenda” to “I’m not part of the Elon agenda.”
The singer pulled a similar move during their New Year’s Eve show in 2024, changing the line to “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda.” It was just one of several times the stridently anti-fascist, anti-hate speech band has taken on Trump. In 2019, at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, they debuted the anti-MAGA “American Idiot” line and at the 2016 American Music Awards, Green Day took aim at the then president-elect while performing “Bang Bang,” with Armstrong chanting “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” in a nod to Trump’s endorsement by white supremacist group the KKK and the rise in racist attacks following his election.
Watch Green Day’s Vance reproach below.
Kimberly Burch, the fiancée of Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe, has died after going overboard on the first night of The ‘80s Cruise, a nostalgia-themed music cruise featuring performances from Faster Pussycat, Warrant, Dokken, Firehouse, Squeeze, Adam Ant, Tiffany, and Men at Work.
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According to TMZ, the incident occurred around 11 p.m. on March 3, aboard the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. A search operation was launched, involving the ship’s crew and two nearby vessels, but Burch was not found.
Burch’s mother, Carnell Burch, told TMZ that her daughter had been involved in a heated argument with Downe before going overboard. However, she emphasized that Kimberly “wouldn’t purposefully hurt herself.” Authorities have not yet confirmed whether she fell accidentally or jumped.
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A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Group told THR: “Our crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort, is working with local authorities, and we are providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time. To respect the privacy of our guests’ family, we have no additional details to share.”
A U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson said the ship was approximately 20 miles from Freeport, Bahamas, when the incident occurred.
A Facebook post from Burch’s family on Tuesday said she “will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved her,” and asked for prayers “during this time for our family as we try to wrap our minds around this heartbreaking tragedy.”
Downe and Burch had reportedly been together for six to seven years. Just last month, Burch shared a heartfelt Valentine’s Day post featuring photos of the couple, writing, “Happy Every Day! From your first hello to me, I fell head over heels in love. You are my Valentine every day of my life. We are a tornado at times and pure raw love. I wouldn’t have it any other way. We do us like no other. I love you with my entire heart and soul.”
Faster Pussycat, formed in the mid-1980s, became one of the defining acts of the glam metal era, selling over two million albums worldwide and touring with rock legends like Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses, and Kiss.
Bring Me the Horizon has reacted to the unexpected support from Liam Gallagher after covering Oasis’ iconic “Wonderwall” for Spotify Singles earlier this year.
The band, who reworked the Britpop anthem into a heavier, more atmospheric version, admitted they were taken aback by Gallagher’s positive response.
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“It’s a good song, it’s actually one of my favorites. Top five,” frontman Oli Sykes said of the track while speaking to NME on the red carpet at the BRIT Awards 2025. “We always usually cover stuff that no one has ever heard of, so we were like, ‘Now let’s try to reimagine something that everyone knows. Make it easy for ourselves.’ It came out alright I think! It was crazy that Liam didn’t slag it off to the high heavens…”
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Drummer Mat Nicholls echoed the sentiment, acknowledging Oasis’ influence on their generation of British musicians.
“[We grew up] listening to them, definitely. It’s hard to ignore them, especially being our age, because Oasis are a British staple. We were expecting [Liam] to absolutely rinse us, but he said some actually nice things! It was cool and I think it went down as good as we wished it could.”
Gallagher had previously responded to the cover on social media, writing, “I f—ing LOVE it.” When a fan speculated that his brother Noel might be displeased, Liam doubled down: “I’m not, it’s absolutely incredible, made my day. I’m off out on my skateboard, f— y’all.”
The BRIT Awards marked another milestone for the band, who previously won Best Alternative/Rock Act in 2024. This year, they were nominated for Group of the Year but lost out to Ezra Collective.
The band is set to headline Reading & Leeds Festival 2025 alongside Travis Scott, Chappell Roan, and Hozier. It marks their second time topping the bill at the twin-site festival, following their 2022 co-headlining slot with Arctic Monkeys.
Suzanne Vega is set to make a long-awaited return in May, announcing the release of her first album of new material in over a decade.
Titled Flying With Angels, the record is Vega’s tenth and arrives on May 2nd. “Flying With Angels is my first studio album of new songs in eleven years,” she said of the new LP. “Each song on the album takes place in an atmosphere of struggle. Struggle to survive, to speak, to dominate, to win, to escape, to help someone else, or just live.”
The record’s announcement has been accompanied by the release of its opening track, “Speakers’ Corner,” which itself features an animated music video by Michael Arthur. “A Speakers’ Corner is an area where free speech, open air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed,” Vega wrote on social media. “I guess we better use it now before we find it gone!”
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“That’s something you don’t want in democracy: the shutting down of the Speakers’ Corner where people get a say,” she continued in a press release. “This is a moment in time when people are saying a lot, but sometimes they’re not making sense or not telling the truth. People should be accountable for what they say. They can’t just lie. One would think that that would be self-evident.”
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Flying With Angels is Vega’s first new studio release since 2016’s Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers, which was based on Vega’s 2011 play Carson McCullers Talks About Love, written about the titular American poet. Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles, her most recent album of entirely new material, arrived in 2014.
Vega’s new album also arrived almost 40 years to the day since the release of self-titled debut record. It reached No. 91 on the Billboard 200, though Vega made a marked improvement on that feat with 1987’s Solitude Standing, which peaked at No. 11. The album’s success was largely thanks to second single “Luka,” which gave her a career-best when it hit No. 3 on the Hot 100. Three years later, she returned to the top of the charts, landing at No. 5 with the DNA remix of her a cappella track “Tom’s Diner.”
