Rock

Guns N’ Roses busted out the live debut of an old favorite during their Tuesday (May 27) show in Abu Dhabi, seemingly pay tribute to late New York Dolls singer David Johansen two months after the pioneering punk icon died at 75 following a long battle with cancer. Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]

Ozzy Osbourne is going to make it to the stage for Black Sabbath’s final show no matter what it takes. As the metal icon gears up for his first full concert since 2018, he sat down with Billy Morrison on the latest episode of their SiriusXM “Ozzy Speaks” show to break down what he’s doing to gear up for the July 5 Back to the Beginning show in his hometown of Birmingham, England.
“I haven’t done any physical work for the last seven, six and a half, seven years,” Ozzy said, promising that “by hook or by crook, I’m gonna make it [to the stage at Villa Park],” where Black Sabbath’s final gig will find them joined by an all-star roster that will also include Metallica, Mastodon, Anthrax, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Gojira, Slayer and a supergroup featuring members of Guns N’ Roses, the Smashing Pumpkins, Limp Bizkit, Judas Priest, Rage Against the Machine and many more.

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“I’ve got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal,” he said of the intense training he’s undergoing following a rough several years that included spinal surgery and a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. “It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me. I’m giving it everything I’ve got.”

Ozzy, 76, said he’s definitely waking up and stressing about the show at times, but he knows that getting worked up is not what will get him through his first show with Sabbath bandmates guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward in more than 20 years. “Sometimes [I stress], but what I do, if I start obsessing all the time, I’ll be insane by Friday, you know?” he said. “So, I’m just taking it one day at a time and when I do it one day at a time. You know, when we were talking about this [obsessive-compulsive disorder], whatever. I have that badly. All I can say is I’m giving 120%. If my God wants me to do the show, I’ll do it.”

Speaking to the Guardian recently, Ozzy said “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up,” a hedge that was in keeping with comments from Tool singer Maynard James Keenan, who said it will take need “modern miracles” for the rocker to perform one of his legendary high-energy shows given his health struggles.

Though he hasn’t played a full show since Dec. 31, 2018 — two months before revealing his Parkinson’s diagnosis — Ozzy has set a reasonable bar for the July show, saying in February that he isn’t “planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath,” but rather “little bits and pieces” with the group. “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable,” he promised.

Listen to Ozzy talk about his training for the show below.

Metallica are in rarified air when it comes to album sales. According to a release from the iconic metal group’s publicist, the band’s self-titled fifth album, commonly referred to as The Black Album, has been certified 20x platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than 20 million copies. The 1991 LP that earned Metallica […]

For the record, Bono said he has never endorsed a politician for office. But when Jimmy Kimmel asked him on Tuesday night (May 27) where he stood in the ongoing, escalating battle between Donald Trump and Bruce Springsteen, the socially conscious U2 singer said there was only one endorsement he could possibly give.
“I think there’s only one ‘Boss’ in America,” the Irish rock legend responded cheekily in reference to Springsteen’s longtime nickname. The dig at the president came after a recent late night Truth Social rant in which Trump called for a “major investigation” into celebrities who supported former vice president Kamala Harris in her White House bid. “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?” Trump wrote. “WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN’T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???”

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According to Newsweek, there is no official record of any of those artist being paid to perform in support of Harris. In addition, Irish citizen Bono did not endorse a candidate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election and did not participate in any campaign events.

That said, Bono was more than happy to be included in the Trump dump. “To be in the company of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and Oprah, I’d play tambourine in that band,” he told Kimmel, clarifying that neither he nor U2 have ever “paid or played a show to support any candidate from any party. It has never happened. It’s called ‘Truth Social,’ but it seems to be very antisocial and it’s not very true,” he quipped about the president’s social media platform.

He did, however, suspect that his name may have made it into Trump’s rant because he co-founded the non-profit One Campaign, a global non-partisan organization that has raised millions to create economic opportunities in Africa. In the midst of the Trump administration’s unprecedented dismantling of U.S. government agencies — including efforts to completely defund and eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development — Bono noted that people across the political spectrum, including the many “very religious Catholics and evangelicals and conservatives” who support his organization are “very, very, very angry with the person that they voted into office having demolished instruments of mercy and compassion, like USAID or PEPFAR,” he said.

The latter is a reference to a global initiative launched by Republican President George W. Bush in 2003 that is credited to date with saving 26 million lives of people living with AIDS and and allowing nearly 8 million babies to be born with HIV infection. “They are not happy and there will be trouble,” Bono predicted of the blow-back from Trump’s actions.

While he was happy to weigh in on the American pop-litical back-and-forth, Bono was actually there to promote his new biographical film, Bono: Stories of Surrender, which premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday (May 30). In a rare TV chat appearance, the singer jokingly said the memoir-tuned-one-man-show-turned-film has him playing an “aging rock star on a massive ego trip… It’s quite a stretch.”

He briefly described how the film had him exploring his “rather complicated” relationship with his strong-willed late father, Brendan Robert Hewson, as well as his own struggles to be a good father and son. When Kimmel noted that the film got a nearly 9-minute ovation at its Cannes Film Festival debut, Bono, despite being one of the world’s biggest rock stars, admitted to feeling a sense of imposter syndrome while walking the red carpet at the glamorous French film fête.

In fact, he was somewhat unnerved to even sit with Kimmel, asking actress daughter Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters) for advice, which she dutifully provided. “‘Dad, just bring it,’” she counseled the 65-year-old music legend. “And I’m like, ‘bring what?,’” he replied. “She said, ‘it. It. Just answer Jimmy’s questions. None of the jazz conversation without full stops and commas. Just answer his question, no false modesty.’”

Sage advice indeed. So, when Kimmel asked what’s next for U2, Bono gave a somewhat jazz-less answer. “Oh, oh yes,” Bono said in response to a query about whether the band is recording new music. “We’ve been in a studio. I think you’ve sometimes got to deal with the past to get to the present… in order to make the sound of the future.”

Bono described the sound as that of “four men who feel like their lives depend on it,” noting that “nobody needs a new U2 album unless it’s an extraordinary one. And I’m feeling very strong about it.” The unnamed album would be the follow-up to 2023’s Songs of Surrender, which featured re-recorded versions of 40 of the group’s previously released tracks.

Pumping up the jazz, Bono said the new tracks are songs for the “kitchen… the speedway, the garage… just for every part of your life. Songs to make up to, songs to break up to.” The best news is that drummer Larry Mullen Jr. is back in the fold following neck surgery that kept him out of U2’s residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere in late 2023 and early 2024. “He’s really innovative,” Bono said of the band’s time keeper.

Watch Bono on Jimmy Kimmel Live! below.

The see-saw story of The Who‘s drummer chair continued to tilt over the weekend when former, then current and then former again time keeper Zak Starkey clarified that he had not been fired from the band but rather “retired.” The 59-year-old son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and in-demand session player wrote in an Instagram […]