Vega has also announced an extensive run of tour dates in support of the new album. She’ll launch her Flying With Angels tour in East Greenwich, RI on Thursday (March 6), with a total of 40 dates currently planned for North America, Europe, and the U.K. throughout 2025.
Virginia indie-rock outfit Car Seat Headrest are making their grand return with an even more grandiose record, announcing new rock opera The Scholars as their forthcoming LP.
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The new record will arrive on May 2 via Matador, arriving exactly five years and one day since their last studio release, Making a Door Less Open. According to a press release, the narrative of the nine-track LP is set at the fictional college campus Parnassus University, focusing on “students and staff whose travails illuminate a loose narrative of life, death, and rebirth.”
The forthcoming record is previewed by the release of 11-minute single “Gethsemane,” which itself is accompanied by an Andrew Wonder-directed visual.
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“Rosa studies at the medical school of Parnassus University,” the band explains of the lead single. “After an experience bringing a medically deceased patient back to life, she begins to regain powers suppressed since childhood, of healing others by absorbing their pain. Each night, instead of dreams, she encounters the raw pain and stories of the souls she touches throughout the day. Reality blurs, and she finds herself taken deep into secret facilities buried beneath the medical school, where ancient beings that covertly reign over the college bring forth their dark plans.”
First formed in 2010 as a solo project of frontman Will Toledo, Car Seat Headrest shared a handful of self-released records before signing to Matador and expanding to a full-band setup in 2015.
2018’s Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) served as the band’s breakthrough, becoming their first (and so far, only) album to chart within the top half of the Billboard 200, reaching No. 92. It also charted within the top five of the Independent and Alternative Albums charts, and reached No. 11 on the Top Rock Albums. Their latest release, 2020’s Making a Door Less Open, hit No. 184 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 22 on the Independent Albums chart.
The release of The Scholars puts to rest a protracted period of creativity and touring for Car Seat Headrest, who had fully intended to return sooner with new music. However, the impact of long COVID necessitated the cancellation of tour dates, and the downtime Toledo experienced as a result led to a “dedication to following spiritual practices,” which informs the new album.
Car Seat Headrest will also be launching a series of North American tour dates following the release of their new record, with nine shows currently scheduled between May and November.
Car Seat Headrest 2025 Tour Dates
May 16 – Kilby Block Party, Salt Lake City, UTJune 7 – Governors Ball, New York, NYJune 28 – The Anthem, Washington DCJuly 12 – Mission Ballroom, Denver, COJuly 26 – Salt Shed, Chicago ILAug. 8 – The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CASept. 12 – Highmark Skyline at the Mann Center Philadelphia, PASept. 27 – MGM Music Hall, Boston MANov. 1 – The Fox, Oakland CA
Mötley Crüe won’t be launching their upcoming Las Vegas residency as planned this month, with vocalist Vince Neil set to undergo an unspecified “medical procedure.”
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The tour – which was originally scheduled to run for 11 shows from March 28 through April 19 – will now be taking place throughout September and early October instead. According to a statement from the band, the reason for this shift relates to Vince Neil needing to undergo a “required medical procedure” as per doctor’s orders.
“To all the Crüeheads who were looking forward to see us this Spring, I’m truly sorry,” Neil wrote in the statement. “My health is my top priority so I can bring you the awesome shows you deserve, and I can’t wait to return to the stage. Thank you for all the well wishes that keep reaching me. Your support means more than you know.”
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In a joint statement, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and guitarist John 5 all shared their well wishes for Neil. “Please join us in wishing Vince a speedy recovery,” they wrote. “We are looking forward for him to get well again and to take over Vegas together in September. We can’t wait to see you all out there, and thank you for your understanding and support in the meantime.”
The revised tour will still take place at Dolby Live at Park MGM, albeit from Sept. 12 to Oct. 3 instead. While tickets from the original residency dates will remain valid for the new shows, the tour has now been pared down to just ten shows, with the April 19 performance having been canceled entirely.
Neil’s undisclosed medical procedure is the latest misfortune to affect the singer in recent weeks. On Feb. 10, a plane owned by Neil was at the center of a fatal crash in Scottsdale, AZ. Neil was not present at the time of the incident.
“At 2:39 p.m. local time, a Learjet aircraft Model 35A owned by Vince Neil was attempting to land at the Scottsdale Airport,” a statement from Neil’s representative, Worrick Robinson IV 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.”
Mötley Crüe: The Las Vegas Residency Dates
September 2025: 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 24, 26, 27
October 2025: 1, 3
Stephen Stills is opening up about how his sobriety journey is benefitting the next stage in his career. The 80-year-old “Love the One You’re With” singer has been completely sober for the past three years, and told Rolling Stone in a new interview, “It gets me back to the kid I was before this madness […]
Doechii heard the swamp “loud n clear” and dropped her “Anxiety” single on Tuesday (March 4) via Top Dawg Entertainment and Capitol Records. She announced “Anxiety” approximately half an hour ahead of its arrival on X with the single’s cover art, which features a mirrored black-and-white image of the TDE rapper being connected by her […]
AJR is transitioning into just JR for 2025. The sibling trio took to social media on Tuesday (March 4) to announce that member Adam Met will be stepping away from live performances throughout the year to focus on his climate efforts. “We’re so proud of what he’s doing in this space,” the band wrote in […]
Madonna and Guy Oseary hosted their annual Oscars afterparty on Sunday night (March 3) and, as usual, the event brought together winners holding their trophies as well as some of the biggest names in Hollywood. The Queen of Pop took to Instagram to share photos from the star-studded event, featuring behind-the-scenes getting ready pictures, snaps […]